Lamar Savage Weekly Sports Update, March 11, 2014

There is a buzz around the athletic programs at Lamar High School, with the Lady Savages reaching the Great 8 in basketball and the baseball team getting ready for the season-opener this week. But, before one season even gets started, the other nearly came to an end last weekend.

A week after suffering their first loss of the year to Manitou Springs in the finals of the Tri-Peaks tournament, the Lady Savages were still showing signs of sluggishness in Friday’s first round of the 3A state tournament. Lamar trailed Sheridan 4-0 before finishing the first quarter with a 9-8 lead. Once the fire was lit, Lamar pulled away and buried the Rams, 53-22.

The fourth-seeded Lady Savages, serving as the host for the first two rounds, advanced to face #20 Brush on Saturday. The Lady Beetdiggers moved past Alamosa, 54-41, in an opening round game on Friday. Lamar came out on fire, outscoring Brush 9-0 in the first three minutes of the game, and the Lady Savages finished the frame on top by a 16-9 count. Brush came back and took a 28-27 lead into the fourth quarter, as the defenses took the starring role over the two middle quarters. The Lady Savages regained the lead and then had to hold on as Brush missed two free throws in the closing seconds, and also had a shot on the rim to tie at the buzzer, but when it slid off, Lamar had a 34-32 victory.

The Lady Savages will take on #5 Peak to Peak at 11:45 am on Thursday in Clune Arena at the Air Force Academy. The Lady Pumas will be without their second-leading scorer, Michaela Wildbacher, and exchange student who returned to Austria on Monday. She averaged just over 13 points a game for the 19-5 Lady Pumas. The winner is likely to face top-seeded Holy Family in the semifinals on Friday.

Expectations are high for the baseball team, ranked #4 to open the year. The Savages will open the season on Thursday at Merchant’s Park against Florence. Pitching depth looks like one of the biggest strengths this season, with seven arms available, including four seniors. Versatility and defense up the middle will also be big positives for the Savages.

Last year’s squad went 15-7, winning the District 6 championship before losing two games in the state tournament. Lamar fell to Faith Christian to open the tourney, 10-6, and Brush, 15-5.

By Kerry Sherman

Colorado high schools for Colorado Preps. Kerry is in his third year of streaming high school sports online for Colorado Preps, and this is his 23rd year of covering high schools for various print and online outlets throughout Colorado. He also has nine years of coaching experience, with the boys basketball programs at Woodlin and Otis.