ThunderRidge’s Verk beats the buzzer as Grizzlies top Doherty in 5A boys hoops Great 8

DENVER — Sometimes when Bailey Verk gets the ball right under the hoop, he can’t help make sure that he doesn’t screw it up.

After Doherty’s Kyrele Benford got a friendly role on a 3-pointer to tie the game, Verk found himself with the ball right under the ThunderRidge basket.

He didn’t screw it up. He got his shot off and the Grizzlies came away with a 45-43 win over the Spartas to advance to next week’s Class 5A Final 4.

“Every time you get the ball like that (thinking about screwing it up) always goes through your head,” Verk said.

The Spartans looked intent to play a physical style of basketball. They worked the ball inside to Joe Golden, who ended up carrying them offensively for the first half.

Doherty led 12-9 after the first quarter with Golden accountable for seven of the Spartans’ points. The physicality translated to the defensive side of the ball as they held Kaison Hammonds scoreless in the first quarter.

“We were expecting them to come out like that,” Verk said. “We were just trying to play our game and get our shots.”

But the ThunderRidge senior got on track in the second, shooting 3 for 4 from the field and helping the Grizzlies get into halftime trailing just 25-24.

Verk and Austin Holt led ThunderRidge in the third, combining for 10 of the teams 12 points. They adjusted defensively, packing into a zone limiting the impact that Golden was able to make on the inside.

“They kind of got out of sorts and weren’t going to Joe anymore,” ThunderRidge coach Joe Ortiz. “Bailey did a good job of battling him and holding his own, but Joe was a force.”

The Spartans sputtered in the fourth, letting the Grizzlies take a four-point lead at 38-34. Golden found Alijah Bates slashing to the basket to cut the lead in half. Shortly he after, he hauled in a defensive rebound and drew a foul from Hammonds. Golden hit just one of two free throws, but Hammonds was forced to the bench with four fouls.

After he checked back into the game, Hammonds was fouled by Duke Carey and made both free throws to push the lead to three.

Holt made a four-point game, adding two free throws after getting fouled by Bates who subsequently fouled out of the game.

D’Angelo Shepherd cut that lead to one after burying a huge three from the corner.

More free throws made it a three-point game again, but Benford got a friendly role to tie the game.

But it wasn’t meant to be as Verk got the ball under the basket and put it in to give the Grizzlies the win and a trip back to the Coliseum next week.

“We learned a lot from today,” Ortiz said. “We’ll talk about it, it’s still kind of shocking right now. I’m not there yet. I’m thinking about postgame.”

Ortiz says he and the team will have plenty of time to recover from the crazy ending of Saturday’s game and should be prepared when they face the winner of Chaparral and Grandview next week.