DENVER – It’s difficult to get to the title game. It’s harder to win it all.

Those words floated through Wes McKenzie’s head as the Banning Lewis coach prepared to enter the locker room Friday to speak to his Stallions. Banning Lewis had title expectations all season, but the horn that sounded after a 58-57 loss to Forge Christian served as an alarm clock that ended those dreams for the Stallions.

And as McKenzie prepared to enter the locker room at Hamilton Gym on the campus at the University of Denver, he recalled a stat from the Stallions’ Final Four game.

“We shot 10 of 19 at the line,” McKenzie said. “And we lost by one point. Free throws win championships. You have to make free throws especially in close games. (Forge Christian) was near 80% from the line and we were around 50%. That’s the difference.”

The Stallions (24-3) and the Fury (25-2) both hit 21 field goals. Banning Lewis hit five 3-pointers while Forge Christian finished with four. But the free-throw numbers favored the No. 2 seed.

Forge Christian finished the game 12-of-17 shooting at the line and, although the Fury finished 2-for-4 shooting in the fourth, its final miss was strategic and kept the Stallions from getting a shot in the final second and sealed Forge Christian’s trip to the title game.

The Stallions went 10 of 19 and wrapped the fourth quarter with a 2-of-5 effort at the line and had opportunities near the end of the game to tie the contest or take the lead after the Fury built a 56-55 advantage late in the period.

“Every time we step to the line, I’m confident in my guys,” McKenzie said. “We take them seriously in practice and between every drill we do hustle free throws. We shoot 10 free throws apiece when we transition from drill to drill. We shoot pressure free throws where they have to run on misses. As an exit ticket for practice, they have to make 10. We’ve put value on the free-throw line and we’ve seen them knock it down at a high clip.

“That hasn’t been our strength in-game and obviously that’s disappointing because those are ‘free’ and you expect to have those. But at the end of the day, no one is trying to miss a free throw. They put in the time and the ball just didn’t bounce our way from the line.”

McKenzie was let down by the game’s result, but not by his players’ effort. The Stallions coach hoped their final game at DU would be for a championship, but he’s grateful they have a chance to end the year with a win.

The Stallions will play St. Mary’s in the third-fourth place game Saturday at 10 a.m. McKenzie said he’s going to challenge his players to finish the year “on a high note.”  

“We know how hard it is to get a title. You have to make some shots, they have to miss some shots, you have to get a couple of 50-50 whistles,” McKenzie said. “It has to align for you to win. It wasn’t our year, but that doesn’t take away from the seniors and the year that they’ve had. Two years ago when we got to this spot, we were disappointed, but we finished the right way with a win. It’s rare you have that opportunity to play a third-place game and finish the year with a win after the devastation that is losing close to the final. I’m going to challenge them to fight for each other one more time and finish this thing the right way.”

No. 1 Strasburg 64, No. 13 St. Mary’s 41

The Pirates’ title hopes ended in the Final Four as the top-seeded Indians earned the wire-to-wire win and will battle for the championship Saturday.

St. Mary’s loss dropped the team to 19-8. But the Pirates got a 20-point game from Michael Trechter, who also grabbed six rebounds in the contest.

The Pirates will face Banning Lewis at 10 a.m. in the 3A consolation bracket as they attempt to avenge a pair of losses to the Stallions from earlier this season. Banning Lewis beat St. Mary’s 68-50 on Jan. 20 and the Stallions handed the Pirates a 62-53 loss on Feb. 27.

If the Pirates earn the win, it would end a five-game skid against the Stallions, whom the Pirates have not defeated since Feb. 4, 2022.