Boulder – It seemed everybody at the Coors Events Center was waiting for a whistle Thursday when Ralston Valley’s Zach Johnson hit the floor.
Widefield’s bench wanted a travel. Ralston Valley’s bench was looking for a foul.
Johnson was looking at Pierce Hornung.
The senior guard snapped a pass from the floor to Hornung, who charged in for an uncontested layup with 1.1 seconds remaining to give the Mustangs a 54-52 victory and a spot in Saturday’s Class 4A state final.
“I just kind of stopped and all of a sudden I see him wide open. My eyes got big,” said Johnson, who hit four 3-pointers and finished with 15 points as the Mustangs (24-3) won their 13th straight.
Hornung’s basket was a fitting cap to an afternoon of domination. The 6-foot-3 sophomore led the Arvada-based team with 18 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, blocked two shots and held his ground against the Gladiators’ 6-6 junior Derek Brekken.
Hornung had missed a layup with about 14 seconds remaining but helped keep the ball alive. Needless to say, he was hungry for some redemption.
And as for the no-call on Johnson’s contact near the left wing?
“It could have been (a foul), but it wasn’t, and he found me and we got the game-winning shot,” Hornung said.
The Mustangs stayed with their man defense on the Gladiators (21-5) and limited the Colorado Springs squad to 7-of-30 shooting in the second half. Widefield was 0-for-13 from 3-point range.
Gladiators coach Mark Muñoz chose not to comment on the no-call at the end of the game, but instead praised Ralston Valley’s defense for keeping them out of rhythm.
“I think we were just in a rush,” he said.
Julien McCollum scored 11 of his team-best 18 points in the fourth quarter and Brekken finished with 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocked shots. Brandon Lutz and Vicente Valdez finished with eight points apiece but were 0-for-10 combined from beyond the arc.
The Mustangs, state champions in 2003, led by seven in the third quarter before a frantic fourth that had four lead changes and five ties.
McCollum put the Gladiators up 52-50 with 55 seconds remaining before Hornung tied it 15 seconds later. Brekken turned over the ball on the next possession to set up Hornung’s finale.
Widefield 15 12 7 18 – 52
Ralston Valley 11 15 13 15 – 54
Widefield – Lutz 4 0-0 8, Vaughn 2 2-4 6, McCollum 6 6-7 18, Valdez 3 2-4 8, Brekken 4 3-7 11, Farrior 0 0-0 0, Clark 0 1-2 1, Anding 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 14-24 52.
Ralston Valley – Johnson 5 1-3 15, Webber 3 0-2 8, Hamilton 1 0-0 2, P. Hornung 6 6-6 18, B. Hornung 1 1-2 3, Jones 0 0-0 0, June 1 0-0 2, Flageolle 3 0-0 6. Totals 20 8-13 54.
3-pt. goals – Johnson 4, Webber 2. Total fouls – Widefield 14, Ralston Valley 19. Fouled out – B. Hornung. Technicals – None.
SCHEDULE
THURSDAY
At Coors Events Center, Boulder
Ralston Valley 54, Widefield 52
Abraham Lincoln 62, Broomfield 44
TODAY
At Coors Events Center, Boulder
Championship game: Saturday, 6 p.m.
(1) Ralston Valley (24-3) vs. (2) Abraham Lincoln (19-7)
