Longmont is in the title game for the first time since 1997. More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
BOULDER — In a game of inches, adjustments matter. And in Friday’s Class 4A boys basketball semifinal matchup between the Longmont Trojans and the Sierra Stallions, there was never much breathing room — on the court and on the scoreboard.
So Longmont head coach Jeff Kloster’s decision to switch to a trapping, zone defense to start the second quarter paid major dividends, as the Trojans defeated the high-flying Stallions 43-36 to advance to the championship this Sunday at the CU Event Center in Boulder.
“The biggest thing was making sure that we were always in what we call a contain situation, where everyone was accountable, and for the most part we contained them,” said Kloster after the game. “We knew they were very athletic and we needed to make sure we kept the ball away from the hoop.”
Not that it as easy for the Trojans — in a game with seven lead changes and numerous momentum swings, the Stallions were able to keep the game tight after trailing by as many as nine in the second quarter.
Sierra senior Keandre Lewis was a big part of the Stallions keeping the game close. Lewis finished with 15 points and four steals, part of 13 steals on the night for Sierra. The Stallions were able to convert those steals into fast-break points on the other end, the kind of easy points that were hard to come by against Longmont’s stout defense.
The Stallions had other opportunities. They pulled down 13 offensive rebounds when they were able to get into the paint, but struggled to finish inside, converting just 31.1 percent of their shots from the field on the night.
And with the game tied at 35 and five minutes remaining, Longmont had one more trump card left in their back pocket. According to Kloster, Longmont’s ability to pull away late didn’t involve much coaching on his part; he just had to let his best player — junior Justinian Jessup — be himself.
More photos. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“J.J. is J.J. He’s a special player, the best two-way player I’ve ever had in the last 24 years of Longmont high school,” said Kloster. “He’s just one of those kids where you just allow him to do his thing.”
Jessup certainly did that and more down the stretch, with eight of Longmont’s ten points in the final frame. He got things started with a nifty pickpocket in the backcourt which he turned into two points at the rim, and with Sierra trying to prolong the game, he converted all four of the free throws to help grow the gap.
“Their speed and quickness on the perimeter, those kind of teams you have to be patient with the ball and try and get good shots,” said Jessup. “We didn’t do a good job of that all the time but during those last four minutes we did a really good job.”
Jessup finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and two blocked shots, all game-highs. Longmont junior forward Kevin Mitchell added ten points of his own as Longmont’s second-leading scorer.
In the end, the work of Jessup, plus a suffocating defensive effort in the fourth — the Trojans held Sierra to just four points in the final frame — was enough to move Longmont on to their first state championship title game since 1997.
“It took everyone, a great team effort when we had to buckle down late. Defense is what won the ballgame. The composure of us in the last three, four minutes — tremendous composure,” said Kloster. “The thing I’ve got to say about my kids, they compete. Down the stretch, they showed their grit.”
With just one game left to go, Longmont will try and keep their undefeated season alive and win their first title game since 1942 against Air Academy on Saturday in Boulder. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.