Fossil Ridge boys basketball moves to program’s first final four
DENVER — Brandon Bodnar had a relatively silent first half Friday night, knocking down a lone second-quarter basket.
The Fossil Ridge senior and his teammates were anything but quiet coming out of halftime.
Bodnar and fellow seniors Evan Smith and Alex Semadeni combined to score the SaberCats’ first 17 points of the second half, igniting a run that broke open the Class 5A state quarterfinal against Arapahoe and eventually led to a 68-58 victory at the Denver Coliseum.
What was a five-point lead morphed into a 20-point cushion early in the fourth quarter.
“I’m glad our offense started to pick it up,” Bodnar said. “We kind of got in that flow. It’s weird coming into a new place and kind of a new atmosphere, but in the second half I think we adjusted well.”
Fossil Ridge (26-0) is the only undefeated team still in the field and will meet either Mountain Vista or Eaglecrest in the state semifinals March 14 at the CU Events Center in Boulder.
It marks the first time the SaberCats have reached this stage.
“We’re in uncharted territory,” Fossil Ridge coach Matt Johannsen said. “The only thing we can do is keep doing what we do. That’s been our motto all year, is do what we do.”
Semadeni and Smith each scored 18 points to pace the SaberCats, with Semadeni adding 10 rebounds. Bodnar finished with nine points.
Arapahoe (20-6) used a second-quarter surge to pull to within two points, but a three-point play by Matt Laine just before halftime turned the momentum back in Fossil Ridge’s favor. Bodnar and Smith each hit their first three shots of the second half, with Bodnar’s three-point play upping the lead to 10 for the first time all night.
“I think it’s a testament to how good the kids are and how mature they are,” Johannsen said. “We didn’t let the environment get to us. I thought in the beginning we were a little jittery, but after that we settled down and we played great.”
Ethan Brunhofer had a game-high 22 points to go along with nine rebounds for Arapahoe and Corbin Atwell added 18 points. The Warriors had knocked Fossil Ridge out of the Sweet 16 a year ago.
“It definitely feels good, but they were a heck of a team,” Bodnar said. “They were aggressive and (Brunhofer) scored 22 on us. I respect them a lot, but we’re happy to come out with a win.”
Fossil Ridge’s height advantage played a crucial role as well. The SaberCats out-rebounded the Warriors 39-22, pulling down 15 offensive boards while notching 13 second-chance points.
“I think the height advantage helped. I thought it helped with our defense as well,” Johannsen said. “I thought it gave them some problems when they went to the basket. When they attacked the basket, we had some big guys waiting for them there.”
