BOULDER, Colo.-
Jaclyn Thoman scored 21 points and the bench was instrumental Wednesday night as defending Class 5A state champion Highlands Ranch routed Horizon 82-55 at the Coors Events Center.
Highlands Ranch, the No. 1 seed out of the Sharon Wilch Region, will play the winner of the Regis-Legacy game for the crown Friday night.
Leading 38-28 at the half, Highlands Ranch (24-3) outscored Horizon 23-15 in the third period, extending the margin to 61-43 and leaving little doubt about the outcome.
Jade Davis scored 15 points, while Alyssa Fressle and Hannah Breidel added 14 and 12 points, respectively, for Highlands Ranch, which has won four of the last seven 5A championships.
The Falcons bench contributed 23 points in the win, while Horizon (22-5), which is in Thornton, managed just 2 points from its reserves.
The game was competitive for most of the first half as the teams ran up and down the floor in a seesaw contest that included three ties and 12 lead changes.
Trailing 21-20 early in the second quarter, Highlands Ranch began an 18-7 run keyed by Thoman, who scored 7 of her 9 first-half points during the spurt.
Horizon, the No. 1 seed from the Carol Callan Region, lost to Highlands Ranch for the second straight year. The Hawks were the tournament runner-up the last two seasons.
Nikki Trujillo scored 21 points for Horizon, which shot just 34 percent from the field to 54.9 percent for Highlands Ranch.
Hannah Tuomi, who will play at Vanderbilt next year, scored 16 points before fouling out with 4:14 to play. The senior, a star at Horizon during her career, received a standing ovation from the crowd. Thoman, who was fouled by Tuomi, showed her respect as she clapped for her fellow competitor while standing at the foul line.
Lacey Herz rounded out the double-figure scoring with 10 points and 12 rebounds for Horizon.
Highlands Ranch has won 14 of its last 15 games, while Horizon finished with 18 victories in its final 20 games of the season.
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