No. 1 Air Academy girls basketball survives No. 17 Sierra, heads to 4A Great 8
US AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Academy wasn’t exactly shooting the ball with laser-like precision. But when the Kadets badly needed something to fall through the cylinder, it did.
The top seed in the Class 4A girls basketball tournament weathered a more than admirable effort from No. 17 Sierra to get a 48-44 win on Wednesday.
The Kadets (25-0 overall) advance to the 4A Great 8 where they’ll meet No. 8 Berthoud. The winner of that game will move on to next week’s Final 4 at the Denver Coliseum.
The Stallions came into Wednesday’s contest feeling like they perform better on the road. It looked like they were going to take the lead into the fourth quarter but a big 3-pointer from Liza Louthan gave Air Academy a 32-30 edge and every ounce of momentum.
“It was big,” coach Phil Rokio said. “We struggled (from 3-point range). I think we were 1-for-12 in the first half. Even in the second half I think we only hit two. Normally we’re a better shooting team than that.”
With a big sigh of relief, Rokio appeared to be satisfying – at least for Wednesday – that the shots that went in were timely.
Louthan again connected on a three-point play in the fourth quarter, this one coming off a layup and free throw that once again gave the Kadets a lead and sent the student section into a craze.
“We just had to keep our composure,” Louthan said. “That’s what’s really big in this playoff season in being composed and focused and intentional with everything we do on the court.”
The Stallions (17-9) knew they were capable of delivering a big blow to the Kadets, it just didn’t end up being the knockout punch they were looking for. They had already gone through two Pikes Peak Athletic Conference teams in Cheyenne Mountain and Sand Creek to reach the Sweet 16, so they felt like they could come away with the upset of the week.
“We felt like we were coming to win this,” coach Joe Williams said. “We felt in our hearts we could come in here – we’re better as a road team.”
But it wasn’t meant to be. D’nae Wilson led Sierra with 12 points on the night and Rokio was quick to praise his defense for holding her below her average.
“Our goal was to slow her down,” Rokio said. “I think we did that tonight.”
Only four players scored for Air Academy all game. Louthan scored 12 while Zoe Sims had 14. Kylee Blacksten led with 18 which included a stretch of seven straight crucial points in the third quarter. The Stallions were up by eight at that point so closing the gap to one in a win or go home game became a high priority.
“I feel like we started moving the ball around more instead of trying to play at their pace,” Blacksten said. “We started our ball play and it started rolling how we’re used to playing, not how they play.”
The Kadets advanced to the Great 8 the No. 3 seed in the tournament in last year’s tournament. But they ran into Evergreen, the eventual 4A state champion. They’re hoping that a tight game against a tough team will help them prepare for the next round and avoid a premature exit from this year’s bracket.
“I’d always like to have that cushion,” Blacksten said. “But these game are always better. They always push us to better and they push us past what we think we’re able to do.”
