The Colorado High School Activities Association held the semifinals of the 5A Boys and Girls Basketball State Championships on March 12 at the Denver Coliseum.
The event determined which teams will compete for the state titles on Saturday. In the boys’ bracket, No. 13 Silver Creek defeated No. 8 Lewis-Palmer with Luke Schmeeckle scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds in a 51-47 win. No. 11 Lutheran advanced by overcoming defending champion No. 10 Windsor, as Kade Speckman recorded 31 points and 11 rebounds in a 77-70 victory, while Windsor’s Madden Smiley scored a game-high 32 points.
On the girls’ side, No. 2 Green Mountain came back from an early deficit to beat No. 3 Montrose, outscoring them by a wide margin over the final three quarters for a final score of 49-39. In another close contest, top-seeded Lutheran edged out No. 5 Standley Lake, with Isla Koffmann contributing a double-double of 14 points and 15 rebounds, including the decisive basket late in the game for a narrow 38-36 win.
The championship games are scheduled for Saturday at the Denver Coliseum: The girls’ final between Lutheran and Green Mountain will begin at 5:45 p.m., followed by the boys’ final between Lutheran and Silver Creek at 7:15 p.m.
Lutheran’s boys team has previously won four state championships, most recently in 2021, while Silver Creek is seeking its first title in boys basketball. On the girls’ side, Lutheran has five previous championships with their last coming in 2016; Green Mountain is aiming for its first-ever girls basketball state title.
