Patience rewarded the Lutheran Lions on Saturday night.
Facing a stifling Green Mountain defense and shooting poorly in the cavernous Denver Coliseum, the top-ranked Lions made the shots when they had to win the girls’ Class 5A state championship.
They beat the second-seeded Rams, 33-27.
“We just believed all year, and we believed tonight,” said senior guard Makenna Mudd who sank a 3-pointer with 2 minutes 10 seconds remaining to put the Lions ahead for good, 29-27.
“Green Mountain plays such a tough defense, but we had to stay patient and know that our time would come,” continued Mudd, who also came up with a crucial steal late in the game.
Lutheran won its sixth state title, but it was its first under new coach Robby Gabrielli, who took over the program this year.
“I told the girls we were No. 1 for a reason,” said Gabrielli. “We went out and earned this tonight.”
The Rams beat the Lions 48-42 in overtime early this season and came into the game having won 23 straight games. Lutheran came in riding a 19-game winning streak. Gabrielli said he anticipated a low-scoring game.
“Both teams play such good (zone) defenses … very much alike,” he said. “We knew if we stayed patient, our shots would start falling .”
Green Mountain, struggling to make anything happen offensively, finally snapped out of its 3-point drought when junior forward Addie Evans bombed in a baseline 3-pointer, tying the game 21-all with 6:50 left in the game.
The Rams posted their first lead with 4:15 left when Peyton Coil broke free for a rare fastbreak layup.
But the Lions kept their poise — and sank their free throws down the stretch. Senior guard Berkely Schneider made 6 of 8 foul shots, including four in the final minute, to finish with 10 points.
Both teams came out ice-cold in the first quarter, as the Lions took a 9-4 lead. The Lions were 2 for 10 from the floor, the Rams 0 for 7.
The shooting didn’t improve in the second quarter, which ended with Lutheran holding on to an 11-8 lead. The Lions shot 2 for 15 in the first half, the Rams 1 for 12. Green Mountain finally got its first field goal with 1 minute, 47 seconds left in the half when Ella Cockrum drove for a layup.
Lutheran junior center/forward Isla Koffman — who led all scorers with 16 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds — seemed to put the Lions in command near the end of the third quarter, converting a 3-point play for a 19-14 lead. But Cockrum raced down the court for a layup, barely beating the buzzer to cut the lead to 19-16 entering the final quarter.
Green Mountain finished the season with a 26-2 record and is still seeking its first state hoops title. Senior Kantyn Pearson (16.4 points per game) suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Rams’ regular-season finale on Feb. 16 and had surgery last week.
That left it to Cockrum to carry the load. She delivered 12 points for the Rams.
