By Will Cornelius

The Surveyor

No. 12 seed Berthoud High School’s (BHS) girls basketball team lost to No. 4 seed Lutheran High School 54-36 Friday afternoon in Denver. Playing at the Denver Coliseum, both teams were competing for a spot in the Final 4 of the 4A state championship. As the No. 12 seed, the Spartans were the underdogs in the Elite 8.

BHS was first on the board after senior point guard Katie Vierra hit a basket from the low post. Vierra was the engine of the offense in the first quarter, scoring seven points herself. A tight opening quarter ended 16-15 with Lutheran ahead. The second quarter shifted to a defensive battle, but sophomore Kaylee Padilla connected from behind the arc late to give the Spartans a 24-23 lead heading into halftime.

Unfortunately, it was a game of two halves. In the second half, Lutheran leveraged their height and exceptional talent to stymie the BHS offense. The Spartan only managed 12 points in the second half, while Lutheran netted 31. “We had a great first half, felt really good about where we were and how things were going. Second half — we just had a lot harder time scoring,” said BHS Head Coach Alan Gibson after the game.

Leading the team in points was Vierra with nine. Close behind her was fellow senior Anna Flaherty with eight points. Lutheran’s Raelyn Kelty was a constant menace for the Spartan defense as she finished with 19 points.

Gibson praised the brilliant Lutheran team and coaching staff. “They’re the number 4 seed for a reason obviously,” he said. But for Gibson and the team, it was a season of success. The ‘tiny but mighty’ Spartans defied expectations this season and made a deep run in the 4A state playoffs. “Could not be more proud of this group, the whole program this season,” Gibson said in closing.

But Gibson wasn’t the only person appreciative of people in the BHS girls basketball program. “He’s awesome, if there’s anyone who believes in us more than ourselves — it’s Gibby,” said Vierra after the game about her head coach of the past four years.