Category: History

4A Gymnastics: Elizabeth claims third state title in four years

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — Elizabeth just knew that there was so little margin for error this year. That was evident as The Cardinals found themselves in an extremely close battle with both Palmer Ridge and Niwot for the Class 4A state gymnastics championship.

But the team put together a clean competition and at nights end, won its third state championship in the last four years. The Cardinals finished with 177.550 points to stay just ahead of Palmer Ridge who finished with 173.175

“We knew after the first event that we were behind,” Bethany Breikss said. “We had to pull it back together.”

The girls got refocused and put together a championship worthy effort. Breikss came away with the top performance in the vault, scoring a 9.5 with her teammate Sydney Kissinger right behind her at 9.1.

Each of them grabbed another top-three finish as Breikss scored a 9.1 on the balance beam and Kissinger score 9.575 on the floor.

Overall, the Cardinals have five competitors coming back for Saturday’s individual finals as Megan and Madison Montoya and Samantha Davison also placed in the top 12 of preliminary events.

It was a true team performance that resulted in a team championship.

“We went through it all as a family,” Kissinger said. “It brought us closer together and it brought home the victory.”

It was a victory that was initially tough to judge. The dynamic of the meet changed because of COVID-19 protocols, but the girls were both grateful for the chance to compete and willing to do what was needed to claim a third title in four years, even battling through several other teams that were every bit as hungry.

“I think everybody put in a ton of work,” Elizabeth coach Stacey Folmar said. “Nobody outworked anyone else, but I just can’t even talk about (my team’s) work ethic, their consistency, their commitment to the sport and their commitment to each other.”

At one point in the meet, it was actually Niwot holding a slim lead, sitting five-one hundredths of a point ahead of the Cardinals in the standings. And that’s when Elizabeth took on the vault.

Both Breikss and Kissinger had solid first attempts which set the tone for the team. And the results worked themselves out.

This is the sixth overall team title for Elizabeth and the school is now tied with Niwot and Loveland for the fourth most in state history. It’s a great accolade to boast about, but they didn’t care about it being the sixth title, they just wanted the next one.

And even after claiming state last year and performing well in their minds, they were still somewhat stunned to the hear the announcement that they were champions once again.

“I was kind of speechless, quite honestly,” Kissinger said. “I couldn’t believe it happened, but I knew we could do it.”

April 24, 2021
5A Gymnastics: Overland claims first state title since 2014

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

THORNTON — Six and a half years can be a long wait, but it was worth it in the end. For the first time since the fall of 2014, Overland hoisted the Class 5A gymnastics state championship trophy.

For four consecutive years, the Trailblazers have come up just short and watched Pomona go home with the gold. But following championship-level performances across the roster, they weren’t going to be denied a championship a sixth time.

“I have a really big collection of silver trophies,” coach Lisa Sparrow said. “It’s been a long time in the making and these girls have worked incredibly hard. Despite everything with COVID, they have been at the gym and they have been working since they were able to get back into the gym.”

Mattea Dolan and Mabry Robinson finished as the top two overall individuals which helped them fend off Broomfield. Overland finished the night with 185.325 points while the Eagles finished second with 184.85.

The feel of the meet was slightly different as the teams went through the rotations together rather than getting mixed up with competitors from other schools. It gave the meet a unique feel and certainly some added benefits in having teammates around to provide that emotional lift.

And as the meet went on and the Trailblazers continued performing well, that lift just added to the momentum they felt early.

“With everything going on, we as a team, are very good about being cohesive,” Robinson said. “We’re very good at being together and working together so regardless of the meet situation, we know that we can come together as a team and be at our very best and dominate because we’ve done it before.”

Dolan put together a great comprehensive meet and finished second in the vault with a score of 9.625. Robinson finished with the best score of the event with 9.65 points meaning both will be back at Thornton High School on Saturday to compete for championships in the individual events.

But Thursday was all about the team. The girls knew that the individual finalists would take care of themselves and the focus on competing well was to ensure a team championship was coming home. Overall, the Trailblazers had four competitors finish in the top 10. Austin Ivester finished the night with the top score on the beam at 9.575 with teammate Bailey Rodriguez right behind her at 9.525.

“That team dynamic is really important, especially tonight,” Dolan said. “It’s more that we don’t want to do well for ourself, but we want to do well for the team so that we can fell that we did this as a team.”

This is the sixth team gymnastics title for Overland, putting the school in a tie for fourth all-time with Loveland and Niwot. Of their six titles, five have been at the 5A level and all five of those have been won since 2009.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

April 23, 2021
State spirit: Nine champions crowned on final day of competition

COLORADO SPRINGS — The 2020-21 state spirit championships continued on Friday at the Broadmoor World Arena.

Competing on the first day are the Co-Ed positions for all classes as well as Class 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A Poms; Jazz and Hip-Hop.

Find complete results here.

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2A/3A, 4A, 5A Co-Ed

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

Familiar faces walked out of the World Arena with state championship trophies in hadn’t during the early session of the state spirit championships.

Coal Ridge claimed the 2A/3A Co-Ed Cheer championship for the third straight season. The Titans won the same category back in 2018 and also claimed the championship a year ago.

Bayfield finished as the runner-up in the category.

Thompson Valley also repeated as a state champion, claiming the 4A Co-Ed title. The Eagles finished with a score of 82.45, just over two points better than runner-up Falcon.

Castle View won the 5A title after after a sound performance that netted a score of 86.25.

Vista Ridge was the runner-up, jumping four spots from their finish last season.

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2A, 3A Poms

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

For the first time in nearly two decades, West Grand is leaving state spirit with championship in hand.

The Mustangs claimed the 2A Poms title, holding off Hotchkiss by just eight-hundredths of a point. The last time they claimed a championship at state spirit was in 2003 when they took the 2A Poms championship.

Sanford finished third in the event while Clear Creek finished fourth.

University kept their pattern of winning every other year intact as the Bulldogs claimed the 3A Poms title. They won the same event in 2016 and 2018. If the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t pushed state back, this year’s title would’ve been the 2020 championship.

It’s the fifth overall title for the Bulldogs as they also claimed 3A Cheer in 2015 and 3A Poms in 2007.

SkyView Academy finished second, Aspen finished third and Grand Valley finished fourth.

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4A and 5A Poms

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

For the second time in the two-day event, Erie is taking home gold. The Tigers won the 4A Poms title to get their first championship is that specific discipline.

They have two 4A Cheer titles to their name and also won the 2A/3A Co-Ed Cheer championship back in 2007. They are the only team that has won more than one championship in 2021.

The score of 87.73 was more than a full point better than second-place Evergreen. Roosevelt finished third while Mullen took fourth.

Rock Canyon took the 5A title with a score of 91.15. It’s the first spirit title since 2016 for the Jaguars, who claimed the 5A Cheer championship. It’s the first Poms title for them since 2008 when they won it in 4A.

They fended off defending champion Cherry Creek who finished with 90.38 points. Grandview took third place and Ponderosa finished fourth.

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Jazz

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Add another one for Mountain Vista. The Golden Eagles put on a championship worth performance and earned the hardware to prove it. They advanced to the Jazz finals after the top preliminary score and rode that momentum to a Jazz state championship, the first since 2018.

This is the 11th overall spirit championship for Mountain Vista and the fourth Jazz title. They previously won the discipline in 2010, 2015 and 2018.

The Golden Eagles finished with a score of 86.58. Cherokee Trail finished second while Valor Christian took thrid.

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Hip-Hop

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Broomfield’s performance was the final performance of the two-day state spirit championships. And the Eagles certainly saved their best for last.

After taking third a year ago, Broomfield once again claimed the Hip-Hop state title, capturing their second crown in three years. Their performance netted them a score of 90.80, seven-tenths of a point better than second-place Fruita Monument.

This is the ninth overall spirit championship for Broomfield and its third state title in the last four years.

The Wildcats’ runner-up finish is their second in as many years. Fossil Ridge finished third while Horizon took fourth.

March 26, 2021
4A boys basketball: Mead tops Montrose for emotional state title win

COLORADO SPRINGS — Mead felt like it had all the necessary tools to capture a boys basketball state championship. Then at the oddest time, life decided to throw a curveball. Nick Basson, the third leading scorer for the Mavericks, suffered a stroke.

He was loaded onto Flight for Life and taken to Children’s Hospital in Aurora. Just over a week later, he sat on the bench to watch his teammates battle to a 68-44 win over Montrose to capture the Class 4A boys basketball championship, the first for the team since 1957.

“It was just over a week ago that this happened with Nick and this team is just so connected,” coach Darin Reese said. “To get the news of Nick, it was shocking to everyone and it’s still hard to believe. It made us tighter after we found out that he was going to be ok.”

It also gave the team an emotional boost that they sustained all the way through the postseason. And they walked onto the floor of the Broadmoor World Arena, each player donned a warmup shirt with No. 1 and “Basson” on the back, keeping their teammate — a teammate they would’ve loved to have on the floor — on their mind.

But the game had to go one. Elijah Knudsen was electric in the first quarter, scoring 13 of the Mavericks (15-3 overall) 21 points in the quarter.

“He’s gotten so good at understanding what a good (shot) is and when to get his teammates involved,” Reese said. “When he hits one or two, you want to give him a little bit of space because he can get going.”

More photos. (Paul DiSalvo/PaulDiSalvo.com)

Montrose (18-1) found their footing in the second quarter and closed the Mead lead to just four points at halftime, but the Mavericks turned the jets back on in the third and never looked back.

Despite not having JP Shiers on the floor for much of the second and third quarters because of foul trouble, Mead was able to play at their pace and continue to knock down open shots.

“I enjoy doing that,” Knudsen said. “But definitely my teammates are a bunch of help. Marcus Santiago, our senior, we don’t win this game if he doesn’t show up the way he did tonight.”

Knudsen led all scorers with 30 points and Santiago had 18. Ashden Oberg led Montrose with 17.

Once the Mavericks had the lead and they knew the emotional implications that would come with a win, there was no choice but to finish the game strong. What made the quest all the more important was that Basson was able to be on the bench, actively rooting for his guys as if he was sitting out for a sprained ankle.

“I actually got to go and surprise the guys at practice (last week),” Basson said. “Seeing the Final 4 was great and being able to come down here and be a part of this, it was exciting. It was fun.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

March 22, 2021
5A girls basketball: Valor Christian battles by Regis Jesuit to win third title

COLORADO SPRINGS — As Kindyll Wetta walked off the floor, she grabbed Valor Christian coach Jessika Caldwell and wrapped her up in a big hug. The two have been through a lot together. Caldwell watched for two years as Wetta lost some or all of a basketball season because of separate torn ACLs.

But on a snowy, late-March night in the Broadmoor World Arena, the pain all felt worth it. The top-seeded Eagles had clinched a 67-42 win over No. 2 Regis Jesuit to claim the Class 5A girls basketball title.

“When she came off the court, I was really fighting back tears,” Caldwell said. “Just watching her walk through what she’s walked through and the road that she’s traveled and to see her play with such confidence and toughness, it looked like a kid out there having fun.”

She even got to have fun with her sister. Ali was the surprise of the game, scoring 14 points to double her season average. Overall, the Eagles (16-0 overall) had four players in double figures as Macey Huard (14) and Jenna Siebert (10) also had good nights.

When 2:16 remained in the first quarter, the Eagles led Regis 8-7. Then they closed that frame with a quick 7-3 burst that gave them a 19-10 advantage after the first quarter.

Ali Wetta scored five points in the quarter after coming off the bench and it was just the start of her own breakout party, a party where she finished with 14 points.

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

“I went in and my teammates were able to find me,” Ali said. “I had some great passes from my teammates and I just wanted to go in and give my all for the seniors.

The Eagles stretched their lead to 29-18 at halftime, thanks to another small spurt — 5-0 — to end that quarter.

Feeling a championship in their grasp, the Eagles kept up the pressure on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Kidyll scored 13 of her game-high 17 points in the second half. She also finished the game with 10 assists to get a double-double in her last high school game.

“There isn’t a better way (to end a career),” Kindyll said. “Now that my sister’s playing after missing a year (with a torn ACL), to win it this year with her is incredible.”

The Eagles also clamped down on Regis guard Avery Vansickle, holding her scoreless in the third quarter as they stretched out their lead. Vansickle eventually finished with 14 points and will go down as one of the great Regis Jesuit players of all-time.

Caldwell couldn’t help but get emotional for her players as their cheered her championship victory, but there was an element of the win that was special for her as well. She played basketball at Coronado before playing collegiately at Baylor.

She embraced her star guard on the same floor where she walked for high school graduation, showing when the time is right, it’s possible to go home again.

“This is where I picked up a basketball for the first time,” she said. “It’s where I fell in love with the game and where my dad taught me and coached me. It was kind of the beginning of my career so to be able to come back and coach these girls and stand on this sideline is pretty special.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

March 22, 2021
3A boys basketball: Lutheran slows down St. Mary’s to win fourth title

COLORADO SPRINGS — St. Mary’s typically operates that a pace that would make a coyote-evading road runner jealous. So in order to capture the Class 3A boys basketball state championship, Lutheran had to slow down the Pirates and limit the damage that junior Sam Howery could do.

With plenty of options at his disposal, coach Bill Brandsma opted for perhaps the most unconventional. He called on 6-foot-11 center Baye Fall to take on the Pirates’ sharpshooting point guard.

The gamble paid off.

Howery held well below his season average as the Lions (16-1 overall) beat the top-seeded Pirates 72-56 to capture the 3A boys basketball championship.

“I respected him, knowing that he’s a good player and he can get it going,” Fall said. (I had to) be aggressive against him, not let him catch the ball at times and just guard him full.

Fall scored 12 points and was one of four Lions to score in double figures, but his ability to slow down Howery’s production will go down as a big reason why they were able to clutch that gold trophy.

“Baye moves like a big-time DI athlete,” Brandsma said. “The speed doesn’t bother him but the length bothers the guard.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

Lutheran held a 15-12 lead after the first quarter but St. Mary’s (16-1) rallied to take a 27-24 lead at the half. The second quarter moved at a pace that St. Mary’s was much more comfortable with and the Lions knew that they had to make some changes in the second half.

“We had to control tempo and not turn the ball over and we didn’t do a good job of that in the first half,” Brandsma said. “They went on their runs because we let them dictate tempo so for us to get down and come back and own the tempo was good for us.”

Tommy Apodaca and Sam Hoops paced the Lions, scoring 22 and 12 points, respectively brought the leadership from the guard position that Brandsma needed his team to rely on. Mamadou Sow was also a big-time factor with 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Sow, Hoops and Fall all recorded double-doubles for the Lions providing the balance needed to win the state title.

“(St. Mary’s) had balance and with so many things going on, we needed guys who could finish at the rim,” Brandsma said. “We needed guys to knock down their free throws and that’s what we got.”

Luke Stockelman scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half when St. Mary’s took the lead. Howery led the Pirates with 20.

This is the fourth boys basketball championship for Lutheran and the first since the Denver Lutheran the Lutheran Parker campuses merged to form one school. The last state title came in 2011 when the then-split schools met for the 2A title. Denver Lutheran won 61-48.

Lutheran last played in the 2018 championship game, but lost to Bayfield 68-57.

The search for the first boys basketball title for St. Mary’s will have to continue. This was the first state title game in school history for the Pirates. They averaged nearly 90 points per game during the season before Lutheran held them to just 56.

And the feeling of slowing down a talented, fast-paced team combined with holding a championship trophy was everything the Lions hoped it would be.

“It was the best feeling ever,” Fall said. “This is my first time being a state champion. It’s big. I love Lutheran. I did this for them. My teammates and coaches always got me.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

March 21, 2021
5A boys basketball: ThunderRidge tops George Washington to end 19-year title drought

COLORADO SPRINGS — For nearly 20 years, ThunderRidge has been trying to get back to the top of the mountain. The Grizzlies have had their chances, even coming painstakingly close on one of them.

The fifth attempt turned out to be the charm as they knocked off George Washington 68-59 to claim the Class 5A boys basketball championship at the Broadmoor World Arena.

It’s the first championship for ThunderRidge since the school won back to back titles in 2002 and 2003.

“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about that,” coach Joe Ortiz said. “I’ve chronologically gone through every year and how they’ve finished several times. I did it today.”

He did it with the weight of the missed opportunities sitting on his shoulder. For the next year when he thinks about the chronological finish, it ends with his guys as the defending state champions.

He knew it was never going to be easy, however. This was the third matchup between the Grizzlies (13-2 overall) and the Patriots (13-4). George came away with the first win and the lesson learned from that one remained fresh in ThunderRidge’s mind at the start of the state title game.

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

“The first game we just realized they were a physical team,” Jason Simental said. “Nobody could really match up with us before so they were the first team to really put it to us.”

The game plan for the Patriots was pretty simple. Apply pressure and be the more physical group. It worked for the first quarter as the teams were locked in a 16-16 tie, but ThunderRidge clamped down in the second and held George to just four point on one field goal and two free throws.

“It helps playing here to be honest,” Ortiz said. “It’s a bigger court, it’s a bigger feel and in a smaller type of confined area it’s tougher because there’s more pressure. Our big guy Nolan Marld was huge. He’s a mismatch and they’re not going to pressure him with a guard.”

Marld led all scorers with 17 points and Simental added 16. Joey Bilello and Jackson Brennan also scored in double figures, Brennan getting all 11 of his points in the first half. Zach Keller had nine, nearly giving the Grizzlies five players in double figures.

“We have a very balanced team,” Ortiz said.

ThunderRidge last played in the 5A title game in 2015 and lost to Overland 55-42. George Washington made it to back-to-back title games in 2017 and 2018 but lost to Eaglecrest and Grandview, respectively.

Jarmell Johnson and Kijuan Thompson led the Patriots with 10 points each, but the combined effort keeps a state basketball title out of George’s grasp for at least another season.

For ThunderRidge, it’s the culmination of a championship drought that began before anyone on the roster was even born.

“We were on a dry streak but we came here to break it,” Simental said. “We had to do that.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

March 21, 2021
1A girls basketball: Fast start powers Flatirons Academy over Fleming for first title

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

COLORADO SPRINGS — A fast start can make all the difference in the world. For the Flatirons Academy girls basketball team, that difference was simply maintaining a lead rather than having to stretch it out.

The Bison outscored Fleming by 11 in the first quarter and held that lead to get a 64-52 win to capture the Class 1A girls basketball state championship.

It turned out that first quarter was going to have an impact that would be felt until the final buzzer sounded.

“When I went into (the first quarter) I didn’t know how big that would be,” coach Mike Durrill said. “I was hoping it would be. Our last four games, the first quarter has been huge for us and today we were able to hit that outside shot and it opened things up for us.”

That outside shot was made by Savana Kascak. Fleming’s Whitney Chintala answered right away but that’s when the Bison (14-4 overall) got hot and Wildcats went cold.

Flatirons Academy closed out the first quarter on a. 15-4 run to open up an 11-point lead.

“We’ve had a great team and our team is focus on defense,” Emma Cox said. “We played them at the beginning of the year and came up short. We came up with a defensive plan and tried to (execute) that as best we could.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

What helped that effort was that the offense didn’t sputter for the remainder of the game. The Wildcats (12-4) finally found their footing. Kendyl Kirkwood was held scoreless in the first quarter but averaged eight points per quarter for the remainder of the game to score a game-high 24.

But her effort alone couldn’t get the Wildcats to close the gap. Cox finished with a team-high 19 points and Kascak added 18 to keep that 11-point edge firmly in hand.

“Fleming is a great team and they school us in the regular season,” Durrill said. “Our girls have been resilient. They’ve been cool, calm and collected. They’re really enjoyed the process and haven’t gotten tense or felt any pressure.”

Any time that pressure could’ve crept up on the Bison, they’d find a way to brush it off. Fleming switched to a full-court press in the second half which did a great job at forcing turnovers and giving the Wildcats a chance to close the gap.

But each time, the Bison would find a way to halt that momentum. That was apparent at the start of the fourth quarter when Cox knocked down a big 3-pointer from the top the key to keep momentum with her team.

“I don’t think that one mattered as much as everyone else’s,” Cox said. “We were led by a great group of seniors and our coaching staff is absolutely amazing. I just happened to accidentally hit a shot.”

Accident or not, that shot had a big hand in ensuring the Bison would capture the first girls basketball championship in school history.

For right now, the 2021 team will go down as the benchmark for what the program is capable of.

“They love each other,” Durrill said. “We haven’t had any drama this year, this team has just been a family.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

March 21, 2021
1A boys basketball: Diop shines as Belleview Christian tops De Beque for state crown

COLORADO SPRINGS — The goal for Belleview Christian is always to hold its opponent to single digits each quarter. In the Class 1A boys basketball state championship game, the Bruins went above and beyond that goal.

They allowed De Beque to score just seven points in the entire first half and cruised to a 69-35 win to capture the state championship, the first for the school since winning back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000.

They knew in order to come away with that coveted championship win, the important thing was getting out to a fast start and limiting what Jaden Jordan and Wes Ryan could do for the Dragons (16-2 overall).

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

“It was extremely important,” senior Logan Owen said. “We knew we had to come out and hold them under 10 points (apiece). Our goal is single-point quarters. We executed and came out and got that done.”

It wasn’t much of a surprise to see sophomore standout Assane Diop dominate in multiple fascets of the game. He finished his day with a game-high 22 points and 20 rebounds. He also dished out seven assists and blocked four shots.

It’s been a theme for Diop all season and has made him one of the most talked about players throughout the entire state. Perhaps what’s most impressive is his ability to push forward even on the rarest of days when he has an off game.

“If I have a bad game, if I pass poorly or don’t do my job, (my team) always pushes me,” Diop said. “That’s the most important thing.”

He had 12 points and 12 rebounds in the first half as the Bruins (16-0) built a 36-7 lead. Those first two quarters took the pressure off the Bruins and allowed them to play the game on their terms in the second half. It also gave them relief that their game plan to slow down Ryan and Jordan was working.

“We knew coming in that Wes is a great player and we knew that he had to be our focus the whole game,” coach Timothy Owen said. “If he gets hot their whole team gets hot and thrives on his play.”

Ryan and Jordan accounted for all seven of the Dragons’ first-half points. Jordan ended the game with 13 while Ryan had seven.

Belleview Christian got points from just four players as Diop led with 22, Davin Hunter had 20, Logan Owen had 14 and Nathaniel Owen had 13.

Logan Owen will be leaving as a senior this year, but the overall outcome excites him for what this team will look to do in future years.

“I have full faith they can get it again next year,” he said.

The Bruins’ 34-point win is the biggest margin of victory in a 1A championship game as pointed out by Kevin Shaffer of ColoradoPreps.com. The previous was 31 points when Kim beat Ridgway 61-30 in 1996.

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

March 21, 2021
4A girls basketball: Mullen gets by Windsor for second straight title

COLORADO SPRINGS — A year ago, Mullen’s girls basketball season didn’t with a clock running out and a buzzer echoing through the Denver Coliseum. It ended with an announcement that they wouldn’t get to defend their Class 4A state title after advancing to the championship game.

COVID-19 had other plans. So when this season started, the focus for the Mustangs turned to finishing what you get the opportunity to finish.

They took that to heart and finished their championship run with a 67-44 win over Windsor.

“It was on every single practice plan, we talked about it at the beginning of every practice,” coach Frank Cawley said. “This is what we wanted to do. We needed to finish what we started last year.”

One way to do that is to shoot efficiently. The Mustangs (17-2 overall) shot nearly 54 percent from the floor, including going 6-for-15 from 3-point range.

Oddly enough senior Megan Pohs was one of the few Mullen players to struggle early. She was 0-for-4 from the field in the first half, but finally found her rhythm, hitting four 3-pointers in the third quarter. She scored all 12 of her points off those shots which accounted for all but two of the Mustangs points in that quarter.

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

Her shooting woes didn’t bug her as Gracie Gallegos scored a game-high 17 points and Alexa Dominguez added 10.

“Our whole method is that if your shots aren’t falling you have to keep your head up,” Pohs said. “Eventually they’ll start to fall and the team helps with that by keeping you in check.”

The Wizards (16-2) kept pace with Mullen throughout the first quarter, but a quick 4-0 spurt by the Mustangs in the closing seconds gave them an eight-point pad. Where the Mustangs had an efficient shooting night, Windsor struggled from the field. Olivia Reed scored a team-high 10 points and Alexis Backhaus had eight and added seven rebounds along the way.

Even after building a comfortable lead, Cawley refused to believe that his team would maintain control.

“I’ve watched Windsor play four or five games and I wasn’t comfortable until the final buzzer went off,” he said. “That’s my nature, but I was never comfortable until the clock showed twin zeros.”

Mullen is now the third team in a row to claim consecutive 4A girls titles. Valor Christian did it in 2015 and 2016 before Evergreen won in 2017 and 2018.

This is the sixth state championship for Mullen girls basketball. The Mustangs won their first four championships between 2000 and 2006. This win was also the most points they’ve scored in a championship game, topping their mark of 62 points in 2019.

It was a feat they were hoping to accomplish a year sooner, but it was clear with the emotional reaction at the end of the game that the wait was well worth it.

“As soon as last year ended, it was our goal to get back here,” Pohs said. “To do that is amazing, especially with this team. It’s a great way to end my high school career.”

More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

March 21, 2021