New head coach, same deep tournament run for Holy Family.
The Tigers girls basketball team advanced to their fifth Final Four in the last six seasons on Wednesday at Denver Coliseum, beating Alamosa 58-39 in the Class 4A Great 8. After legendary coach Ron Rossi retired following last season, finishing with 438 wins and a record-tying seven state titles, Mike Quintana took over the program this year.
Quintana, a 1998 Holy Family graduate who spent time in the boys and girls programs as an assistant, was the point guard on the Tigers’ ’98 title team. He credits Rossi and the community’s influence for his seamless transition to becoming the girls head coach.
“It starts with Coach Ron,” Quintana said. “He’s been through this journey with me, and helped me along the way. The girls have bought into me, they believed in me. This is their team, and they welcomed me to their team.”
Alamosa battled on Wednesday, but Holy Family was in control throughout. The Tigers led 16-10 after one quarter and then 26-22 at half before opening up a 9-point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
That’s when Holy Family stepped on the gas, outscoring the Mean Moose 19-9 to cruise to the easy victory. Holy Family had a balanced scoring effort, with Alexcia Oaxaca leading the way with 12 points and Enyiah Contreraz, Alicia Barajas and coach’s daughter Alyssa Quintana also in double figures. Quintana also pulled down 10 rebounds for a double-double.
“Our depth is one of our biggest strengths, and why it’s really hard to beat us,” said junior guard Gracie Ward, a three-year starter. “Anyone could be hitting at any time, and we have so many players who can get buckets.
“We had to get stops and did that more in the second half, and it really got our offense going.”
Alamosa was led by a game-high 13 points from Morgan Ortega, but was worn down by Holy Family’s defensive intensity over the final two quarters. Holy Family’s run-and-gun style, which contrasts the style of play seen during Rossi’s tenure, underscored its victory. The Tigers had 28 points off turnovers, and 17 fast-break points.
“It’s quite a different coaching style,” Ward noted. “Coach Rossi, his method worked with his half-court sets, but this year you can see how we had more freedom to run and score lay-ups and 3s in the transition game.”
Holy Family, which won the 2023 title before falling in the championship last year to blue-chip recruit Brihanna Crittendon and Riverdale Ridge, faces the winner of No. 1 University-No. 9 D’Evelyn in the Final Four. This season, the Tigers are determined to finish the job. An eighth title would move them into second place in all-time rings, behind Eads’ nine.
“Being there and coming up short, that left a bad taste in our mouths,” Ward said. “That’s a regret we never want to feel again, so we’re so hungry this season to go all the way.”
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