BROOMFIELD >> With two straight steals and resulting layups, Monarch’s Ginger Milot displayed just why no one should sleep on the Coyotes with the state tournament looming large.

On Friday night at Legacy, she utilized every inch of the floor to help pace the Coyotes to a 47-38 victory over the Lightning.

While Olivia Mortensen, on the Legacy side, has been elite throughout the season and continued her mastery on Friday, MHS’ Sienna Williams created a blockade in the post that caused headaches for the Lightning all night.

Mortensen, per usual, led all scorers with 27 points, while Milot and Williams chipped in 16 and 11 points for the Coyotes. Outside of a pair of runs from Monarch, the two squads played tit-for-tat. The outcome was everything Monarch had been hoping for.

“It was head-to-head combat,” Milot said. “I mean, every time we scored, they would score. Every time we would get a steal, they would do the same thing right back. I think both of us had grit, and we both wanted this win bad. I think we showed that.”

The Coyotes created some separation at the start of the second quarter, when four different players got in on a 14-4 spurt. They pushed the Lightning further out of contention through the final gasp of the third frame, thanks to a Milot-fueled bonanza.

Both teams look to be securely in the Class 6A state tournament given the expanded 40-team bracket, with Monarch sitting at No. 27 in CHSAA’s Selection & Seeding Index and Legacy right behind at No. 31.

The Lightning have had their fair share of hardship as the season has gone along, especially toward the beginning, but they’ve managed to peak at just the right time. They now sit at 11-8 and 6-4 in the Granite Peaks League. “We’re pretty young, so it’s been hard,” Mortensen said. “It’s a lot of mental toughness, I would say. We’ve had some ups and downs so far this season, but we’re just staying tough. Losses like these suck, but we just got to bounce right back and be ready to go with the next game. “It shows that there are some really key, valuable players to this game in Colorado, how high the basketball level is. Having to guard Sienna the whole time was exhausting me. She’s a really good player, so it’s really fun to be able to compete at this level.”

High school girls basketball is in its renaissance in Colorado, and the Coyotes’ preparation illuminated that fact. Now that they enjoy an 11-7 record (7-2 GPL), they’re hoping they can carry that into the postseason. “I’m really excited for playoffs,” Milot said. “I really hope that my team does well, and I think (Legacy) will do well too. Last year, for my team, we got out in the first round. I really want to get farther than that this year. I think we’re on track to do that.” The Lightning will look to bounce back at home against Silver Creek on Tuesday, while Monarch will seek out another victory against Niwot on the same night.