Sometimes the heart of a player can overcome the talent of another.
Once in a while, a team can rally around a moment or series of moments to surpass everyone’s expectations, a Cinderella story if you will.
That wasn’t the case in this game.
No. 21 seed Yuma had hopes of making a Cinderella-like run through the Class 2A state tournament, but ran into No. 5 Rye in the Sweet 16 and the clock struck midnight.
Rye defeated Yuma 44-11 to advance to the 2A Great 8 for the first time since 2019.
Here are three thoughts on the ThunderBolts’ playoff win.
How they got here:Rye Thunderbolts strike Falcons out of the air in blowout win to reach 2A Sweet 16
Taste of Rye’s own medicine
The Thunderbolts offense was stifled early due to some great defense from Yuma, which applied pressure on Rye much the same way that the Bolts normally do to their opponent.
“Yeah, I think once the nerves got out, I mean, there’s a lot of pressure hosting at home and the girls felt a lot of pressure,” said Rye girls basketball coach Kermit Spencer. “You come in here undefeated as you know, and there is a lot of talk about how good we are really, and I think the girls proved that we’re a pretty good team.”
This pressure led to a slow start out of the gate for both teams. Rye didn’t slack when it came to their defensive efforts, either. They only allowed one basket in a first quarter that ended with a 6-2 edge for the home team.
“That team was a good team,” Gracie Graham said. “They definitely pushed us like no one else really has. We were prepared but the first quarter we were kind of getting the nerves out a little.”
Second quarter sprint
The second quarter was just as physical as the first.
However, Rye started hitting his shots. The Thunderbolts opened up the quarter on a 7-0 run to increase their lead.
Physical play continued, though, as bodies hit the floor after tough fouls with arms and legs flying through the air after rebounds. The game almost turned into a wrestling match.
Eventually, things got under control after a hard foul by one of the Yuma players on Rye caused the Yuma player to slide underneath the driving Rye player and hit her back and head hard on the court.
The Yuma player would recover and make her way to the bench. But after that, the game’s intensity ramped down.
Yuma only mustered one second-quarter basket while Rye dropped in a handful of his own to increase the halftime lead to 21-5.
The blowout was on
The third quarter started as a slight wake-up call, with Yuma starting to get on the board. But Rye answered every time.
Ultimately, Rye’s defense and Yuma’s desperation broke open the scoring gates for the Thunderbolts. Bad pass after bad pass turned into transition buckets for Rye to the tune of 18 points in the fourth quarter.
Their defense was on point so much that quarter that they did not allow a single point in the final frame. The unbeaten Thunderbolts are officially back in the Great 8 for the first time since 2019 and have their eyes set on making a run at the 2A title.
“I don’t have the words, I just don’t,” Spencer said. “The girls played phenomenally. They knew what they had to do, and they just did it. We came in this morning, talked about a few things and then they just stepped up and just played their hearts out.”
Bolt’s seniors enjoy the moment
When the buzzer sounded, the celebration was on.
Reaching this part of the schedule has been Rye’s goal since the start of the season. Although the job is not over, the seniors talked about what it was like to have the crowd cheering for them in their final home game.
“It honestly felt like cloud nine,” Morgan Elarton said. “We all knew what was about to happen and just that anticipation getting ready to celebrate, and to celebrate with each other and just like we said, this is a family and we play for each other. So, it was a feeling like no other.”
“Looking at all of these girls, they’re my best friends, and looking around and seeing the smiles on their faces just like made it that much sweeter,” Graham said.
The seniors were especially happy about making it back to the Great 8, a round Rye hasn’t reached since their freshman year. The fact that this group was able to make it back and have the potential to go even farther than the 2019 team is something they enjoy and embrace.
“I just think we have such a great group of girls,” Sydney Adamson said. “We have great chemistry between ourselves and I think that’s what’s going to push us and what has pushed us so far this season is chemistry.”
More:Rye High School girls basketball wins Region 6 title, advances to the state regional tournament
“Yeah, we’re just looking at this game it’s one down and three more to go, Sophie Adamson said. “You know, if we’re going to win that state championship and that’s our main goal is to win it with this group of girls ’cause we’re hard-working and we’re talented.”
“This team is the definition of family,” Graham said. “We are so close on and off the court and how we pick each other up and carry each other kind of on our shoulders. We all work together and that’s what has gotten this far.”
Rye’s opponent for the Great 8 was not yet determined Saturday afternoon, but the games will take place at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland starting on Thursday.
Although the job is not done yet, the team is still focused on reaching its goal of winning a state title.
“You know, at this point everybody is good and everybody has to be beaten except one,” Spencer said. “This is why we play the game.”
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @chowebacca
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