Boys athlete of the week

Sam McKinley, Grand Valley

McKinley was selected most valuable player of the Class 2A basketball tournament after leading the Cardinals to the school's first champion-ship in any sport.

McKinley, a 6-foot-2 senior, scored 20 points in the final, nine in the fourth quarter, as the Cardinals beat Burlington 84-75. He also scored 20 and 27 points in other state wins.

Girls athlete of the week

Cheri Palmer, Machebeuf

Palmer, a 5-4 senior guard, had the hot hand in the Class 3A state tourna- ment to be selected MVP. She scored 17 points in the title game to lead the seventh-seeded Buffs to a 55-46 victory against Basalt.

Palmer, who scored 23 and 28 in other state wins, paced Machebeuf to its sixth girls basketball title.

Team of the week

Kit Carson boys basketball

There was nothing like sweet revenge when it mattered most for the Kit Carson boys basketball team.

Kit Carson beat defending champion champion Hi-Plains 58-36 to win the Class A title, in a rematch of the 2006 championship game.

The Wildcats, who lost 55-52 to Hi-Plains last year, were led by tournament MVP Damon Dechant, Curt Connelley, Stetson Mitchell and Ty Trahern, the son of head coach Jim Trahern.

Dechant, a 6-6 forward, scored 23 points to lead the way in the title game, while Connelley scored 13 and Mitchell eight. The Wildcats built a 20-4 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

"It's very important," said Ty Trahern, who scored six points in the game and was an all-tournament selection. "Once you get the early lead, it can get the other team down mentally and we can get rolling."

Dechant, who averaged 20.3 points in the tournament, scored eight points in the fourth quarter as the Wildcats secured their second state basketball title. The Wildcats outscored their opponents 225-104 and were the only team in the state to finish undefeated this season (25-0).