Heritage sneaks by Gilpin ladies

By Scott Fuller

2/03/2005 - The Gilpin County girls’ varsity basketball team shot just 9-of-31 from the floor, including 3-of-12 from three-point range, and found itself on the wrong end of a five-point, 36-31 decision to Heritage Christian Tuesday night at Gilpin County High School.

  Two Heritage players scored in double figures in the game; Stephanie Prenslow (12) and Amy Drees (10), and the remaining green Eagle starters netted 11 points in the victory.

  Amber Sterling led the Eagles scoring effort with 11, while classmate Kim Fuller chipped in with 10 of her own. Senior center Andrea Galanski, ranked in the state’s top 25 in scoring entering Tuesday evening’s game, scored just two points on the night; both in the form of free throws. Galanski otherwise shot 0-for-3 from the field, but grabbed four rebounds, three steals, and a pair of blocks.

  Gilpin County never led in the game, doing well to overcome a 6-0 run from Heritage to begin the game and cut the deficit to three at the end of the first quarter. Heritage continued to pile it on in the latter portion of the first half, scoring 22 points in the game’s opening two quarters. What’s more, the Gilpin offense suffered from an inexplicably poor shooting night; scoring a combined 12 points in the first half, and just three in the second quarter.

  Trailing by nine midway through the third quarter, Gilpin rallied slightly to make the score 28-20 with 1:25 remaining in the third. It was preparation to a third and final quarter which the Lady Eagles dominated more than any other in the contest. Kim Fuller’s second and final three of the night brought her team within six with just under three-and-a-half to play, and a pair of free throws from Amber Sterling on the ensuing Gilpin possession allowed Gilpin its slimmest deficit of the game since its start. Trailing 35-31 with under a minute to play, Head Coach Jeff Schuessler’s team couldn’t find further offensive production, as a last-second Eagle possession proved too slow in developing.

  The loss is a pivotal one in Gilpin’s season, as Heritage Christian remains one of just a handful of teams which are currently ranked higher than the Lady Eagles in the District 7 standings.