5A boys basketball Great 8 roundup: Ross brothers lead Eaglecrest to Final 4

DENVER — Eaglecrest brothers Elijah and Colbey Ross took charge Saturday afternoon at the Denver Coliseum.

Elijah, a senior, and younger brother Colbey, a sophomore, combined for 42 points to lead the Raptors to a 64-49 victory over Legend in the Class 5A boys basketball Great 8. Eaglecrest, top seed in the Ray C. Ball Region, advances to the Final 4 next Friday, March 13, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.

“(Legend) came out on us quick. Honestly, I think we were a little nervous at first,” Elijah Ross said of Legend snagging an early first-quarter lead before the Raptors went on runs of 13-0 and 17-0 during key stretches. “We just took over the game and took hold of it.”

A 3-pointer from Legend junior Danny Garrick with 1:10 left in the third quarter cut Eaglecrest’s lead to 37-36. The Raptors responded with an eventual 17-0 run that started and ended with buckets from senior Blend Avdili (16 points).

Eaglecrest pushed its biggest lead to 19-points late in the fourth quarter thanks to a brilliant effort at the free-throw line. The Raptors went 14-for-15 from the charity stripe in the final quarter. Sophomore Colbey Ross was 8-for-8 in the fourth quarter on his way to a game-high 23 points.

“Sometimes I get a little too mad at guys. I’m still learning as well,” Eaglecrest’s floor general Elijah Ross (19 points) said. “I let him (Colbey) do whatever he wants to do out there. I have faith in all my guys. I just try to keep everyone positive and have fun.”

Eaglecrest captured the 5A state championship in 2013. That same year Legend advanced to its first Final 4 in the program’s history.

“I’m thinking about the next game first, but obviously that the ultimate goal for me,” Elijah Ross said of the Raptors two wins away from another state title. “As a player my senior year that would be the best thing ever.”

Legend got off to a hot start shooting in the opening minutes making its first three field goals. However, the Titans cooled off and finished the first half just 2-for-13 from 3-point range.

Legend junior Jared Small (18 points) took over the game at times for the Titans by attacking the rim and scoring seven points in both the second and third quarters to help Legend cut the Raptors’ lead to 39-36 going to the fourth quarter.

“Jared is a great player. I just told everybody you are on an island out there,” Elijah Ross said of handling Small and the Titans’ outside shooters. “You have to guard your man.”

Eaglecrest’s defense tightened up in the fourth quarter. Legend didn’t score in the final quarter until there was 2:25 left in the game and outscored the Titans 25-13 in the decisive quarter.

— Dennis Pleuss

(1) Overland 64, (2) Mountain Vista 36

Overland sealed its second straight Final 4 by clipping Mountain Vista’s wings in a dominant 64-36 effort.

The Trailblazers tamed the Golden Eagles’ potent offense by eliminating their points off turnovers (four), something they thrive off of, taking them out of transition, and making every offensive look difficult in the half-court.

During several stretches, the Continental League challenger appeared rattled while forcing off-balance, contested jumpers. Mountain Vista only shot 13-of-57 from the field, a 22 percent clip, and went 1-of-10 from beyond the arc.

Senior point guard Austin Conway, a four-year starter for the Trailblazers, said his team was able to smother the Eagles thanks in large part to their transition defense.

“We did a good job containing their speed and containing their offense and capitalizing every time we stopped their offense,” Conway said. “We had five guys locating every man in transition, making sure they weren’t getting easy buckets. That was our focal point. We made sure to sprint back on defense.”

Meanwhile, Mountain Vista was unable to get many second chance opportunities as Overland dominated the boards 51-35 with a clear advantage in size and leaping ability.

More than anything, Conway and company displayed their seasoning Saturday. A year after losing in the state semifinals to eventual champion Denver East, Overland wants more.

“I think it was a mature win by us,” Conway said. “We came in and showed that we have experience. We grew up as a basketball team and we played a mature basketball game.”

On offense, the ‘Blazers were balanced, another of their attributes this season, as Reggie Gibson (14 points), Conway (12), Ryan Swan (10), Padiet Wang (8), and De’Ron Davis (7) all contributed.

Vista never got into rhythm as their leading scorer, Ray Beresford (17.3 ppg), was held to three. Brady Subart did lead all scorers with 16 points. Beresford and Subart, key members of last year’s Final 4 run, are seniors.

(1) ThunderRidge 52, (3) Chaparral 47

With a trip to the 5A boys basketball Final 4 on the line, ThunderRidge turned to its defense Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.

Chaparral senior Chris Moody buried a long 3-pointer with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter to tie the game, 44-44. ThunderRidge proceeded to hold the Wolverines without a point for the next two minutes while making 8-of-10 free throws in the final minutes to take a 52-47 victory.

“We are a defensive program and that’s our strength,” ThunderRidge coach Joe Ortiz said after the Grizzlies advanced to its seventh Final 4 in the program’s history. “It was just a battle possession by possession.”

ThunderRidge (23-3) was led by senior Zach Pirog’s 21 points. However, Noah Szilagyi, Austin Mueller and Troy Brady were all key down the stretch combining to go 7-for-8 from the charity stripe in the final minutes.

Mueller (nine points) actually had the Grizzlies’ lone field goal in the fourth quarter with 3:12 left in the game.

“It was huge. We needed some momentum because everything was just still,” Mueller said of his bucket. “We picked it up. As a team we hit the free throws in the end and played good defense.”

Moody (14 points) missed his final four shots of the game as ThunderRidge’s defense stiffed late. Senior Jake Holtzmann (13 points) also finished in double-figures for the Wolverines (18-8).

The quarterfinal between the Continental League foes was actually their third meeting of the season. ThunderRidge cruised to a 15-point victory over Chaparral in the first week of the season in the ThunderRidge/Chaparral Tip Off Tournament.

The Wolverines took a 24-point victory in the conference battle on Feb. 17. Moody was dominating for Chaparral with 32 points and 13 rebounds to even the season series.

“Third time playing (Chaparral) we knew it would be tough,” Mueller said. “Holtzmann and Moody are great players. I’ll miss playing against them. I told them that after the game.”

Pirog had a big second quarter with 10 points to help give the Grizzlies a 29-26 lead at halftime. Holtzmann had a quiet first half until scoring the Wolverines’ final seven points in the last couple of minutes before halftime.

“I thought we started to separate in the second quarter, then both of them (Moody and Holtzmann) hit 24-footers,” Ortiz said.

ThunderRidge’s last Final 4 appearance was in 2009. The Grizzlies won back-to-back 5A championships in 2002 and 2003.

“It’s great. Anytime you get into the Final 4 it’s a great feeling,” Mueller said. “I’m really happy for my teammates and the program.”

ThunderRidge squares off against Eaglecrest in the semifinals March 13, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.

— Dennis Pleuss

(6) Denver East 53, (1) Regis Jesuit 48

Regis Jesuit Denver East boys basketball

For most of Denver East’s Great 8 showdown against No. 1 seed Regis Jesuit, Brian Carey just couldn’t get in rhythm.

The senior point guard, the state’s leading scorer, did finish though. Carey went on a late scoring frenzy with 10 points in the final frame to seal a 53-48 thrilling win for the Angels. East will be making their third straight trip to the Final 4.

“I couldn’t really find it throughout the whole game,” Brian said of his shooting touch. “But, I was able to knock a couple down in the fourth. Everyone else stepped up in the meantime.”

A season after losing four starters, including all-state talents in Dominique Collier and Ronnie Harrell, the defending 5A champions have gelled the new group around Carey and Jordan Willis, the lone returning players from the 2014 rotation. Several Angels have stepped up in the playoffs.

One such player, Samba Dioum, helped turn the tide for East after Regis held early leads of 13-2 and 16-7.

Denver East Regis Jesuit boys basketball

The Angels decided to start a smaller lineup with four guards surrounding forward Willis to counter Regis’ talented backcourt. The plan backfired as Regis bullied East on the glass 25-8 in the first half as they held a 15-3 advantage in offensive rebounds alone.

The Denver Prep power calmed the early storm shooting 10-of-22 from the field, but still trailed 28-27 at the half.

Then Dioum started the second half, grabbed six rebounds, and teamed up with Willis to bring down several “grown man” boards and eliminate Regis’ early advantage.

But in a game with 11 lead changes, Regis held in as Taylor Kallsen hit timely triples in scoring 17 points and the Raiders were rigorous defensively. Plus, Carey hadn’t found his touch yet. When he did the Angels, a rather shockingly low six seed, clinched a win over the Raiders, giving Regis (23-3) only their third loss of the season.

East (17-10) and Overland will have a Final 4 rematch from 2014 when they face off at the Coors Events Center on Friday, a contest the Angels won 77-65 before beating Fossil Ridge in the state finals. This year will be a role reversal as the Trailblazers are the favorites.

East lost 10 regular season games, three to out-of-state opponents and several in heartbreaking fashion to top-flight teams while trying to incorporate new talent. But, they’re back in a familiar position now.

“We felt a little disrespected,” Carey said of earning a number six seed, “but we always feel like no matter what seed we get, we can win the whole thing. We’re not done. We can be happy, but we’re not satisfied.”

The point guard only shot 10-of-27 from the field, but scored 25 points. Jack Buckmelter chipped in 11 and Willis grabbed nine rebounds for East.

Regis, a senior laden group, got 17 points from Kallsen. Geoff Kelly had 9 points and 13 rebounds.