Human nature being what it is, it would have been understandable if the Churchill boys basketball team had let up a little after clinching the District 26-5A title last week.
It was obvious early in their game against Johnson on Wednesday night that the Chargers were determined not to fall into that trap.
Playing hard from buzzer to buzzer and never trailing, Churchill rolled to a 72-42 victory in the 26-5A game at Littleton Gym and improved to 30-2 overall and 11-0 in league play.
Johnson dropped to 15-16 and 6-4. The Jaguars were paced by Jake Schifani, who led all scorers with 16 points.
Churchill made short work of the Johnson, leading 16-8 after one quarter and 34-22 at halftime. The Chargers were ahead 50-32 going into the fourth period.
As usual, Churchill won it with balanced scoring and a smothering defense anchored by 6-foot-10 center Connor Lammert, who finished with five blocks and changed several other shots with his imposing presence in the block.
Will Huguley and Scott Mammel led the Chargers in scoring with 13 and 12 points, respectively, and Lammert and Taylor Sutlive finished with 10 points each.
"We have the right chemistry," Churchill coach Tim Woods said. "They share the ball with each other and they don't care who scores. I think the thing we do that has set us apart, and I mean our team and not from everybody else, is that we rebound the ball.
"Other than Connor, we're usually the smallest team on the floor. I've jokingly told my dad, 'I think if a brawl breaks out on the floor, we probably started it.' We're scrappy, but the danger of being scrappy is that it's one consonant away from something you don't want to be."
Churchill fell in second round last year
The Chargers, who have won 16 in a row, can complete a sweep of the district with a victory against Roosevelt on Friday night.
"We have more of a sense of urgency this year than we did last year," Mammel said. "We're more focused and we don't look ahead. Right now we have one more game left in district, and we want to close that one out, even though we don't have to win it."
Churchill had one of the best teams in the region last year, but fell to eventual regional champion Taft in the second round of the playoffs and finished 31-6.
"I think we want it more this year," said Mammel, who will play at the U.S. Military Academy next year. "Losing in the second round made us more hungry. We want to go further this year. We're doing a better job of playing together.
"Connor takes a ton of pressure off the guards. We play inside out, and as much attention as he draws, it helps us a lot because he opens up the floor. That's one of the reasons we're 30-2. Another thing that's great about Connor is how unselfish he is. He loves to pass."
Lammert, who has signed with Texas, embodies the Chargers' team chemistry with his steady play on both ends of the court.
Woods played on Churchill team that won state in 1982
"I think we all complement each other very well," Lammert said. "We have a lot of shooters and me inside. I kick it out if they're doubling me. It's just a matter of finding the open guy. I'm fortunate to play with shooters who can knock it down over 50 percent of the time.
"That really opens up things for me if they have to go out and guard our shooters. That frees the lane up for me."
Woods, who is in his third season as the Chargers' head coach, complimented his players' basketball IQ and commitment to excel.
"These guys are smart," he said. "They're good basketball players. They play hard. They love each other. They hold each other accountable. You come to one of our practices and they're on each other's case.
"There's an expectation that if you're going to play on this team, you're going to do what has to be done. We have a motto that says, 'Do what we do.' We do what we do, and when we get outside of that, we're not very good. We've been able to do what we do and it's been successful so far."
Woods, 46, was a member of the 1981-82 Churchill team that won the 5A state title. Coached by Bobby Murphy, the Chargers finished 37-3 and won 30 of their last 31 games.
"Coach Woods wants the same thing we do," Lammert said. "He wants to see us back in the state tournament like he was back in the day. That would be great because Churchill hasn't been back since then."
