Late in the fourth quarter, Sierra senior Malaynah Palaroan missed a free throw, but freshman D’Nae Wilson was there to pull down the offensive rebound. Almost immediately after, Palaroan grabbed a missed free throw of Wilson’s, allowing Sierra to ice away a victory.

Sierra (7-5, 4-1 4A Colorado Springs Metro) beat Canon City (4-7, 2-2) 57-46 on Saturday, and the backcourt duo of Palaroan and Wilson was a big reason why.

The two combined for 27 points, but it’s more than scoring that makes the tandem important for the Stallions.

“They’ve been the tempo setters for the season,” said Sierra coach Joe Williams. “On both offense and defense, they set the tone.”

It seemed both Palaroan (17 points) and Wilson (10 points) knocked down timely shots or found a teammate for an easy basket whenever Canon City tried to get back into the game.

“It was a good team win. We came out strong in the first quarter,” said Palaroan. “When we play strong defense, games are easier.”

The lone senior, Palaroan explained she relies on her experience to help the team, which has seven underclassmen.

“I have to be a leader and set the example,” she said. “I have to both look for my shot and to get everybody else involved.”

Canon City hung around, staying within 10 points most of the game.

“(Canon City) had a lot of good looks and they didn’t go down,” Williams said. “We just tried to switch up our personnel and defense to give them different looks.

“That was a slugfest. We knew we matched up well, and those are two scrappy teams.”

For Canon City coach Dan Heath, the difference in the game was the beginning. Sierra jumped out to a 13-4 lead with 3:33 left in the first quarter.

Heath said his team came out flat, which put Canon City on its heels from the start as the Tigers struggled to get into their sets and deal with pressure on the ball from Sierra.

“We came out mentally flat, and we spent the game trying to recover,” Heath said. “We have to find something to do to stay mentally sharp so we’re ready to execute from the tip.”

Sophomore Ellie Till and senior Elizabeth McCalla led Canon City with 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Junior Aubrey Robinson received a cheer as she was introduced for Sierra. The transfer from rival Harrison finished with seven points in her debut. Sierra heads to Harrison to face the Panthers on Tuesday.

“Today was the first game with these eight (players),” Williams said. “We’re still trying to find our rotation and really get everybody together.”