DENVER – An early exit in the Great 8 last season was a disappointing end to a season that the Mullen girls basketball team believed should have lasted longer.

The Mustangs won’t have to sit on that disappointment for another year, as they won 56-42 over Air Academy in the Class 5A state championship game on Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum.

“It feels amazing. I’m ready to go celebrate,” Mullen junior Chloe Pelster said. “We were ready and I’m just happy for my teammates. We wanted to come out and compete and that’s what we did.”

Mullen now has eight girls basketball titles, which is second most all-time, and the Mustangs have won four girls basketball titles since 2019.

On Saturday, No. 6 Mullen (19-9) built its lead slowly, outscoring top-seeded and previously undefeated Air Academy (26-1) by a score of 12-7 in the first quarter and leading 26-13 at halftime. Holding Air Academy to single digits in each of the first three quarters, the Mustangs were up 37-21 to start the fourth quarter and held off the Kadets to win.

“We just worked hard in practices all the time and had the same mindset – just winning,” Pelster said. “We took every quarter the same way we did, and we just had the same intensity the whole game. We were definitely a team walking into this game and walking out. We wanted it more than anyone else today.”

Pelster led Mullen with 19 points, Tatum Jones scored 16 and Makenzie Jones scored 13.

Air Academy’s Tatyana Brown (18.9 ppg) led all scorers with 21 points, and Kinley Asp added 13 for the Kadets.

Air Academy last won a title in 2012, when the Kadets were in Class 4A. That is the program’s only other title.

To reach the championship game, Air Academy won 68-63 over No. 5 Green Mountain. In the opposite semifinal, Mullen won 44-30 over No. 2 Mead.

Eads is the all-time leader with nine girls basketball state championships.