Top-ranked Mullen girls hoops eyeing another Colorado state title
DENVER (BVM) 鈥� The Mullen Mustangs are defending state champions no matter how you slice it.聽
They won the last Class 4A girls basketball state championship game that was played in 2019, and although the Covid-19 pandemic forced the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) to cancel last year鈥檚 state tournament before the 4A title game could be played, Mullen had done its part to make it back to the championship.
鈥淚 told the girls last March that what I know is we haven鈥檛 lost a playoff game in two years,鈥� Mullen head coach Frank Cawley said. 鈥淵ou can call it whatever you want to call it.鈥�
While CHSAA didn鈥檛 officially declare any basketball state champions in 2020, Mullen and Holy Family, which would鈥檝e played for the 4A title, decided to call themselves co-champions.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 just as good to share it considering the circumstances,鈥� Cawley said.
But sharing is not on the minds of the No. 1-ranked Mustangs this season. The words 鈥渦nfinished business鈥� are written on every one of their practice plans, and it鈥檚 the same players who had their shot at back-to-back titles taken away last year who are determined to finish what they started.
鈥淭he expectations are extremely high because we didn鈥檛 lose a single player from last year鈥檚 team,鈥� Cawley said. 鈥淏ut I would have it no other way.鈥�
Mullen has (officially) won five state titles in girls basketball, including three straight from 2000-2002. But prior to 2019, the Mustangs had gone 13 years (2006) between championship seasons. And it was this current group of players who didn鈥檛 even make the 4A playoffs as freshmen during the 2017-18 season who could turn in the second-most successful three-year run in program history.
Seniors Megan Pohs (a first-team all-stater), Elaina Martinez, Alexa Dominguez, Abby Webster and Haley Van Horn have all been playing varsity since their freshman year, as have juniors Gracie Gallegos and Imani Perez (both honorable mention all-state in 2020), who stepped in right away to help push the Mustangs to the top of 4A two years ago. But even with all of the talented experience on Mullen鈥檚 roster, there are no star players to be found. While Pohs has led the team in scoring with around 11.5 points per game each of the past two seasons, five other players have averaged between 5 and 10 points per game.
That鈥檚 not by accident, according to Cawley.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 by design and it鈥檚 been designed because of the kids,鈥� Cawley said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 have anybody that has that superstar mentality. We don鈥檛 have that one player that everybody can try to shut down. If we did, I would [say] that player is Megan Pohs. She is the glue that runs everything, she鈥檚 our point guard, she鈥檚 a four-year starter, two-time all-state, but in terms of recruiting and recognition and the rest of that, we really don鈥檛 have a star.鈥澛�
What the Mustangs do have is a lot of solid players who have all grown up playing together since they were in elementary school.
鈥淭his wasn鈥檛 like we have an all-star from here and an all-star from there,鈥� Cawley said. 鈥淭his is truly a neighborhood Catholic school team that has been playing together since they were literally third and fourth grade. To cap it with a successful season this year would be great with most of them being seniors.鈥�
No matter the circumstances surrounding the season, Mullen always puts itself in the best possible position to be successful come state championship time. The Mustangs compete in the Centennial League, which is arguably the best girls basketball league in Colorado. The Centennial has produced the past four 5A champions, including Grandview and Cherry Creek, which just so happened to be the first two teams on Mullen鈥檚 shortened schedule this season. The Mustangs dropped their opener to top-ranked Grandview on Jan. 27 but bounced back to blow out Cherry Creek two days later.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 duck anybody,鈥� Cawley said. 鈥淲e play every year, year in and year out, at least one of the top three or four most difficult schedules in the state of Colorado and we do that on purpose because it鈥檚 not about winning in the preseason or early in the league, it’s about getting yourself ready to play in the playoffs and I think that strategy has paid off for this group of girls for sure.鈥�
It could pay off again next March when the Mustangs will likely be favored to win another state title. Whether that could be considered back-to-back or a three-peat or something else is up for debate.
鈥淭hese girls are ready,鈥� Cawley said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e excited, but there definitely is some pressure to try to do a two-and-a-half-peat I guess. To be honest, I don鈥檛 know what you would call it.鈥�
