Initially, forgetting her jersey appeared to be a curse for Morgan Colburn. Now the Sterling junior might have trouble relinquishing her replacement No. 20.
After a scoreless first half Tuesday night, Colburn erupted in the second to lead the 11th-seeded Tigers to a 53-46 upset against No. 6 seed D’Evelyn in a Lou Piel Region first-round game of the Class 4A girls basketball tournament.
Colburn, who mistakenly left her No. 23 jersey at home in the northeastern portion of the state, scored 15 points in the second half, including 10 in the pivotal fourth quarter when the Tigers (12-12) outscored the Jaguars 18-7.
“At halftime, all the coaches had confidence in me, and all my teammates had confidence in me,” Colburn said. “They told me to keep shooting.”
While Colburn was working her magic, Tigers senior Kelly DeForrest was dominating the post throughout on her way to 26 points and 10 rebounds. But even DeForrest admitted that Colburn’s late barrage, which included three 3-pointers, ultimately tipped the scales.
“She’s our point guard, which means she’s our leader,” DeForrest said. “So when she gets on, it feels like we’re all on.”
D’Evelyn, which finished 16-8, played without coach Chris Olson. Well, sort of. Battling the stomach flu, Olson remained near the hallway to the locker room to avoid spreading the ailment while assistant Mike Willahan called the shots.
The Jaguars on average made 8-of-27 3-pointers per game this season. But the trey ultimately was their undoing Tuesday, as only 5-of-30 splashed through.
“I think we were trying to do too much, force too much and it just didn’t fall,” D’Evelyn reserve Brianna Pittman said.
Pittman was the only player who was converting, drilling 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Sophomore Madalyn Neely added 12 points and 10 rebounds for D’Evelyn.
The Tigers, who had lost eight of 10 entering the tournament, advanced to play in the second round Friday against Cheyenne Mountain in Rifle.
Sterling 11 11 13 18 — 53
D’Evelyn 15 7 17 7 — 46
Sterling — Colburn 6 0-1 15, Chrisman 2 1-1 5, DeForrest 11 4-6 26, Collard 0 0-0 0, Locke 0 3-4 3, Ballender 2 0-0 4, Johnson 0 0-2 0, Kinzie 0 0-0 0, Holloway 0 0-0 0, Knudson 0 0-0 0, Szczepanski 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 8-14 53.
D’Evelyn — Marler 1 0-0 2, Tyree 0 0-2 0, Neely 5 2-8 12, Kalkus 1 0-2 2, Reinke 3 0-0 7, Bergman 0 0-0 0, Duran 1 2-2 4, Maxwell 3 0-0 7, Pittman 3 3-3 12. Totals 17 7-17 46.
3-point goals — S, Colburn 3; D, Pittman 3, Reinke, Maxwell. Total fouls — Sterling 16, D’Evelyn 16.
