CAÑON CITY – The thing that helped them all year turned its back Friday.

The Cañon City Tigers could only muster four 3-pointers – a number they sometimes match in four minutes.

Longmont’s defense coupled with what the Tigers called “uncontrollables” parlayed to a 61-48 upset by the sixth-ranked Trojans over the top-ranked and previously unbeaten Tigers in the quarterfinals at the Tiger Dome.

The Tigers were 4 for 24 from 3-point range and weren’t much better elsewhere. The team shot 14 for 40 on 2-pointers and 8 for 15 from the free-throw line.

Longmont advances to the semifinals to play Sand Creek on Thursday at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.

Trojans junior standout Sydney Wetterstrom dominated the glass and much of the game in her 30-point, 16-rebound effort.

“She’s just a leaper,” said Trojans coach Mike Knaus of his volleyball standout who’s verbally committed to Michigan. “… She blocks, she rebounds, she’s done that all season.”

Madi Gaibler scored 15 for Longmont (20-6).

The Tigers (25-1) were led by Nicole Archambeau’s 15 points. Emily Lambrecht made 11.

An illness plagued the Tigers most of the week. The only practice that all 10 players participated in was Monday’s before two starters – Lambrecht and Kaylan Miller – missed time.

“They brought everything they could bring to this game tonight,” Tigers coach Dan Heath said. “You could tell the legs weren’t quite right, the shots weren’t quite there. Balls rolled out that normally don’t roll out. I don’t feel it was anything else than the stuff that was out of their control.

“I’m not making excuses but there are realities that these girls had to overcome this week and they overcame them the best they could for tonight’s game.”

The Trojans won every quarter on Friday in front of a loud Tiger Dome. They opened up a seven-point lead at halftime but the Tigers quickly cut that to two in the opening minutes of the third.

Soon, though, the Trojans went on an 11-0 run and the Tigers never recovered.

A 10-point deficit to start the fourth was cut to six after Danielle Hanenberg and Lambrecht connected, but the Trojans had an answer for that, too.

The margin was hovering around eight until Longmont pulled away with about three minutes left.

Colo. Gov. John Hickenlooper fielded questions during a visit to the Gazette Tuesday, May 20, 2014. Photo by Mark Reis, The Gazette

MARK REIS