Greeley – All-star games are supposed to be about the showcasing of athletes – winning is usually secondary.
Tell that to Montezuma-Cortez’s Natalie Johnson.
“The moment the other team walks on the court and you see them, you’re just like, ‘They are mine,”‘ she said.
Johnson, bound for West Texas A&M, and her Blue Team mates downed the White 25-21, 25-18, 20-25 and 25-23 in the championship game of the 50th All-State Games at the University of Northern Colorado’s campus recreation center.
The Blue team front line of Johnson and Ponderosa’s Paula McConnell used its height advantage to pound away at the smaller White. The power of Johnson and the deftness of McConnell produced 15 kills, including the clincher.
“I love the blocking, I love the hitting and I got to do a lot of both today,” said McConnell, who played the final high school game of her career for her Ponderosa coach, Rob Graham. McConnell will play at the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.
“I’m excited for the new atmosphere, the new coach and just for the new start.”
The White, coached by Krista Schwartz of Rocky Mountain and Josie Hemmings of Greeley West, didn’t go down easily. Behind Lehigh-bound hitter Mo McReynolds of Holy Family, the White opened a 7-1 lead to start the third game, and the defense of Kate Hampson (Rocky Mountain) and Halley Parks (Paonia) recorded blocks to up the lead to 13-3.
“Second place is better than fourth,” said McReynolds, who finished with a game-high 14 kills. “They have a huge block, with Paula; she’s hard to hit around. It was still fun to play against them; everybody had fun, but they just molded better in the end.”
In the third-place game, the Red Team, coached by Julesburg’s Dennis Tjaden and Derek Herber of Fleming, beat the Black Team 25-19, 26-24, 31-29. The Black was coached by Catherine Swanson of Florence and Elizabeth’s Don Lash.
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-820-5446 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
