BOULDER - In just a few months, Lewis-Palmer (Monument) standout Josh Scott and his Sierra (Colorado Springs) counterpart Wesley Gordon will be teammates at the University of Colorado.
For one final time in high school, though, Class 4A's top two players went at it Saturday to decide the state championship. And it was Scott who will have final bragging rights as they head to Boulder, as the Rangers scored a 44-43 victory at the Coors Events Center.
Scott and Gordon did their part to make sure the contest lived up to expectations, but the biggest shot of the game was delivered by junior Justin Smith. Coming out of a timeout, the Rangers (27-1) set up a play that left Smith staring at a wide-open 3-pointer from the wing, and he didn't blink.
Sierra's Wesley Gordon, left, and Josh
Scott of Lewis-Palmer will both play at
the University of Colorado.
Photo by Paul DiSalvo
The trey, with 35 seconds remaining, gave Lewis-Palmer a 44-41 advantage, and moments later the Rangers were celebrating their 27th consecutive victory and their first state basketball title since 1994.
“It felt great as soon as I released it," said Smith, who had 26 points against Valor Christian in the semifinals. “I’m exhausted. Our whole team’s exhausted. We put in a lot of work, and it finally paid off. It’s unbelievable, I still can't believe that we’re state champs. It just feels amazing."
In the marquee individual matchup, Scott certainly did his part, too. He scored a game-best 23 points and grabbed five rebounds, while Gordon scored only eight points, but amassed 12 rebounds and six blocks.
“We were doing the stone looks today, I think we were trying to intimidate each other," Scott said. "It was really funny, we were talking back and forth – not bad talking, just talking.”
Scott and Gordon are friends away from the court, but they competed heartily in their final prep games. The 6-foot-10 Scott showcased the versatile skills that made him one of the country's top recruits, and he was most effective when driving from the perimeter and attacking the rim.
Meanwhile, Gordon, who had trouble keeping up with his quicker counterpart at times, used his sturdier 6-8 frame to display his power in the low blocks and in rebounding. In short, CU is getting complementary players who the Buffs hope will start of pipeline for top Colorado players staying in-state.
The CU angle wasn't lost on the sizeable and vocal crowd of 10,841, which roared when it was announced early in the game that CU had won the Pac-12 title and an automatic berth to the upcoming NCAA tournament.
"I heard (the announcement)," Scott said, "but I knew I had to focus on the game."
After Smith hit the three-pointer, Sierra's
Sherron Wilson missed a trey at the other end. Smith snared the rebound, but he missed the subsequent front end of the 1-on-1, to provide Sierra (26-2) with some life.
Deon Wilson converted both of ends of a 1-on-1 for Sierra for the game's final points, and the Stallions looked like they were in business when they stole the ball in the corner after the ensuing inbounds pass.
Sierra failed to capitalize, though, and Scott collected the most important rebound of his prep career before getting fouled. However, Scott missed both free throws with 6.7 seconds remaining.
Wilson got a good luck at jumper from the top of the key, but it fell just short as time expired, denying Sierra its third title in four years. (The Stallions had won the 2009 and 2010 titles.)
Sierra's only two losses came to Lewis-Palmer, by a combined four points. The Stallions lost the first meeting 45-42 exactly one month ago during Colorado Springs Metro League play. Senior Jalen Little paced Sierra with 12 points.
Lewis-Palmer celebrates its first state boys basketball title since 1994.
Photo by Paul DiSalvo
