Longmont 49, Mullen 40: Trojan girls head to rematch against Broomfield in 4A state finals
March 11, 2010 by Longmont Ledger
Filed under Sports
By Peter Buddington, For the Ledger
BOULDER – Seedings don`t matter to the Longmont girls basketball team.
After falling to a No. 4 seed with two losses just before the Class 4A state tournament began, Longmont is now right where it belongs.
Longmont's Jamie Katuna cries after winning the semifinals against Mullen High School during the 4A State Basketball Playoffs at the Coors Event Center on the University of Colorado campus Wednesday night. Kasia Broussalian photo
The Trojans knocked off perennial powerhouse No. 2 Mullen by a score of 49-40 in the state semifinals at the Coors Events Center on Wednesday.
Longmont will play for its first ever state title on Friday when the Trojans take on three-time defending state champion Broomfield at 6 p.m.
Longmont last reached the championship game when they lost in 2003 to Ranum.
“One of our goals was to have that last day of practice and we get to enjoy that (today),” Longmont coach Jay Darien said. “We`re going to be ready. ”
In a very defensive first half marred by turnovers on both sides, the two teams battled to a 21-18 Mullen lead at the break.
Longmont junior Tambre Haddock kept the Trojans within striking distance while the other Trojan stars struggled to find a rhythm. She finished with 14 points, shooting a flawless 8-for-8 from the line.
After the third quarter, Mullen still held the lead at 30-26 and it was looking like the Mustangs would pull away at any moment.
Longmont, however, took control when it mattered most — the end of the game. With the season on the line, Jamie Katuna realized it was her time to shine.
Katuna started slow, struggling with a sore back that has been bothering her. She missed the the quarterfinal game against Cheyenne Mountain and part of the Sweet 16 game against Centaurus with the injury.
She battled through the injury, though, and willed her team to victory.
Katuna finished with a team-high 15 points, including a run in which she scored 10 straight points for the Trojans in the final minutes. Longmont outscored Mullen 23-10 in the final quarter.
“We finally made it,” Katuna said. “We`ve been through such adversity.”
When asked about her injury, Katuna just smiled and said, “It`s mind over matter.”
Hannah Kingsbury also had a big game for Longmont. She finished with 10 points, including two free throws with 27 seconds left to seal the deal.
“You only kind of dream about it, but now it`s a reality my senior year,” Kingsbury said of the huge win.
Now the Trojans get ready for a big rematch. Broomfield won a regular season meeting this year 42-37. It was Longmont`s only loss in the regular season as the Trojans lost two games to close out the Northern League tournament heading into state.
“We`re peaking at the right time” Darien said. “I think we`ll be better on Friday.”
LONGMONT (49)
Katuna 2 10-12 15, Haddock 3 8-8 14, Kingsbury 3 4-4 10, Carpenter 2 0-3 4, Arguello 1 0-0 2, Meier 0 2-3 2, Thuyne 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 24-30 49.
MULLEN (40)
Holland 5 7-10 17, Hess 4 0-0 8, Scott-Benson 1 3-4 5, Richardson 2 0-0 5, Thompson 1 1-2 3, Curneed 0 2-2 2. Totals 13 13-19 40.
Score by quarters:
Longmont 10 8 8 23 — 49
Mullen 9 12 9 10 — 40
3-point field goals – Longmont (1): Katuna 1; Mullen (1): Richardson 1. Total fouls – Long
mont 16, Mullen 20. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls — none.
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