No. 1 Windsor girls basketball team fights off No. 4 Mead to continue undefeated run
LONGMONT — Fifteen straight wins and counting.
Or climbing, as senior guard Jolie Juricek said Friday night after Windsor High School’s top-ranked girls basketball team earned a hard-fought 58-46 win at No. 4 Mead just three days after rolling over Holy Family.
“Now, it’s just climbing and climbing until we get to the top,” Jiricek said.
Windsor (15-0) is already on top of the Class 4A rankings in both the CHSAANow.com poll and RPI. The Wizards solidified those spots by taking down Mead (14-2), ranked No. 4 in the poll and No. 2 in the RPI before a raucous crowd of about 500 fans in the Mavericks’ home gym.
The Wizards used their aggressive play on the defensive end to steal passes, force turnovers via traveling and double-dribble calls and generally wreak havoc on the Mavericks. That set them up for quick baskets in transition which allowed them to twice takes leads of as many as 20 points in one of the closest games they’ve played this season.
Windsor beat all four of Fort Collins' Class 5A schools in nonconference play and has won every game it's played by double-digit margins, including three by 55-plus points.
“We’ve been waiting for this week the entire season,” senior forward Olivia Reed said. “Some higher competition than we’re used to seeing, so it’s nice to finish it up.”
Local hoops: 3-sport star Kali Siemers' competitive fire sparks Heritage Christian girls basketball
After beating Holy Family by 29 points on Tuesday night to avenge their only regular-season loss of the 2021 season, the Wizards found themselves in a battle early Friday in the opening game of a girls-boys doubleheader.
They didn’t flinch. Not even when two of their best players, Reed and senior guard Lexi Backhaus, got into foul trouble that limited their minutes.
Other players stepped in and stepped up, carrying the Wizards to their 31st win in 33 games over the past two seasons and giving them a two-game lead over second-place Mead in the race for a Northern Conference title.
Windsor advanced to the 4A state title game last year, losing in the championship to Mullen.
Reed finished with 20 points, while Backhaus had 14. Senior Mykaela Moore and junior Samantha Darnell each scored seven. Everyone who stepped on the floor, though, made key contributions at various title times.
“Our depth is huge right now,” second-year coach Karin Nicholls said. “We’re deeper than we were last year, not just deep with minutes but with production.”
The Wizards are even more motivated this season after coming so close to their ultimate goal and then falling short at the end.
They’ve doubled down on everything they do and are still getting better.
Better, Nicholls said, than they were in the first few weeks of the season, when they beat Fossil Ridge and Poudre twice apiece plus Fort Collins and Rocky Mountain once.
“We had chemistry last year, but we’re just so different this year,” Jiricek said. “Just our commitment and our desire to win and just be better for each other. I don’t want to shut my girl down for myself; I want to shut her down for my team.
“If everybody has that mentality, there’s nobody that can beat us.”
Local girls basketball power rankings: Just like in 4A, Windsor holds No. 1 spot
Windsor boys fall to Mead
Mead got the win in the boys game that followed, holding off a late comeback bid by Windsor for a 59-51 victory.
David Hageman scored 21 points and Tanner Garcia 10 for the Wizards, who trailed by double-digit margins for most of the game before closing the tap to five with 2:55 remaining.
That was as close as Windsor (11-5), No. 4 in the RPI, got against Mead (12-4), No. 7 in the RPI.
Local boys basketball power rankings: Fossil Ridge enjoying special season, claims top spot
Kelly Lyell reports on CSU, high school and other local sports and topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, follow him on Twitter @KellyLyell and find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. If you 're a subscriber, thank you for your support. If not, please consider purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Windsor Wizards girls basketball beats Mead 58-46 to remain undefeated
