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Mullen captures 4A girls basketball championship

The Mustangs defeated Pueblo South 63-44 in the state title game at Denver Coliseum on Saturday.

The Mullen girls basketball team is proof that tournament seeding isn't everything when the playoffs begin.

Entering the Class 4A postseason bracket as a 14-seed, it appeared the Mustangs would be a long-shot to win it all.

But they did just that, defying the odds and completing a championship run with a 63-44 win over 4-seed Pueblo South in the state title game at Denver Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.

"I think you shouldn't underestimate a team, no matter what seed they are," sophomore captain Megan Pohs said. "I believed in us at the beginning of the season, but didn't expect it. This is just crazy."

Credit: Quentin Sickafoose/KUSA
The Mullen High School girls basketball team defeated Pueblo South 63-44 in the Class 4A state championship game at Denver Coliseum on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

After trailing 23-21 at halftime, Mullen used a strong third-quarter push to take the lead and begin to distance itself from Pueblo South, which finished runner-up for the third consecutive year.

The Mustangs outscored the Colts 19-10 in the third quarter and followed it up with a 10-0 run to start the fourth, which ultimately proved to be the difference.

Included over that span was Mullen's hot three-point shooting, knocking down eight of its 13 attempts from behind the arc in the second half.

"At halftime we realized how hard it was for us to get here and we didn't want it to end that way (with a loss)," Pohs said. "Once we started hitting threes I knew we were running out the door."

Pohs finished with 16 points, one fewer than teammate Iliana Perez's game-high 17. The Mustangs also had double-digit scoring from Abby Webster, who scored 12 points.

Mullen finishes with a 20-8 overall record, while Pueblo South ends at 24-4.

The Colts, who have advanced to the title game three straight seasons, were led by Jada Dupree's team-high 16 points, as well as 14 from Gabi Lucero.

"It's amazing, especially being the underdogs," Pohs said. "To be bring it back home is a really good feeling."

Credit: Quentin Sickafoose/KUSA
The Mullen High School girls basketball team defeated Pueblo South 63-44 in the Class 4A state championship game at Denver Coliseum on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

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