DENVER — Faith Christian High School’s fans flooded the court in shirts that read “Leave no doubt.”

After the No. 1 seeded Eagles defeated the No. 2 seed Salida Spartans 54-45 at University of Denver’s Hamilton Gymnasium on March 11, no one can doubt their title of Class 3A state champion.

“We wanted to leave no doubt that we were the best team in Colorado,” said Eagles power forward Carson Jasa. “We knew that we were the most talented team and that we work the hardest. We wanted to make sure to show that in the title game.”

The height of the Spartans initially posed a problem for the Eagles, as Faith Christian missed their first five shots in the paint.

After a sluggish start to the first quarter, the Eagles built a 10-9 lead over the Spartans after one.

The Eagles then clawed to gain a three-point advantage over the Spartans and, at the break, led 26-23.

Every deep 3-pointer Faith Christian hit, Salida matched. Any fast break score the Eagles had, the Spartans added a lay up on the other end.

(Marcus Hill)

The Spartans also held Jasa in check in the first half. The 6-foot, 7-inch big man, who leads the Eagles with 17.3 points per game, had just four points at the break.

But the senior said he and his teammates, “had no intentions of losing this game.”

“As seniors we recognized this was our final game and didn’t want a win to slip away from us,” Jasa said. “We pushed no matter how tired we got and had to check them on defense.”

Jasa more than doubled his first half total with 10 in the third quarter.

Fellow senior Keegan Paige posted 5 points in the third after he scored 10 in the first half. Paige finished with 17.

The Eagles potent offense, which won 21 of their 24 games by double figures, also applied the pressure on defense.

After Chase Diesslin sank a pair of free throws with 2:18 left in the third to cut Faith Christian’s lead to 41-35, the Eagles held the Spartans scoreless for the next 12:03.

The Spartans didn’t score another bucket until Aiden Hadley stole the ball and scored with 2:03 left in the game.

By this point, the Eagles held a 51-37 lead.

“I didn’t want to lose this game for my team,” Jasa said. “I knew I needed to get in there and get rebounds. We knew we had to clamp down on defense.”

Both teams scored 6 points in the final 2:03 of the contest and Faith Christian brought its three-worded phrase to fruition.

Jasa ended the contest with a game-high 18-points.

“We left no doubt,” Jasa said. “We had a mission. We accomplished it. We’re champs.”