BOULDER, Colo.—Chris Fielder scored 18 points and Jahmall Fountain added 16 as Sierra withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally Thursday to beat Colorado Springs Metro League rival Lewis-Palmer 64-52 in the boys Class 4A state semifinals.
Leading by 19 points (52-33) with less than a minute to play in the third quarter, top-seeded and defending state champion Sierra (25-2) appeared to have the game in hand. But second-seeded Lewis-Palmer (21-6) never gave up, going on a 13-0 run that ended with Jordan Ververs’ steal and basket, closing the Rangers within 52-46 with 5:57 left in the game.
It got as close as 53-48 before Sierra returned to its dominating defense and quick offensive attack to build a comfortable lead down the stretch.
Lewis-Palmer couldn’t match Sierra’s athleticism as the Stallions scored 29 points off turnovers to Lewis-Palmer’s 18.
Kamryn Williams scored 12 points for Sierra, which beat Lewis-Palmer for the third time this season and second straight year in the state semifinals.
Kyle Engelhardt scored a game-high 23 points, while Scott added 20 for Lewis-Palmer. The Rangers led just once in the game, 16-15 at the end of the first quarter.
Sierra, which will attempt to win its second straight 4A title Saturday night, led 36-26 at halftime.
