Rylee Edmondson couldn’t miss from beyond the arc. 

The Lewis-Palmer senior went 5 of 5 from 3-point range in the first half and finished with 32 points to help the host No. 25 Rangers beat No. 40 Rampart 54-46 in the first round of the 5A girls basketball playoffs Wednesday. Lewis-Palmer will face No. 8 Palmer Ridge in the second round Saturday. 

After leading by just three points after the third quarter, the Rangers defense stepped up to limit Rampart to just eight points while Edmondson scored eight of Lewis-Palmer’s 13 points in the fourth quarter. The senior scored 12 points in the second half and went 6 of 8 from the foul line, but did not record another 3-pointer. 

“In the fourth quarter, we talked about locking down on the defensive end and knew that would win the game,” Rangers head coach Kristy Youngpeter said. “They are a super aggressive team, they definitely put the ball on the court and try to charge and make you move your feet, so we had to prioritize that.”

Rampart sophomore Joslyn Tronnes led the Rams (9-15) with 22 points, including three 3-pointers. 

“I think we did well working as a team, we had really good ball movement, but we could have had more communication on defense,” Rams freshman Tamaryn Robinson said. “We knew they would be a tough team, but we were prepared to try our hardest and give it our all.”

Lewis-Palmer led 16-9 after the first quarter, and extended that lead to 10 with a 9-0 run to finish the first half. A 13-2 run by the Rams in the third quarter erased the 10-point deficit, but after back-and-forth action, Lewis-Palmer finished the third quarter ahead 41-38. 

“I think the team really stepped up tonight,” Edmondson, who averages 18 points, said. “We worked super hard as a team. There will be games when certain players step up, but tonight was a good team game.”

Edmondson is a four-year varsity player and scored her 1,000th career point earlier this season. She is committed to continuing her basketball career at Utah State University Eastern in the fall. 

“She has a special talent,” Youngpeter said. “She has never let down her guard and is never satisfied with whatever her skill level is. It’s not the work she puts in under the lights, it’s the work she puts in outside of the lights.”

“She is just a leader,” fellow Ranger senior Addison Kenley said. “She knows what to do on the floor and is not selfish with the ball. She is a good teammate and player overall. She really loves this team.”

Lewis-Palmer (12-12) will face No. 8 Palmer Ridge at the Bears’ home court Saturday in the third matchup of the season. Palmer Ridge won both previous games by 11 points, but that isn’t deterring a determined Ranger team. 

“Palmer Ridge is a rival team, so we really want to beat them,” Edmondson said. “It’s hard to beat a team when you’ve lost to them twice, but I think we have so much energy going in that we will be ready. I just want to play my hardest and give it my all.”