Broomfield – In the first 45 seconds against Alamosa, the Broomfield Eagles showed why they can be nearly impossible to defend.
On their first possession, Katie Calderwood dished inside to 6-foot-6 Anna Prins for a layup. Caitlan Stem then stole the ball and set up a 3-pointer by Calderwood for a quick lead.
After forcing another turnover, Broomfield never looked back and cruised a 57-30 victory over the Mean Moose in the Class 4A state quarterfinals Saturday at the Eagles gym.
“We achieved everything we wanted to so far. And now we want to go down to Boulder and see how it goes – win a championship,” Calderwood said.
Broomfield (24-1), top- ranked all season, will face Berthoud in the Final Four at 4 p.m. Wednesday at Boulder’s Coors Events Center.
Calderwood led all scorers with 15 points, and she matched Stem with five steals. Prins finished with 12 points and four rebounds, and Ashley Snow came off the bench for 11 points.
Alamosa (20-5), undersized but never outhustled, used precision passing and constant movement to create offensive opportunities. Senior Kelsie Kruger led the Mean Moose with nine points and seven rebounds, and shifty guard Katie Bussey finished with six points and four steals.
The Eagles led 20-8 after the first quarter and played even with Alamosa in the second. But Broomfield’s second-half defensive adjustment shut down the passing lanes and stymied the Mean Moose offense.
“We thought Bussey was pretty tough to match up one-on-one. She’s pretty fancy with the ball,” Broomfield coach Mike Croell said. “So we went with a different defense, with one girl on her and another behind her. … It’s one of the coaching decisions where you can look back and say, ‘Oh, boy, we made the right move.”‘
That move put the game in Broomfield’s control as the Eagles outscored Alamosa 20-4 in the third quarter.
Alamosa 8 9 4 9 – 30
Broomfield 20 9 20 8 – 57
Alamosa – Barela 1 0-0 2, Bussey 3 0-0 6, Kruger 4 1-2 9, Loch 1 0-0 2, Morin 1 0-0 2, Micklich 3 0-0 6, McGinn 0 1-2 1, Roueche 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 2-4 30.
Broomfield – Calderwood 4 5-7 15, Rhodes 2 1-3 5, Stem 2 2-2 6, Sewell 1 0-0 2, Prins 5 2-4 12, Biegner 1 0-1 3, Snow 5 1-2 11, Davies 1 0-0 2, Chase 0 1-2 1, Fankell 0 0-0 0, Hix 0 0-0 0, Ford 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 12-21 57.
3-pt. goals – Calderwood 2, Biegner. Total fouls – Alamosa 19, Broomfield 11. Fouled out – Kruger, Loch. Technicals – None.
