Home is where state dreams will be realized or dashed for the Yuma High School girls basketball team.
“It’s do-or-die now, so you can’t be looking on to the next game,” coach Jeremy Robinson said.
The Outlaws, 17-6, are the No. 3 seed in the 32-team 3A regional field. They are hosting 30th-seed Middle Park, 14th-seed Cedaredge and 19th-seed The Vanguard School, in the Yuma Regional Friday and Saturday in The Pit.
Yuma will play Middle Park at 4:30 p.m. Friday. Cedaredge plays Vanguard at 7:30. (Times are approximate as the boys also are hosting a regional and Friday’s games begin at 3 p.m.)
Friday’s winners will meet in the Sweet 16 at 1 p.m. Saturday, with the winner advancing to the Great 8 next week at the University of Denver.
“It’s exciting,” Robinson said. “If you’re not excited at this point of the season, I guess you have a problem.”
The Outlaws last hosted regional in 2024, advancing to the Great 8 and eventually placing third in 3A. They traveled to Cedaredge last season for regional, coming up short of a visit to DU.
Cedaredge, 16-7, now travels to Yuma. Vanguard is 11-9 and lost 53-28 at home to Yuma in early December.
Middle Park makes the trip from Granby with a 14-9 record. The Panthers started the season 2-7, but have gone 12-2 since. Yuma and Middle Park have no common opponents; the same with Cedaredge.
The Outlaws closed out the regular season last week placing second in the Patriot League Tournament.
They hosted Resurrection Christian last Wednesday in the semifinals, winning 33-21 after losing 52-40 to the Cougars one week earlier in The Pit. Rez had scored 23 points in the second quarter of that game, but was held to 10 points through the first three quarters last Wednesday.
Yuma definitely rode its defense as it had just 13 points in the first half before scoring 10 in each of the last two quarters.
Rez’s Bethany Vrooman, the Patriot’s leading scorer at 17 points per game, was held to eight. Yuma had 27 rebounds to Rez’s 12. However, Yuma again gave away a lot of possessions with 27 turnovers.
Berkley Nighswonger had 12 points and six rebounds, Taryn Sheffield six points and three assists, Bailey Nighswonger four points and nine rebounds, Lauren Gonzales four points and five rebounds, Keylen Quezada four points and three steals, and Carolina Ross three points and four rebounds.
The win sent the Outlaws into the PTL championship game last Saturday night at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley.
Yuma had beat Wiggins 28-21 in The Pit earlier in February.
Last Saturday’s rematch again was a defensive duel, but this time Wiggins came out on top 39-36. The outcome moved the Tigers up to No. 2 for regional and Yuma dropped to No. 3.
The Outlaws started relatively hot on offense, scoring 12 points in the first quarter. However, they went scoreless in the second to trail 17-12 at halftime.
The game stayed closed throughout the second half, but the Outlaws never could regain the lead.
“We don’t score in the second quarter and we lose by three,” Robinson marveled. “I’m not worried about our defense, but you shouldn’t have to hold the other team to 35 every game to win. I appreciate that defense wins championships, but at some point you have to score points.”
The Outlaws actually shot 50 percent on 3-pointers, making six of 12, but made only five of 43 shots inside the arc (11 percent).
Sheffield made four 3-pointers, finishing with 16 points and four rebounds. Berkley Nighswonger had seven points, nine rebounds and four steals, Ross three points and four rebounds, Bailey Nighswonger three points and three rebounds, Aubrey Black two points and two rebounds, Gonzales two points and three rebounds, Laisha Loya two points and four steals, and Quezada one point.