ERIE — In any basketball tournament setting, whether it be the Class 6A Colorado state girls tournament or March Madness, all bets are off once the postseason begins. Seeds are just suggestions.
See No. 16 UMBC vs. No. 1 Virginia men’s college basketball in 2018.
But on Saturday, it was clear from the start who was the superior team in the No. 10 Erie girls’ 53-30 win over visiting No. 23 Rock Canyon in their second-round state tournament game.
A trio of 3-pointers from the Tigers in the first three minutes foreshadowed the detriment of the Jaguars. They built that early lead up to as much as 27 points midway through the fourth quarter before head coach Tyler Cerveny subbed out all the starters.
The Tigers hadn’t won a playoff game since 2021, and the current group of seniors — Juliet Slater, Reagyn Allen, Tegan Cerveny and Natalie Fetters — went 11-12 when they were freshmen. That was Tyler Cerveny’s first year at the helm.
“Our four seniors, they deserve the credit, not me,” he said. “I tell them all the time this was a “we,” not the head coach or a thing like that. Those four girls completely bought in and just changed the program. The girls really bought into playing hard, tough plays, winning 50-50 balls. Once that flipped, they started winning games.
Erie’s Juliet Slater takes a layup with pressure from Rock Canyon’s Mallori Spielmann during the Tigers’ home Class 6A state tournament game against Rock Canyon on Feb. 28, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Sophie Tusk takes a layup during the Tigers’ home Class 6A state tournament game against Rock Canyon on Feb. 28, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Sophie Husk (13) hands the ball off to Juliet Slate (10) during the Tigers’ home Class 6A state tournament game against Rock Canyon on Feb. 28, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Juliet Slater looks for a path to the basket around Rock Canyon’s Anna Spielmann during the Tigers’ home Class 6A state tournament game against Rock Canyon on Feb. 28, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Addison Greenlee passes the ball during the Tigers’ home Class 6A state tournament game against Rock Canyon on Feb. 28, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
Erie’s Reagyn Allen gets tangled up with Rock Canyon’s Emerson McDonald during the Tigers’ home Class 6A state tournament game against Rock Canyon on Feb. 28, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
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Erie’s Juliet Slater takes a layup with pressure from Rock Canyon’s Mallori Spielmann during the Tigers’ home Class 6A state tournament game against Rock Canyon on Feb. 28, 2026. (Alissa Noe/BoCoPreps.com)
“They guard hard. They’re coachable and they’re extremely smart. If you knew the intricate defensive schemes we do some games, they’re just so sharp. It makes it easy for me. They just know how to play off each other on that end of the floor.”
Moments like that haunted the Jaguars all afternoon, whether it was an aggressive Tegan Cerveny rebound, an Addison Greenlee steal or a flawless triple from Sophie Husk. Husk led Erie with 17 points, and Slater was right behind with 16.
Slater said she doesn’t even recognize that 11-12 team of old. The Tigers have now put together six straight winning seasons and currently sit at 20-4.
“Our first year, we had a losing record, but we knew we just kept building on it,” Slater said. “Everyone on our team works hard, everyone’s gotten better, and we now have four whole teams, which is amazing.
“We lost to Rock Canyon in playoffs (49-30) my sophomore year. We just did not stand a chance, and now we just came in strong against them.”
The biggest difference, she said, has been the sense of togetherness that Coach Cerveny has preached since Day 1. Slater said that the girls believe that if they play for each other, they can beat anyone.
They’ll get to test that theory, likely on the road at No. 7 Highlands Ranch, for the Sweet 16 on Wednesday.
“I know this,” Tyler Cerveny said. “I feel like this is, with the 6A schedule, the best Erie team in history up to this point, what these girls have accomplished. I’m really proud of them.”