GREELEY — If you ask the Caliche Buffaloes, winning the state title has been three years in the making. As the players and fans chanted in the waning minutes of Saturday’s 69-45 championship game victory over Crested Butte, this was “Our Time.”
Indeed it was.
Two years ago, the Buffs lost in the Class 1A semifinals to Hi-Plains. Last year, a one-loss Caliche team dropped a heartbreaker, again to Hi-Plains, in the state finals.
Behind Derek Weingardt and Cody Zink, top-seeded Caliche opened up a close game with a 12-2 run in the second quarter en route to the title at Butler-Hancock Hall. It is Caliche’s first state title since it won back-to-back titles in 2A in 1999-2000.
“We finally got one,” Caliche head coach Randy Kirkwood said. “Third two years ago, runner-up last year. It was finally our time.”
While Weingardt and Craig Debus were the scoring catalyst in the first two rounds for Caliche (27-0), Saturday it was Cody Zink. The 6-foot-3 senior scored 12 points in the first half, including a pair of 3-pointers, leading to 36-24 halftime cushion. He finished with a team-high 16 points along with Debus.
“All season long it hasn’t been one person scoring at all times,” Zink said. “I tried to find as many of these guys as I can. I just had a hot hand.”
Said Kirkwood: “That’s been our offense this year. We haven’t had one or two guys. It’s been a number of guys every single game step up and run it for us. Not one person can just win us a game.”
Caliche led 19-18 with 6 minutes left in the second quarter when Debus hit a free throw to start the 12-2 run to put the game on ice. The lead grew to 23 points in the third quarter and 26 in the fourth.
Third-seeded Crested Butte, like Caliche, was one of only three remaining undefeated boys basketball teams in the state entering Saturday’s final day.
“All year we harped on defense, defense, defense. This game was no different,” Weingardt said. “It was really close the first quarter, but the second quarter we really put it on.”
Crested Butte (26-1) led twice early in the first quarter, but once the Buffaloes went on an 11-2 run near the end of the quarter the Titans never led again. Crested Butte was led by Robbie Holleran’s 19 points. John Wright added 16.
“We knew Caliche would be very tough,” Crested Butte head coach Robin Loyed said. “Defensively they run a lot of pressure. Early on I thought we handled it pretty well, but they took us out of our offense.”
Crested Butte14 10 7 14 — 45
Caliche17 19 19 15 — 69
Crested Butte — Chris Sharpe 2 0-0 6; Luis Aguirre 0 0-0 0; Emmett McFarland 0 0-0 0; Sky Egelhoff 0 0-0 0; Henry Linehan 0 0-1 0; Robbie Holleran 7 4-5 19; Jake Gregg 1 0-0 2; John Wright 5 6-6 16; Anton Peck 1 0-0 2. Totals — 16 10-12 45.
Caliche — Aaron Stieb 0 3-4 3; Corey Stumpf 0 3-4 3; Robby Hendriz 0 4-4 4; Craig Debus 6 4-5 16; Allen Chartier 5 0-0 12; Cody Zink 7 0-1 16; Derek Weingardt 4 0-0 8; Cody Paxton 0 0-0 0; Dalton Shuppe 0 0-0 0; Daniel Huss 2 1-2 5; Tyson Weingardt 0 1-2 1; Justin Jones 0 1-2 1. Totals — 24 17-24 69.
3-pointers — Crested Butte 3 (Sharpe 2; Holleran); Caliche 4 (Chartier 2, Zink 2). Total fouls — Crested Butte 24; Caliche 15. Fouled out — Crested Butte: Gregg, Wright, Peck. Technical fouls —None.
1A all-tournament team
John Wright, Crested Butte, Sr.
Derek Weingardt, Caliche, Sr.
Cody Zink, Caliche, Sr.
Craig Debus, Caliche, Sr.
Bryant Elrick, Flagler, Sr.
MVP: Cody Zink, Caliche, Sr.
