(Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)
DENVER – Given that he had been whistled for a technical foul in the previous quarter, it would have been understandable if Faith Christian’s Jonah Gardner was a little rattled Thursday night.
But the Eagles junior was anything but shook up. Instead, Gardner dug deep down the stretch of a tight game with top-seeded Kent Denver in the semifinals of Class 3A state tournament. Gardner scored Faith Christian’s final six points, hitting four big free throws in the final two minutes to key a 50-48 comeback victory and secure the team a spot in Saturday’s state championship against Sterling at 6 p.m. Hamilton Gym on the University of Denver campus.
“It was obviously pretty overwhelming, but I just took some deep breaths and just relaxed and shot it,” Gardner said. “I was just trying to block out everyone.”
Faith Christian (18-8) continued its remarkable run through the 3A field. The Eagles took out previously undefeated and fourth-ranked Resurrection Christian in the second round before upending No. 12 Alamosa on Thursday.
The team, which won five state titles in a row from 2008-12, was also the No. 13 seed back in 2002 when it won its first championship.
“We deserved it. We had a rocky season,” Eagles coach Andrew Hasz said of the team’s No. 13 seed. “But we’ve been through some battles some times before.
“It is nice for those guys to know that we have been there and we can help them through it, but ultimately, they play. Today, they played.”
Kent Denver (22-4) used a 20-4 run late in the second half to take a 15-point lead at one point. It was a 12-point game in the third quarter before Faith Christian went on a run of its own, eventually taking the lead on a Jonathan Hardcastle 3-pointer with three minutes, 45 seconds remaining.
“I think it gave some confidence. It’s really hard in those situations to not give up,” Hasz said. “Early we didn’t play our game and we were selfish and struggled on defense.”
Gardner snapped a 48-48 tie with two free throws with 33.5 seconds remaining. Kent Denver tried to hold for the last shot, but the Eagles forced a jump ball and gained possession.
“It just takes a lot of heart to come back from the type of lead that Kent had,” Gardner said. “We just give a lot of credit to Kent. They’re a great team.”
(10) Sterling 51, (3) Colorado Springs Christian 43
(Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com)
The long ball proved to be the Tigers’ friend Friday night, but it was a pair of hard-earned three-point plays that helped end the run of the two-time defending state champions.
Sterling opened up a close game by driving inside and drawing fouls, taking advantage of Colorado Springs Christian’s struggles from the floor on the other end.
“We were able to spread it out a little bit and found a couple of opportunities,” Sterling coach Mike Holloway said. “It’s hard to score on them. We were fortunate to get a couple opportunities there to get something going to the hoop.”
Riley Schaefer led the 10th-seeded Tigers (21-5) with 12 points and Isaac Harris added 11. Justin Engesser finished his career with 28 points and 10 rebounds for the Lions (23-3).
“That’s a fantastic team and program. We have a lot of respect for those guys,” Holloway said. “I thought our defensive effort was fantastic … offensively we hit enough shots hear and there when we needed them to give us a chance to win.”
The title game will pit Sterling against No. 13 Faith Christian in a battle between two teams who combined to knock off the top four seeds along the way.
“I think this year in 3A in general it was wide open,” Holloway said. “It will be another battle.”