LAKEWOOD, Colo. — Though the Air Academy Kadets earned their name with an onslaught of three-pointers in the Paul Davis Classic Championship on Dec. 4 at Green Mountain High School, the GMHS Rams battled back thanks to clutch shooting and defense in the second half to snag the championship at home.

The tournament, hosted by the Rams, included Air Academy, Battle Mountain, Cheyenne Mountain, Green Mountain, Greeley Central, Lakewood, Palmer, and Riverdale Ridge high schools.

The Rams topped the Kadets 66-65 in a thriller back-and-forth contest to cap off the tournament in front of an electric home crowd. The Kadets got off to an 11-0 lead to start the game, making the comeback a tall task for Green Mountain. But thanks to the Rams’ leader, Cooper Francy, hitting clutch shots down the stretch, including the game-winner, when the buzzer sounded the home team was champions. Green Mountain head coach Mike Puccio said he’s never been more proud of his team.

“It’s very worrisome to go down 11-0 to a team like that, definitely not the way we wanted to start, but they stayed calm. We talk about it being a game of runs all the time. We talk about finding the calm and finding the quiet and staying focused on the task at hand. It says a lot about (our team),” Puccio said. “I don’t know if I’ve ever been more proud of a team at this juncture in the season.”

The game would come down to the final 60 seconds. Air Academy’s Finn Horsfall led all Kadets with 21 points and hit two free throws to put the Kadets up 65-64 with 31 seconds on the clock, but Francy would yet again save the day for the Rams.

Francy drove to the left with 14 seconds left on the clock. He stepped back right inside the three-point line and drilled a midrange dagger to lift Green Mountain to 66-65. A missed shot by the Kadets at the buzzer would end it. Puccio said Francy wants the ball in his hands in tight situations.

“He’s a dog, there’s no doubt about it. We’ve had many, many conversations on mentality, and staying calm. That’s the beauty of high school. He wants the ball in his hands,” Puccio said. “I was calling a couple sets and he actually wanted to override me to call something for himself. And of course, with the way he was playing, I let it happen. He was different last night.”

Despite a slow start and bouts of scoring droughts for the Rams, their defense and grit would leave them victorious at the end. Francy led all scorers with 27 points, but the senior guard wasn’t the only hero for the Rams.

Senior Cayson Pearson nailed two back-to-back threes to kick off the fourth quarter, lifting the Rams from down 52-50 to up 56-52. After a defensive stop, senior Luke Davis buried a third triple to extend the lead to 59-52. The Rams had flipped the game on Air Academy in three possessions. Below is a breakdown of each quarter, illustrating Green Mountains grit as the game went on.

Q1: 24-17 – Air Academy

Q2: 39-36 – Air Academy

Q3: 52-50 – Air Academy

Q4: 66-65 – Green Mountain

The Rams took care of Greeley Central in convincing fashion, winning 71-44 on Dec. 2 in the first round, followed by edging out Riverdale Ridge 45-42 on Dec. 3 before the thriller against Air Academy in the championship.

Going forward, the tournament was a shot of confidence for Green Mountain. They struggled against Riverdale Ridge in the second round but relied on their defense and grit that eventually carried them to becoming champions. The shots will fall if the Rams continue to do the right things effort-wise and on the defensive end, Puccio said, and this win can only propel his players going forward.

“I think we’re dangerous,” Puccio said. “At the Riverdale game, we shot terribly. Terrible. But we won it on the defensive end and that’s something we always try to control. I think we’re going to be in a lot of games and hopefully be somebody teams are going to have to execute well against to beat.”

The Rams are back in action at Bear Creek High School on Dec. 7 at 7 p.m.

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