LOVELAND - Don't look now, but the defending champion seems to have finally found a formula that works.

Circumstances had forced Mullen to use several lineups and rotations during the regular season. But now, with a full complement of players at his disposal, Mustangs coach Porter Cutrell has perfected his team's chemistry just in time to make a repeat run.

At the Budweiser Events Center on Thursday, Mullen pulled the biggest upset of the Class 5A state tournament, bouncing top- seeded Montbello with a 60-47 victory in front of an estimated crowd of 2,500.

"If we're going to play well, we might as well play well now," Cutrell said. "We started the year without our football guys, and when they came back, we had more guys who had to wait to become eligible. We moved some people around, and it just took some time to gel and get together."

Fifth-seeded Mullen (15-10) looked to be on the same page early against the Warriors (21-4), scoring the first seven points. But Montbello's Anthony Porch got hot late in the first quarter, scoring all six of his team's points in the period.

Mullen slowed Porch in the second half after he scored 11 in the first two quarters. The Mustangs allowed him only two attempted shots through the first 15 minutes of the second half.

"Offensively, we weren't running our game," said Porch, who finished with a game-high 18. "We were trying to get points any way we could. I'm a team player, so as long was we're scoring, I'm good. We were just taking bad shots."

Mullen senior Hassan Safieddine scored a team-high 16, while his 11 rebounds helped the Mustangs control the boards. They outrebounded the Warriors 34-27.

"I just wanted to attack the rim and get their big guys in foul trouble," Safieddine said. "I just tried to play harder."

Mullen......11	11	12	26	-	60
Montbello......6	16	4	21	-	47

M - Devin Aguilar 3 8-10 14, Kyle Theret 1 2-2 4, Terrance Dent 4 4-4 13, David Burns 2 0-2 4, Tony Arias 1 1-2 3, Spencer McCullough 0 0-0 0, Stan Jones 2 0-0 4, Hassan Safieddine 3 10-12 16, Cameron Friend 0 2-2 2. Totals 16 27-34 60.

M - Alphonso McDonald 1 0-0 2, Josh Littlejohn 2 0-0 4, Quincy Hairston 1 2-3 4, Anthony Sorapuru 3 3-3 10, Anthony Porch 7 3-4 18, Nate Nelson 3 2-4 9, Brandon Baker 0 0-0 0, David Jordan 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 10-14 47.

Three-point goals - M, Dent; Mont, Nelson, Porch, Sorapuru. Fouled out - Dent. Technical fouls - Montbello coach.

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