BOULDER - With the final seconds winding down on the first of two Class 4A boys basketball semifinals Thursday, Zach Johnson's eyes widened.

Ralston Valley was tied with Widefield 52-52, and as he stood a foot inside the three-point line, he saw Mustangs teammate Pierce Hornung break free under the basket.

He fired a pass to the sophomore, who laid it in easily for the winner with 2 seconds left, allowing Ralston Valley to advance to the 4A championship with a 54-52 victory.

Johnson's pass almost never happened. Before spotting Hornung, the senior guard stumbled, then glanced up, desperately looking to find a teammate to dish the ball to. Avoiding a traveling violation, Johnson made the pass that allowed the Mustangs to finally put away the resilient Gladiators.

"I fell down and I tried to keep my dribble," said Johnson, who finished with 15 points. "I tried to look around for something, and I looked up and saw Pierce. My eyes got real big when I saw him wide open."

Hornung's layup gave him 18 points, but more impressive was the 6-foot-3 sophomore's ability to control the game with his rebounding. Matched up for most of the game against Widefield's 6-6 center Derek Brekken, Hornung grabbed 20 rebounds.

Ralston Valley (24-3) led by as many as seven points in the third quarter, but Widefield's Julien McCollum led his team back in the fourth by driving to the basket repeatedly.

He scored seven consecutive points for the Gladiators (21-5) midway through the final quarter, including a free throw to complete a three-point play with 4:56 remaining that tied the score at 44-44.

Driving the baseline with less than a minute left, McCollum scored on a layup that gave Widefield a 52-50 lead. But Hornung tied it with a basket on the other end with 40 seconds showing, and the Mustangs' Tim Flageolle pulled down a rebound after Widefield missed a shot.

Hornung said he called out to Johnson when he noticed how open he was under the basket.

"I called his name because I knew I was open, and luckily, he found me," he said.

Widefield coach Mark Munoz didn't second-guess the referee's non-call when Johnson stumbled.

"We've talked since the beginning of the year that it's not one possession that is going to win or lose games," he said. "Give Ralston Valley credit. Number 33 (Pierce Hornung) is tougher than nails."

McCollum led the Gladiators with 18 points. Widefield missed all 11 of its three-point attempts, and Ralston Valley went 6-for-19 from beyond the three-point line.

Widefield......15	12	7	18	-	52
Ralston Valley......11	15	13	15	-	54

W - Brandon Lutz 4 0-0 8, Dion Vaughn 2 2-4 6, Julien McCollum 6 6-7 18, Vicente Valdez 3 2-4 8, Derek Brekken 4 3-7 11, Alex Clark 0 1-2 1. Totals 19 14-24 52.

RV - Zach Johnson 5 1-2 15, Kevin Webber 3 0-2 8, Grant Hamilton 1 0-0 2, Pierce Hornung 6 6-6 18, Brock Hornung 1 1-2 3, Dane June 1 0-0 2, Tim Flageolle 3 0-0 6. Totals 20 8-12 54.

Three-point goals - RV, Johnson 4, Webber 2, P.Hornung 2. Fouled out - B.Hornung.

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