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Month: March 2014

  • Vlkova leads Norwood’s girls to 1A basketball championship

    (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
    (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    LOVELAND — Lucia Vlkova is going to enjoy living in the United States.

    The 6-foot junior forward for Norwood, a foreign exchange student from Slovakia, helped lead the Mavericks to the Class 1A state championship in a thrilling 38-34 victory over Caliche on Saturday at the Budweiser Events Center.

    “If I have my family here, I will probably stay,” Vlkova said of her year in America. “I just love it here.”

    It’s fair to say coach Greg King is equally happy to have the versatile player in his lineup.

    Jordan Williams, a junior guard, has been the go-to player throughout the season for the Mavericks with impressive averages of 16.9 points, 3.9 assists, and 2.8 steals, but Williams needed a sidekick to claim the crown.

    Vlkova provided that with 11 points and a dominant defensive performance with several steals, blocks, and deflected passes. Her height, length, and jumper provided a matchup problem for Caliche throughout and she displayed a wildly improved shot.

    “You know she has been a project all year,” King said about his growing forward. “She came to us without being a real big offensive threat on her club team. She’s worked and worked, and I’ll tell you what, up here in the regionals and district finals, she’s really blossomed. Jordan Williams has been our key person. She was the MVP of our league. She struggled a little up here, but everybody knew that. Lucia was the unknown.”

    Vlkova was critical, but the title was won on the strength of Norwood’s hard-nosed team.

    “We call this team a bunch of grinders,” King said. “We just grind out wins, grind out possessions, and against that team we had to. We were aggressive, physical, and we just withstood every attack they had against us, everything they threw at us.”

    Caliche wanted to play their typical high-paced style utilizing their speed and guard play, but Norwood controlled the tempo and led by a couple of points most of the game.

    “It was a different game for us,” Caliche coach David Huss said. “A lot of that has to do with the level of the game being a state title game I think. It probably weighed on them a little bit.

    “A lot of it was Norwood and the style of defense they played. They got us out of our game and we just had a lot of uncanny things happen, just missed layups and miscommunication, and things that never happened before. I don’t have an answer as to why that happened, other than maybe it was the stage we were on.”

    Norwood held a 12-8 first quarter lead and were up 22-20 at the halftime break in a defensive battle.

    The Buffaloes had a few flashes of their superior speed in transition and were down only three, 34-31, with two minutes and ten seconds remaining. Shaylyn Johnson stole the ball and streaked down court for an open layup, but the ball rimmed out.

    Norwood’s Shania Snow drained 4-of-6 at the charity stripe in the final three minutes of play to seal the Mavericks’ first girls basketball state title since 1983 and second in the program’s history.

    Jordan Williams came through with five big fourth-quarter points and 12 in the game. Shania Snow chipped in eight.

    Jessica Taylor was effective as a low-post scorer with 12 points for Caliche and Shaylyn Johnson, the Buffaloes’ leading scorer this season, had 10 points, but Norwood made a few more plays down the stretch and gutted out a fantastic win.

    “We felt that we were going to have to do it defensively,” King said about Norwood’s gameplan against the Buffaloes. “Offensively, we knew that if it was a high-scoring game, it favors them at their pace. For the most part, I think we handled their pressure really well, and it’s just a fantastic feeling.”

    King, the girls coach at Norwood for the past four seasons, has now won three state titles in his coaching career with the first two coming as the head boys coach at Stratton. He is the boys coach for Norwood, as well.

    “You feel for the kids, because the kids put the work in,” King said. “It’s a great, great reward for what they’ve done for four years. It’s not about me, it’s about them.”

    “I was thinking about it all season,” Viukova admitted about the potential for a state title team.

    “I think it’s all about the coach,” Viukova argued.

    In the end, it was the perfect recipe for a state title at Norwood with great players and great coaching.

  • Photos: 3A basketball championships at Air Force

    AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Holy Family’s boys and girls teams swept the 3A basketball championships on Saturday.

  • Denver East beats Fossil Ridge, runs away with 5A boys basketball championship

    Denver East Fossil Ridge boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    BOULDER — Welcome home Dom Collier. The future star of the CU Buffs put an exclamation point on the end of his high school career as he led the Denver East Angels to a 70-49 win over Fossil Ridge to clinch the 5A state championship, an honor that slipped away from him a year ago.

    On the floor of the Coors Events Center, which will house Collier’s college career as a player for the Buffs, he exploded for 18 points – 16 of them coming in the second half — alongside fellow senior Ronnie Harrell’s game-high 20 to complete a season that had been rooted in redemption.

    “I don’t even know what to say right now — I’m so speechless. I’m just so happy that we got the win,” Collier said. “We were working for this all year and it finally paid off. The long practices that we had, the times that we didn’t want to go to practice, it all paid off.”

    Denver East Fossil Ridge boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    Prior to the start of Saturday’s game, CU head coach Tad Boyle smiled at the thought of his prized recruit ending his high school career the same way Boyle had many years ago.

    In 1981, Boyle won a state a championship on the floor of what was then the CU Events Center. He would eventually go on to play for Kansas but having the chance to reflect on what Collier and the Angels could do, called the opportunity uniquely special.

    “Dom’s making it more special because (by winning it) he’ll have won it on his home floor and then he’s staying in Colorado,” Boyle said. “He’s doing what I should have done.”

    The victory for the Angels was far from a solo effort. The SaberCats have been sound defensively all season and knew that in order to have a chance at beating East, they would have to take Collier out of the game. They were able to do so in the first half, but Harrell stepped right up and showed why he, too, was the affection of Division I colleges around the country.

    The future Creighton Bluejay scored 14 of his 20 points in the first half as the Fossil Ridge defenders zeroed in on Collier. Harrell was another who was shaken by last year’s loss to Eaglecrest, making Saturday’s win just as sweet an ending for his high school career.

    “It’s an amazing feeling, being able to do it with the same starting five, Dom, J.J. and all my buddies — just being able to come back and redeem ourselves really,” Harrell said. “It hasn’t hit me at all (that this is my last high school game). It crazy that you say that. I haven’t even thought about it.”

    Harrell’s offensive contributions early in the game allowed Collier to settle into his rhythm and start feeling out the defensive style of Alex Semadeni. In the third quarter, Collier was able to cross Semadeni over and create open looks, allowing him to hit shots.

    Once he started heating up, the SaberCats knew that the offense would start to run through him. At the end of the third quarter, Collier held the ball as the final seconds ticked away. With everyone convinced that he was going to drive for the final shot, all five defenders crept their way forward, leaving a wide open passing lane to senior Jevon Griffin for a lay-in to end the quarter, giving East a 13-point lead.

    Denver East Fossil Ridge boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    In front of his future coach and several future teammates, including Spencer Dinwiddie, Collier put the full scope of his game on display.

    “He allows the game to come to him and we have other weapons,” Angels coach Rudy Carey said. “Other kids stepped up in Dom’s absence early in the game. Ronnie played great, Brian (Carey) played great, Tyre (Robinson) played great. I think big things are going to happen for him at CU and he just laid the groundwork for that.”

    The title win for East marks the first championship for the school since 2008. Carey has plenty of time to enjoy the title win before he figures out how to replace 68 points a game that he is losing from this senior class.

    But regardless of who fills the void left behind by Collier, Harrell and the rest of the seniors, Carey will be able to share with all his future players the story of a team that suffered ultimate heartache before earning a chance at redemption and seizing it with both hands much the way they seized the golden ball that was awarded to them on Saturday night.

  • Hi-Plains beats Caliche to claim 1A boys basketball championship

    (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
    (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)

    LOVELAND — The Hi-Plains boys basketball team is a cohesive unit with star power. Avery Marzolf, Justin Miltenberger, and their “band of brothers,” as Miltenberger puts it, were good enough to claim the Class 1A crown on Saturday evening at the Budweiser Events Center.

    In a wild finish, the Patriots claimed their first state championship since 2008 — they also won in 2006 — with a 52-51 survival of powerhouse Caliche.

    Caliche came in as the faster, more athletic team that loved to play at breakneck speed from the tip. Hi-Plains can get up and down the floor, but were the more solid team in the half-court entering the 1A finale. The more versatile Patriots won out in a game that treated fans with speed, clutch shots, and even a highlight-reel dunk by Caliche’s Dakota Kingsley.

    Both teams started the contest with great intensity in a heated, loud environment. The Patriots’ Avery Marzolf, a 6-foot-4 senior forward with strength, made his presence felt against the smaller Buffaloes with two quick buckets in the paint. That proved to be a preview of what was to come.

    In a game filled with lead changes, Hi-Plains led 50-44 with 54.7 seconds remaining on the clock, but the Buffaloes never quit with back-to-back baskets.

    Justin Miltenberger, a high scoring guard, got fouled with 16 ticks left on the clock. He proceeded to bury two free-throws to give the Patriots a 52-48 lead.

    Caliche’s Austin Yahn drained a trifecta with only 2.6 seconds left to cut the deficit to one. They fouled Hi-Plains’ Clay Cordell, who missed a pair to give the Buffaloes one last hope, but Caliche failed to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded.

    Hi-Plains was overcome with ecstasy after the game.

    “Words don’t describe it,” Hi-Plains coach Dave Sheffield said. “They’ve done so much work. To see it pay off, that’s what it’s all about. I can’t really put it into words.”

    “It’s kind of surreal,” Miltenberger said about claiming the gold ball. “You think of this as little kids, but until it actually hits you.  It’s incredible.”

    “I don’t even know yet,” Marzolf said about trying to explain his joy.

    Marzolf was a force throughout the game and a major matchup problem for Caliche. He scored 22 points and grabbed numerous rebounds. He was humble about his performance in the title game afterwards.

    “Honestly, I do the easy part,” Marzolf said. “Those kids that bring it up, that stopped their penetration, they’re the ones that should be getting interviewed right now. Alex Nelson, remember that kid. He’s the hardest working kid in the state.”

    His coach was quick to praise the big man, though.

    “He’s incredibly versatile,” Sheffield said. “I think he’s the best player in the state. He’s a point guard, he’s a five, he can range to the three, and he ran however many positions today.”

    Miltenberger came through with a bucket seemingly every time Hi-Plains needed one. He chipped in 12 points and played tough defense.

    “He’s a stretch three, he’s our best free-throw shooter, he’s a kid that’s going to come through in the clutch and he did,” Sheffield said of Miltenberger.

    Both Sheffield and his players agreed that the key to the title run was hard work and the cohesion of the squad.

    “Everybody looks out for each other,” Miltenberger said. “It’s all about helping out friends. It’s all about helping the other guy.”

    “We stayed together,” Marzolf added. “We’re a family. It’s just everybody right there, playing together as one, and we were successful.”

    “These guys got in the yellow bus with me before their freshman year and we started traveling to summer camps. We worked and we worked and we worked and work gets you something,” Sheffield concluded.

    Caliche, winners of four straight boys basketball titles until last season when they placed fourth, were denied an eighth title overall, but have a bright future with first-year coach Derek Weingardt at the helm. Weingardt was a 2009 graduate of Caliche who was groomed under legendary coach Randy Kirkwood. The Buffaloes are a traditional small-school power who finished 23-3 this season.

    It was Hi-Plains’ night on Saturday, though, and Sheffield, who earned his third state championship as a coach, knows what that means to the town of Seibert, a tiny place in the Eastern Plains.

    “Any small town to win a championship is huge,” Sheffield said. “We’re a school with 45 high school kids. It means the world to small towns and the community.”

  • Photos: 2A basketball championships at CSU-Pueblo

    PUEBLO — Lutheran’s girls and Sanford’s boys won 2A basketball championships on Saturday.

  • Photos: 4A boys basketball semifinals at CU

    BOULDER — The Class 4A boys basketball final four was held at the University of Colorado’s Coors Events Center on Friday.

    Go to:

    [divider]

    Pueblo East 59, Sand Creek 51

    Denver South 79, Cheyenne Mountain 75 (OT)

  • Pueblo East’s three-head scoring monster propels Eagles into 4A title game

    Cheyenne Mountain Sand Creek boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    BOULDER — As eighth-graders in 2010, the current senior class of basketball players at Pueblo East have been eyeing their shot at a state title.

    “We’ve been dreaming about this ever since we were little growing up,” Pueblo East senior TJ Gradisar said. “We have it here now. We just want to get the job done.”

    Pueblo East’s last trip to the Class 4A state hoops championship game came in 2010. The Eagles’ 59-51 victory over Sand Creek on Friday at the Coors Events Center advanced Pueblo East to the 4A title game Saturday back in Boulder.

    Pueblo East Sand Creek boys basketball
    More photos. (Pam Wagner)

    “Another chance,” Pueblo East coach Dave Ryder said of his Eagles getting back to the title game. “It’s exciting. I’m happy for the kids. They were in eighth grade the last time we were up here. They watched and now they get the same opportunity.”

    Sierra edged Pueblo East 61-56 in overtime four years ago. The Eagles will attempt to win their first basketball title in school history Saturday. Pueblo East was state runner-ups in 2010 and 1977.

    “Ever since freshman year we knew we had the team that could do it,” Pueblo East senior Jimmy Valdez said. “We have been playing all these years. It’s time to put it together now. One more game tomorrow, it’s time to finish it.”

    The three-headed scoring machine of Gradisar (18 points), Valdez (14 points) and senior Dylan Gavin (21 points) scored 53 of the Eagles’ 59 points.

    “They have played together a long time,” Ryder said of Gradisar, Gavin and Valdez. “They feed off each other. They know what each other are going to do. One complements the other.”

    The trio was also a remarkable 19-for-27 (70.3 percent) from the field shooting.

    Sand Creek (21-6) actually held a 23-17 lead midway through the second quarter, but Pueblo East (22-4) buckled down defensively and went on an 11-0 to end the second quarter. The Eagles held a 28-23 lead at halftime.

    “We just had to reinforce some things we had to do on the defensive end,” Ryder said.

    Valdez was 4-for-5 from the field shooting, including a long 3-pointer by the 6-foot-4 center with 2:18 left in the second quarter. Gradisar and Valdez each had 10 points at halftime.

    “Having a great basketball player like Dylan (Gavin) on your team everyone is going to be eyeing him throughout,” Valdez said. “We had TJ step up. The whole team stepped up.”

    Sand Creek Pueblo East boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    Gavin went on a tear early in the second half to push Pueblo East’s lead into double-digit. He made the only two field goals in the fourth quarter for the Eagles, who used the clock to their advantage and made 9-of-14 free throws in the final quarter to seal the victory.

    The Scorpions drained nine 3-pointers in the loss. Senior Dylan Clark led the way with four 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 24 points. Clark started the game 4-for-4 from the field, but was held scoreless in the second quarter.

    “Obviously he (Clark) is a great player. He is going to play at the D-I level,” Ryder said. “He is going to get his. We just wanted to control it and not let him get on those big runs. The guards were solid on defense.”

    Seniors Alex Jara and Jordan Cruz had the task for the Eagles of trying to keep Clark in check.

    Pueblo East will face the winner of Denver South/Cheyenne Mountain in the 4A championship game at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.

    “We just want to get the job done,” Gradisar said.

  • 2A girls basketball semifinal roundup: Lutheran edges Meeker

    PUEBLO — When Chandler Sturms walked to the free throw line, her heart was pounding.

    The Lutheran junior, however, didn’t get lost in the pressure of the moment.

    Strums calmly sank two free throws with 15.3 seconds remaining, vaulting Lutheran to a dramatic 39-38 victory over Meeker Friday night in a Class 2A state semifinal girls game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.

    “I was really nervous, but we have practiced free throws a lot lately, so I had a little more confidence than usual,” said Sturms, who had not shot any free throws during the game before walking to the line for the 1-on-1 opportunity. “I’m just so happy to come through for my team.”

    Lutheran (23-1) moves on to the state championship game at 5:30 p.m. today against Yuma (25-1). Yuma, which defeated Peyton earlier Friday, ousted Lutheran in the state semis a year ago before losing to Akron in the finals. Meeker dropped to 22-3 on the season.

    Once Sturms made her free throws, Meeker still had a chance to win.

    Sydney Hughes dribbled down the middle of lane, but the ball was knocked loose. An alert Aly Ridings grabbed the ball and went up for a 10-foot jumper on the left side.

    Riddings’ shot bounced off the back of the rim with 1.6 seconds left and Lutheran rebounded, securing the win for the Lions.

    “My heart sank when she (Riddings) took that shot,” Sturms said. “I knew we had to keep playing and we were able to box out and get the rebound.”

    Greg Chintala, Meeker’s coach, was left to digest a heartbreaking loss for his team.

    “We got the ball and we went to the hole,” Chintala said. “We thought they would foul us and they didn’t and we didn’t hit our shot.”

    Sturms’ clutch effort won praise from Lutheran coach Mark Duitsman.

    “Those were big free throws by Chandler,” Duitsman said. “Right now, I just want these girls to recognize and enjoy this accomplishment.”

    With 1:54 remaining in the game, Meeker appeared to seized control, taking a 37-32 advantage on Taylor Neilson’s two free throws. Neilson paced her team with 11 points.

    Lutheran, however, didn’t quit.

    Kayleigh Paplow, who had a team-high 15 points, made an inside bucket at the 1:29 mark to get Lutheran within 37-34.

    Meeker’s Hughes stole a pass and was fouled with 48.5 seconds left and she made one free throw to give her team a 38-34 edge.

    Lutheran’s Kristen Vigil then answered with a huge 3-pointer from the left of the top of the key to cut the deficit to 38-37 with 38 seconds left.

    On Meeker’s next possession, Ridings was fouled with 25.9, but she missed two free throws, setting the stage for Sturms’ heroics.

    [divider]

    Yuma 58, Peyton 48

    This wasn’t Peyton’s place Friday. The Yuma girls basketball team made sure of that.

    Logan Hixon poured in a game-high 21 points as the Indians led from start to finish to capture a 58-48 victory over Peyton in a Class 2A state semifinal game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.

    “It was just hard defense,” Yuma coach Mike Neill said about the key to his huge win. “We had to work on our on-ball defense and we did a great job of doing that because Peyton does an awesome job of driving and kicking. Then, our guards hit shots the first half and our post players hit shots the second half.”

    Yuma (25-1) advances to play the winner of the Meeker-Lutheran game at 5:30 p.m. Saturday for the state championship.

    Yuma won a state girls basketball championship in 1997, but last year was the first time the Indians played in the state tourney in 15 years. This is the second year in a row the Indians are playing in the title game. A year ago they lost to Akron. Peyton (24-2) had its 18-game winning streak snapped.

    “In the state championship we have to come work hard,” Neill said. “We have to box out and rebound and do everything the right way and just play Yuma basketball.”

    Hixon set the tone for the Indians in the first half, nailing all five of her 3-pointers as the Indians held a 36-28 halftime lead. Hixon had 17 points in the opening 16 minutes.

    Peyton did claw back into the game in the third quarter, thanks to Emily Green, who scored five of her team-high 13 points. The Panthers trailed 44-40 with eight minutes remaining.

    Yuma, however, didn’t flinch. The Indians secured the win by making 8-of-10 free throws in the final quarter. Hixon, Peighton Roth, Marina Hansen and Caitlyn Murphy made two free throws each.

    In addition to Hixon, Roth (13 points), Murphy (10) also scored in double-figures for the Indians.

  • 2A boys basketball semifinal roundup: Sanford upsets Ignacio

    PUEBLO — A perfect season ended abruptly for the Ignacio boys basketball team.

    Using a tenacious defense, No. 4-seeded Sanford upset the top-seeded Bobcats 47-37 Friday in a Class 2A state semifinal game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.

    “We just played good defense and had good team offense,” Sanford coach Rhett Larsen said. “We hit some big shots. I thought we played really well and we came out ready to go.”

    Sanford (25-1) advances to the state championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday against the winner of the Akron-Lutheran game.

    “I don’t think that Ignacio’s record went into consideration because I knew they were a good team whether they had a loss or not,” Larsen said. “We just have to get some rest and be ready to go (Saturday).”

    Ignacio (24-1) was trying to win its first boys basketball state championship since 1988. The Bobcats played in the Class 2A state title game in 2010, losing to Holyoke.

    “I just thought we came out and played real flat in the first half,” Ignacio coach Chris Valdez said. “We got behind the 8-ball there a little bit and we never really came out of it.”

    Sanford had a 19-9 lead at half and then stepped on the gas in the final 16 minutes.

    “We knew we had to come out ready to play,” Larsen said.

    When Chance Canty, who scored a team-high 14 points, made a jumper at the 5:32 mark of the third quarter the Indians took a 25-12 lead. Ignacio did counter with a 9-3 run to cut the deficit to 28-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

    The Indians, however, found another gear in the fourth quarter and when Dalton Rodriguez made two free throws with 4:47 left Sanford was up 34-23.

    Igancio could get no closer than eight points before the final buzzer.

    “We played very hard at the very end, but we were not playing with that aggression and that sense of urgency early in the game,” Valdez said. “You have to come out with that.”

    [divider]

    Akron 66, Lutheran 57

    Brady Baer became the Colorado High School Activities Association all-time leading scorer in boys basketball Thursday.

    On Friday, he proved he doesn’t work alone.

    Baer poured in a game-high 31 points, but Jared Clarkson and Garrett Basler chipped in 14 and 12 points  as Akron High School muscled past Lutheran 66-57 Friday night in a Class 2A state semifinal game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.

    “We had very balanced scoring, and we had to slow the pace up on them,” Akron coach Greg Clarkson said. “They are a very lanky team in that 1-3-1 (defense) and our hope was to get them out of the 1-3-1 and we did and we got some layups. We had some kids who really stepped up (Friday night).”

    Akron (25-1) advances to the state championship game at 7 p.m. today against Sanford (25-1). Lutheran’s record dropped to 19-7. Akron is trying to win its first state boys basketball title since 1989.

    “I’m good friends with Rhett (Larsen) Sanford’s coach, I went to college with him at Adams State and I played against him when I was at Rye and he was at Sanford,” coach Clarkson said. “It is going to be a fun match-up. They are a very good man-to-man team. We’re going to have to come out and play. We used a lot of energy (Friday night), but hopefully with a 24-hour turnaround we will be all right.”

    Akron held a 58-50 lead with 3:07 remaining and tried to take time off the clock. The Rams did, but Lutheran’s James Willis, who had a team-high 21 points, made things interesting with a 3-pointer with 2:02 left.

    Akron’s Baer and Clarkson made four consecutive free throws, putting their team ahead 62-53 with 56 seconds remaining.

    Lutheran’s Josh Clausen made one free throw to get the Lions within 62-57 with 29 seconds showing, but then Baer secured the win with two more free throws and a layup in the final 20 seconds.

  • Denver South outlasts Cheyenne Mountain in OT to move to 4A boys title game

    Denver South Cheyenne Mountain boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    BOULDER — Ibrahim Sylla scored a quiet eight points during the first 32 minutes of Friday’s 4A semifinal game against Cheyenne Mountain. But the nine he scored in the five-minute overtime period proved to be the difference as the Rebels hung on to defeat the Indians 79-75 to advance to the state championship game against Pueblo East on Saturday.

    The Rebels had to weather the storm of the Nehme brothers who combined for 49 points for the Indians. Denver South was able to build a 13-point lead in the second quarter, while taking Gus Nehme out of the game by getting him into foul trouble.

    Denver South Cheyenne Mountain boys basketball
    More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    With momentum clearly on their side, the Rebels found themselves getting comfortable which allowed Cheyenne Mountain to sink a couple of late 3-pointers — including one to beat the buzzer at the end of the first half — to cut the lead to seven. A 22-8 run to start the third quarter for the Indians put the Rebels down by seven, backing them against the wall in the waning minutes of the game.

    “We just had to regroup the troops; there’s momentum swings and we expected that,” Rebels coach Malik Fletcher said. “We would’ve liked to handle the pressure better, but we’ve been in these situations before. Our team is battle tested. We’ve been in close games where we’ve had to fight back out of situations like that.”

    Leading the fight for the Rebels was senior point guard Tyson Purifoy who ended with a game-high 33 points. His surge through the first three quarters of the game helped the Rebels stay within striking distance going into the fourth quarter where his teammates were able to help him seal the victory.

    “I feel like it’s a team; we’re a family, so if one person is down it’s the family’s job to pick him back up” Purifoy said. “I feel like we were really prepared with practices, running and situations — everything. We were prepared for it.”

    Denver South will now be looking for the school’s first state championship since 1970, which was also the last time the Rebels made an appearance in the state title game. The long-running drought has also produced some very unpleasant years for the school, something that Fletcher and his team hope to erase come Saturday.

    As one of two potential teams representing Denver Public Schools, Fletcher is trying to shrug off any added pressure that might come with playing for a championship.

    “There no weight (of the city on our shoulders), it’s just the same thing and the same mindset that we’ve had since the beginning of the year,” Fletcher said. “We expect to be here so there’s no added pressure; we’re just anxious to get our opportunity.”

    Denver South Cheyenne Mountain boys basketball
    More photos. (Pam Wagner)

    That opportunity will come against a Pueblo East team that will be looking for its first state championship in school history. Unlike the path from the Great 8 to the Final Four, the Rebels will only have a 24-hour turnaround before taking the court again.

    “I feel excited,” Purifoy said. “It’s been a long time coming, we’re going to bring (a title) back to DPS and back to Denver South.”

    The 4A state championship game will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.