After visits to the Class 1A state tournament the previous two years with no hardware to show for it, the Idalia girls basketball team had a different outlook this time.
With a possible state championship slipping away, Akron’s Karli Christensen and Jordan Baer saved the day.
It had been 64 years since a Holly boys basketball team had won a state title.
Air Academy basketball hadn’t won a state championship since 1989. Their title this year is bringing a sense of tradition to the team.
Walking around with a piece of net around his neck, the smile on the face of Colorado Springs Christian senior Chris Hildenbrand could not have grown any bigger.
Air Academy has been here before. While this group of Kadets hadn’t reached the Coors Events Center for the Final 4 in hoops, they don’t lack for championship experience.
With the crowd roaring and a state championship on the line, Clayton Peterson slowed his heartbeat down.
Two of the most dominant big men in the state. Overland’s De’Ron Davis and ThunderRidge’s Zach Pirog went toe-to-toe for four quarters.
A block at the buzzer by Air Academy senior David Louthan on a 3-point attempt from Lewis-Palmer sealed the Kadets’ first trip to a boys state basketball championship game since 1989.
In a game of inches, adjustments matter. And in Friday’s 4A boys basketball semifinal, there was never much breathing room — on the court and on the scoreboard.