The semifinals of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) 2A Boys and Girls Basketball State Tournaments took place on March 13 at Colorado State University’s Moby Arena in Fort Collins. Simla and Merino secured spots in the championship games after winning their respective semifinal matchups.
These results set up highly anticipated finals, with both schools aiming for significant achievements. The Merino girls are seeking a third consecutive state basketball title, which would be their sixth overall, while Simla’s girls team is looking for its third championship and first since 2011.
In the boys’ semifinals, Tatum Kocerha led No. 2 Simla with 28 points and 15 rebounds to a narrow 44-39 victory over No. 3 Heritage Christian. Daniel Foristall contributed 14 points and eight rebounds as No. 9 Limon defeated No. 5 Golden View Classical Academy, 54-43, earning a spot in the final against Simla.
On the girls’ side, Laney Piel scored 16 points and provided seven assists as top-seeded Merino won decisively over No. 4 Sargent, finishing with a score of 66-34. Brynlee Amendt was one of three players to score 11 points for No. 2 Simla; she also recorded ten steals as her team beat No. 3 Sanford by a margin of 49-27.
The championship games are scheduled for Saturday, March 14 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins: Simla will face Limon in the boys’ final at 6:30 p.m., while Merino will play Simla in the girls’ final at 5 p.m. Consolation matchups for both boys and girls teams will also take place earlier that day.
These tournaments highlight strong performances from student-athletes across Colorado’s high schools as they compete for state titles.
