When you have Brihanna Crittendon on your team, the plan should always be simple: get her the ball as much as possible and then, well, sit back and enjoy the show.
And that’s exactly what Crittendon’s Riverdale Ridge team did against Colorado Academy in the Great 8 round of the Class 4A girls state basketball tournament, feeding the 6-foot-3 sophomore early and often and letting her work her magic.
Crittendon, a five-star recruit already in possession of more than a dozen college offers, had a double-double (23 points, 14 rebounds) in the March 2 game at the Denver Coliseum to power her Ravens to a 67-36 win and send Riverdale Ridge to its first-ever Final Four.
The third-seeded Ravens are set to face No. 2 D’Evelyn at 11 a.m. on March 8 at the Coliseum with a berth in the title game on the line. Riverdale Ridge lost to D’Evelyn in the Great 8 last year.
“I’m so proud of me and my team. I’m so proud of us,” said Crittendon, who also had four blocks and a steal against the sixth-seeded Mustangs. “I’m excited. We’ve been waiting for this moment ever since we lost to [D’Evelyn] last year.”
What’s different this year?
“We’ve really just put our heads down ever since we fell short last season,” Crittendon said. “We’ve been working hard — days, hours, blood, sweat and tears. We’ve put everything into this, so I’m excited.”
So is the 16-year-old really that good? Are all those college offers — BYU, Ohio State, Texas A&M and UCLA among them — warranted?
“She’s unreal,” Ravens Head Coach Tim Jones said. “She does whatever the team needs. It could be rebounding, blocking shots, shooting the ball, playing the point. She’s selfless. She’s very unique in that sense. It’s hard to guard somebody like that. It’s hard to play against somebody like that.
“She’s the most phenomenal kid. When I say ‘most phenomenal,’ she does things that other kids don’t do. She’ll call me at 9:30 and say, ‘Hey, did you see this on film? Make sure this is on film.’ She knows coaches’ play calls. She’s bred for this. She’s generational for sure.”
So, yes, she is that good.
And if she’s not spinning and shooting and scoring, she’s got others around her who can do plenty of damage, too. That’s what makes these Ravens so dangerous.
Brooklyn Charlo scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds against Colorado Academy while Cimonie Martinez added nine points and five boards.
The game was never in doubt for Riverdale Ridge and Crittendon, whose 19 first-half points sprung the Ravens to a 35-21 halftime lead.
An 11-0 run by the Ravens to begin the third quarter — made possible by two Gabrielle Herr corner 3-pointers, a slashing layup and touch shot from Charlo, and a Martinez free throw — extended their lead to 46-21.
The fourth quarter was more of the same — all Riverdale Ridge.
Herr finished with six points, two assists and a steal. Also getting into the scoring column for the Ravens were Shay Vigil (five points) and Abigail Hawkins and Payton Meineke (two apiece).
“We’re excited,” Jones said of the Ravens’ upcoming showdown with D’Evelyn. “I think it’s a good opportunity. Last year we fell short, so we get an opportunity to run it back.
“We had a bad three minutes in the fourth quarter (in last year’s game). We kind of showed our immaturity a little bit and we lost by six. I think we’ve matured and learned from it. I think we know how to handle the moment now.”