Rangeview girls win first basketball league title in school history

HENDERSON – For all of the returning varsity players from last season, there was a lot of familiarity when the Lady ThunderHawks of Prairie View and the Lady Raiders of Rangeview met on the hardwood floor Thursday night.

Anthony Arroyo

Prairie View's Jordan Wilson, left, and junior Brittani Craig of Rangeview head for the floor to get control of the loose ball Thursday night. Rangeview won its first girls basketball title in school history by holding off the ThunderHawks 55-52.

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Last year, both teams entered the contest undefeated in league play, a game that ended with a 62-56 Prairie View victory on Rangeview’s home court.

This year Rangeview got revenge and did it on Prairie View’s home court, outlasting its conference foe with a 55-52 victory. The win caps the team’s first league title in school history and also marks the best record ever at 21-2.

“This win means a lot,” said Rangeview senior Katie Pham, who was injured late last year. “It’s hard to explain in words what this win really means. I owe it to my team and all the coaches on the staff.”

The Lady ThunderHawks really made things interesting in the fourth quarter. They went into the final eight minutes of the game down by 11. In fact, the Lady Raiders were up as much as 14 points after a layup by senior Alessandra Tsing before the home team came storming back.

PVHS nailed four, 3-pointers in the fourth and eventually cut matters to three with a chance to win it. Junior Cierra Mendoza, who hit on one of her team’s 3-pointers in the fourth, missed her shot at the buzzer.

“It was the little mental errors that hurt us the most,” Prairie View head coach Rachel Jensen said. “Rangeview is a very disciplined team and did a good job executing their style of offense.”

Things were not as interesting in the beginning. Rangeview appeared to force things early. The result of the sloppy play saw the Raiders 12-11 after the first quarter. The defensive intensity picked up for both teams, but things really did not begin going Rangeview’s way until the third quarter, where the team outscored the Lady ThunderHawks 22-14.

“Our girls really never been in a situation where a game mattered this much,” Rangeview head coach Josh Brenning said. “I think the girls came out a little nervous because of it. We’ve been a second-half team for probably the last 10 games. As a coach, I love a game like this because it prepares us for what’s to come.”

RHS was led by senior Sydney Jones, who chipped in with a game-high 16 points. Rangeview got 10 points from Pham and nine from junior Brittani Craig.

Prairie View's Kiki Heard scored 15 points, while junior Jordan Wilson added 10.

“We haven’t had emotional games like this and we can only build on it as we move forward,” Jensen said. “In our league, it always comes down to Prairie View or Rangeview. We got them last year, they got us this year.”

A few records were broken on this night. Pham set the all-time records for most rebounds and steals in school history. Earlier in the season, Jones broke the record for most 3-pointers made in one game. Rangeview’s 21-2 record is also the best in school history.

“Our goal all year was to finish first,” Brenning said. “Out school has never won a league championship in school history, and that is something to be proud of, especially how hard the seniors have worked to get to this point.”

On the other side of the ball, Wilson needs 18 points for 1,000 in her brilliant career.

The Lady Raiders, who are guaranteed a Top 16 bid at state, await Selection Sunday to see where they stand in the state tournament. PVHS will close out the regular season with Fort Lupton Friday night at home.