Recapping the Class 6A girls and boys Great 8 games on Friday at the Denver Coliseum. Girls: No. 5 Northfield 66, No. 13 Riverdale Ridge 59. The Nighthawks ended the prep career of a Colorado great to open Friday’s slate of games. Riverdale Ridge blue-chip Brihanna Crittendon, CHSAA’s all-time l eading scorer, didn’t come off the floor as she poured in 41 points on 11-of-17 from the field and 17-of-18 from the stripe. The Texas commit tacked on nine rebounds, three steals, a block and an assist. But that gigantic effort wasn’t enough to offset Northfield’s balanced scoring. The Nighthawks got 21 points from Madison Bethel, 16 by London Taylor and 10 by Delaney Dennis as the junior trio propelled Northfield into the Final Four in just its second season in Class 6A. Northfield, which lost the Class 5A championship to Roosevelt three years ago, avenged its first-round playoff defeat to Riverdale Ridge last season. “We had to realize that (Crittendon’s) a great player, and we knew she was going to score, but we just had to try and limit her,” Madison Bethel said. “We did a decent job, but most importantly, we did what we needed to do on offense to come back and clap back at her points. “On offense, we had to move the ball around, get (Crittendon) moving, get her a little tired and draw her out of the paint so we could get in there. That was the biggest piece for us to find the right open shots.” Crittendon finishes her career with 3,073 points. Her next showcase will be at the McDonald’s All-American Game on March 31 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. Then, she’ll play for USA Basketball at the Nike Hoop Summit on April 11 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon, in a game featuring top American high school players against a U-19 World Team. The 6-foot-3 combo guard/forward, who put Riverdale Ridge on the map with a Class 4A title as a sophomore before consecutive Coliseum appearances in 6A last year and this one, leaves for Austin in early June to begin her college career. “We didn’t quit at all today and I’m proud of our girls. It’s not the way we expected to go out, but I’m very grateful for everything we’ve accomplished the last four years,” Crittendon said. “I definitely could’ve done more to get the win, but I’m proud of myself — I’m not going to hang my head too much. It’s time to move on to the next era of my life.” Related Articles Rangeview boys hoops — led by dynamic trio — is hungry for Colorado Class 6A title Previewing the Colorado high school basketball Great 8 in Class 6A, 5A at the Denver Coliseum Chaparral boys basketball, headlined by four impact players, eyes Class 6A state title Brihanna Crittendon breaks CHSAA’s all-time basketball scoring record, passing Tracy Hill’s 43-year-old mark of 2,934 points Caryn Jarocki has more girls basketball wins than any coach in Colorado — and she’s not done yet Rock Canyon’s Kai Valentine (35), right, defends Grandview’s Charlie Atkinson during a Class 6A Great 8 basketball game at the Denver Coliseum in Denver on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) Boys: No. 5 Rock Canyon 66, No. 13 Grandview 52. By the time Rock Canyon’s lead stretched to 15 points late in the fourth quarter, the Canyon Crazies let the Coliseum know how they were feeling. Rock Canyon’s renowned student section, which showed out on force on Friday, ripped off three consecutive chants with the Jaguars’ win in the bag. First: “We want varsity!” Second: “Na na na na, hey hey hey, good-bye.” Third: “Warm the buses!” Those chants capped a strong performance by Rock Canyon, which advanced to its third Final Four under 14th-year head coach Kent Grams. The game was close early, but Grandview never threatened in the second half. Senior Davis May (a Dordt University commit) paved the way with 20 points, while junior Avery Vasquez had 10 and the Jaguars’ defense consistently stifled Grandview. Rock Canyon (23-3) has lost only one in-state game this season, a narrow 54-50 defeat to top-seeded Chaparral in Continental League play on Jan. 23. Beyond that, the Jaguars’ size, depth and athleticism have proven difficult to match, as the Wolves discovered on Friday. “The hard thing about us is we’ve got multiple ways to beat you,” Grams said. “We’ve got a great post player with (6-foot-5) junior Jacob David, who didn’t have a great game because of foul trouble, and we can get the ball inside. But his teammates picked him up, because anybody else can step up at any given time, and that’s how it’s been all year.” The Jaguars controlled the middle of the game, outscoring Grandview 36-21 in the second and third quarters, which ended up being the difference. At halftime, Grams implored his team to step on the gas, stop shooting 3s and penetrate the ball into the paint. “We were allowing them to dictate the pace of the game (in the first half),” Grams said. “We like to push the pace, we try to multiply possessions. Our guards were walking the ball up the floor and allowing Grandview to set up their defense, so once we started pushing and getting the ball swung more and getting it to two or three sides (of the floor), I thought they would break down and we would get easier looks.” It will be an all-Continental League showdown in the Final Four as Rock Canyon will face either Chaparral, who ended the Jaguars’ season in the Sweet 16 last year, or Mountain Vista. Rock Canyon beat Mountain Vista 79-75 on Feb. 6. “If we can be who we are, and get stops, who knows what can happen,” Grams said. East’s Olivia Hanlon (24), right, controls the ball against Valor Christian’s Elise Herbek (20) during 6A great 8 basketball game at Denver Coliseum in Denver on Friday, March 6, 2026. (Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post) Girls: No. 6 Denver East 56, No. 3 Valor Christian 48. The combination of junior guard Grace Hall and senior forward Mairead Hearty led the Angels past the Eagles in the second girls game of the day. After a 20-20 tie in the first quarter, Denver East used its size advantage inside with Hearty in addition to sharpshooting from deep (the Angels were 7-of-15 from 3-point range) to pull away from Valor Christian. The Eagles were paced by 17 points by Utah pledge Peyton Jones, plus 15 points by George Washington commit Camryn Gunter, but they couldn’t get enough complementary scoring elsewhere to deny Denver East a Final Four berth in the fourth year under longtime Colorado high school coach Carl Mattei. Hearty, a San Diego State commit, also tallied 13 rebounds to notch a double-double. “We came out a little flat, like we were just excited to be there,” Mattei said. “Then, after we hit our first three 3s, I called a timeout and told them, ‘You belong here.’ Then they really started to believe, and we started to come back (in that first quarter). I thought our size was a huge factor in the rebounding, because as the game went along, we were controlling most of the second attempts.” Mattei, in his 25th season coaching prep hoops, concentrated the Angels’ defensive schemes on preventing Jones and Gunter from completely taking over the game. That included a triangle-and-two, a three-two zone and a diamond defense as Mattei earned his 15th trip to the Final Four (14 at Regis Jesuit, which resulted in three titles). “I feel like we did a good job maintaining coverage on (Jones and Gunter), or at least contesting shots,” Mattei said. “But then when we were open, I don’t think Valor realized how many weapons we have.” Denver East played a tough schedule to complete its stair-stepping to the Final Four under Mattei. Three years ago, the Angels lost in the first round of the playoffs; two years ago, they fell in the Sweet 16; and last season, they lost in the Great 8. The Angels played against six out-of-state opponents this season, in addition to taking on Great 8 qualifiers in Legend, Highlands Ranch, Arapahoe and Northfield (three times). One loss to Broomfield and another to Northfield were Denver East’s lone in-state setbacks. “We traveled the country in preparation to try to make a Final Four,” Mattei said. “I used the same blueprint for success (when I built Regis Jesuit into a power).” Denver East last made the Final Four in 2010, when the Angels went on to beat Legacy 50-46 in the Class 5A title to capture the program’s lone championship. Rangeview’s Aidan Perez (3) shoots during a team practice at Rangeview High School on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Aurora, Colo. (Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post) Boys: No. 3 Rangeview 51, No. 6 Cherry Creek 33. The Raiders dominated the final quarters to cruise to victory over the Bruins, who scored just 12 points in the first half and then only 21 in the second half. Rangeview’s defensive effort was paralleled by a strong offensive performance by senior wing Aiden Perez, who had a game-high 18 points on a scorching 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-5 from deep. He missed his first 3 in the opening quarter, but then drilled the next four. “I’ve been working on a game like this (on a stage like this) for this whole year — I’ve been putting in time on my preparation, been working on my 3s,” Perez said. “It’s all falling into place now. “… Once I hit the first 3, I really felt the rhythm. And if Cherry Creek wasn’t going to step up and close out on me, because that kept happening, I’m going to show them I can shoot. And that’s what I did.” Perez’s sharpshooting, along with a game-high 13 rebounds by senior wing Anthony Andrew, sent the Raiders to their seventh Final Four in Shawn Palmer’s 23rd season as head coach. Perez called Andrew “a killer, even though he doesn’t get a lot of the hype he deserves” on a team headlined by junior guard Archie Weatherspoon V and sophomore point guard Marceles Duncan. Perez added that he believes Rangeview is “the best defensive team in the state.” “We’ve got the guys, the size, the athleticism to shut teams down,” Perez said. “When it comes to defense, that’s one of our calling cards, and it kept us in the game the first half when our offense wasn’t going good.” With the score 13-12 at halftime in favor of Rangeview, the Raiders uncorked an 11-0 run in the third to take command of the game. They never looked back from there as they took another step toward the program’s third title, with previous crowns coming in 2019 and 1985. “We celebrated a little bit after the game, but we wiped it off pretty quickly,” Perez said. “That’s a good win, but that’s not the one we want just quite yet. We’ll be happy and satisfied when we’ve got that ring on our hand.” Girls: No. 1 Cherokee Trail 66, No. 9 Legend 39: The Titans, last year’s state runner-up, saw their rebuild season come to an end at the hands of high-powered Cherokee Trail. The Cougars owned the opening and closing quarters, building up a 17-9 lead over the Titans after one, and then closing out the fourth with a 27-10 advantage in the final frame. Cherokee Trail star Aaliyah Broadus poured in 29 points and added six rebounds, a steal and an assist. The Wichita State commit was 10-of-13 from the field and made all nine of her free throws. Senior Karson Chaney and freshman Chloe Cain both chipped in 13 points. Legend was led by senior leader, guard Maile Starns, who had 15 points. 6A Final Four matchups at Denver Coliseum Girls (March 12) No. 1 Cherokee Trail vs. No. 5 Northfield No. 2 Arapahoe/No. 7 Highlands Ranch vs. No. 6 Denver East Boys (March 13) No. 5 Rock Canyon vs. No. 1 Chaparral/No. 8 Mountain Vista No. 2 Ralston Valley/No. 7 George Washington vs. No. 3 Rangeview Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams. ...read more read less