A Class 3A boys basketball title was guaranteed to be heading to the Western Slope.
Shae Korpela made sure it was heading to Aspen.
His dunk with 7:16 remaining was part of a 10-0 Skiers run that helped lift the program to its first state basketball title. Aspen went on to defeat Centauri, 50-40, in the 3A title game Saturday and finish the season a perfect 27-0.
“(In the fourth quarter) the message was to stay aggressive and don’t give up easy baskets,” Korpela said, who finished with 18 points. “We got the job done. With the dunk, I felt like I was on cloud nine, I was so excited. When it went in I thought the game was over right then and there.”
Aspen reached the final as a result of having plenty of seniors, 10 in all. With the Skiers maintaining a narrow four-point lead entering the final quarter, the composure showed up when it mattered most.
The Falcons (24-2) took a 12-11 lead in the second quarter. It would prove to be their only lead. Baron Holman finished with a game-high 20 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Skiers started on a 6-0 run and Centauri was unable to get clean looks after that. The closest the Falcons got was 41-35 with 2:37 remaining. From there, Aspen took the air out of the game by playing smooth and collected offense, and Centauri, desperate for answers, was unable to knock down shots. Korpela sank four big free throws down the stretch, and when the buzzer sounded, the forward could hardly believe the result.
“Itap surreal,” Korpela said through tears with a state championship banner draped around his back. “I’m speechless. We worked so hard for this and now we’re here.”
For two Western Slope schools to represent a final says a lot about how undervalued and cherished the hoops scene is, but for guard Lucas Lee, who had 10 points, all in the second half, Aspen’s results say it all: The Western Slope is basketball country.
“I think that’s crazy,” Lee said. “Every state tournament is Denver-based, there’s no events going on in Grand Junction or Aspen, over there. To show those people, I mean, we come from a small mountain town and went 27-0 and win a state championship — that’s pretty damn cool.”
Centauri made its third appearance in a state title game. Aspen had only played for a state championship once before, 12 years ago in a loss to Faith Christian.
Notably, the Skiers celebrated putting on “Aspen Strong” T-shirts, to honor guard Lee’s mother, who passed away last week.
“We fought for the state championship for Lucas,” Korpela said.
