BROOMFIELD — The clank count had reached a baker’s dozen — that’s right, 13 consecutive missed shots — and Legacy was in danger of becoming the first top seed to bow out.
“I think reality kind of hit us,” Lightning point guard Quincey Noonan said. “We said: ‘If we lose, we’re done, so we have to give it all we can right now.’ “
It wasn’t picturesque by any means, but Legacy found a way to stay alive in the Class 5A tournament Wednesday night with a skin-of- the-teeth 43-41 Sweet 16 win against an upstart Cherokee Trail squad that gave the Lightning all it could handle.
“We didn’t start our strongest, but we definitely finished that way,” Lightning center Carli Moreland said.
After bricking three free throws in the final seconds, the Lightning (24-1) had to sweat out two Cherokee Trail possessions in the final 24 seconds. The fifth-seeded Cougars (18-8) failed to get off a shot each time, including at the buzzer when Kailey Edwards’ staunch defense prevented an open look.
“I have five kids on the floor at the end of the game that all love to shoot, and then we didn’t get a shot off,” Cherokee Trail coach Jim Bartok said, although he also pointed the finger at himself.
After Legacy’s Mojave Desert-like shooting drought, the Lightning trailed 30-22 early in the third quarter. By midway through the fourth quarter, it was tied 37-37. Successive breakaway layups by Edwards and Sade Akindele gave the Lightning the lead for good with three minutes to play.
While Legacy advanced to face Fountain-Fort Carson in the Great 8 on Saturday — the Trojans pulled off an upset over ThunderRidge — Cherokee Trail can take solace in upping its win total by 14 from last year’s 4-19 campaign. But the Cougars, who received 11 points and 12 rebounds from Chelsea Libonatti, believed this year’s total should have had at least one more victory.
“We let it slip away there,” Bartok said. “We had an eight-point lead, then only scored 11 more points down the stretch.”
Edwards led the Lightning with 15 points, while Moreland added 12 points and eight rebounds.
Cherokee Trail 11 13 8 9 — 41
Legacy 12 6 14 11 — 43
Cherokee Trail — Shead 0 2-7 2, Adams 1 0-0 2, Barfield 3 2-2 10, Horton 3 1-2 7, Libonatti 3 5-6 11, Turnbull 2 0-0 6, Muniz 0 0-0 0, Nevin 1 0-0 3, Drayton 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 10-17 41.
Legacy — Glen 0 2-2 2, Moreland 5 2-4 12, Edwards 6 2-6 15, Noonan 3 0-1 6, Akindele 2 0-2 4, Archuleta 2 0-0 4. Totals 18 6-15 43.
3-point goals — Turnbull 2, Barfield 2, Nevin; Edwards. Total fouls — Cherokee Trail 13, Legacy 16.
