Green Mountain set to face Falcon in 5A boys basketball Final 4

DENVER — Green Mountain’s boys basketball team is heading to the Final 4 for the first time in over 30 years.

It could have been called the ‘Cinderella Great 8 Game’ between No. 25-seeded Sand Creek and No. 16-seeded Green Mountain on Friday morning at the Denver Coliseum. The Rams overcame a huge early deficit to grind out a 43-40 victory in the Class 5A state quarterfinal game.

“Obviously, a little nervous,” Green Mountain senior Simon Lunsford said of Sand Creek’s 17-3 lead early in the second quarter. “But never a doubt. We were going to find a way. We were going to start hitting shots and our defense would show up. Never a doubt.”

Green Mountain (17-9 record) started the season with a 3-6 record, but when Lunsford returned to the court in early January everything changed for the Rams.

“This was something. I’m just happy with these guys. Final 4. It doesn’t feel real,” Green Mountain sophomore Sam Mielenz said as the Rams celebrated with their large student section. “I’m emotional. I just love these guys so much. We knew coming into this season we were a dangerous team. We are coming for that state championship.”

Lunsford — starting quarterback for the Rams — suffered a broken right fibula, torn ligaments and a displaced right ankle on Nov. 22 in Green Mountain’s state quarterfinal football game. Since Lunsford’s return the Rams have a 13-2 record.

It will be Green Mountain’s first Final 4 appearance since 1994. The Rams lost to Hinkley in the 5A state championship game 31 years ago.

“To go through this for the first time and come out on top is incredible,” Green Mountain coach Mike Puccio said after Green Mountain’s first trip to the state quarterfinals since 2000 when he played for the Rams. “They are dogs. They are fighters.”

Mielenz gave the Rams a much-needed offensive spark in the second quarter. The shooting guard poured in 10 points to cut Sand Creek’s lead to 20-19 at halftime.

“I’ve been talking to Sam the past few days. He has been struggling a little bit in the playoffs finding his shot,” Lunsford said. “I told him it would come out today and it did. I’m super proud of him.”

Puccio took his team up to Boulder to practice at the Coors Event Center at the University of Colorado prior to the morning state quarterfinal at the Denver Coliseum. Practicing up in Boulder allowed the Rams to get a little preview of what it would be like to shoot at the Coliseum.

“That helped me a lot,” said Mielenz after making four 3-pointers in the win.

Mielenz finished with a game-high 17 points. Lunsford had 16 points.

“Sam and Simon are elite,” Puccio said of the Rams two leading scorers that combined for 33 points in the defensive struggle. “When you have shooters like that you are always in it.”

Junior Ben Swanson might have had the biggest bucket of the game. His 3-point play the hard way with 2:06 left in the fourth quarter pushed Green Mountain’s lead to 41-37.

The Scorpions (20-7) had one last-second heave to attempt to send the game into overtime, but the shot came up short.

“It feels great. We are going to celebrate tonight,” Lunsford said after receiving the Final 4 plaque. “We have a week to prepare for the next one. The job is not finished.”

(21) Falcon 65, (4) Montrose 51

Falcon got Montrose big man Kaleb Ferguson into foul trouble and took full advantage. The Falcons were seemingly a half-step ahead on each hustle play while knocking down their shots and limiting their turnovers to advance to the Final 4 for the first time in school history.

Now the trick is not being happy with the result of today but preparing themselves to get a better result for next week.

“We’re at this spot, but we want something even better,” Falcon guard Tyler Cox said. “We want a greater goal. Starting tomorrow, because we’ll probably have a practice tomorrow, we have to keep in mind where are, and also that it’s not where we want to be.”

Cox scored a team-high 14 points and Christian Bertholf added 10.

Ferguson came into the game averaging 16 points for Montrose, but left the game with about six minutes left in the second quarter after he picked up his third foul.

He finished with 10 points for the Red Hawks.

The Falcons will face Green Mountain in next weekend’s Final 4. The Rams and Falcon last played on Feb. 21, 2024 with the Rams winning the game 80-61.