3A boys basketball: Baye Fall powers Lutheran to state championship in 72-56 win over St. Mary’s – The Denver Post
COLORADO SPRINGS — Baye Fall rose high into the air with defenders draped on his towering 6-foot-11 frame as the Lutheran sophomore forward hammered the basketball through the rim with two-handed fury.
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“No matter how many times you see it, I feel like I’m blessed to get a front-row seat to watch,” Lutheran boys basketball coach Bill Brandsma said. “He’s so explosive.”
The most intriguing high school basketball player in Colorado put on a show Saturday night at the Broadmoor World Arena. Fall — a five-star prospect, per 24/7 Sports, with scholarship offers from schools like Arizona, Illinois and Kansas — led No. 2 Lutheran to a 72-56 victory over top-seeded St. Mary’s in the Class 3A state championship game.
Fall recorded 10 points, including a pair of thunderous jams, in addition to 11 rebounds and six blocked shots. He also spent the entire game shadowing St. Mary’s star Sam Howery on defense. The junior guard scored 20 points, but without efficiency at 7-of-25 shooting from the floor.
Fall held the championship trophy tight after the final buzzer.
“It was just the best feeling ever,” Fall said. “I love Lutheran. They mean a lot to me.”
Lutheran (16-1) featured four players who scored in double figures. Senior guard Tommy Apodaca dropped a game-high 22 points (5-of-9 from deep). St. Mary’s fell one win shy of an undefeated season (16-1).
Lutheran led for almost the entire first half despite a relatively slow start from Fall with only 4 points before the break. St. Mary’s swarming defense initially limited his production and Fall’s first bucket didn’t come until the second quarter.
St. Mary’s took its first lead of the game just before halftime, with a pair of converted free throws from junior guard Cyrus Hernandez, and went up 27-24 to start the third quarter. It wouldn’t last.
Lutheran opened the second half on a 12-0 run, holding St. Mary’s scoreless for almost four minutes, and punctuated by Fall’s second dunk. St. Mary’s was held to five points in the second quarter, an especially impressive feat, considering the Pirates touted one of the state’s best offenses with 91.1 points per game.
“We had to control tempo and not turn the ball over,” Brandsma said. “We didn’t do a good job in the first half. When they went on their runs, we let them dictate tempo. For us to be able to get down, pull it back, and own the tempo was big for us.”
Lutheran extended its lead to 20 points in the second half and easily ran away with its fourth state championship in program history; the school’s first since 2011 (as Denver Lutheran). Fall continues to build on his reputation as one of the most unique high school basketball talents in all of Colorado.
“It’s night-and-day from last year to this year. He’s matured so much,” Brandsma said. “He’s got a killer instinct. But he was one of the best teammates this year and that made such a big difference for our program. You really saw it turn when he became the one giving the most high-fives, the most encouragement, and the most energy.”
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