The most-anticipated game of the year lived up to the hype.
All season long, it appeared that Lewis-Palmer and Longmont, who played in last year's Class 4A boys basketball state championship game, were on course to meet again.
Not only did they reconnect in the finale, but they did so both undefeated, entering the powerhouse fight with a combined 54-0 record.
This time, however, it was the Rangers who got the best of the defending champion Trojans with a 57-52 avenging victory.
"That's all you ever want when you're a kid, to go get that trophy with your brothers, and that's what we did," senior Joel Scott said. "It's great not to have a silver trophy this year."
Saturday's title game was close all the way down to the final stretch as neither team led by double digits, swapping the lead three times with four tie scores.
They entered halftime knotted 23-23, and were separated by just one point going into the final quarter.
After finishing runner-up in back-to-back seasons, the Rangers were ready for a different ending. They outscored the Trojans 21-17 in the fourth quarter to finally lift the championship trophy.
"It was nice having a second chance at playing them after last year," said senior Matthew Ragsdale, who led all scorers with 23 points. "Winning a state championship was one of our goals at the beginning of the season."
Scott's 15 points also played a key role for Lewis-Palmer, which finished with a perfect 28-0 record by bringing home its fourth title in program history.
Longmont (27-1) was led by Calvin Seamons' team-high 16 points and another 15 from Beck Page.
