Admittedly, Tyler McBride has just one shot.
And it was exactly what Broomfield needed Saturday night.
McBride, on his second shot of the night, drilled a 3-pointer with nine seconds remaining to tie up Centaurus in their Class 4A state quarterfinal game at Metro State.
McBride’s teammates took over from there, namely Kyle Kaiser, who scored 11 points in overtime as the top-seeded Eagles outscored the Warriors 16-5 to advance to the Final Four with a 66-55 victory.
“I didn’t get a lot of shots off today,” said McBride, who finished with those three points. “Usually, I get about five or six – all 3s, that’s all I shoot. It’s not a big deal for me to shoot a 3 at the end of a game.”
The Eagles (20-6) trailed 49-44 with 33 seconds remaining in regulation, but tied the game 50-50 behind a 3-pointer from Adam Nigon and McBride’s last-gasp bomb as the Warriors missed four free throws.
The Eagles rode that momentum into the extra period, burying the No. 2 Warriors with an 11-0 run to win their seventh straight. Centaurus finished its season 19-7.
“We came down and hit two big 3-pointers down the stretch and tied it up,” Kaiser said. “It went all good from there. When McBride hit that shot in the corner, I knew we had the game. That’s huge momentum.”
Nigon finished with 15 points.
Broomfield will face defending champion Thomas Jefferson on Thursday at the Coors Events Center.
The Warriors trailed 16-6 late in the first quarter but rallied behind Dillon Sanders (15 points) to take a 23-22 lead into halftime. Standout Devon Beitzel scored 19 of his 26 points in the second half but was scoreless in overtime, missing eight shots.
“We were fortunate to win,” Eagles coach Kevin Boley said. “That’s a tough way for Devon and Centaurus to go out. They had a great season and gave us everything we could handle.”
Seven players fouled out as the former Skyline League rivals mixed it up physically, especially in the second half.
As a result, both teams had to go to their benches, but Centaurus seemed more affected with the loss of big men Andy Harvey and Brendan Armstrong. Broomfield outrebounded the Warriors 45-33.
Centaurus 9 14 10 17 5 – 55
Broomfield 16 6 10 18 16 – 66
Centaurus – Beitzel 6 14-15 26, Sanders 5 1-2 15, Wildeman 1 1-2 3, Harvey 1 2-4 4, Armstrong 1 0-0 2, Louth 0 2-5 2, Hansen 0 0-0 0, Puckett 0 0-0 0, Rubeck 0 3-4 3, Cagley 0 0-0 0, Jordan 0 0-0 0, Berry 0 0-1 0. Totals 14 23-33 55.
Broomfield – Tice 3 2-4 8, Kaiser 5 16-19 28, Nigon 5 4-6 15, Hanson 1 5-10 7, Keefe 1 1-2 3, Fankell 0 0-0 0, Barthule 1 0-0 2, McBride 1 0-0 3, Vanderhoef 0 0-0 0, Portillo 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 28-41 66.
3-point goals – Sanders 4; Kaiser 2, McBride, Nigon. Total fouls – Centaurus 33, Broomfield 27. Fouled out – Rubeck, Armstrong, Sanders, Harvey; Barthule, Tice, Nigon. Technicals – None.
