Caryn Jarocki was over the Moon. Katie Moon, to be specific.
“They’re a ton of fun,” the venerated Highlands Ranch girls basketball coach, who won her eighth Colorado state title on Saturday, told me when I brought up the Falcons’ Moon twins. “They’re crazy. But they’re fun. They’re good, clean fun.”
More than that, though, they’re good. Like, really, really good. Katie Moon and her twin sister, Addie, don’t just finish each other’s sentences. They finish each other’s passes.
Addie got into foul trouble (two rebounds, one point in 19 minutes) early in the second half. So Katie came off the bench and put up 15 points in a 54-51 win over scrappy Northfield with a brace, having dinged her kneecap about a month ago.
“(Katie) just knew in the back of her mind that she just wanted to be here for her team,” the twins’ father, TK Moon, said during the postgame celebration. “The fact that she had to step up because her sister was in foul trouble — that’s sisterhood. And that’s teamwork.”
That’s kind of bonkers, considering just how young this team actually is.
The Falcons won the 6A title Saturday with just one senior contributor among their top eight in their rotation. The Moons? Juniors. Star guard Kimora Banks-Thomas (20 points)? Sophomore.
Backcourt mate Jayda Rogers (11 points, 12 rebounds), whose ball-handling and board work steadied Highlands Ranch against a tenacious Northfield defense? Sophomore. who knocked down two clutch free throws, including one after a Northfield timeout that put the Falcons up three with 4.7 seconds remaining? Freshman.
How can that many underclassmen have that much ice flowing through them?
“We told (Newbins), ‘Knock these down just like in practice,'” Addie recalled. “We’ll distract each other, and we’ll make it funny in practice. But we know when it’s game time, and we need to knock down shots, we’ll knock them down.
“We have such good chemistry that we created over the summer that we all trust each other, no matter if you’re a freshman or a senior. Everyone can (help) with whatever we need. Everyone can have a night. That’s just how we roll.”
They’re rolling down to 5A next year. And Jarocki’s seen that look in her kids’ eyes before. Her Falcons teams won seven state titles from 2000 to 2011, becoming one of Colorado’s first hoops dynasties of the 21st century.
“I mean, 5A better watch out,” Addie said. “We’re a little frustrated that we’re moving down (a class), but our schedule is still going to be challenging … but it’s going to be great next year. And the next couple years after that.”
Jarocki, savvy to the last, is a little more careful when it comes to throwing around the ‘D’ word. But when you play the kind of defense her Falcons did Saturday — Northfield shot 41.7% from the floor and was 0-for-9 on 3-pointers — it’s not hard to set the bar a Mile High.
“One year doesn’t make a dynasty, but we’ll see what they do next year,” Jarocki said. “I think they’ll be hungry again … They don’t like losing. Neither do I.”
Losing? The Moons? Oh, they hate it. Completely. Unflinchingly. Even if it’s losing to each other in drills.
“Oh, we fight all the time,” Addie chuckled. “When we have workouts, I’ll have a bloody nose. We’ll get into it with each other.
“I mean, we’re the most competitive. We always push each other on the court. But we always also get (one another) better. And it’s so fun having like a person in the gym always rebounding for you and passing for you. It’s like a built-in best friend.”
“So who wins the fights?” I asked.
Addie leaned in with a whisper.
“I’m going to say, ‘me,’ but she’s definitely going to (disagree),” she continued. “I mean, it’s me. Let’s be honest. It’s going to be me.”
Addie grinned.
“Don’t tell her I said that.”
Addie was born first, by about a minute. They’ve been hooping it up together since the second grade. Time flies.
“How do we tell who’s who?” I wondered.
“I have more of a narrower face,” Katie said.
“She is totally calling my face fat!” Addie interjected.
“And she has highlights in her hair,” Katie continued.
It’s even harder to separate them than it is to tell them apart. The twins last fall committed to play collegiately at Colgate University in upstate New York, two time zones and about 1,725 miles east.
“It just felt like home to us,” Katie explained. “It’s kind of in the middle of nowhere. Honestly, the basketball is really good there. I know they kind of struggled this year, but we’re hoping to make a really good impact freshman year.”
As for next year, 5A, best of luck. The Falcons outrebounded a taller Nighthawks roster 30-28, with 23 defensive boards on the day, limiting a fast, flowing Northfield offense to a series of one-shot possessions.
With 30 seconds left in the third quarter, Highlands Ranch up 34-28, Jarocki cupped a hand to her mouth.
“We need to get the ball!” she shouted. “We need to get the ball!”
They got it. And eventually ate enough clock late, in the face of a furious Northfield press, to put the Nighthawks away.
“It’s so surreal,” Katie said. “I’m just trying to be in this role of leadership, and everyone’s been calling me the spark when I go in for two minutes or one minute. I’m in just to make a huge impact.”
At one point, the twins danced up to their father, cradling the championship trophy between their arms. Then they puckered up, each kissing it on the side while cellular cameras in the crowd sparkled and flashed.
Good, clean fun, all right. And it’s only just getting started.
