Dakota Ridge boys hoops wrap up 3-peat in 5A/4A Jeffco League

LITTLETON — It was a night to remember at Dakota Ridge High School.

On Senior Night and the Eagles’ final regular-season boys basketball game at home, Dakota Ridge (16-6 record, 8-0 in Class 5A/4A Jeffco League) officially clinched the conference title for the third straight year with a 85-59 home victory against Wheat Ridge on Thursday night.

“Words can’t really describe it,” Dakota Ridge coach Sean Kovar said of the night. “The amount of work those players put in, that our program puts in, that our school puts in for boys basketball and athletics in general. I’m just lucky to be apart of it. I feel so blessed to show up every day to a positive community and school.”

Adding to the special night, Dakota Ridge senior Ethan Berninger went over the 1,500-point career scoring mark with his 28-point night. Last year’s 5A/4A Jeffco League MVP, who is headed to Northwest Nazarene University, now sits at 1,504 points during his stellar prep career with the Eagles.

“I didn’t actually know I was close to it,” Berninger admitted of the 1,500-mark. “It is pretty special. I’ll remember this night for a while.”

Berninger needed 24 points on the night to reach the historic mark that Ralston Valley senior Tanner Braketa reached just last weekend. Berninger had 17 points at halftime and buried a pair of 3-pointers early in the third quarter to close in on the mark. A thunderous 2-handed dunk midway through the third quarter put him over 1,500.

“It is pretty surreal. It hasn’t sunk in it,” Kovar said after celebrating the conference championship and Berninger’s scoring accomplishment. “We aren’t done yet for sure.”

Along with clinching the 3-peat, the Eagles pushed their conference winning streak to 32 games. Dakota Ridge’s last league loss was back on Jan. 28, 2022 against Ralston Valley. Berninger was actually a freshman and the only current Dakota Ridge player to see varsity playing time during the 2021-22 season.

Dakota Ridge has an impressive 34-1 league record over the past four seasons. The Eagles close out their regular season at Littleton on Wednesday, Feb. 19, where Dakota Ridge could make it 33 straight league wins.

“It has been a great stretch,” said Berninger, who has played varsity all four years. “It has been a great journey. I’ve loved every second of it. I’ve been apart of some special teams. I love Dakota. I love everything about it.”

Dakota Ridge had five players all scoring in double-digit points against the Farmers. Berninger (28 points), along with fellow seniors Nathan Esau (16 points), Cody Rominger (14 points), Nick Hubert (12 points) and junior Caiden Dixon (13 points) led the way for the Eagles.

“So fun to coach a well-balanced team and an unselfish team,” Kovar said. “They really share it. They take great shots, not good shots. When you have a team full of seniors and a team like this that have played together for so long it comes a little more natural” 

Wheat Ridge seniors Da’mon Bobbs (12 points) and Isaiah Rainalter (10 points) led the way for the Farmers.

CHSAA is scheduled to release the 40-team 5A boys basketball state bracket on Sunday, Feb. 23. Dakota Ridge was No. 5 in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index before Thursday’s victory. If the Eagles earn a top-8 seed they are guaranteed a first-round bye and would host a second-round game on Friday, Feb. 28. 

“We are locked in. We can’t wait to go out and compete in the playoffs,” Berninger said. “We’ve had a couple of tough losses the last two years. We are ready to go out and compete.”

Wheat Ridge (11-10, 4-4) sat at No. 34 in the seeding index before games Thursday. The Farmers close out their regular season at home against Green Mountain on Wednesday, Feb. 19.