Thompson Valley’s run in the Class 5A girls basketball playoffs ended Wednesday night in the same round it did last year, one win away from playing at the Denver Coliseum.
Air Academy finished the game with a 5-0 run after the Eagles had tied the game at 53-53 with less than a minute remaining, claiming the 58-53 victory to advance to the 5A Great 8 on Saturday.
Thompson Valley ended its season with a 19-6 record as the runner-up in the Longs Peak League. The 19 wins were the most for the program since it won 20 in the 2021-22 season.
Jesika Hopkins led the Eagles with 15 points. Penny Gilbert added 11 and Mekayla Macias 10. Gilbert also led the team with seven rebounds and two assists.
No. 6 seed Air Academy jumped out to a 15-9 lead after the first quarter, but the No. 11 Eagles outscored the Kadets 15-8 in the second period to take a 24-23 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Air Academy scored 21 to Thompson Valley’s 14 and the Eagles trailed 44-38 going into the final frame.
The Eagles trailed by as many as 10 midway through the fourth quarter but used an 11-1 run to knot the game at 53. The Kadets made a 2-point basket to go ahead 55-53 and then made three free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
