Sweet 16 roundup: Legend boys hoops holds off George Washington in 2 OTs

Jared Small’s contribution was anything but small on Wednesday night.

The 6-foot-6 junior made three critical plays during Legend’s game against George Washington in the Class 5A boys basketball Sweet 16 on Wednesday. And, ultimately, the second-seeded Titans went on to beat No. 3 George Washington 63-59 in double overtime.

First, Small had a critical bucket with 21 seconds to play in regulation that tied the game at 52. Then, with 4.1 left on the clock in the first overtime, he hit a free throw to tie the game at 58.

It was only fitting that it was Small, again, who hit the pair of free throws to give Legend the lead for good, at 60-59, in the second overtime.

Andre Hogan, another junior, also had a key dunk which pushed the lead to three points at 62-59 with 46 seconds left. (Here’s another angle.)

Small finished with 20 points.

Legend is back in the Great 8 for the first time since 2013.

(2) Mountain Vista 60, (6) Montbello 57

Mountain Vista Montbello boys basketball

Mountain Vista is in the Great 8 for the fourth season in a row following its narrow win on Wednesday.

The Golden Eagles were up 27-26 at the break, and pushed their lead to 45-34 after three quarters.

As the fourth quarter began, Montbello rallied. The Warriors eventually cut the lead to 58-57 with under one minute to play thanks to a 10-1 run, but Isaac Phillips hit a pair of free throws to seal the win.

A last-second 3-point shot from Montbello that would have sent the game to overtime didn’t fall.

Ray Beresford paced Mountain Vista with 27 points. Brady Subart had 11 points and five assists, while Phillips finished with four points, nine rebounds, seven assists and four steals.

(1) Regis Jesuit 46, (5) Boulder 39

It was close, but Regis Jesuit was able to hold off Boulder.

Regis Jesuit only trailed at 2-0 — and even then, the the Raiders promptly went on a 7-0 run to set the tone of the game.

Though Boulder would get close — it was 16-14 in the second quarter — Regis mostly maintained a five- to 10-point lead throughout.

Regis led 21-15 at halftime, and 31-26 after three.

Kip Boryla paced Regis with 15 points, while Geoffrey Kelly added 12 and six rebounds. Taylor Kallsen had nine points, and Bryan Staerkel added seven points, five rebounds and three assists.

The win means the Raiders are back in the Great 8 for the first time since 2013. They went every year from 2008-11, which included three championship seasons.

(1) Eaglecrest 56, (4) Fossil Ridge 49

Eaglecrest pulled away late with free throws to return to the Great 8 for the third season in a row.

Blend Avdili hit a pair of free throws with 58 seconds to play that gave Eaglecrest a 52-44 lead.

It was 22-20 Eaglecrest at halftime, and that was indicative of the way the game would go. Fossil Ridge actually led 43-42 with a little over three minutes to play, but Eaglecrest went on a 10-1 run to take control of the game.

Avdili and Elijah Ross each had 15 points.

Eaglecrest went to the Great 8 last season and also in 2013, when it won the 5A title.

(6) Denver East 84, (2) Rangeview 75

The defending-champion Angels continued to tear through the 5A bracket after losing two of their final three games in the regular season.

Rangeview led 23-19 after the first quarter, but a quick 7-2 run gave East the lead at 26-25 early in the second quarter and the Angels would lead 48-38 at halftime and 64-57 after three quarters.

Rangeview cut the lead to two points late in the fourth quarter, but East was able to stave off the comeback.

Brian Carey led the way for Denver East with 35 points and eight assists. Jordan Willis had 16 points and 15 rebounds, while Jack Buckmelter scored 12 points and had five assists. Deron Harrell also scored in double figures with 13 points.

This is the third consecutive season Denver East has reached the Great 8. The Angels have reached the title game the previous two seasons, including last year’s championship win.

(1) Overland 71, (4) Grand Junction 36

Trailblazers star De’Ron Davis opened the game with a dunk, and Overland never looked back as it had little trouble in returning to the Great 8.

It was 16-4 after the first quarter, and 36-7 at halftime. The lead grew to 30 early in the third quarter, and Overland was able to coast from there.

Four players scored in double figures for the Trailblazers: Davis (14), Ryan Swan (13), Alijah Halliburton (12) and Austin Conway (12).

The Trailblazers are coming off a final four appearance in which they fell to Denver East in the semifinals.

(1) ThunderRidge 59, (4) Rampart 21

ThunderRidge jumped out to a 17-2 lead after the first quarter in rolling into the Great 8.

Though Rampart tightened up in the second quarter, ThunderRidge used an 18-8 advantage in the third quarter to push the game all but out of reach at 48-20.

The Grizzlies then allowed just one point in the fourth quarter, meaning they held Rampart without a field goal in the final 10 minutes of the game.

Noah Szilagyi (14 points), Clay Verk (10), Troy Brady (10) and Zach Pirog (10) all hit double figures for ThunderRidge.

It is the Grizzlies’ first trip to the quarterfinals since going in 2012.

(3) Chaparral 60, (2) Dakota Ridge 47

Chaparral senior Chris Moody, right, battles to grab a pass while Dakota Ridge junior Devante Jones attempt to get the steal during the Class 5A Sweet 16 state playoff game Wednesday at Dakota Ridge High School. Moody had 20 points in the Wolverines' 60-47 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

Chaparral is back in the Great 8 for the first time since 2012, when the Wolverines won the 5A title.

Wednesday, Chaparral led 22-18 at halftime and 39-32 after three quarters. Dakota Ridge cut it to 39-36 early in the fourth quarter, but Chaparral held off a rally.

Jake Holtzmann had 30 points for Chaparral. Chris Moody added 20.

Find a complete recap of the game here.