Denver South鈥檚 Timiya Guevara shatters state record with 15 3-pointers
DENVER (BVM) 鈥� Timiya Guevara doesn鈥檛 consider herself to be a big 3-point shooter. But when the Denver South High School senior guard caught fire last Saturday in a game against Lincoln, there was no reason for her to stop letting it fly from beyond the arc.聽
Guevara made a state-record 15 3-pointers on 25 attempts as she scored 55 points in the Ravens鈥� 115-10 rout of the Lancers.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know I was that close [to the record],鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淚t was an in-the-moment type of thing and I was just hot at the time so I just kept shooting.鈥�
Guevara鈥檚 15 treys shattered the previous Colorado record of 12 set last year by Emily Lavier of Alamosa, and according to the National Federation of State High School Associations, she was only two off the national mark of 17 which was set by Rebecca Greenwell of Owensboro Catholic (Kentucky) in 2013 and tied by Alicia Reyes of Pueblo (Arizona) in 2016. Guevara鈥檚 55-point performance stands as the third-most in a game in the state鈥檚 history, trailing only Ridgway鈥檚 Tracy Will (59 in 1982) and Thunder Ridge鈥檚 Abner Waner (61 in 2005).聽
Guevara said she made it a goal to score 50 points in a game at some point this season, but the way she accomplished the feat was somewhat surprising.聽
鈥淚 don鈥檛 really shoot as much so making 15 3s is a big accomplishment for me,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淔or it to be a record in the state of Colorado, it feels real good.鈥�
Prior to shooting the lights out against Lincoln, Guevara had never made more than five 3-pointers in a game. She only took 130 shots from long range in her first two seasons combined with the Ravens (2.65 per game) before making 43 of 98 3-point attempts (44%) as a junior last year. Guevara is now shooting 51% (40 of 78) from 3 this season while averaging 22 points.
鈥淎t the beginning of the season she kind of struggled with her shot and lately she鈥檚 been shooting at the bottom of the ocean,鈥� Denver South head coach Wayne McDonald said. 鈥淚t was just something that was very, very impressive to see her shooting like that.鈥�
But Guevara was a star for Denver South well before her record-setting performance last weekend, and she鈥檚 much more than just a 3-point threat despite standing only 5-foot-3. She has 1,695 career points, 550 assists (6.4 per game), 394 steals (4.6) and 426 rebounds (5.0) in 85 games played for the Ravens.
鈥淪ince her freshman year, being able to play in the manner which she鈥檚 done at 5-foot-3 has just been remarkable,鈥� McDonald said. She鈥檚 worked really, really hard. 鈥� She鈥檚 just a special player.鈥�
Guevara鈥檚 hard work has earned her several scholarship offers, including a full ride to attend Division I HBCU Arkansas Pine Bluff where she鈥檒l have the chance to take her improving all-around game to the next level.聽
鈥淚鈥檓 more so drive-to-the-basket but I鈥檓 starting to be a more all-around shooter,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淚 think having three all levels, being able to drive to the basket, mid-range and be able to shoot from the outside is a great thing for me.鈥�
It鈥檚 also a great thing for Denver South, which is on an 11-game winning streak and hasn鈥檛 lost since its season opener. The Ravens are ranked No. 12 in Class 5A in the , but with the hottest shooter in the state, they won鈥檛 be an easy out in the state tournament which is set to begin next week.
鈥淓ven though we鈥檙e on this winning streak, we can鈥檛 let up or get overconfident because there鈥檚 always someone out there that wants to beat us,鈥� Guevara said. 鈥淲e just have to stay locked in and be ready.鈥�
