LOUISVILLE — The parallels were too glaring for either team to ignore.
The Monarch girls basketball team, out for retribution after losing a heartbreaker at Legacy earlier this month, made good on its ambition Friday night with a thrilling 66-64 Class 5A Front Range League win.
But while any win would have achieved the payback the No. 5 Coyotes were seeking — they ousted the No. 3 Lightning from the ranks of the unbeaten in the process — the notion that they achieved victory nearly precisely the way they lost on Jan. 5 made it sweeter.
“At halftime, I went in there and said, ‘This is exactly what happened with us at their place,’ ” said Monarch senior guard Alex Evans, whose team trailed by 10 at the break. “I said, ‘Let’s do the same thing to them and come back and win it.’ “
The Coyotes (10-4, 3-0), led by Evans’ 21 points and nine rebounds, did so in an eerily similar way.
Legacy won the initial matchup 58-56 — a two- point margin. In that game, Monarch led by eight at the half but still lost. Friday, visiting Legacy (13-1, 2-1) had the halftime cushion but watched as Monarch systematically carved away.
“At halftime we even talked about how (ticked) off they were at us and how bad they wanted this,” Legacy guard Quincey Noonan said. “We tried our hardest to keep our composure, but they beat us in the second half.”
Noonan finished with 21 points and converted 2-of-3 3-point attempts in the final 25 seconds. The one she missed, though, came with Legacy trailing 64-61 with eight seconds to play. Evans then nailed two free throws to seal it for the Coyotes.
“Not even 30 seconds after we lost the first one, I was ready to come back and have some revenge,” Monarch center Alexus Johnson said. “I was so mad. Revenge is sweet, yes it is.”
Johnson (17 points) battled counterpart Carli Moreland (18) of Legacy to nearly a draw, although Monarch had no answer for Legacy reserve post Sade Akindele, who had 14 points.
Legacy 22 15 10 17 — 64
Monarch 15 12 18 21 — 66
Legacy — Leister 2 0-0 6, Moreland 6 6-7 18, Edwards 1 2-2 4, Noonan 7 3-5 21, Dunahay 0 0-2 0, Glen 0 1-2 1, Archuleta 0 0-0 0, Akindele 7 0-0 14. Totals 23 12-18 64.
Monarch — Richmond 0 2-4 2, Davis 2 3-3 7, Evans 5 8-9 21, Normen 4 0-0 8, Johnson 6 5-6 17, Stanford 0 0-0 0, O’Brien 4 0-2 9, Harder 1 0-0 2. Totals 22 18-24 66.
3-pt. goals — Noonan 4, Leister 2; Evans 3, O’Brien. Total fouls — Legacy 19, Monarch 15.
