Paced by senior Hannah Kochen’s 26 points, No. 1 Pueblo South pulled away in the second half for a 53-41 victory over No. 5 Windsor on Thursday in the Class 4A Final Four.
“I felt pretty confident, but I’ve got to give credit to my teammates, because they got me open and made some really great passes to me,” said Kochen, who tied her career high for points scored. “So all those points go back to them.”
The Colts (25-2) are set to play No. 3 Evergreen at 1 p.m. Saturday, marking the eighth championship appearance for Pueblo South as it pursues the program’s sixth championship and first since 2013.
Windsor (20-7), making its first Final Four appearance since 1995, was led by 14 points from junior Michaela Moran. The Wizards only faced a two-point deficit at halftime and even had the lead at one point early in the third, but Pueblo South took control late in that quarter with a 9-2 run and the Colts did not relinquish the lead again after that.
Turnovers and transition play were especially key for the Colts, who are keenly aware of the tradition they’re attempting to add on to.
“The legacy of this program means a lot, because we’ve had (stars from the 2013 title team) Jaylyn Duran and Shannon Patterson come support us,” Kochen said. “We want to keep on pushing and win another championship to keep that legacy alive.”
