LOVELAND — Style points are of no consequence come tournament time.
In a grind-it-out type game between Shining Mountain and Kit Carson, the No. 4 Lions defeated the No. 5 Wildcats 45-34 in the Class 1A boys basketball Great 8 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.
For Shining Mountain (22-2), a school in Boulder, critical defensive stops and a late run in the final quarter allowed the Lions to keep Kit Carson (18-6) at bay.
Leading 15-11 after the first quarter, 21-18 at halftime and 32-29 after the third, Shining Mountain gave up 20 points, including four three-pointers, to junior guard Brad Johnson, but only 14 points to the entire rest of the team.
Shining Mountain’s Gavin Edwards. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
Meanwhile, the Lions had a bit more balanced effort offensively as seniors Gray Hill (13 points), Gavin Edwards (13) and Luke Feigal (7) all contributed. Sophomore forward Nathan Fairmont chipped in six.
“I thought we did a decent job of playing poised,” Shining Mountain coach Sean Lynch said. “There were definitely a few points where we got a little out of control, but we talk all the time about how other teams are going to make runs. It’s all about how we respond to those runs.”
Shining Mountain’s largest lead up until the final two minutes of the game was only eight, but they had a slight advantage in momentum throughout, playing with plenty of energy in front of a large and raucous crowd.
“We’re really appreciative of that,” Edwards said of the Lions’ fan section. “Our fans really come out and support us at a lot of our games.”
Shining Mountain will be appearing in their first Final 4 in boys basketball since losing to McClave in the state championship game in 2013.
The Lions will be facing No. 1 Holly in the semifinals.
(1) Holly 67 (8) Cheraw 43
The Wildcats are now 21-2 and the defending 1A champions. They have plenty of athletic and really skilled guards, ones who can control the pace and dominate at both ends.
Holly will be a tough out for anyone, but Shining Mountain is playing well and will take their crack at 8:30 p.m. on Friday.
(3) Ouray 71 (6) Rocky Mountain Lutheran 54
The Trojans improved to 21-2 by jumping on Rocky Mountain 36-28 at half. Eli Sievert had 24 points in the loss for Rocky Mountain Lutheran.
Ouray, a team in their second straight state tournament, advances to face Fleming at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
(2) Fleming 32 (7) Norwood 24
The Wildcats improved to 22-2 by grinding one out in the quarterfinals against Norwood. Fleming lost to Holly by one in the state finals last season, so they have an experienced and seasoned group.
Fleming will have an interesting matchup against high-scoring Ouray in the Final 4.