PUEBLO — Neither Jason Brown nor Matt Brown was wearing a cape Thursday night.
However, the brothers did come through with some heroic efforts late in the fourth quarter, vaulting Limon to a win over Sargent in a Class 2A quarterfinal at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.
Sophomore Jason Brown sealed the Badgers’ victory by blocking a 3-point attempt by Morgan Biel in the left corner with less than one second to play.
“I knew the guy I was guarding wasn’t going to shoot, so I just tried to get out on (Biel) and get a hand in his face,” Jason Brown said. “I didn’t think I would block his shot, but it was great when I did.”
Matt Brown, a senior, was a dominant force the entire game for Limon, scoring a game-high 23 points.
“We made some mistakes late in the game and let them back in it, but we did do enough to win, and that’s what matters most right now,” Matt Brown said.
In other games:
• Top-seeded Ignacio cruised past Wiggins . Shane Brooks led the way with 20 points.
• Senior Evan Swanson scored 17 points to lead Holyoke to a victory over Hayden.
• No. 6-seeded Sanford beat No. 3 Lutheran Parker .
Girls
Second place just isn’t good enough for Paonia this season.
A year ago, the Eagles just missed winning a gold ball as they lost to Wray 46-35 in the championship.
Paonia is back and made a statement in its opening game, beating Holyoke .
“Last year definitely helped us, especially since we returned nine of my top 12 players off of that team,” Paonia coach Scott Rienks said. “We made some adjustments at the half and we just wore Holyoke down with our defense in the second half.”
Grayson Pipher, a senior who scored a game-high 21 points for Paonia, knows her team is on a mission.
“Finishing second was a great accomplishment last year and that’s the best we’ve ever done, but that only made us want to win state even more this year,” Pipher said. “We know this is our year to win it.”
In other games:
• Kiowa’s Taylor Castillo, a 6-foot-2 force in the middle, was too much for Sanford in a victory. She scored 15 points, including seven in the fourth quarter.
• Jessica New scored 13 points, all from the free-throw line, powering Sangre de Cristo to a win over Sedgwick County.
• Sidney Merrill and Sydney Clarkson scored 20 and 18 points, respectively, to lead Akron to a win over Rocky Ford.
