6A Boys Basketball: Eaglecrest Dethrones Defending Champions in Title Game
By Brad Cochi/CHSAAnow.com
Photo: Brad Cochi/CHSAANow
DENVER – There’s a new champion in Class 6A boys basketball.
On Saturday at the Denver Coliseum, Eaglecrest won 65-63 over defending champion Valor Christian to win the 6A state championship. It was the Raptors’ first boys basketball title since 2017 and first in Class 6A.
After losing in the Final Four last year, the Raptors were extra relieved to get over the hump.
“We’re state champs. We’re state champs,” Eaglecrest senior Ant Nettles said. “It meant a lot to the team, knowing how it felt to lose and now how it felt to get back here and make it further than last year. It’s everything to us. Bringing it home means everything.”
The finale for the state’s largest classification was a close one throughout.
No. 2 Eaglecrest (26-2) led 14-12 after the first and 29-23 at halftime. No. 5 Valor Christian (23-4) pulled ahead in the third quarter, outscoring Eaglecrest, 23-12, to take a 46-41 lead into the fourth.
Eaglecrest finally reclaimed the lead with 5 minutes remaining in the fourth and held off a late charge from the Eagles to win their program’s third overall boys basketball title.
“We just wanted to come out strong and stop number one,” Nettles said. “He’s a great player. But we just wanted to come out, play our game, stop him, and we got it done. It feels good. We just focused on stopping him and keeping him contained.”
The Raptors made things difficult for Valor Christian senior Cole Scherer, who averages 26.9 points per game and still scored 35 points in the losing effort. Valor Christian’s Brady Wynga (14.4 ppg) added 14 points for the Eagles.
Nettles (15.7 ppg) led Eaglecrest with 14 points. Garrett Barger (12.7 pgg) scored 12 and Jason Noone scored 11, including several critical free throws down the stretch.
Eaglecrest and Valor Christian entered the championship game riding win streaks of 18 and 14 games, respectively.
Valor Christian has two boys basketball state titles.
To reach the championship game, Eaglecrest won 79-69 over No. 6 Mountain Vista. In the opposite semifinal, Valor Christian won 61-51 over No. 1 Rangeview.
Denver East and Manual are tied for the all-time lead with 12 boys basketball titles.
