Sierra Explodes In Fourth, Eliminates Gutsy Thomas Jefferson

GOLDEN—Thanks to a dominating fourth quarter and the two-headed monster of Jahmall Fountain and Kamryn Williams, the Sierra Stallions are going back to the Final Four, two victories away from repeating as 4A State Champions.

In front of a raucous crowd at Lockridge Arena on the campus of the Colorado School of  Mines, the top seeded Sierra Stallions knocked off the third seeded Thomas Jefferson Spartans 65-43, a final score that did not reflect how close of a game it really was.

After three quarters of play, TJ was hanging tough with the state’s top-ranked team, down four points, 39 – 35. But then the Stallions put their foot on the accelerator, and TJ ran out of gas, getting outscored by 18 points in the final frame.

Seniors Williams and Fountain led the way for Sierra, scoring 18 and 19 points respectively.  TJ had trouble with the strength of Williams down low, and Fountain scored like his name indicates, with an 18 point “spurt” in the second half. Sierra’s defense became stifling in the fourth quarter, and they hit their free throws down the stretch, knocking down 19 for the entire game.

TJ showed a lot of guts, playing without four players that had been kicked off the team the week before for breaking team rules. Two of the players were starters, and all of them were guards. It was no secret that TJ was undermanned, with many JV players catapulted onto the varsity roster in the middle of a title hunt. 

Team captain Shane Oliver, a senior point guard, was relied upon to fill the void created by the departed players.  He did not disappoint, playing almost the entire game, and pouring in a hard-earned 14 points to lead all Spartan scorers.

The Stallions, now 24-2, have won 19 games in a row, and are sizzling hot going to the Final Four.  They finished their regular season undefeated in conference play, and have yet to lose to another 4A team. Sierra appears hungry to defend their state title.

The Final Four takes place next week at the Coors Event Center in Boulder.  The semifinals are March 11, and the state championship is on March 13.

Checkout the updated brackets.

Contact the writer at newsroom@milehighhoops.com