Jamie Carey, Sand Creek: Competition for this honor was stiff. Sure, Bob Wingett’s Air Academy team should have won state – but actually doing it is quite another thing, and his team did. Pat McKiernan had Doherty at a high level throughout his first season, and Palmer Ridge’s Dennis Coates guided the Bears to a 21-4 season and the program’s first playoff victory. But what Carey did at Sand Creek stood out above the others. The former WNBA player laced it up with her team in practice throughout the season and helped the Scorpions overcome the loss of Division-I bound center Taylor Proctor to finish 19-7 and earn a trip to the 4A quarterfinals. Sitting at just 3-4 on Dec. 17, Carey’s team lost just three games after Christmas break — a three-point loss at Palmer Ridge and setbacks to eventual champion Air Academy and runner-up D’Evelyn. Carey has a potential star in sophomore point guard Mikayla Reese (13.6 ppg), but most of the success can be attributed to the coach’s ability to coax contributions out of her entire roster. Though Reese was the only player to average double figures, nine players chipped in at least 2.8 points per game.