BOULDER, Colo.—Raven Taylor stole the ball and hit a layup with 25 seconds to play, helping Denver East win its first girls state Class 5A basketball championship with a 50-46 win over the Legacy Lightning on Friday night.
Leading 47-44 with 27 seconds left, Taylor, who finished with 6 points, jumped in front of a Legacy pass to make the play. Second-seeded East (23-5) became the first Denver Prep League team to win the girls state championship since Montbello won it in 1999.
Legacy (26-2), the No. 1 seed from the Front Range League, couldn’t score again until the final few seconds.
Samantha Sanders led East with 17 points. Shae Kelley and Deidra Smith added 10 apiece for the Angels, which outshot Legacy 38 percent to 30 percent.
Sade Akindele scored 17 points, and Carli Moreland added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Legacy.
East led 28-22 at halftime and never trailed in the second.
