The boys basketball Class 4A Great 8 was played at home sites around Colorado on Saturday. After four games, Frederick, Lewis-Palmer, Pueblo Central and Pueblo South advances to the Final Four, which will be played next Friday at the Denver Coliseum.
(1) Lewis-Palmer 76, (9) Longmont 61
MONUMENT – Perhaps the worst-case scenario for any team is figuring out if it has a next-man-up mentality in the state quarterfinals.
Such was life for Lewis-Palmer.
Cohen Edmondson went down in the third quarter of Saturday’s 76-61 win over Longmont in the Class 4A boys basketball Great 8. He had already knocked down four 3-pointers and was one of five Rangers to score in double figures. But when he went out, the team had to figure out if they could adjust accordingly.
Damarion Jelks had no problem filling the void, scoring 11 points and helped the Rangers keep chugging along.
“It was the team,” Jelks said. “They were telling me to keep it up. I got injured at first (on my wrist) but I taped it up, I had to keep going. I had a lot of space and got a lot of opportunities.
The Rangers knew that Longmont was going to try and play through their two big scorers and that’s exactly what the Trojans did. Keegan Patterson scored eight points in the first quarter alone and ended with a game-high 26. Brendan Barcewski started slow but scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half.
Lewis-Palmer always has an equalizer in the form of Cam Lowe, but the senior standout had a relatively modest game by his standards. He scored 17 points while the bulk of the scoring chances went to Eli Robinson, and he took advantage of each one. He led the Rangers with 19 and knew what the win meant to the program in terms of keeping the season alive and getting an edge in what has become a playoff rivalry with the Trojans in recent years.
“We wanted to win for each other and our coaches,” Robinson said. “I wouldn’t call it a rivalry, but they have played two state championships against each other (in 2018 and 2019). It’s a big stage and I’m just happy we got it done and we’re going to the Final 4.”
They got there because of the effort they put in on both sides of the floor. The Rangers made 30 field goals in the game, 10 of which came from long range.
Defensively, it was tough to slow down Patterson and Barcewski but the Rangers adjusted when they needed to, throwing in a bit of zone defense which isn’t necessarily their forte.
“When we were in man, they were able to attack and we put them at the free throw line and got ourselves in a bit of foul trouble,” coach Bill Benton said. “When we went zone, it took a little more time off the clock for the them and I think it was finding that pace.”
Time will tell if Edmondson will be back for the Final 4 showdown against Pueblo Central, but the Rangers looked very much in control of the game even when he went out. The true measure of a championship team is to play at its best when all of its resources aren’t available and that is a reality that the Rangers may have to face in less than a week’s time.
(5) Pueblo Central 66, (4) Montrose 62
Pueblo Central last won a boys basketball state title in 1931. It has been a long time, but the Wildcats continue to inch closer to snapping that streak in 2021-22.
On the road in front of a packed gym on Friday, fourth-seeded Montrose played hosted to the fifth-seeded Pueblo Central in the 4A Great 8 while the Wildcats played spoiler, winning 66-62 and preventing previously-unbeaten Montrose’s hopeful return to the championship game for the second straight year.
And while the Wildcats (23-3) were the frontrunners throughout Friday’s contest, the had to hold off a late surge from a Montrose (25-1) team that has come from behind to win several times in order to reach the Final Four.
“Sometimes you just put the ball in your best players hands,” Pueblo Central head coach Bob Tayor said. “We went 10-12 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. Speaks volume for our maturity. We had several guys foul out, so we were playing shorthanded and the guys on the bench really stepped it up. Montrose is a savvy team. We are fortunate to come away with a win.”
The Wildcats opened the game on a 10-2 run and led 18-13 after the first quarter. Despite the Wildcats’ best efforts to pull away, Montrose continually cut into the lead each time and the 2021 runner-up trailed 29-23 at halftime.
Pueblo Central held a 12-point lead to start the fourth quarter and Montrose cut the advantage to two with 10.5 seconds left, but the Wildcats held on to win by four.
"Credit to Coach Tyler and Pueblo Central," Montrose head coach Ryan Voehringer said. "They played a great game on both ends. They jumped on us early and made us play from behind the entire game.They have two really good players. I thought we did a pretty good job on Betts, holding him to 19. Williams, the point guard, had a great game with 29. Super proud of the effort and character my guys showed in the four cutting the lead to three giving ourselves a chance at the end. Words can't describe what the seniors mean to me and Montrose basketball. 43-2 over the past two seasons.
"More importantly they carried themselves with class and gave me there and soul. I can't ask for anything more."
Syris Williams led the Wildcats with 29 points. Kaden Betts had 18 and Coleten Mayo had ten.
For Montrose, Luke Hutto and Fletcher Cheezum had 19 apiece. Trey Reese had 10.
(2) Pueblo South 60, (7) Centaurus 45
Pueblo South has a pair of boys basketball championship trohpies in the trophy case, but the Colts have not won since 2001.
All season long, this year's Pueblo South team has been in the converstion surrounding the short list of favorites to take home the 2021-22 title. In the Class 4A Great 8 on Saturday, the second-seeded Colts (26-0) hosted No. 7 Centaurus (20-6) and won 60-45 to punch their tickets to the Final Four next Friday at the Denver Coliseum.
(6) Frederick 66, (3) Mead 56
The Mead Mavericks (21-5) may not have been the No. 1 seed in Class 4A, but they were the classification’s defending champion.
But thanks to a surprising Frederick Warriors (21-4) team, the reigning champs are now out of the field following a 66-56 defeat at the hands of a local-area rival. With the Great 8 victory the Warriors advance to the Final Four for the first time since 1956, when the Warriors won their only boys basketball state championship.
Frederick’s Luke Justice scored 20 points and Alex Sturn scored 17 for the Warriors.