Eli Pace / epace@skyhinews.com
Following an opening round bye, Middle Park cruised in the second round of the Class 3A Frontier League girls district tournament Tuesday at home with a 55-23 win vs. Lake County.
After the game, Panthers coach Mike Reigan said Lake County came out with a much improved squad since the two schools met earlier this season. However, Middle Park has been coming on strong lately too, he added.
“A lot of the girls are playing really well,” explained Reigan, who credited much of Tuesday’s victory to peaking team cohesion, players coming back from illness and injury and a stingy Panthers defense.
“Our defense is really pretty good at times, and we can take a lot of schools away from what they want to do,” he concluded.
The return of junior Dominyka Reventaite, who has been out with a bad ankle, was one welcome addition back on the court Tuesday, and Reigan thought she played a strong game.
Also, senior Briana Baker, who had been suffering from illness, played well with nine points in the game.
Despite efforts to box up standout Katie Trail, she posted 20 points for the Panthers, and a large cast of Panthers chipped in, as the scoring was spread evenly across the team with most players logging points.
One who doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet but has been “invaluable” for the team has been junior Holly Harms, Reigan said.
“She has been our rock,” the coach explained. “She is just steady, and she’s the person I put on the other team’s best defensive player.”
Seeded No. 2 in district tournament, Middle Park was set to play No. 3 seed DSST: Montview on Thursday at Pinnacle High School in Denver. Middle Park beat DSST: Montview earlier in the season, and the winner will move on to Saturday’s championship game.
Boys advance
The Middle Park boys basketball team defeated Bennett 77-51 on Tuesday in the Class 3A Frontier League district tournament. With the victory, No. 2 seeded Middle Park matches up against No. 6 Lake County today after Lake County upset No. 3 KIPP Denver on Tuesday.
“I was really happy with the way we played on Tuesday,” Middle Park coach Todd Williams said. “That was probably our most complete game of the season so far. It was an all around team effort, both offensively and defensively.”
The Panthers saw five players score in double figures, and Williams highlighted senior Gabe Loberg and junior Cameron Kirwan, who stepped up in the second half to give Middle Park the physical presence it needed in the game. The victory puts Middle Park on a collision course with Lake County for the semifinal round. The winner will move on to Saturday’s championship game.