PUEBLO — This didn’t seem like the guy Colorado Springs School wanted at the free-throw line with the game on the line.
Andre Brown loves to goof around when he’s shooting free throws at practice. What he did Saturday night was no joke.
The junior sank two tosses with 8.7 seconds left, sending the Kodiaks to a 42-39 victory over Holyoke in the Class 2A championship game at Colorado State-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.
“As a kid growing up, you dream about being in that position,” said Brown, a junior who finished with eight points and made all four of his free-throw attempts. “I was nervous, but I knew I had to make those free throws and they felt good when I released them. It feels great to be a state champion. This is everything I ever imagined.”
The Colorado Springs School (25-2) won its first title in its inaugural trip to the state tournament.
“I looked at Andre’s body language before he shot his free throws, and he looked relaxed,” said fifth-year CSS coach Dave Cortez. “He stepped up and iced the game for us. This feels so good I can’t even describe it. We had a great season, and we’re bringing the gold ball back to CSS.”
Holyoke (25-2) was trying to capture its second crown. The Dragons won the 2A title in 1984.
“I feel bad and sad for my kids because they deserved to win,” Holyoke coach John Baumgartner said. “The kids played their hearts out, and we just lost to a great team that was a little better than us today.”
DeLovell Earls made a driving layup with 1:11 left to give the Kodiaks a 40-36 edge. Earls had eight of his 20 points in the final quarter.
“We just try to play a team game, and I just looked for a chance to score when it opened up,” Earls said.
Holyoke’s Ewan Swanson answered with a 3-pointer from the left corner to get the Dragons within 40-39 with 42 seconds remaining. The Dragons’ Kyle Carper stole the ball on the next possession, which resulted in Cortez calling a timeout with 20.1 seconds left.
The Dragons worked the ball around, and Logan Krueger’s pass to Carper in the right corner went out of bounds. Carper scored 15 of his team’s 21 points in the second half.
“We just couldn’t convert the play we were trying to run,” Baumgartner said.
Brown was immediately fouled, setting the stage for his heroics.
“I was praying Andre would make those and he did,” Earls said.
Holyoke rushed upcourt, and Swanson launched a 3-pointer over Earls’ right hand before the buzzer, but the ball missed the rim.
Colorado Springs School11 13 6 12 — 42
Holyoke9 9 6 15 — 39
Colorado Springs School — Martinez 1 0-0 3, Gilbert 3 0-0 7, Brown 2 4-4 8, Earls 8 3-6 20, Dailey 1 2-2 4. Totals 15 9-12 42.
Holyoke — Tharp 2 0-0 4, Ry.Baumgartner 1 0-0 3, Carper 9 3-4 21, Swanson 4 0-0 11. Totals 16 3-4 39.
3-point goals — Martinez, Gilbert, Earls; Swanson 3, Ry.Baumgartner. Fouls — Colorado Springs School 12, Holyoke 12. Fouled out — none. Technicals — none.
2A all-tournament team
Ethan Gilbert, C.S. School, Sr.
Austin Tharp, Holyoke, Sr.
Kyle Carper, Holyoke, Jr.
Jonathan McGinley, Heritg. Chr., Sr.
Mitch Jacob, Meeker, Sr.
MVP: DeLovell Earls, C.S. School, Jr.
