BOULDER — Just like practice, Dre Calloway started the fourth quarter hot, scoring a trio of consecutive baskets.
Just like practice, teammate Francisco Cruz finished it off, hitting Abraham Lincoln’s last four field goals for a 63-59 triumph over Widefield for the Class 4A state championship Saturday night at Coors Events Center.
It was the second consecutive title for Lincoln (23-5), a southwest Denver school. Widefield (25-2) lost for the first time since its season opener.
In another similarity to coach Vince Valdez’s Lancers practices, defense was paramount, especially in the final 1:35 when two Widefield turnovers turned a one-point Gladiators lead into a four-point deficit.
“You don’t get to touch the basketballs in practice until you prove that you can play defense — force turnovers, make deflections, get steals,” said a blissful Calloway, who moved to Denver from the Bronx, N.Y., last August.
“On offense in the second and third quarters, I was struggling. I decided I had to be a spark in the fourth and that Cruz would finish it up. When the final buzzer went off, I thought I was dreaming.”
Cruz’s tip-in of a miss by Eric Carrasco started his final spree. Next, he banked in a jumper from the middle of the key. After a pair of free throws by Widefield standout Julien McCollum, Cruz drove around McCollum for a 60-59 lead. Calloway’s fourth steal of the game led to Cruz’s baseline runner for a 62-59 advantage with 44 seconds left.
“I thought I was going to lose,” Cruz said. “I just wanted to play hard, take the ball to the basket, and play defense.”
Sean Farrior missed a jumper for Widefield with 28 seconds to go and the Gladiators were unable to foul until the 9.3 mark, when Saul Torres made one of his two foul shots for the final outcome.
“We wanted to stop the clock, but in that environment, it’s tough and Lincoln did a good job of moving the ball,” Widefield coach Mark Munoz said.
Munoz’s squad trailed 52-44 after Calloway opened the final quarter with a 6-0 run, including a double-clutch baseline drive and a fastbreak layup ignited by Cruz’s block of McCollum.
The Gladiators went 4-for-6 from the foul line to creep closer, then Mel James, McCollum and Farrior each drilled 3-pointers to take a 57-54 lead.
Moments after Torres missed free throws, Cruz started his game-ending run, scoring eight of his team-high 19 points.
From the outset, Lincoln’s trapping half-court defense forced a flurry of Widefield turnovers, leading to layups by the Lancers and a 17-12 lead that grew to 25-15 on Carrasco’s three-point play.
Carrasco, a 6-foot-8, 310-pounder, had to leave with two fouls with 5:15 left in the second quarter as McCollum completed a three-point play. The Gladiators continued to surge, amid a 12-0 run, including McCollum’s turnaround jumper off the dribble, part of his game-high 27 points.
Lincoln’s near six-minute scoring drought finally ended with eight seconds left in the half, leaving Widefield with a 31-29 lead at halftime.
ABRAHAM LINCOLN 63, WIDEFIELD 59
Abraham Lincoln17 12 17 17 — 63
Widefield12 19 13 15 — 59
Abraham Lincoln — Cruz 8 3-6 19, Torres 2 2-3 6, Williams 5 0-4 11, Calloway 5 4-8 14, Carrasco 3 2-3 9, Preciado 2 0-0 4, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Espinosa 0 0-0 0, Rangel 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 11-24 63.
Widefield — Hunter 1 0-1 2, Ashe 2 0-1 4, Farrior 5 1-2 16, Vaughn 1 0-0 2, James 3 1-2 8, McCollum 9 7-9 27, Gilmore 0 0-3 0, Sweltzer 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 9-18 59.
3-point goals — Williams, Carrasco; Farrior 5, James, McCollum 2. Total fouls — Abraham Lincoln 18, Widefield 17. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
All-tournament team: 4A boys
Dre Calloway, Sr., Abraham Lincoln
Francisco Cruz, Sr., Abraham Lincoln
Sean Farrior, Sr., Widefield
Pierce Hornung, Jr., Ralston Valley
Julien McCollum, Sr., Widefield
MVP: Francisco Cruz
