LONGMONT — Apparently there was something to the “what if?”
When the Longmont girls , many wondered what would happen if the Trojans encountered a fully intact Eagles team.
The presence of Broomfield’s Tyana Medema and Bre Wilber indeed flipped the result Tuesday night as the No. 2 Eagles earned a gritty 48-41 road win against the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Trojans.
Wilber (16 points) and Medema (12) were suspended the first game for violating team rules.
“It was amazing,” Medema said. “This just shows if we have our full team and we have our chemistry, we play great.”
Broomfield rocketed to a 29-13 lead midway through the second quarter of the Class 4A Northern League contest. But midway through the fourth, Longmont cut it to 38-37 — albeit with star guard Jamie Katuna (17 points) fouled out.
“There were a couple times out there where it was looking like it might slip away,” said Broomfield coach Mike Croell. “When they get running, when they get hitting their 3s, it gets a little scary.”
With Katuna on the bench, Longmont (19-1, 10-1) struggled to achieve an offensive flow. A steal and layup by Wilber gave Broomfield (16-3, 9-1) some breathing room at 40-37, and the Eagles closed it out at the line.
“This does really make us hungry again,” said Longmont’s Megan Carpenter, who scored 11 points, grabbed 16 rebounds and blocked four shots. “It’s definitely an awakening for us.”
Each team was foul-plagued throughout a contest notable for its sluggish pace, undoubtedly the result of the lockdown defenses. Katie Nehf starred defensively for Broomfield with 13 rebounds, often limiting Longmont to one shot and out.
“We never wanted to use last time as an excuse,” Croell said. “We weren’t saying ‘wait till next time’ or anything like that. Every season, you’d like a nice even flow, but you’re going to have some adversity.”
Broomfield 20 9 9 10 — 48
Longmont 9 13 13 6 — 41
Broomfield — Wilber 5 4-9 16, Nehf 2 0-1 4, Zec 1 4-4 6, Medema 3 5-6 12, Burgesser 1 0-3 2, Croell 0 0-0 0, Prins 2 0-0 4, Rynearson 1 0-0 2, Hull 1 0-0 2. Totals 16 13-23 48.
Longmont — Meier 1 2-4 5, Katuna 5 5-6 17, Haddock 2 0-0 4, Thornholt 1 0-0 2, Carpenter 4 3-8 11, K. Canar 0 0-0 0, Fallon 1 0-0 2, K. Schell 0 0-0 0, A. Schell 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 10-18 41.
3-point goals — Wilber 2, Medema; Katuna 2, Meier. Total fouls — Broomfield, 18, Longmont 19. Fouled out — Katuna, Carpenter.
