BOULDER — There’s something about these Sierra Stallions.
They have no eye-popping standouts. There isn’t one player they rely on, and consequently, no one player whom teams can scheme against.
They can run, they can play the half-court set, they can own the paint and harass even the steadiest teams defensively.
Another thing about these Stallions: They got no quit in them.
The Stallions (23-5) battled back from a 20-point deficit Saturday and got a basket at the buzzer from Marquis Burleson for an improbable 52-51 victory over Pueblo South in the Class 4A state championship game at the Coors Events Center.
“We didn’t have one individual come out each night, we had several individuals,” first-year coach Otis Johnson said.
This time it was Burleson, a senior transfer from Doherty. The Stallions forced a steal with 30 seconds left and twice nearly lost the ball before Johnson drew up a play with six seconds remaining.
Plans A and B failed and the ball found Burleson, who turned and fired from inside the paint, only to watch it roll around the back of the rim and drop at the horn.
“I knew if I got it, I had to shoot it,” said Burleson, who came off the bench and finished with four points. “When it goes down, I can’t even explain it to you. I couldn’t move my body.”
The Stallions, champions in 1997 and 2000, got points from eight of their 10 players, led by Kamryn Williams’ 18 points and seven apiece from Kelby Dias and Jahmall Fountain — the star of Thursday’s semifinal.
Sierra was down 10 in the first quarter and trailed 35-15 less than a minute before halftime.
“We stayed calm, that’s the best thing, and we came out ready to play in the second half,” Williams said.
It started with the defense for the Stallions and it snowballed into a 24-6 run that knotted the score at 41 with 3:43 remaining.
It was a crushing defeat for the Colts (26-1). It was coach Dave Lockett’s final game of his 20 seasons, in which he won two state titles and coached his three sons, including senior Brody.
The Colts made seven baskets from the field in the first quarter and six in the rest of the game. The free throws that had been falling in the first half no longer came easily, and the pressure on the wings led to numerous turnovers.
“We knew they were going to make a run, but the third quarter has been ours all year,” Dave Lockett said.
Tyrell Williams, who hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 49, led the Colts with 14 points, while Kameron Wilhite added 11.
“They got lucky. They got real lucky, actually,” Williams said. “We’d beat them by 20 if we played them again.”
Pueblo South 18 17 6 10 — 51
Sierra 11 6 17 18 — 52
Pueblo South — Cartwright 3 0-2 6, T.Williams 3 7-9 14, Wilhite 3 4-6 11, Dome 2 5-8 9, Lockett 0 0-0 0, Zufall 1 0-0 2, Hall 1 4-4 7, Kliesen 0 2-2 2, Collins 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 22-31 51.
Sierra — Johnson 1 0-0 2, E. Fielder 2 2-2 6, Cooks 2 2-3 6, Bumpas 0 0-1 0, K.Williams 8 0-1 18, Burleson 2 0-0 4, Dias 3 0-0 7, Fountain 3 1-2 7, Brown 0 0-0 0, C. Fielder 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 5-9 52.
3-point goals — Williams, Wilhite, Hall; Williams 2, Dias. Total fouls — Pueblo South 14, Sierra 23. Fouled out — Lockett. Technicals — None.
4A boys all-tournament team
Kivon Cartwright, P-South, Jr.
Kelby Dias, Sierra, Sr.
Jahmall Fountain, Sierra, Jr.
Kamryn Williams, Sierra, Jr.
Tyrell Williams, P-South, Jr.
MVP: Kamryn Williams
