LOUISVILLE — Upset-minded Fairview was at it again, and No. 2 Monarch had to find a way to finish.
Enter Katie O’Brien.
While the Coyotes are more known for the talents of Eliza Normen and Alexus Johnson, it was O’Brien’s late 3-pointer from the right baseline that clinched a 57-50 Class 5A Front Range League home win Tuesday night.
“She was just super aggressive and did her thing,” Normen said. “I know she can do that every night, and she was huge for us.”
Fairview was coming off an upset of No. 7 Legacy and drew within 45-44 midway through the fourth quarter on a three-point play by Hannah Hyde. O’Brien’s huge trey pushed the lead back to 50-45 and allowed the Coyotes (7-2) to close it out.
“We have a lot of weapons, and we’re trying to utilize our weapons and be a tough team to beat that way,” Monarch coach Gail Hook said. “But defensively, we have to get better.”
O’Brien finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, complementing solid performances from Normen (17 points, eight rebounds) and Johnson (14 and eight).
Fairview fell to 5-5, but the Knights have been in every game throughout their brutal early-season schedule.
“I’m proud of our team, because we competed really well for them being second in state and ESPN ranked them (10th) in the nation,” said Fairview senior Carlee Lough, who led all scorers with 23 points. “We feel like we’re right there. The losses to the top teams have been mostly within five points, so we’re proud of what we’re doing.”
Longer, more-agile Monarch more than doubled-up Fairview on the boards (39-18) but never could shed the Knights. They Coyotes drilled nine of their final 10 free throws to avert the upset bid.
“We were struggling on defense, especially the first half of that last quarter,” Normen said.
Fairview 13 7 16 14 — 50
Monarch 17 10 16 14 — 57
Fairview — Lough 9 3-4 23, Ball 1 0-0 2, Narum 1 1-3 4, C. Higgins 2 1-3 5, Hyde 2 1-1 5, M. Higgins 2 0-0 4, D’Amico 0 0-0 0, Ghosh 1 3-5 6, Ryder 0 1-4 1, Funke 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 10-20 50.
Monarch — Richmond 1 0-0 2, Davis 3 2-5 8, O’Brien 5 2-4 13, Normen 6 4-4 17, Johnson 5 3-4 14, Stanford 0 0-0 0, Fitzgerald 0 0-1 0, Williams 1 1-1 3, Dietz 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 12-19 57.
3-point goals — Lough 2, Narum, Ghosh; O’Brien, Normen, Johnson. Total fouls — Fairview 19, Monarch 19. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
