BOULDER — For the Legacy girls basketball team, tonight’s Class 5A championship holds an abundance of second chances standing out like Carli Moreland’s penchant for double-doubles in the postseason.
While the Lightning enters uncharted territory against East, which made its final-four debut Wednesday and will participate in its first championship game tonight (), second opportunities seem to be running amok for Legacy in the Class 5A matchup.
For coach Jamie Carey. For Moreland, the senior center. For senior guard Quincey Noonan. Even for junior reserve Buggs Torrez.
For Carey, this is a chance to erase 13 years of what-ifs. As a sophomore at Horizon in 1997, Carey led the Hawks to the 5A title game, where they were thumped by Montbello. Marking history, East is following that Montbello squad as the only Denver Prep League teams to reach the state title game.
At the time, a tearful Carey understood she might have missed her only chance to win a high school title. She was right — until now, when she can achieve the feat as a coach.
“I never knew I’d be back here again,” Carey said. “The kids have made this a wonderful journey and something I’m really proud to be a part of with them.”
The feelings are reciprocal.
“It’s awesome to bring her back and give her a chance to do something she never got to do,” Moreland said. “(Today) is her birthday, and we plan on giving her a pretty good birthday present.”
Moreland’s second chance is similar — yet different. She played 12 games in 2006-07 as a freshman, but didn’t play in the postseason, when the Lightning advanced to the championship game. Moreland, a 6-foot-2 force in the middle who has produced 34 points and 28 rebounds the past two games, admitted at times she thought her chance to play in a title game had passed.
“Absolutely, that goes through your head,” Moreland said. “This has been my dream since I even knew what a state championship was.”
Noonan’s second chance mirrors Legacy’s opportunity as a whole. Noonan also was a freshman on that 2006-07 team, but she played in the loss to Highlands Ranch. This is Noonan’s — and Legacy’s — second chance to capture a championship.
Torrez’s second chance is perhaps the coolest. While she doesn’t have a vital role with the Lightning (26-1) on the court, she has for Legacy’s softball team as a catcher. As the only player who is on both squads, Torrez has the rare opportunity to be a part of two state title-winning teams in the same school year. The softball team has won three straight 5A crowns.
East (22-5), meanwhile, is content to enjoy the spoils of advancing to places none of its predecessors have. And these Angels would be fine with that if a second chance isn’t required to corral a title.
“What can I say, it’s a great opportunity,” Angels forward Shae Kelley said. “It’s a privilege. It’s what any basketball player could dream of or ask for.”
