Boulder – Three years ago Kadeem Thomas agonized over a possible transfer from Abraham Lincoln High School.
The building project by boys basketball coach Vince Valdez had shown some life, but the Lancers had yet to make their mark in the city, let alone the state.
Saturday night, Thomas was agonizing over nothing more than an expected loss of beauty sleep.
The 5-foot-7 guard quarterbacked a grand game in his senior finale, as the Lancers brought home their first state title in any sport since 1968 with a 63-52 victory over Ralston Valley in the Class 4A championship game at the Coors Events Center.
Thomas scored 15 points and all-state shooting guard Jorge Gutierrez contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Lancers (20-7) capitalized on their first season down from 5A and kept the 4A title in the Denver Prep League for the third straight year.
“I don’t think I’ll sleep tonight,” Thomas said.
As steady as Thomas and as smooth as Gutierrez were, junior forward Francisco Cruz was the Lancers’ blue-collar grit inside. The Denver Post’s tournament MVP scored 16 points, hit 7-of-7 shots and grabbed 10 rebounds.
“They showed the results of hard work and believing in something,” Valdez said.
The Lancers got the fast pace they wanted in the second half and put the Mustangs (24-4) away by forcing turnovers, pressuring the perimeter and hitting the boards.
While the Lancers lived a charmed life with their defense, the Mustangs couldn’t find a plug after Pierce Hornung had to sit with four fouls in the third quarter.
After six points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots in the first quarter, the 6-foot-3 sophomore added just two points and no rebounds until early in the fourth. Older brother Brock battled for a team-best 17 points, but he could not take over the boards, finishing with just five rebounds.
Pierce Hornung finished with 15 points and guard Zach Johnson scored 10, while starters Grant Hamilton (three points) and Kevin Webber (zero) were a combined 1-for-12 from the field.
“I thought overall we did a nice job, but just a couple spurts and it got them that lead,” Mustangs coach Mitch Conrad said. “We could play even again, but without Pierce, playing even was the best we could do.”
The Lancers led by two points at halftime and set the table for their victory with two steals to start the third quarter, building a 29-23 lead. Saul Torres knocked down a key 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter and Gutierrez grabbed five rebounds in the fourth.
Abraham Lincoln 10 15 21 17 – 63
Ralston Valley 15 8 12 17 – 52
Abraham Lincoln – Gutierrez 6 6-8 18, Cruz 7 2-4 16, Thomas 5 3-5 15, Torres 2 0-0 5, Pal 3 1-2 7, Preciado 1 0-1 2. Totals 24 12-20 63.
Ralston Valley – Johnson 4 0-0 10, Webber 0 0-0 0, Hamilton 1 0-0 3, P. Hornung 7 1-4 15, B. Hornung 4 9-11 17, Jones 1 0-0 3, Flageolle 1 0-0 2, June 1 0-1 2. Totals 19 10-16 52.
3-point goals – Thomas 2, Torres; Johnson 2, Hamilton, Jones. Total fouls – Abraham Lincoln 18, Ralston Valley 17. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Francisco Cruz, Abraham Lincoln, 6-3, Jr.
Jorge Gutierrez, Abraham Lincoln, 6-3, Sr.
Pierce Hornung, Ralston Valley, 6-3, So.
Zach Johnson, Ralston Valley, 5-8, Sr.
Kadeem Thomas, Abraham Lincoln, 5-7, Sr.
MVP: Francisco Cruz
