The Mead Mavericks’ dream season continues.
Already this season, the Mavericks defeated powerhouse Holy Family for the first time in program history. Last week, the Mavericks rallied to beat Mountain View in overtime in the Sweet 16.
Friday morning in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum, the third-seeded Mavericks utilized their superiour athleticism and savvy ball movement to cruise to a 54-41 victory over No. 11 Standley Lake in the quarterfinals of the girls’ Class 5A state tournament.
Darby Haley (10) of the Mead Mavericks, right, gets pressure from Stella Abernethy (20) of the Standley Lake Gators in the second quarter of the 5A Colorado high school playoffs quarter finals at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on Friday, March 01, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
“We stressed all week that we had to use our athleticism and use our speed because I thought we had the advantage in that area,” coach Mike Ward said. “We’re not big, so we had to space the floor and force them to come out and guard us. We moved the ball really well. We went from a good shot to a great shot.”
The Mavericks, who advanced to the Final Four for the second time in three years, will face the winner of Friday night’s game between No. 2 Roosevelt and No. 7 Montrose. Mead lost to Windsor in the state semifinals in 2022.
Standley Lake, with 6-foot-2 senior Taylin Serlen in the post, is capable of dominating the game in the paint. But the Mavericks set the tone early and never let the Gators find any rhythm. Mead drained three, wide-open 3-pointers to take a 15-5 lead after the first quarter.
“I think those 3-pointers were key for us,” said junior point guard Darby Haley, who led the Mavericks with 14 points. “But I also think it was about our defense. We had great help-side defense, and that’s something we talked about all week.”
In addition to Haley’s performance, the Mavericks’ balanced attack featured 13 points from junior forward Caroline Kron and 11 points from senior forward Gianna Wurth. Junior guard Lexi Van Dyke sank all three of her 3-pointers to finish with nine points.
Elena Gomez (2) of the Mead Mavericks, left, and Sydney Martin (15) of Stanley Lake scramble for a loose ball in the first quarter of the Colorado high school playoffs quarter finals at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on Friday, March 01, 2024. (Photo by Andy Cross/The Denver Post)
Overall, the Mavericks shot 8 of 19 (41.1%) from beyond the arc vs. 4 of 11 (36.4) for Standley Lake. Mead also cashed in at the free-throw line, making 16 of 23 foul shots.
“It’s kind of weird because you think you would shoot better in a high school guy than here at the Coliseum,” Ward said. “But early on, at least, I was very happy with how we stepped up at the line. We shot the ball with confidence.”
Led by Serlen, Standley Lake put together a small run, cutting Mead’s lead to eight points, 35-27, with 3:27 left in the third. But the Gators never got any closer. Serlen led all scorers with 17 points.
Haley runs the show for Mead. She rescued her team by scoring 25 points in the Mavericks’ 71-60 overtime win over Mountain View.
Asked what Haley does for the Mavericks, Ward answered: “Everything. She does a little bit of everything. She defends; she distributes the ball. She is our heart and soul, she really is. If she’s rolling, we’re rolling.”
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