BOULDER - When a girls basketball team has a 6-foot-6 starting center with the talent of Anna Prins, it's a given the opponents will try their utmost to stop her inside game.

Broomfield senior Caitlan Stem understood that Friday night in the Class 4A state championship game, and turned that defensive attention to her advantage. Stem piled up 23 points as Broomfield defeated Harrison 61-43 at the Coors Events Center.

The championship was the first in school history, although Broomfield has perennially lasted late into the tournament during Mike Croell's 12 seasons as head coach.

The Eagles finished with a nearly perfect 27-1 record. Their only loss came in their second game of the season to Class 5A semifinalist Horizon, by a score of 51-48.

Stem, of course, has seen numerous teams collapse on her foot-taller teammate and knows what to do. Against Harrison, she hit her jumpers, fed other players such as Chaundra Sewell and drove in to collect fouls.

Sewell scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Sophia Rhodes had seven points and Alex Biegner five. Katie Calderwood collected six big rebounds.

"That's the cool thing about our whole entire team," Stem said. "Three of us can have an off night, but there are three more who are going to come in and pick it us for us."

Prins, only a sophomore, was effective in the first and fourth quarters. She finished with 10 points, 17 rebounds and three blocked shots, but the collective effort from the Eagles made the state title even more valuable.

"We kind of learned how to play without Anna last year, when she went down with her (anterior cruciate ligament tear)," Croell said.

While the Panthers' tallest player was senior Alystia Moore, who stands an even 6 feet, Harrison does have an extremely quick lineup. Still, with Stem's firm hand on Broomfield's offense, the Eagles ran the floor quite well against the Panthers.

"As a point guard, you not only look to pass, but you learn to lead a team," Stem said. "You find what's not working and what is working. Anna wasn't working. She did her job when she could, but they were just clobbering her."

Prins also got into foul trouble and sat out at least half the second quarter. But Sewell, a 6-1 sophomore, posted up quite well.

The Panthers (24-4) came back strong in the second quarter after falling behind 15-7. Harrison had five players score in that quarter, cutting four points off the Broomfield lead.

The teams played on even terms in the third quarter, but Harrison had the momentum going into the fourth. Tracee Hamacher had made a tough drive and bank shot to finish off the third period.

Broomfield, though took control with a key steal by Stem, who jumped Harrison sophomore Cassandra Moore. Moore, just a sophomore, had just come into the game and the Eagles double-teamed her right after she crossed midcourt.

Stem converted her theft into a layup. That sent the Eagles on an eight-point run.

"We crammed that trap on them and I don't think she knew what hit her," Stem said. "As soon as that happened, we knew exactly how we were going to get into them and we should have been doing it all game. But we finally picked it up then and it was just layup drill from there."

Harrison had used the same type of play with devastating effect against Glenwood Springs in the semifinals, but Broomfield also ran it to perfection. The Eagles got another turnover, as Biegner, another promising sophomore, took the ball away from Myecha Taylor for another layup to cap the Broomfield surge.

Harrison shot an incredible 35 free throws, and Paige Ricker did her best to overcome the Eagles lead. The senior guard scored 13 in the fourth quarter, representing all but one point of Harrison's total. She ended with a team-high 22 points.

Harrison......7	11	11	14	-	43
Broomfield......15	7	11	28	-	61

H - Jen Ingargiola 0 0-0 0, Lacey Tefft 1 2-2 4, Cassandra Moore 0 0-1 0, Raquel Pennington 1 0-0 2, Kristie Hollon 0 0-0 0, Tracee Hamacher 2 7-12 11, Paige Ricker 5 11-14 22, Myecha Taylor 0 1-2 1, Aylstia Moore 0 3-4 3, Katherine Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 24-35 43.

B - Deborah Davies 0 0-0 0, Autumn Chase 0 0-0 0, Alex Biegner 1 3-4 5, Jacquie Fankell 0 0-0 0, Katie Calderwood 1 2-2 4, Sophia Rhodes 3 1-2 7, Caitlan Stem 7 7-8 23, Ashley Snow 1 0-0 2, Chaundra Sewell 4 2-5 10, Samantha Ford 0 0-0 0, Sarah Hix 0 0-0 0, Anna Prins 4 2-4 10. Totals 21 17-25 61.

Three-point goals - H, Ricker; B, Stem 2. Fouled out – H, Taylor.

All-tournament team

Player, School Ht. Yr.

Sam Ciani, Glenwood Spgs. 5-10 Sr.

Brittany Fiske, Berthoud 6-1 Sr.

Paige Ricker, Harrison 5-10 Sr.

Anna Prins, Broomfield 6-6 So.

Caitlan Stem, Broomfield 5-6 Sr.

• MVP: Caitlan Stem, Broomfield.

pearcea@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5352

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