D’Evelyn flies to Class 4 Final Four thanks to Peyton Marvel’s 36-point day
Evelyn #Evelyn
Brihanna Crittendon might be Colorado’s newest basketball superhero, but D’Evelyn is headed to the Class 4A Final Four thanks to its very own Captain Marvel.
As in, junior Peyton Marvel, who dropped a game-high 36 points and 14 rebounds on seventh-seeded Riverdale Ridge to help the No. 2 seed advance out of the Great 8, 54-47, Friday morning at the Denver Coliseum
“I think sometimes, when you hear about — I mean, (Crittendon) is a great player, no doubt,” said Jaguars coach Chris Olson, whose squad improved to 26-0. “But when you hear about it all the time … that’s why I’m so proud of our whole team fighting and fronting and doubling and making it just tough.”
D’Evelyn threw the kitchen sink at Crittendon, the 6-foot-2 freshman who’s one of ESPN and HoopGurlz’ top 25 national prospects for the Class of 2026. The Jaguars bracketed Crittendon in the post — early in the second half with senior forward Gina Gersabeck fronting her — and sagged off at times whenever she set up outside, daring other Ravens players to beat them from outside.
It worked like a charm.
Riverdale Ridge connected on just four of its 24 3-point attempts, while Crittendon was just 1 for 5 during a 28-point performance.
“I mean, she drives, (so) we just gave her space, didn’t let her shoot a lot outside,” D’Evelyn wing Macy Sheer explained. “So, fronting and double-teaming, yeah. I mean, we don’t really want to talk about her, either. But we knew if we just shut her down — that was our main focus.”
Marvel, meanwhile, collected three steals and helped to turn 13 Ravens turnovers into easy buckets or quick fouls.
D’Evelyn went to the free-throw line 24 times to Riverdale Ridge’s nine trips, and converted on 16. Marvel was 15 for 19 from the line, 9 for 11 in the second half, keying a 9-0 scoring run in the game’s final three minutes.
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