Eagles Soar to Second-Straight State Championship Game
Drops the final to Kit Carson, 59-44
March 19, 2004
Coach Shawn Randel's Eads Eagles entered the Events Center in Pueblo on Saturday night for the second straight year hoping to defend their Class 1A State Crown. Two teams, both from the Hi-Plains League and only twenty miles apart, squared off in the finals. But the Kit Carson Wildcats were on a mission and, in the end, Eads could not overcome early cold shooting and the inside game of 1A's Mr. Basketball and the MVP of the Tournament, 6'9 Jake Trahern. The Wildcats earned their first gold ball in the school's history and Coach Jim Trahern, after so many close attempts, finally got that state championship.
While Kit Carson marched through the state tournament bracket with little opposition beating Belleview Christian in the quarterfinals and then moving into the championship game after a tough game against Haxtun the Eads Eagles had to battle for everything they got throughout the tournament. No game was easy for this group who was not expected to be back to the Big Show, let alone in the finals. Eads would defeat Otis in the quarterfinals on Thursday in the night game, 60-45, and then shock the No. 1 seed and undefeated Pawnee Coyotes, 69-57, on Friday night. The huge upset sent Eads into their second-straight visit to the Events Center against northern neighbors Kit Carson who had beaten Eads twice thus far in the season.
In the opening round of the tournament Eads showed early jitters as they would not score for nearly three minutes. Steven Gilmore, who was named on the All-Tournament Team and averaged 25 points per game in the tournament, got the ball rolling for Eads hitting a jumper at the 5:09 mark of the first. Eagle fans got a scare early as senior all-around player Levi Kraft pulled his second foul with just under five minutes to go in the contest. Kraft was forced to sit for the remainder of the first and into the second. Senior Anthony Voss supported Kraft admirably against the rough-and-tumble Otis team. Things were all knotted at 9-9 after one. Eads would then turn up the heat and would score nearly 20 points in the next three quarters. A steal by Gilmore started the second and brother Marcus Gilmore added a deuce and a trey sending Eads on a 10-0 scoring spree in the second. Eads had a slight lead at half with a 26-19 advantage. Kraft would get into the scoring into the third as his court hustle was contagious. He would spark Eads with a couple of jumpers and two freebies. Marcus added a long ball at the end of the quarter that ignited Eads and took the fire out of Otis. Gilmore and Kraft led Eads to the finish with Kraft hitting a huge three after an Otis run virtually guaranteeing the win. Adam Saffer, Eads' 6'4 sophomore, was a force on the boards pulling down 11 boards before fouling out with 2:09 remaining. Steve Gilmore paced Eads with 28 points while Kraft and Marcus Gilmore added 14 and 12 respectively.
Not many people in Massari Gym thought Eads had a chance on Friday night against the powerful, undefeated Pawnee Coyotes who came into the tournament rated No. 1 in the state and grabbing the top seed. Pawnee uses a highly powerful run-and-gun offense that had demoralized their opponents all season. They are led by a foreign exchange student, Sasha Ahnsehl, who can shoot lights out from anywhere on the court. Ahnsehl joined Gilmore and Trahern by being named to the All-Tournament team. But when Eads has all their guns going they can be highly dangerous as well. This was the best team ball Eads played all year and their shooting was phenomenal throughout the contest. Kraft would take Eads on his shoulders as he has throughout the tournament season. He would be assigned to the highly-touted Ahnsehl and would bother him throughout the evening. Offensively, Kraft and the Gilmores added the production needed to hang with the Coyotes. After a three-ball each from the Gilmores and Kraft Eads would lead by a bucket after the first, 17-15. Then Pawnee made their famous running attack roaring back to a 31-29 halftime lead, despite another three ball from Marcus Gilmore. But Eads would not lie down and die and came out in the second half exhibiting phenomenal play on both sides of the court. It was the defense that sparked Eads into their shooting spree where they hit for 20 points in the final two periods. But it wasn't easy. After leading 49-43 after three periods Eads lost their big man, Saffer who already had 12 boards in the game, to five fouls and things looked like they could get out of hand quickly. But the Eagles would pace the Coyotes bucket for bucket as Kraft, Voss, and Dain Barnett pounded the boards filling in the huge void left by Saffer. Barnett would hit a long ball putting Eads up 54-49 with 5:40 remaining and Steven Gilmore would answer with another at the 5:12 mark putting Eads up 57-49 and injecting panic into the heart of the Coyotes. But then Eads rested and three straight fast break layups by Pawnee put them within a bucket 57-55 with 3:00 minutes left. Coach Shawn Randel called a timeout that refocused his Eagles and changed up their defensive and offensive attacks. Steven Gilmore then went to work hitting a jumper with 1:50 left and Eads up 59-55. Eads then stalled and both Gilmores and Voss went six-for-six from the free throw line sealing the deal for Eads and sending them, unbelievably, to the championship game for the second time in as many years.
Perhaps Eads had no legs left after their fast-paced relentless game with Pawnee. Perhaps Kit Carson was on a mission to get their first-ever state championship. But whatever the reason Eads came out flat in the championship contest and Kit Carson was flowing with senior Randy Wilson stepping up and hitting a three off the tip setting the atmosphere of the game. Eads would not score until more than three minutes had ticked off the clock and Kit Carson was already up 7-0. Barnett would hit the first bucket for the Eagles and Marcus Gilmore would add a three. But the production was weak and the shooting was cold and the effort was lethargic for Eads. Trahern's inside game was dominant right away and with Trahern on the inside and four shooters on the outside Kit Carson was nearly impossible to guard. After one, Eads was down 19-12 and was able to stay respectable by a three ball from Voss at the buzzer. The lethargy got worse in the second period as Eads scored only five points from a three by Barnett and a jumper by Steven Gilmore. It looked like it was not going to be a contest at halftime with the Wildcats digging in 32-17. But the Eagles had pride and would not just lie down and die for their friends from the north. Gilmore hit for a deuce and a trey and Saffer added a couple of buckets on drive and dish plays from Gilmore. Eads would outscore KC in the third by a bucket, but a steep hill to climb remained for Eads. Senior Josh Mitchek hit a three to begin the fourth and Gilmore had had enough. He would single-handedly go off on a 10-point scoring spree bringing Eads at the door trailing by only five, 42-37 with only three minutes left. But Jim Trahern was not going to give up his chance for the state crown to his apprentice Randel and he put his Wildcats in an impressive ball stall that Eads' quickness could not contain. Randel's group was forced to foul and Trahern's players stepped up and made the free throws. They would only miss one of the 10 they shot at the end of the game sealing their dreams of a state championship. For Kit Carson Trahern would have 20 points in his final prep game while Wilson added nine and Damon DeChant and Brandon Sparks hit for eight apiece. Kit Carson will lose four starters to graduation as Trahern, Mitchek, Wilson, and Sparks all saw their final prep game in the successful championship.
For Eads Steven Gilmore did most of the scoring hitting for 25 points while Barnett added seven more. Gilmore, Kraft, and Voss will all graduate in May. Both teams will have some heavy rebuilding to do if they expect to get back to the Big Show next year.