New boys basketball era begins with win for Columbine

DENVER — Columbine’s boys basketball team wasted no time in getting the first victory for new head coach Kevin Chester.

The Rebels took a 73-35 road victory at D’Evelyn on Friday night in the season opener for Columbine and first game with Chester running the show at the varsity level. 

“It felt great,” Chester said of the win to start the new era for the Rebels’ basketball program. “The boys have put in a lot of hard work since March. I’ve been trying to put my touch on the team and they’ve done the things I’ve asked them. This win was special.”

Chester isn’t a stranger to Columbine basketball program. He served as an assistant coach for his first seven years with the Rebels. He an assistant under Clay Thielking for three years and then the last four years under Randy Perkins.

“Most of the kids have been familiar with me, along with the new (freshmen) kids coming in as well,” Chester said. “I’m familiar with the feeder kids coming to Columbine. I knew what we had coming in.”

What the Rebels already had was junior Cash Boykin, who led Columbine in scoring last season with 20 points per game. However, it wasn’t enough last year as the Rebels finished the season with a 2-21 record. The only two wins for the Rebels last year were a pair of victories over rival Chatfield, who finish the year with a 4-19 record a year ago.

Boykin and his younger brother — freshman Dyson Boykin — led the way early against D’Evelyn. The Boykin brothers combined for 39 points, single-handedly outscoring the Jaguars (0-3 record), who were playing their third game this week. Cash finished with 19 points, while Dyson’s pair of 3-pointers in the final minutes pushed his point total to a game-high 20 points.

“It is very nice,” Cash Boykin said of having his younger brother on the team. “Excited to play with him for the rest of the season for sure.”

Junior Brody Burkhalter (11 points) and freshman Jeremiah Shortis (10 points) both reach double-figure points for the Rebels.

“We have a lot of players who weren’t on varsity last year,” Boykin said of him being a little nervous for the season opener. “There were a lot of nerves for sure.”

Columbine stays on the road next week with games at Mullen (Dec. 10) and at Dakota Ridge (Dec. 13). The game against Dakota Ridge — two-time defending Class 5A/4A Jeffco League champions — will be a great benchmark for Columbine.

“It will be a great test,” Chester said of the match-up against Dakota Ridge next Friday night. “They are very well-coached. I expect it to be a very good game with a packed house. I’m pretty sure we’ll be ready for the challenge.”

Columbine actually held a halftime lead against Dakota Ridge last season, but the Eagles rallied for a 76-65 victory. Cash Boykin had a team-high 18 points against Dakota Ridge, but last year’s 5A/4A Jeffco League MVP — Ethan Berninger — poured in a game-high 26 points.

“It will be a good test for us,” Cash Boykin said of facing cross-town rival before Winter Break. “Whatever happens we’ll build off of it. It will get us stronger going into the rest of the season.”

Chester expects a big jump in his first season at the helm.

“The expectations are high for us,” Chester said. “I expect a winning season. I expect us to be in the playoffs as well. We’ll see how far we go from there.”

D’Evelyn also has a new coach with Greg Scheckenbach in his first year at the helm of the Jaguars’ basketball program. D’Evelyn will attempt to get in the win column when it hosts Bear Creek (0-1) on Monday, Dec. 9.