Olguin, Brown justify CCGS selections
Marissa Olguin’s layup in the closing seconds of the 2025 Colorado Coaches of Girls’ Sports All-State Basketball Games’ Class 3A feature may have indeed been a cherry-pick.
But for the Ignacio senior guard and her 3A ‘Blue’ teammates assembled in Thornton, it was a necessary evil.
Triggered by a three-pointer with 2:29 left in the fourth quarter by, as fate would have it, Bayfield’s Renae Foutz, 3A ‘Red’ (comprised of players wearing their schools’ darker uniforms; ‘Blue’ rocked their respective whites) went on a 7-0 run cutting the enemy’s lead down to just 55-51.
But after Wiggins’ Kennedy Kerr, assisted by Kersey Platte Valley’s Lauryn Uyemura, netted a two-pointer with 0:25.1 left on the scoreboard clock inside Skyview High’s Al Hower Gymnasium, Blue guard Olivia Klein (Loveland Resurrection Christian) quickly dribbled through Red pressure and, before nearing midcourt, spotted Olguin all alone and slung a perfect pass resulting in an easy two points ultimately securing Blue a 57-51 victory Sunday afternoon, March 23.
Made a Games starter by head coach Russell Coleman (Cedaredge), Olguin finished with nine points. Abigail Perry (Colorado Springs Christian) tallied ten, Klein 11 and RCS’ Callie Gillespie 15. Nine points of her game-high total came during the opening eight minutes as Blue built up an imposing 20-7 lead.
Having initially checked in with 5:04 left in the first quarter as a reserve for skipper Andy Schon (Wiggins), Foutz helped keep Red alive early by converting an ‘and-one’ three-point play after being fouled by – surprise, surprise – Ignacio’s Victoria Brown (who’d first entered with 5:36 left) with 4:00 remaining. But with Red trailing 9-5, she was reminded moments later that she was amongst the state’s best as Blue’s Carley Malinowski (Cedaredge) picked Foutz’s proverbial pocket and netted a statement-making layup.
Brown rebounded a missed shot by fellow Intermountain Leaguer Braelyn Tucker (La Jara Centauri) to begin the second stanza, but with Kerr and Uyemura each booking five points before halftime, Red battled back to 26-21. Olguin expanded the margin to 35-23 via a short-range deuce with 5:27 left in the third quarter, but Foutz cashed a three with 3:57 left and IMLer Allessah Archuleta (Monte Vista) also connected from deep to keep Red’s comeback on track.
Brown, however, would assist Cedaredge’s Abby Brooks on an inside basket with 3:10 to go, then earned another assist when Olguin, fittingly, drilled a three-pointer with 1:25 left – giving Blue a 44-33 lead, which grew to 46-33 by quarter’s end.
Foutz ended up with nine points in defeat, trailing only Uyemura (11) and Strasburg’s Peighton Marrero (12) for the team-high. Kerr finished with seven points and Archuleta her three, but Tucker – like Brown – was somehow held scoreless.
Red finished 8-of-10 (Marrero 4-4) from the free-throw line, while Blue ended up 4-of-8 (Perry 4-4).
In addition to the five mentioned Intermountain-eers, Pagosa Springs’ Karsyn Shahan and Elizabeth Currier hooped in the Games’ Class 4A contest along with Alamosa’s Morgan Ortega. Ortega netted nine points and Paige Kehmeier (Delta) a game-high 13 in helping Blue best Red 64-47, despite Shahan also scoring 13 and Currier three in defeat.
SWEET SALUTES: Present and recognized but unable to play due to injury, Blue’s Kassiah Ducworth and Red’s Natalie Damron still received court time and took advantage. By a pre-game agreement between the coaching staffs, Blue won the initial jump ball and zipped it forward to Ducworth (Ellicott; formerly of Colorado Springs Mesa Ridge) for an uncontested layup. Red’s subsequent inbounds pass then went the opposite direction to Damron (Strasburg) for an uncontested layup tying the game at 2-2. Each player was then substituted out and received appropriate applause.