Yuma High School’s girls basketball program concluded its four-year stay in 3A in style last week in Hamilton Gymnasium on the University of Denver campus.
The Outlaws nearly won the program’s fifth state title, losing 48-38 to Salida, last Saturday afternoon. It was Salida’s first girls state title.
Yuma’s girls have a second- and third-place finish in 3A over the past three seasons, and reached at least the Sweet 16 all four years. The boys program advanced to the Great 8 in three of the four years, including the one-point title run in 2024. YHS will be moving back to 2A next season.
The Yuma girls have won state titles in 1997, 2016, 2018 and 2019. Since 2013 the program has three titles, four runner-ups and two third-place finishes. The program also had a state runner-up in 1989.
“I couldn’t be more proud of this team,” coach Jeremy Robinson said. “We played the toughest schedule in 3A. They stuck their necks out there and weren’t afraid to compete with anybody. We took some losses but those losses shaped us into the run that was made at the tournament. This team had been exposed to every situation possible, which makes for a gritty tough team and I think that was displayed last weekend.”
Yuma finished with a 21-7 record.
The Outlaws picked up a pair of exciting wins to reach the 2026 state title game.
It started with the 8:45 a.m. “breakfast” quarterfinal against Colorado Springs Christian, pulling out a 31-27 win.
The Outlaws never trailed against the Lions. They held leads of nine and eight points, but never could pull away from the Lions, who won the 3A title two seasons ago and placed third last season. CSC rallied at the end of the third quarter to tie the score at 29 heading into the final stanza.
The Yuma defense stepped up big again, holding the Lions to two points in the fourth. Taryn Sheffield’s free throw with 5 seconds left provided the Outlaws with a four-point cushion.
Sheffield finished with 14 points and six rebounds, and Berkley Nighswonger 13 and eight rebounds. Carolina Ross had two points, three rebounds and four steals, Lauren Gonzales two points and two rebounds, Bailey Nighswonger four rebounds, and Keylen Quezada three rebounds. The Outlaws held CSC leading scorer Rose Ross well below her average as she finished with a team-high 10 points.
“We had all week to prepare for them so that helped,” Robinson said. “We knew that we had to contain their two best guards and take advantage of what we could offensively, and we did just that. CSC is a veteran team/program when it comes to the state tournament. They never get knocked out the first day. It was a gritty first thing in the morning win.”
Resurrection Christian beat Wiggins 49-39 later in the day, setting up the teams’ third meeting in the last month, Friday afternoon in the semifinals.
Yuma had lost its first game with Rez, allowing 21 points in the second quarter, but won in a rematch one week later.
The Outlaws did it again as they pulled out a 32-23 win.
They led 8-4 after the first quarter. It stayed that way until the final minute of the second, with Rez scoring five as Yuma clung to a 10-9 lead at halftime.
Berkley Nighswonger opened the third with four straight points, but the Cougars answered with a 5-0 run to tie the game at 14. However, Quezada came up big with five points — including the Outlaws’ only 3-pointer — late in the quarter, and Yuma led 21-14 heading into the fourth.
Rez Christian got as close at four points twice in the final frame, but the Outlaws sealed the win at the charity stripe.
They made nine of 10 free throws, the only miss coming in the final seconds.
“The nice thing about playing Rez again is familiarity,” Robinson said. “We knew we were going to have to be locked in defensively again, especially since they came off a big win against Wiggins. We have a team in which everyone needs to contribute in all aspects and that’s what helped us get the win.”
Sheffield made five of the free throws, finishing with 15 points and four rebounds. Berkley Nighswonger had 10 points, five rebounds and three steals, Quezada five points and three steals, Ross two points, Aubrey Black three assists, Gonzales four rebounds Bailey Nighswonger three rebounds.
Salida had upset top-seed Denver Christian 50-47 in the first semifinal, setting up at the 3A championship showdown at 12 noon Saturday.
The Outlaws fell behind 11-6, but battled back to tie the game late in the second quarter. Salida made a free throw for a 19-18 halftime lead.
It stayed tight in the third, and Sheffield’s old-school three-point play tied the score at 25 with about 3 minutes left in the quarter.
However, the Outlaws, who rode their defense to the championship game, did not have an answer for Salida senior Braeden Johnson. She led the Spartans on an 8-2 spurt to end the third.
The Spartans methodically built on their lead in the fourth, eventually pushing it to as much as 12, 43-31. Johnson scored 22 of Salida’s 48 points, which is one of the highest point totals the Outlaws have allowed all season.
“There was one thing that scared me about Salida versus the other two teams, was the passing of (Johnson),” Robinson said. “She made her teammates successful if she needed to or she finished if she needed to. She was a complete player. With the early game time we just didn’t have the opportunity to prepare maybe like we are used to. The girls played their heart out and we were in the game until the end, just came up short.”
Berkley Nighswonger closed her junior season with 17 points and 11 rebounds, along with four steals, while Sheffield had eight points and five rebounds, Ross four points and two assists, Bailey Nighswonger two points and two rebounds, Gonzales three rebounds and three assists, Black three points, Layla Glanz two points, Laisha Loya two points, Quezada two rebounds, and Raylee Black one rebound.
The game concluded the high school careers of seniors Bailey Nighswonger, Carolina Ross and Lauren Gonzales.
“It’s very hard to make it to the state tournament let alone play in the championship game,” Robinson said. “What they did was amazing and not easy. I can’t say enough good things about my coaching staff, I could not do this without them. We are going to miss our seniors and can’t thank them enough for their commitment to the program these last four years.”