PUEBLO >> Chasing down two-time defending champion Maddy Bante a year ago made Prospect Ridge Academy’s Hope Torres more comfortable on Day 2 of this year’s Class 2A girls golf state tournament.

There’s just something about playing with the pressure of having to hang onto a title from a year ago. Torres shot an 11-over-par 83 in the first round of the Pueblo Country Club to end the day nine strokes behind eventual state champion Sophia Lee of Colorado Academy.

Nine shots back was probably too far back. But that didn’t stop Torres from trying to solve the riddle of PCC and put up a better number than Monday.

“It was about playing smart golf,” Torres said. “I just wanted to go out and have fun. Based off results from yesterday, it was normal. There’s pressure. There’s (pressure) in trying to stay with that title from last year, but I just came in wanting to have fun and enjoy these last moments with my team.”

Torres finished in solo fourth place after settling down on Day 2 and shooting a 74, nine shots better than her first round. After winning last year’s 3A team championship, PRA finished seventh. But there was no catching Colorado Academy. Lee’s round paced the Mustangs as they finished 18 shots ahead of runner-up Salida.

Ashley Dinges finished the tournament with a two-day score of 204, while Saya Neima finished at 206. They both finished inside the top 45 on the individual leaderboard, but PCC proved to be a tougher test for this year’s Miners than what they faced at the Olde Course in Loveland a year ago.

For Torres, it caps a career that saw her snag four top-five finishes and a state championship.

She’ll head to the University of Montana for the next stage of her golf career, but her time at state tournaments in Colorado served her well in prepping for intense competitive moments that she’ll face at the collegiate level.

“I think it teaches you to play smart golf,” Torres said. “The greens (at Pueblo Country Club) are so tricky, so it’s a reminder that you have to stay disciplined.”

And as always, mind the mental side of the game. The first three holes of PCC can often make or break a round. Between the two days, she played that stretch at 6-over. It was a bit of a struggle to recover Monday as she made the turn at 40, while on Tuesday she made two birdies to go out at just 1-over for the day.

She made an eagle on the par-5 12th to momentarily move to 1-under for the round and at the time was the only girl at any state tournament to be sitting in a red number. But bogeys on 13, 15 and the tricky par-4 16th brought her to 2-over for the day, which was where she finished. But she didn’t hang her head and still has a lot of great memories from her high school golf career, including her state title win.

“(I loved) last year when I won it,” Torres said. “We won it as a team as well. It was the main highlight.”

Jefferson Academy’s Paige Danforth battled through a tough back nine Tuesday to finish at 185 for the tournament. She finished solo 19th, one stroke ahead of Forge Christian’s Madyson Hamilton. Just a sophomore, this was Danforth’s second trip to a state tournament as she finished 13th at last year’s 3A tournament in Loveland.