5A Boys Basketball: Windsor Wins First Title in Over a Century

DENVER – It has been a long time coming, but the Windsor boys basketball team is a state champion once again.

At the Denver Coliseum on Saturday night, the Wizards won 60-49 over Green Mountain to claim the Class 5A state championship. After finishing runner-up last year, the Wizards’ title snapped a century-long drought without a title, as it was the school’s first boys basketball championship since Windsor won back-to-back titles in 1923 and 1924.

“It feels great. We knew we had that as a goal coming in,” Wizards junior Madden Smiley said. “We all had that goal to get back here and we had that chip on our shoulder for sure. This is a crazy feeling. It’s a surreal feeling. I’m so proud of our guys and it’s crazy we got here.”

No. 16-seeded Green Mountain (18-10) led 17-16 after the first quarter. No. 6 Windsor (22-6) outscored Green Mountain, 16-9, in the second quarter to take a 32-26 lead into halftime.

Windsor led 42-27 to start the fourth and pulled away to win by double figures and add a third boys basketball title to its history.

Smiley (20.9 ppg) led all scorers with 25 points. John Backhaus (12.1 ppg) scored 18 for Windsor and Brady Kingsley (12.6 ppg) added seven.

Sam Mielenz (14 ppg) led Green Mountain with 20 points and Jake Swanson (10.6 ppg) scored 10 points.

Green Mountain has two boys basketball titles in its history and is still seeking its first since 1992.

To reach the championship game, Windsor won 71-62 over defending champion No. 2 Mesa Ridge. In the opposite semifinal, Green Mountain won 77-67 over No. 21 Falcon.

Denver East and Manual are tied for the all-time lead with 12 boys basketball titles.