2A Boys, Girls Final Four: Championship Games Set

2A Boys Final Four Tournament Wrap-up

(6) Sanford Indians vs. (2) Holyoke Dragons

PUEBLO--The second seeded Holyoke Dragons (23-2) were simply too much to handle for the sixth seeded Sanford Indians (18-5) in the first game of the boys’ Final Four on Friday night. Holyoke pulled out the victory 43-33.

With the exception of Holyoke sophomore Reid Baumgartner’s back-to-back three-pointers, both teams struggled early with settling their emotions and playing as one. Senior Brett Forster scored every single point for the Indians in the first quarter, and after one they trailed the Dragons 10-7.

It was hard to tell whether the slow start was due to great defense or slow offense, but the second quarter played out much the same. Senior Kyle Carper led the Dragons, putting up eight points, an assist and two offensive boards in the second quarter alone. He would finish with 14 points, two assists and four rebounds.

For the Indians, Forster seemed to be the only player pushing the tempo on offense. At halftime, the Dragons led 23-12, with Forster adding ten points on his own. It was a battle of seniors with Forster and Carper guarding one another and making outstanding plays on both ends.

The second half was a completely different story for both teams. Sanford came out of the locker room more settled down and ready to play. Senior Brett Jackson led the team in the second half with eight points and three rebounds (finished with 12 points, five boards). His play led the Indians to a 14-8 run in the third quarter, putting them back within striking distance at 31-26 in favor of the Dragons.

The crowd had really got into the game after a Sanford technical foul on Branson Barr put Reid Baumgartner at the line with 13 seconds left in the third.

Holyoke head coach John Baumgartner really got a fire going under his teams’ feet for the fourth quarter, as the team came out in the final session on a tear. The Dragon offense worked methodically and played for long, drawn-out possessions.

The Indians didn’t score a fourth quarter point until there was only a minute and a half remaining in the game –nearly a seven minute scoring drought. On the other side, Holyoke scored twelve fourth quarter points - every single one being from the free throw line.

(1) Ignacio Bobcats vs. (4) Limon Badgers
   
The top-seeded Ignacio Bobcats (20-2) defeated the fourth seeded Limon Badgers, (21-4) 56-37, in a scrappy semifinal contest on Friday night.

The Bobcats came out with stringent defense, holding the Badgers to only three points in the first quarter. Following senior Oakley Hayes’ buzzer beating three-pointer, Ignacio finished out the first quarter with a 13-3 lead.

Seniors Alex Herrera and Shane Brooks led the Bobcats on their great start. Herrera, the 6-8 center who towered over the Badgers, wreaked havoc on almost every single shot that Limon put up. He finished with six blocks in the first half alone, and also added two layups and a deep three.

The second quarter played much like the first, and the Bobcats exited the first half with a 25-12 lead.

Limon couldn’t seem to find a way to manage Herrera, but senior guard Matt Brown certainly did his best. Once the Badgers settled down and started hitting shots, Brown became a part of nearly every scoring drive for Limon, hitting shot after shot and finding open players (finished with 16 points, two steals and four rebounds). Senior Chris Bennett also did a great job of dishing to open teammates, finishing with three assists.

The Badgers did everything they could to keep up with red-hot Ignacio, but couldn’t quite bring it to within single digits. Limon’s full-court press seemed to rattle the Bobcats, but even after forcing three quick Ignacio turnovers, they couldn’t turn them into points.

The final 19 points for Ignacio were from the free throw line, and senior Trae Seibel contributed all 11 of his points from the charity stripe in the second half alone.

Herrera finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and eight blocks. Still, after the game, he couldn’t say enough about his teammates.

“We played as a team and stuck together through the tougher parts of the game," Herrera said. "They made some runs to get it close, and we just let our defense do the talking.”

Ignacio coach Chris Valdez had his own praise for Herrera. “I truly believe he is the best player in the state at this level. He had fourteen blocks in (Thursday’s) game, and he’s had three or four triple-doubles this year. It’s not just scoring; his defensive presence alters every single shot in the lane.”

The Bobcats move on to play Holyoke for the 2A State Championship at 7 p.m. on Saturday night in Massari Arena.

Check the updated boys brackets.

2A Girls Final Four Tournament Wrap-up

(3) Akron Rams vs. (2) Kiowa Indians

PUEBLO--The three seeded Akron Rams (20-4) advanced past the second seeded Kiowa Indians (22-3) by a count of 53-39 in the semifinals of the 2A girls tournament on Friday.

The game started as a nail biter with both teams matching each other on either end. The Rams, led by junior Ella Saunders and freshman Allyson Vasquez, found themselves up at the half with a 25-22 lead.

While Kiowa did a great job of keeping the game close in the first half, Akron slowly began to pull away from the Indians by capitalizing on turnovers and limiting mistakes.

Kiowa seemed determined to make the Rams earn their points from the line, fouling often. The Rams were more than willing to comply and took full advantage from the charity strike.

Ella Saunders continued to play the way she has all season, finding ways to score and dishing the ball to open players. She singlehandedly scored the Rams’ first seven points of the second half, and helped lead Akron to a 12-6 third quarter run over Kiowa. After three quarters, the Rams were feeling a little more comfortable with a 37-28 lead.

Out of the huddle in the fourth quarter, Kiowa tried to get the ball inside to senior Taylor Castillo early and often. At one point, Castillo scored eight straight points for the Indians. But it wasn’t enough to keep the Rams from widening the gap. Fouls and more fouls really hurt Kiowa down the stretch, and Akron held onto a comfortable double digit lead for the remainder of the game.

(1) Paonia Eagles vs. (5) Sangre de Cristo Thunderbirds

The fifth seeded Sangre de Cristo Thunderbirds (17-7) came very close to pulling a major upset on Friday night over the number one seed Paonia Eagles (23-1).  The Eagles were just too talented and too well coached in the end, defeating the Thunderbirds 36-32 in a very well-matched game.

In a first quarter that seemed to lack fundamentally sound play, the two teams traded off turnover after turnover. Paonia’s full-court press really seemed to complicate things for the Thunderbirds, who struggled advancing the ball.

After starting off on a six to nothing run, the Eagles allowed the Thunderbirds to turn right around with their own six point streak, and the first quarter ended with the Eagles leading by one 9-8.

Senior Eagles Leslie Trujillo and Jodyn Rienks really turned it on in the second quarter. Trujillo played tougher defense than any other girl in the tournament on Friday night, and finished the game with five steals and five rebounds. In a second quarter that mirrored the first, the Eagles went into halftime with an 18-16 lead.

Paonia didn’t waste any time coming out of the locker room, posting an
8-0 run and finishing the third quarter up 28-21, outscoring the
Thunderbirds 10-5 in the quarter. Sangre de Cristo seemed a little more
comfortable beating the Eagles’ full-court press, but it was still
making things difficult for them.

The final quarter was very tightly played, and the Thunderbirds brought
the lead down to only three with just over thirty seconds remaining.
After a missed three pointer, the Eagles were able to make one of two
free throws on the double bonus, and held on for a 36-32 victory.

Rienks put up stats in nearly every category, finishing with 13 points, five rebounds, an assist and a block. On the other end for the Thunderbirds, senior forward Brooke McKinley finished with a truly strong performance, putting up 15 points and six rebounds.

Paonia moves on to challenge Akron for the 2A Girls State Championship Saturday at 5:15 p.m. in Massari Arena.

Check the updated girls brackets.

Contact the writer at jdonnelly@milehighhoops.com