Bella Monk blew a kiss to the packed Widefield gym as she all but sealed the win for the Gladiators. 

After being down by six after the first quarter, Widefield stormed back in the second half to take a 54-48 win over rival Mesa Ridge on Wednesday. 

“It’s a tremendous win for our program,” Gladiators head coach Sedrick Krause said. “We’ve been fighting Mesa Ridge for a while, and it seems like the tide is starting to change a bit. It was good for our seniors to get the Mesa win at home.” 

After gaining a 39-38 edge into the fourth quarter, the Gladiators maintained that lead, and Monk went 4 for 4 from the foul line in the final 30 seconds before Kiara Walker put in one more for the home victory. 

“That’s just the pro level,” Monk said. “You’ve got to lock in the last minute and knock down the important shots that count, and that separates you and the other team to the very end. It’s an incredible feeling to get those shots.”

Monk, a senior, led the Gladiators with 14 points. Sa’lon Spencer also paced the Grizzlies with 14 points. Monk was also recognized for more than 1,100 career points and 500 rebounds before the game. 

“It was a battle, but I’m just very proud of her finishing up like that to cap her senior season with a Mesa win at home,” Krause said of Monk. “She’s a workhorse for the team, does a lot for us.”  

Widefield (11-5, 3-0 league) had a slow start, scoring just five points in the first quarter. The Gladiators were the first to score but didn’t score again until the last 52 seconds of the quarter, while Mesa Ridge went on an 11-0 run to go up 11-5 into the second quarter. 

“There were nerves at the start, but once we started getting comfortable, we got to playing our game,” Krause said. “Hats off to Mesa, they definitely played really good.” 

The Grizzlies (5-10, 3-2) held onto a 25-23 lead in the second quarter, but Widefield had all the momentum heading into the second half after ending the second quarter with a 7-0 run. 

The Gladiators earned their first lead since the first quarter late in the third on a 3-pointer from Walker. Mesa Ridge got it back for a play, but a 3-pointer from Lily Solano gave Widefield a 39-38 edge into the final quarter.

The third quarter saw five 3-pointers, two from Mesa Ridge and three from Widefield. 

The teams will meet again in another doubleheader, this time at Mesa Ridge, on Feb. 18. 

“I’ve been here with Widefield six years, and five of the six years they just owned us,” Krause said. “We are starting to get some wins, started to change the culture of District 3 basketball at Widefield. It’s just having girls come in and trust and believe in the program.”