Palmer Ridge’s girls basketball season came to an end after a blowout loss at home to Pueblo East. 

The Eagles led from start to finish, leading by as many as 24 points in the third quarter on their way to a 57-36 win to advance to the 5A Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum. This is the third season in a row that Palmer Ridge (19-6) fell in the Sweet 16 round. 

The No. 9 Eagles jumped out to a 6-0 lead, while holding the No. 8 Bears scoreless for the first four minutes to lead 14-7 after the first quarter. Pueblo East outscored Palmer Ridge 19-9 in the second quarter for a comfortable 33-16 lead at halftime. 

“They are fast, and it didn’t seem like they missed anything in the first half,” Palmer Ridge coach Jason Boyer said. “Credit to them, they played really well, and we weren’t quite ready in the first half to match that intensity.”

The first quarter was marred by an injury to sophomore Madison Curtis, who was one of the Bears’ leading scorers with 8.9 points per game. 

“That hurt us a lot,” Boyer said. “That was a big loss for us. She and Corinna (Arellano) are our primary scorers, and she is our scorer in the interior. When they are playing in the zone, and we lose her, that’s a bad loss.”

The Bears’ defense slowed the Eagles (22-1) in the second half, but they were still outscored 24-20 for their second-biggest loss of the season behind a 51-29 loss to No. 1 Lutheran. 

“Our shots weren’t falling, but it’s OK because there will be games like that,” sophomore Savannah Hawkins said. “We still pushed and kept fighting, and that’s all that matters. We worked as a team.”

Pueblo East’s offense was led by senior Myah Abeyta with 16 points and freshman Dejanay Arrington with 13. Palmer Ridge senior Arellano led the Bears with 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting from 3-point range. 

“This season has been different,” Arellano said. “I’m so grateful for all my teammates I’ve been able to do it with. I’ve been blessed with five other seniors, and I’ve been blessed with the greatest coaches. The mark we left as seniors and the culture we built was something that will be carried on for years.”

The Bears have dealt with adversity throughout the season, such as when senior weapon Addison Steenland was injured in one of the early games. When adversity struck, younger players stepped up. 

“We had a season to be proud of,” Boyer said. “We had a lot of injuries that didn’t go our way, and needed kids to step up that were younger and inexperienced, and we did that to get as far as we could. We have six seniors who help set the standard. I’m really proud of them.”