The semifinals of the Colorado high school basketball state tournaments for Classes 4A-6A take place Thursday and Friday at Denver Coliseum. Our staff will be there throughout the weekend providing live coverage. Refresh this page for the latest updates and results.: Valor Christian is headed to Championship Saturday.
Ultimately, free throw shooting was the difference maker in the outcome. While Lutheran shot a dreadful 5 for 14 from the charity stripe, Yoder made a pair with a minute remaining to help the Cougars pull away with the win. Only six points were scored in the first quarter, both teams combining for 2-of-23 shooting in the frame. Holy Family senior Essynce Contreraz scored all four of the Tigers’ points on the way to scoring a team-high 16 on the game to go with six steals.
Julia Hodell came alive in the second half, scoring seven of her 13 points in the period to join Contreraz as the only two double-digit scorers for the Tigers. Her biggest bucket was the 3 that jumpstarted the third-quarter run. Kent Denver sophomore Caleb Fay finished with a game-high 24 points while shooting 10 for 13 from the floor. With 5:19 left, Fay knocked down a 3-pointer from the corner before converting a layup in transition to give the Sun Devils a six-point advantage.