Last year, Jon Rakiecki busted out PowerPoint to show his Wizards where they wanted to go. The Windsor basketball coach put together a presentation on the school’s last boys basketball team to win a state title in 1924. Rakiecki posted the rules for that team, which went on to win a national title , in the locker room. Those rules included no smoking cigarettes, no drinking alcohol and drinking prune juice in the morning. On Saturday, when the Wizards broke the 101-year title drought with a 60-49 win over Green Mountain in the Class 5A championship at Denver Coliseum, Windsor’s present ballers met the accomplishments of the last title team more than a century ago. “It’s a long time, and it shows you how hard state championships are and how many good teams have come through our community and haven’t got there,” Rakiecki said. “It’s special that we were able to get one tonight.” Rakiecki carried a picture of that 1924 team with him throughout last season, which ended in heartbreak when the Wizards fell in the title game to Mesa Ridge. But it was a fairytale finish this year, as Windsor wore warmup shirts with 1924 and the school’s old mascot, a bulldog, on them all season en route to the title. It marks Windsor’s third crown, as the Wizards also won in 1923, after losing four straight title games dating back to 1993. Star point guard Madden Smiley paced the Wizards with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting guard John Backhaus added 18 points as Windsor topped a gritty Green Mountain team that was making its first title game appearance since 1994. “I’ve been telling my kids the last couple weeks that once we got here (to the Coliseum), we were going to have to win three state championship-type games to be a state champion,” Rakiecki said. “Dakota Ridge (in the Great 8) was very talented, obviously (Final Four foe) Mesa Ridge was the two-time defending champs and Green Mountain is a hell of a basketball team.” Green Mountain came out hot, opening up a 10-3 lead on the Wizards spurred by Green Mountain’s dynamic tandem of Sam Mielenz and Simon Lunsford. But then the Wizards responded with a 13-1 run to re-take control and a 16-11 lead. The Rams then closed the quarter on a 5-0 run for a 17-16 Green Mountain lead after one quarter. But in the second, with Lunsford on the bench due to foul trouble, the Wizards surged again to take a 32-26 lead into halftime. Windsor had settled in, with both Backhaus and Smiley finding their groove while the Rams sputtered at the end of the quarter. “We responded, like we’ve done all season,” said Smiley, who has college offers from Wyoming, Cal Baptist and Loyola Maryland. “We knew if we just stuck to our blueprint, we could pull away.” In the third, Windsor kept a comfortable cushion for much of the frame. Their lead was as much as 12 points midway through the quarter, but the Rams wouldn’t go away. However, even as Green Mountain hung in the game, Lunsford was never able to get going. The three-sport star who had big games in the prior two rounds finished with just five points. “Defense is what we fill our cup on,” Rakiecki said. “We did a great job on (Mesa Ridge star Bryce) Riehl on Friday, and it was the same approach tonight (with Lunsford). Limit his catches, lock and trail, be there on the catch. It was a great collective effort.” Related Articles Preps | PHOTOS: Colorado High School State Basketball Tournament 2025 Preps | Behind sisters Makenzie and Tatum Jones, Mullen knocks off Air Academy for Class 5A girls title Preps | Eaglecrest boys basketball’s total team effort dethrones Valor Christian in Class 6A championship, giving Raptors third championship Preps | Keeler: Sienna Betts staked claim as Colorado’s greatest girls basketball player in Grandview’s state title win Preps | Grandview, Sienna Betts crush Legend to win third Class 6A title in four years While Windsor was content to run clock in extended offensive possessions against Green Mountain’s 2-3 zone, suddenly the Wizards offense went stale, and the Runnin’ Rams kept pushing the ball in transition and finding the bucket to cut into the deficit. Meanwhile, Rakiecki kept subbing Smiley out for defense amid the point guard’s foul trouble. Windsor led 42-38 going into the fourth. The Wizards’ stall-ball continued, prompting boos from the Rams fans, but the Wizards were getting just enough scores to stay in front by a couple buckets. With 4:07 to play and Windsor up 47-42, the Rams finally started pressuring in an attempt to speed up the flow of the game and get more possessions. But Windsor responded with threaded passing and impressive dribbling that led to several easy finishes around the rim to extend the lead to 53-44 with two minutes left. “We’re a really hard team to pressure,” senior guard Tadese Keyworth said. “Everyone can pass the ball, everyone can shoot. We were able to break it open for one last run when they turned the intensity up on us.” The Rams, led by 20 points from Mielenz, couldn’t climb out of that hole. Green Mountain finished 18-10, while the Wizards finished 22-6 and made their title run after losing in overtime to Loveland in the final game of the regular season. Want more sports news? 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