McClave secured its second consecutive Class 1A boys basketball state championship on March 14, defeating Cheyenne Wells 53-37 at the Bank of Colorado Arena in Greeley.
The matchup featured two of the tallest and most accomplished players in Colorado’s smallest school classification. Corey Hill of Cheyenne Wells, who stands at 6-foot-8, ended his high school career with a state record of 71 double-doubles. In the final game, Hill recorded 13 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks. Tuff Kelley, a 6-foot-7 junior for McClave, led his team with 16 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks.
“Corey Hill’s one of the best big men in the state at any level, not just 1A, but I think Tuff Kelley is too,” McClave coach Jeremy Mallard said about Kelley. “No offense to Corey Hill, because he’s done some amazing things, but I love my guy.”
The two teams had met before in previous championships. Last year, McClave defeated Flatirons Academy for the title while Cheyenne Wells lost in the semifinals. This season’s final saw Cheyenne Wells take an early lead after the first quarter as Kelley went scoreless. However, McClave responded with a strong second quarter highlighted by a two-handed dunk from Kelley and took a halftime lead.
Kelley spoke about his approach to facing Hill: “I try to work on my fundamentals, hit shots, keep my feet set,” he said. “I didn’t score the first quarter, but you see one go in and it just kind of clicks.”
McClave also received key contributions from seniors Mason Barr and Jr. Mungarary. Barr finished with 16 points while Mungarary added ten points despite averaging only 4.3 per game during the season.
“Mason Barr, he’s been doing that his whole career,” Mallard said. “Drew Howe, Jr. Mungarary, the list goes on. Those top seven guys, they all step up and it’s someone every single night. We’re hard to scout because you never know who is going to do it.”
