BOULDER - About the only thing Harrison could do in its Class 4A state championship game against Broomfield on Friday was turn the Paige. Or in this case, turn to Paige Ricker.

Unfortunately for the Panthers, she was not enough to author a victory, as Harrison lost 61-43.

With the exception of Ricker, Harrison struggled offensively. The Panthers made only nine field goals overall, with Ricker making five of them.

Harrison's final line wasn't pretty - the Panthers shot a dismal 22 percent ( 9-for-41).

Harrison, coached by Tamie Hollon, was much more successful at the free-throw line, hitting 24-of-35 attempts in a foul- plagued game. Again it was Ricker who did the bulk of the scoring, making 11 of her 14 attempts.

Ricker, a 5-foot-10 senior who could be headed for the University of Northern Colorado, scored team-high 22 points, 13 in the fourth quarter. She accounted for all but one of Harrison's points in the final period. The other was scored by sophomore Tracee Hamacher.

"I just wanted to try and lift the team," said Ricker, who played the entire fourth quarter with four fouls. "The team relies on me. We wanted to stretch it out, get back and play good defense, but we didn't in either case. And, I had to be careful with the four fouls."

Despite its poor shooting Harrison was not out of the game when the fourth quarter started, trailing only 33-29.

Broomfield reeled off eight consecutive points during the next 2:30 to take command. Ricker finally put an end to the streak with a pair of free throws with 4:55 remaining and a following three-point basket. But by then, Broomfield led 45-34.

Harrison tried to attack the inside, going against Broomfield's 6-6 sophomore Anna Prins. Prins fouled out with 2:12 remainingbut the outcome was no longer in doubt with the Eagles leading 51-35.

"We tried to spread it out at first and go inside hoping to get the fouls," Ricker said. "But we didn't get them. When she fouled out, it was too late."

Hollon was more than pleased with how Ricker played.

"She got smacked pretty hard in the face and I think it was a wakeup call," Hollon said. "She had a spark from there and got going. She took the team on her back. We're all proud of her."

Ricker, like her coach, said not many people thought the Panthers could advance as far in the playoffs as they did. And, it's a young team, losing only four seniors.

"I'm really proud of my teammates," Ricker said. "I think they are going to be very good next year. I'm glad I could help my team get this far. Next year, I think they have the chance to go further."

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