Merino ends season as Class 2A runner-ups

FORT COLLINS — Simla left no doubt about being the jewel of Class 2A.

About six weeks after beating Merino in the regular season, second-seeded Simla proved superior against the two-time defending state champions once more in Saturday’s 2A girls basketball title game with a 55-45 win over the top-seeded Rams. Equally as impressive, Simla closed its third state championship-winning season with a perfect 28-0 record.

“Having these girls since the third grade and trying to rebuild and never reload has been a goal of ours at Simla,” coach Doug Cox said. “It's emotional because we've played a lot of basketball.”

Simla’s previous two state titles came in 2011 (1A) and 1996 (2A).

With an underclassman-heavy roster, the Cubs’ latest state championship team received plenty of support from Cox's dauther, junior Carlee Cox, and lone senior Katie Gotschall. The two vets each scored eight points on Saturday at Colorado State University’s Moby Arena. 

“We've worked so hard,” Gotschall said. “Getting the win out of it makes it just so much more special.”

As expected, the two 2A powerhouses traded punches in the first quarter, although Simla gave Merino ample help with a few early turnovers.

Once Simla quieted its nerves and began taking better care of the ball, everything started to click. The Cubs opened the second quarter on a 14-2 run — which included a pair of 3-pointers from Cox’s other daughter, Kinlee Cox — and later entered halftime up 26-19.

“We just started cleaning up our mistakes,” Gotschall said. “We were making sure that we checked every box that we had made.”

While Merino made things interesting at times, Simla never let the Rams come within closer than four points in the second half. 

Sophomore Haylee Easler led the Cubs with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field.

For Merino, the Rams closed their season at 26-2, with their only losses coming to Simla.

“They're not going to grow up to be basketball players; they're going to grow up to be people, and they're turning into some of the best of them that I've ever seen,” Merino head coach Dan Piel said. “I'm super proud of that.”

Piel’s daughter, senior Kya Piel, led the Rams with 17 points, and fellow senior Jadelynn Powell added 11. 

“The growth out of the whole team and the way they came together, stayed together, the way that they compete, I think they inspire young girls by the way they play,” coach Piel said. 

Merino rolled through the 2A bracket en route to Saturday’s championship, beating each of its four prior opponents by at least 30 points, including No. 4 Sargent in the semifinals. Simla was also met with little resistance in the earlier rounds, with its closest game being a 49-27 semifinal win over No. 3 Sanford.

In the 2A girls third-place game, Sargent beat Sanford, 42-33. 
 

2A Girls Championship

Saturday, March 14 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins

• No. 2 Simla def. No. 1 Merino, 55-45 (Box Score)