Legacy knocks off Class 5A defending champion Highlands Ranch

BOULDER - Despite being a freshman, Courtney Smith had a good understanding of what her Legacy (Broomfield) girls basketball team was up against Wednesday in the Class 5A state semifinals against defending champion Highlands Ranch.

Although her Lightning scored a convincing victory against Highlands Ranch during the regular season, the Falcons were the state's hottest team entering the rematch. On the other side, Legacy needed some late-game magic in its past two playoff contests just to advance to the Final Four.

It is Legacy, though, that will be playing for the big-school state championship for the second time in three years after it knocked off the Falcons 64-61 at the Coors Events Center before a crowd of 3,491. The Lightning lost in the 2010 title game to Denver East.

"Everybody was doubting us and thinking that it was fluke," Smith said of Legacy's 68-51 victory on Dec. 13. "We knew (that win) was real because we could have done better that game. We just wanted to represent Legacy and do what we do best."

Smith's performance, coupled with that of her junior sister Caitlyn Smith, couldn't have been much better. Courtney drained all eight of her shots from the field en route to 17 points, to go along with 10 rebounds. Caitlyn added 13 points and nine rebounds.

"It's awesome playing with my sister," Courtney said. "We have like this telepathy, so I know when she's cutting, she knows when I'm cutting, and it just works well."

The teams were tied 27-all at halftime, before Legacy built a modest three-point lead entering the fourth quarter. The Lightning led by as many as eight points early in the final period before Highlands Ranch (22-5) cut it to 60-58 on a basket by Jayln Yates with 2:25 remaining.

Emily Glen, who topped Legacy (23-4) with 18 points that included four 3-pointers, did the rest from that point. She converted two 1-on-1 situations from the free-throw line to cinch it.

Her two free throws made it 62-58 with 23 ticks left, before a 3-pointer by Michaela Neuhaus, 5A's leading scorer, at the other end of the court cut it a 1-point advantage with 12 seconds remaining. Glen then hit two more shots from the stripe, and a final attempt from behind the 3-point arc by Neuhaus missed its mark to end it.

Neuhaus finished with 19 points (4-for-17 from the field overall, 2-for-11 from 3-point range), seven rebounds and four assists for Highlands Ranch, which was after its eighth title since 2000. Ciera Morgan added 13 points and 11 rebounds in the losing effort. The Falcons shot only 32 percent from the field (21-for-65), compared to 46 percent for Legacy.

Monarch (Louisville) 69, Regis Jesuit (Aurora) 57

The last time Alexus Johnson was in the title game, she was a freshman for Monarch. Johnson made sure the Coyotes returned to the championship one more time in her career, as the senior scored a game-best 26 points to key the comeback victory.

“I just wanted to get out here and get to the state finals in my last year,”  said Johnson, who has signed with Grambling State.

Johnson scored 14 points in the fourth, including one stretch where she hit three consecutive 3-pointers for Monarch (22-5).

“I know I can shoot the three and so when I got it and they left me open …. they went in, and thank God,” said Johnson, who also had a game-best 12 rebounds.

The Coyotes will play in the title game for the first time since 2009, when they lost to Regis Jesuit. Monarch will meet Legacy in an all-Front Range League final, and Monarch beat Legacy twice during the regular season.

Regis Jesuit, last season’s state runner-up, led 40-32 with 7:45 remaining after Katie Heckman scored off an offensive rebound. Monarch took the lead for good on a 3-pointer by Ashton Davis just 75 seconds later, as the Coyotes press forced a handful of turnovers they converted into points.

Monarch outscored Regis Jesuit (22-5) 37-17 during that decisive stretch, most of the points coming from the free-throw line. The Coyotes went 21-for-27 from the stripe in the fourth, which included 11 in a row to end the game. Overall, they were 30 of 39 from the line.

Marquelle Dent finished her Raiders career with 22 points, while Heckman added 10 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Dent will play next season at Wyoming, while Heckman has signed with Duke.