Pueblo – Threes add up faster than twos, which largely explains why the 2006-07 Grand Valley Cardinals are the first team in school history to win a boys state basketball championship.
Eleven 3-pointers by Cardinals players contributed to an 84-75 victory over Burlington on Saturday in the Class 2A title game at the Colorado State Fair Events Center. More important than the number of 3s was their timing. Every time the Cougars made a late run, a momentum-killing 3-pointer flew from the hands of a Cardinals player.
“They would have their run, and we would usually have a run that would be right back,” said Cardinals senior Sam McKinley, The Denver Post’s tournament most valuable player. McKinley finished with a team-high 20 points. “We always had had confidence as a team, and now we’re state champs. We’re No. 1.”
A 16-2 late first-half run by the Cardinals overcame a sluggish start, turning a five-point deficit into a 35-28 lead at the half. McKinley, an unflappable, darting off-guard, combined with teammate Tyler Jensen for some key baskets in the charge.
“The late run was huge, and the long halftime, an extra five minutes, gave us time to rest because our kids were dead tired,” Cardinals coach Scott Kiburis said. “The second half, we kept answering with a 3.”
Scrappy Cougars guard Nat David (29 points) hit two straight 3-pointers to cut a 10-point Cardinals lead to four late in the third quarter, and Grand Valley’s lead was just three (52-49) entering the fourth. But Colton Cowan’s 3-pointer to start the fourth quarter and a tough shot in traffic by McKinley built the lead back to seven, and McKinley’s long bomb from the right side made it 63-53 with about six minutes left.
Loren Queen’s basket for Burlington cut it back to five with four minutes left, but Cowan drained another 3 to make it 72-64. Another big second-half contributor for Grand Valley was senior Luke Braby (16 points overall).
“I was trying to figure out what I was going to say to the senior class, who’ve been with us since about sixth or seventh grade, what it would be like to say goodbye to them with a tearful ending,” Kiburis said. “But, I didn’t have to do that.”
Burlington 12 16 21 26 – 75
Grand Valley 13 22 17 32 – 84
Burlington – Brown 0 0-0 0, David 8 6-8 29, Lopez 0 0-0 0, Weber 1 0-0 2, Penny 1 3-6 6, Medley 1 0-0 2, Hines 1 0-0 3, Graff 0 0-0 0, Reeverts 0 0-0 0, Hallagin 9 4-6 22, L. Queen 4 1-3 9, N. Queen 1 0-0 2. Totals 26 14-23 75.
Grand Valley – McKinley 6 6-7 20, Jensen 6 4-5 19, Belden 1 3-4 5, Cowan 5 1-3 15, Witt 0 0-0 0, Shepard 0 1-2 1, Manzanares 1 0-0 3, Gallegos 2 0-0 5, Radel 0 0-0 0, Zollars 0 0-0 0, Braby 7 2-2 16. Totals 28 17-23 84.
3-pt. goals – David 7, Hines, Penny; Cowan 4, Jensen 3, McKinley 2, Gallegos, Manzanares. Total fouls – Burlington 16, Grand Valley 16. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
THIRD-PLACE GAME
SANFORD 79, EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN 74
Sanford 10 30 19 20 – 79
Evangelical Chr. 23 13 15 23 – 74
Sanford – T. Larsen 5 0-0 12, D. Larsen 6 4-4 18, Crowther 1 4-4 6, Reynolds 4 6-9 14, Mortensen 2 2-4 6, Caldon 8 3-4 21, Martinez 0 2-2 2. Totals 26 21-27 79.
Evangelical Chr. – Ragsdale 3 0-0 8, Hurd 3 0-0 9, Dillavou 0 2-2 2, Conrad 3 0-0 7, Mann 1 0-0 2, Crews 0 0-0 0, Huscher 3 3-3 10, Lewis 16 4-7 36. Totals 29 9-12 74.
3-pt. goals – D. Larsen 2, T. Larson 2, Caldon 2; Hurd 3, Ragsdale 2, Conrad, Huscher. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
MEEKER 66, CRIPPLE CREEK-VICTOR 51
Cripple Creek-Victor 13 5 8 25 – 51
Meeker 13 18 13 22 – 66
Cripple Creek-Victor – Staley 2 1-2 7, DiCamillo 4 2-3 10, Zuercher 1 0-0 2, Rooks 2 1-2 5, D.J. Boyd 2 0-0 4, Morgan 9 2-3 21, Gardner 1 0-0 2. Totals 21 6-10 51.
Meeker – Ziegler 0 0-2, 0, Crowe 2 0-0 6, Rowlett 1 0-0 2, Jacob 0 0-0 0, Dunbar 1 1-2 3, Villalpando 1 2-3 4, Mastrisciano 2 4-4 8, Ross 6 11-14 25, Mills 7 3-5 17, Campbell 0 1-2 1. Totals 20 22-32 66.
3-pt. goals – Staley 2, Morgan; Crowe 2, Ross 2. Total fouls – Cripple Creek-Victor 23, Meeker 11. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Sam McKinley, Grand Valley, Sr.
Nat David, Burlington, Jr.
Dillon Larsen, Sanford, Sr.
Rob Lewis, Evangelical Christian, Sr.
Tyler Jensen, Grand Valley, Jr.
MVP: Sam McKinley
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
