Photo by Will Cornelius
Sophomore Avery Pfohl finished the season scoring 24 points against Jefferson Academy. In her first two years playing varsity basketball, she has scored over 600 points.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

In a touch, physical and gritty opening-round playoff game Berthoud High School’s varsity girls basketball played one of their best games of the season, but it was not enough to overcome a gifted and disciplined Jefferson Academy High School team, losing 54-41.

The Spartans made the playoffs after posting an 8-15 regular season record, securing the No. 20 seed in the 4A girls basketball postseason. On Tuesday night, Berthoud traveled south on U.S. 287 to play No. 13 seed Jefferson Academy in Broomfield.

Neither team lacked intensity or focus from tip-off as the first quarter became a grinding defensive battle. Determined defenses forced both teams to commit turnovers before Jefferson Academy drew first blood. Junior Kaylee Padilla responded with a three to put the Spartans on the board. Unfortunately, it would be their only lead of the night and only basket from beyond the arc. “We just had a hard time gaining any momentum. From the very beginning, we were fighting to get back,” Head Coach Alan Gibson said after the game.

Despite fearless play and great resilience, Berthoud could not keep pace with Jefferson Academy, failing to sustain momentum throughout the game. “Unfortunately, it didn’t transfer into execution,” Gibson said about the team’s high-effort performance.

After the first quarter, the hosts lead 12-6. Sophomore Avery Pfohl caught fire in the second period, scoring eight points in four minutes to even the score at 16-16. But Jefferson Academy outscored the Spartans 21-4 over the rest of the quarter to take a 37-20 lead at halftime.

The second half remained competitive, with Berthoud closing the gap to 41-33 in the third period at one point. However, Jefferson Academy put the game away in the final frame on the way to a 54-41 win.

Pfohl led scoring for Berthoud with 24 points, pushing her past 600 varsity points in her first two years. Junior Shaylee Spears was second on the team with six points, followed by Padilla with five.