PUEBLO — A perfect season ended abruptly for the Ignacio boys basketball team.
Using a tenacious defense, No. 4-seeded Sanford upset the top-seeded Bobcats 47-37 Friday in a Class 2A state semifinal game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.
“We just played good defense and had good team offense,” Sanford coach Rhett Larsen said. “We hit some big shots. I thought we played really well and we came out ready to go.”
Sanford (25-1) advances to the state championship game at 7 p.m. Saturday against the winner of the Akron-Lutheran game.
“I don’t think that Ignacio’s record went into consideration because I knew they were a good team whether they had a loss or not,” Larsen said. “We just have to get some rest and be ready to go (Saturday).”
Ignacio (24-1) was trying to win its first boys basketball state championship since 1988. The Bobcats played in the Class 2A state title game in 2010, losing to Holyoke.
“I just thought we came out and played real flat in the first half,” Ignacio coach Chris Valdez said. “We got behind the 8-ball there a little bit and we never really came out of it.”
Sanford had a 19-9 lead at half and then stepped on the gas in the final 16 minutes.
“We knew we had to come out ready to play,” Larsen said.
When Chance Canty, who scored a team-high 14 points, made a jumper at the 5:32 mark of the third quarter the Indians took a 25-12 lead. Ignacio did counter with a 9-3 run to cut the deficit to 28-21 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Indians, however, found another gear in the fourth quarter and when Dalton Rodriguez made two free throws with 4:47 left Sanford was up 34-23.
Igancio could get no closer than eight points before the final buzzer.
“We played very hard at the very end, but we were not playing with that aggression and that sense of urgency early in the game,” Valdez said. “You have to come out with that.”
Akron 66, Lutheran 57
Brady Baer became the Colorado High School Activities Association all-time leading scorer in boys basketball Thursday.
On Friday, he proved he doesn’t work alone.
Baer poured in a game-high 31 points, but Jared Clarkson and Garrett Basler chipped in 14 and 12 points as Akron High School muscled past Lutheran 66-57 Friday night in a Class 2A state semifinal game at Colorado State University-Pueblo’s Massari Arena.
“We had very balanced scoring, and we had to slow the pace up on them,” Akron coach Greg Clarkson said. “They are a very lanky team in that 1-3-1 (defense) and our hope was to get them out of the 1-3-1 and we did and we got some layups. We had some kids who really stepped up (Friday night).”
Akron (25-1) advances to the state championship game at 7 p.m. today against Sanford (25-1). Lutheran’s record dropped to 19-7. Akron is trying to win its first state boys basketball title since 1989.
“I’m good friends with Rhett (Larsen) Sanford’s coach, I went to college with him at Adams State and I played against him when I was at Rye and he was at Sanford,” coach Clarkson said. “It is going to be a fun match-up. They are a very good man-to-man team. We’re going to have to come out and play. We used a lot of energy (Friday night), but hopefully with a 24-hour turnaround we will be all right.”
Akron held a 58-50 lead with 3:07 remaining and tried to take time off the clock. The Rams did, but Lutheran’s James Willis, who had a team-high 21 points, made things interesting with a 3-pointer with 2:02 left.
Akron’s Baer and Clarkson made four consecutive free throws, putting their team ahead 62-53 with 56 seconds remaining.
Lutheran’s Josh Clausen made one free throw to get the Lions within 62-57 with 29 seconds showing, but then Baer secured the win with two more free throws and a layup in the final 20 seconds.