Mustangs favored for another crack at a 4A championship

By Neil H. Devlin, Mullen Sports Information Director
Mullen returns its entire roster and is the preseason No. 1; 'Stangs will play all Centennial League games and open at 5A heavyweight Grandview.

(Fourth is a series of previews for the new Season B.)

 
It is well-known and through no fault of their own, but Mullen girls basketball never got to finish its 2019-20 season.

When we last saw the Mustangs, they had just handled Berthoud 64-57 in overtime in the Class 4A semifinals at a sparsely populated Denver Coliseum.

A couple of hours later, however, the rest of the tournament was cancelled, so was the spring season and so were professional and college sports. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic had taken hold.

So Mullen never got to defend its 2018-19 4A championship; there was no finals rematch against Holy Family. The quick finality was difficult to swallow.

Months later, head coach Frank Cawley aptly summed it up and said, “I think everyone is sick of (COVID-19). We are so ready to play.”

Just about the exact same faces will be sporting Mullen uniforms this season as there were no seniors on last year’s roster. So get reacquainted with the likes of Megan Pohs, Elaina Martinez, Gracie Gallegos, Imani Perez, Haley Van Horn, Alexa Dominguez, Abby Webster, Jessica Oates-Stamm, Kilah Freelon, Evenyce Gutierrez and Bella Aragon.

Pohs, a first team all-stater who scored 30 points in the semifinals victory, including 10 in overtime, is arguably the top player in 4A. She has signed with Regis. Dominguez, so valuable and versatile off the bench, will play at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. Expect additional signings later this season and into the next few. Gallegos and Perez are top juniors.

The 14-game regular season will involve all Centennial League games for the Mustangs, who interestingly will open with a road game at 5A favorite and nationally ranked Grandview (Wednesday, Jan. 27, 7 p.m.) and home versus Cherry Creek (Friday, Jan. 29, 7 p.m.), the 2019 5A champion.

“If everyone buys in, accepts their roles and does their jobs,” Cawley said, “we’ll be OK.”

The regular season will run through March 6.

As in 5A, the 4A bracket will shrink from 48 to 32 teams.

The Mustangs opened as the preseason No. 1 in the coaches poll.
 
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