DENVER — In what Centauri High School boys basketball coach Larry Mortensen called “a battle of Carhartt vs. Gucci,” the fifth-seeded Falcons team fought hard when it faced third-seeded and undefeated Aspen in the Class 3A State Tournament championship game Saturday at the University of Denver’s Hamilton Gymnasium.

The Falcons trailed for much of the contest and in the long run they came up short as they lost to the Skiers 50-40.

Aspen had a 9-4 lead after the first quarter, but the Falcons led at halftime 18-17.

The Skiers regained the lead at 31-27 at the end of the third quarter, and they outscored the Falcons in the fourth quarter by a 19-13 margin.

Centauri’s Baron Holman led all scorers with 20 points, which included going 8-for-8 at the free throw line. His brother, Chaz, was next for the Falcons with 14 points.

Aspen had three players score in double figures. Shae Korpela led the Skiers with 16 points, followed by Porter Lee with 12 and Lucas Lee with 11.

Centauri finishes the season with a record of 24-2.

Aspen 50, Centauri 40

Centauri – C. Holman 5 3-4 14, Polzin 0 0-0 0, B. Holman 5 8-8 20, Claunch 1 2-6 4, Sowards 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Absmeier 0 0-0 0, Tibbitts 0 0-0 0, Anderson 0 0-0 0, Russell 0 0-0 0, Curtis 1 0-0 2, Taylor 0 0-0 0. Total 12 13-18 40.

3-point goals – B. Holman 2, C. Holman 1. Total 3.

Aspen – S. Korpela 5 6-9 165, Godomsky 1 2-2 4, L. Lee 4 3-8 11, P. Lee 4 4-5 12, B. Korpela 0 3-8 3, Ruiz-Zuniga 0 0-0 0, Franceshi 2 0-0 4. Total 16 18-30 50.

3-point goals – none.

Centauri          4          14        9          13 – 40

Aspen              9          8          14        19 – 50

Fouls – Centauri 24, Aspen 16. Fouled out – Claunch; P. Lee.