COLORADO SPRINGS — Winning a state title means at time, fear has to go out the window. On the very first possession of the third quarter, junior Trista Marx picked up her third foul for Limon.
The logical move was to take her out. Considering she had scored 19 of the Badgers’ 30 first-half points, she was a crucial part of Limon’s championship chances. But she stayed on the floor and the gamble paid off.
Limon beat Wray 63-50 to claim the Class 2A girls basketball title. Marx finished with a game-high 27 points.
This is the sixth girls basketball title for the Badgers (16-3 overall) and the first since 2007.
“We had eight seniors graduate last year and they didn’t get this chance,” coach Bart O’Dwyer. “It’s really special to have these kids do what they did. They believed in themselves and they really came through.”
It was a bit of a shaky start as the Eagles caused some havoc in their 2-2-1 press. They forced seven Limon turnovers in the first quarter and built a 10-6 lead.
More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)
“I think it was just nerves and being in a bigger gym,” Marx said. “We’ve had trouble with presses before but our new press break helped settle us down. After a little bit we figured it out.”
That’s when Marx got going. She scored all but four of Limon’s points in the first quarter and once the Badgers got the ball into their half-court set, she was seemingly unstoppable.
She helped the Badgers build a 10-point lead at halftime before picking up her third foul. Sending her to the bench was never an option unless absolutely necessary.
“I don’t worry about three fouls,” O’Dwyer said. “I’ll play them in the first half with two and if they get a third I’ll take them out. With three fouls, that’s how we’ve played that all year long. I’ve told these girls they have to learn how to play with fouls.”
She scored just five points in the third quarter but dominated the glass, pulling down five rebounds, three of which were offensive. She pulled down 10 boards to end the game with a championship double-double.
She couldn’t allow herself to be as aggressive as she was in the first half because of her foul count. It’s exactly what O’Dwyer is talking about when he says that she has to learn how to play with them.
“I have to back off a little bit,” Marx said. “I still try and play hard and if I get my fourth, it is what it is.”
While her offensive numbers were impressive, it was the overall team defense for Limon that changed the feel of the game late in the first quarter. Wray had trouble getting open looks and knocked down just 18 percent of their shots in the first half and 22 percent for the entire game.
Taby Jones and Karly Godsey usually combine for around 30 points per game, but were kept in check through the first three quarters of the game. Jones scored 14 before committing her fifth foul in the fourth quarter and receiving a well-deserved ovation from the Eagles fanbase in attendance.
More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)
More photos. (PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)