FORT COLLINS - Cheri Palmer knew she and her Machebeuf teammates could handle the label of being the underdog, especially playing top-seeded Colorado Springs Christian in the Class 3A girls basketball quarterfinals.

But Machebeuf will be overlooked no more, at least not in this tournament, as the Buffs sent the Lions home with a 63-60 upset at Moby Arena.

"There was no pressure, I knew my team could handle it," Palmer said when talking about the pressure the Lions (22-3) engaged with a third-quarter comeback.

The Buffs led 24-8 and weathered the scoring frenzy of Bethany Beck.

Beck scored 24 points in the second and third quarters to give the Lions life.

LeeAnn Routt tied the score at 36-36 with 5 minutes, 5 seconds remaining in the third, and the Lions were within six the rest of the game. Palmer exuded the team's overall calmness late as she hit seven free throws in the final minute to keep the Buffs (15-10) in front.

Palmer finished with 23 points, and Erin Doherty hit some big second-half shots to finish with 17.

The win, and the return to Moby Arena, was especially emotional for Palmer, who missed all of last season because of personal reasons.

But the senior wants her team to be the one that enjoys it all.

"I just wanted to get here so that some of the other girls knew what it was like to be here," Palmer said.

Machebeuf......16	20	11	16	-	63
Colorado Springs Chr......6	18	18	18	-	60

M - Kelly Mapes 3 0-0 6, Cheri Palmer 4 14-20 23, Jamie Mora 3 1-2 7, Erin Doherty 7 0-0 17, Kelly Mathews 2 0-1 4, Melissa Powell 1 0-0 2, Malaya Stamps 2 0-0 4. Totals 22 15-23 63.

CSC - Katey Young 3 0-0 7, Lindsey Hestermann 3 4-4 10, Steph Friesen 1 0-0 2, LeeAnn Routt 4 0-0 9, Bethany Beck 13 4-4 30, Steph Kenney 0 0-0 0, Jess Beach 0 0-0 0, Morgan Broekhuis 1 0-2 2. Totals 25 8-10 60.

Three-point goals - M, Doherty 3, Palmer; CSC Young, Routt.

BASALT 59, DENVER CHRISTIAN 52 - Basalt's Katy Mulcahy described the Longhorns offense as a "just kind of wing it" attack, but that has proved fruitful so far in the playoffs.

Against Denver Christian in the quarterfinals, Mulcahy and her teammates found a flow once again as they advanced to the state semifinals.

"We have our plays, but when it comes down to the game, we just kind of go out and feed off each other," said Mulcahy, who paced the team with 22 points and was one of three double-digit scorers. "We had (the game Thursday) in the bag."

The game wasn't a gimme for the Longhorns (21-4), who had to fend off the Crusaders, the state runners-up last season.

Trailing by as many as 13 points, Denver Christian (18-7) found a spark of sorts behind Laine Baity and Caitlin Matthies.

After missing her first eight three-point attempts, Matthies finally connected one at the 1-minute, 57-second mark of the fourth to cut the lead to 52-48.

Baity found Chelsea LeFebre inside with 1:13 left to cut it to 53-50, but Basalt played poised down the stretch.

The Longhorns got 12 points from Cassie Meyer and 10 from Dayne Toney off the bench. Toney also had three blocked shots, all in the second period.

LeFebre posted 17 points, 11 rebounds and five blocked shots to pace the Crusaders.

Denver Christian......10	14	9	19	-	52
Basalt......15	17	14	13	-	59

DC - Lindsey Landhuis 2 0-0 4, Caitlin Matthies 3 1-2 8, Laine Baity 5 5-5 17, Leanne Draayer 1 0-0 2, Chelsea LeFebre 7 3-4 17, Lisa Singleton 0 0-0 0, Mary Cait Hassing 0 0-0 0, Lucy Bell 2 0-0 4. Team totals 20 9-11 52.

B - Amy Lund 1 0-0 2, Katheryne Fitzpatrick 2 3-6 8, Katy Mulcahy 7 5-6 22, Emily Peetz 2 0-0 5, Cassie Meyer 6 0-2 12, Hailey Guglielmo 0 0-0 0, Dayne Toney 5 0-0 10, Melissa Stewart 0 0-0 0, Nicole Booth 0 0-0 0, Alia Munger 0 0-0 0, Michelle Miller 0 0-0 0. Team totals 23 8-14 59.

Three-point goals - DC, Baity 2, Matthies; B, Mulcahy 3, Fitzpatrick, Peetz.

CEDAREDGE 56, HOLY FAMILY 52 - Cedaredge has something to prove after a 16-year hiatus from the 3A tournament, and the Bruins certainly showed it against Holy Family.

Led by Shorty Ramos and Carrie Berger, the Bruins (23-1) overcame a 16-point deficit to advance to the semifinals against Machebeuf.

"We just wanted it so bad, and we weren't satisfied with just going to state," Ramos said.

"We're happy to be in the final four."

Things looked dismal for the Bruins after they scored only 15 points in the first half and shot 22 percent (4-for-18) from the floor. They trailed 33-17 at one point in the third, but with Ramos leading the charge, the Bruins fought back.

Ramos tallied 10 points in the quarter as her team cut the lead to 42-39 heading to the fourth. That's when both teams, namely Berger and Holy Family's Lindsey Halligan, started trading three-pointers. Berger hit four consecutive attempts, and Halligan hit a couple of response shots.

Tied at 50, Holy Family (21-4) had turnovers on consecutive possessions, and Ramos nailed four free throws to give the Bruins the win.

Ramos had 18 points, and Berger finished with five three- pointers and 17 points. The Tigers were led by Halligan (16 points) and Jessica Giltner (14).

Holy Family......16	13	13	10	-	52
Cedaredge......9	6	24	17	-	56

HF - Lindsey Halligan 5 2-2 16, Megan DePinto 2 0-0 5, Jessica Giltner 5 4-4 14, Dori Gills 2 1-2 5, Bridgette Griffin 1 0-0 2, Sara Szabo 1 0-0 2, Elle Metzger 0 0-0 0, Elizabeth Carlan 2 0-0 4, Natalie Spellman 2 0-2 4, Leah Hengemeier 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 7-10 52.

C - Shorty Ramos 5 8-11 18, Carrie Berger 5 2-2 17, Katie Eason 2 2-2 6, Katie Wright 3 0-1 8, Lexi Galvin 1 5-5 7, Ashley Breitnauer 0 0-0 0, Rachelle Litsheim 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 17-21 56.

Three-point goals - HF, Halligan 4, DePinto; C, Berger 5, Wright 2.

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