McClave captures 1A boys basketball title as Cardinals sweep

GREELEY – The McClave boys basketball team travelled to Bank of Colorado Arena Saturday to secure a back-to-back CHSAA Class 1A boys state championship win, beating Cheyenne Wells 53-37.

They probably brought the same brooms they did a year ago.

The game directly followed the conclusion of the girls game, where the Cardinals defeated Flagler 43–40, bringing another back-to-back trophy home to Bent County and giving the basketball program four trophies in the past two years.

With high energy in the arena entering the game, the stands and environment throughout the game led to both rowdy crowds and benches for both teams.

“Here, the whole community has ties to this, and it doesn’t get any better than this,” McClave coach Jeremy Mallard said, in regard to the heavy turnout of cardinal fans.

The Cardinals battled neck and neck with the tigers for the majority of the game, with the two teams alternating the lead throughout the first before entering halftime up 16-10.

Mallard relied heavily on his starting lineup for most of the game, making just one substitution before the fourth quarter. However, things changed late in the fourth when both benches cleared, swapping all 10 players on the floor at once as McClave built a substantial lead to close out the game.

With high points across the roster McClave junior Tuff Kelley and senior Mason Barr each led the game totaling 16 points. Followed by Cheyenne Wells’ Corey Hill, who recently committed to CSU-Pueblo to continue playing.

Both Kelly and Barr were on the roster during the 2024 state championship, where McClave fell to Cheynne Wells 36-55

“We both played on the team two years ago that lost to Cheyenne Wells in the state championship and I think we both took that really personal,” said Kelley. “We knew we had to come in here and set the tone and play really well to beat these guys because they’re a good team and we came out and did that.”

The Cardinals will lose five seniors after this season and are proud to bring another trophy home.

“We made history. Will forever be part of McClave,” Bar said. “I just love this team.”