Trinidad State Captures Fifth Straight Region 9 Basketball Title, 101-91

Demorae Pritchett's steal and layup with 8.7 seconds left barely got Trinidad State into the championship game. Once there, the Trojans made it look easy.

Mike Folda's squad defeated Lamar Community College 101-91 on Saturday, March 14, at the Bank of Colorado Event Center on the Northeastern Junior College campus in Sterling to claim their fifth consecutive Region 9 title. The win extended Trinidad State's remarkable Region IX playoff winning streak to 17 straight games and gave the program six regional crowns overall, joining their first championship in Sterling back in 1962 and a second title in 1986.

The path to that comfortable final margin was anything but comfortable. In Friday's semifinal, Trinidad State entered the final 75 seconds trailing Northwest of Powell, Wyoming, 71-67. Kenny Black-Knox hit two free throws to pull within 71-69, and after Northwest converted just one of two free throws with 54 seconds left, Pritchett took over. He scored the final four points for Trinidad on two free throws and then a layup following a steal with 8.7 seconds remaining, sending the Trojans to the final with a 73-72 win.

Lamar's route to the championship was equally dramatic. The Antelopes outlasted Laramie County of Cheyenne 87-79 in overtime in the other semifinal, with Gavin Dabney scoring a layup with 4:22 left in the extra period to give Lamar the lead for good at 75-74. Lamar then outscored Laramie County 9-2 in the final 67 seconds of overtime to advance. Jaylon Brown led all scorers with 25 points, including seven in the overtime period, while Dabney added 22.

Both teams reached Sterling's semifinal round by winning Thursday's quarterfinals. Trinidad State knocked out host Northeastern Junior College 78-74, ending the Plainsmen's season at 20-10 on their own floor. Lamar opened the tournament with an 84-70 win over Casper. The bracket also produced wins by Laramie County over McCook 88-79 and Northwest over North Platte 76-74.

For Lamar, Saturday's final represented the program's fifth Region IX championship appearance and a bid for its second title. The Antelopes had placed second in the region in 1967, 1968, and 1969 before finally winning it all in 2009. They fell 10 points short this time around.

Trinidad State entered the tournament at 16-16 on the season, a record that belied what the program has built under Folda in recent postseasons. Five straight regional titles and 17 consecutive playoff wins represent a standard no other program in Region IX has matched during that stretch.