A-West boys basketball opens 6A Jeffco League play with road win at Columbine

LITTLETON — The action was non-stop in the Class 6A Jeffco League boys basketball opener Monday night at Columbine High School.

Arvada West and Columbine combined for 178 points, 18 made 3-pointers and 55 free throws taken. The visiting Wildcats remained undefeated on the season with a 96-82 win to start conference play.

“It means we both have great offensives,” A-West senior Keegen Balistreri said of the high-scoring affair. “If our defense can’t get it done we have a great offense to get it done. I just like to win the game, honestly.”

Balistreri led the way for the Wildcats with a team-high 28 points. A-West junior Cooper Vais poured in nine points in the first quarter, then the senior really got going in the second quarter.

“The only reason why I was able to get those shots was because my teammates create for me,” Balistreri said of his 13-point second quarter that allowed the Wildcats to take a 49-34 lead at halftime. “If it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

Balistreri finished with 28 points. Vais poured in 22 points. Senior Anthony Torres (14 points) and Noah Meurer (13 points) also had double-digit points in the Wildcats’ highest scoring output so far this season.

“I trust our players. We trust our system to share the ball. It is no different than what Eddie used to do,”A-West coach Danny Vais said referring to his former basketball coach at A-West, the late Eddie Reeves. “We play together and I thought all our guys stepped up at different times.” 

Sophomore Vedad Hadzic and junior Jeremiah Gonzalez both had 7 points each to help out the Wildcats’ cause and allow A-West (11-0 record, 1-0 in 6A Jeffco) to stay undefeated.

Columbine (6-3, 0-1) has scored over 80 points three times already this season. The Rebels were led by Dyson and Cash Boykin. Dyson, a sophomore, poured in 33 points. His senior brother scored 25 points.

“Those (Boykin) brothers are tough to stop,” Coach Vais said after Dyson and Cash managed to combine for 58 points. 

Dyson scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone. Columbine trimmed A-West’s lead to 8 points midway through the final quarter. Vais and Meurer made back-to-back 3-pointers over the span of 50 seconds in the fourth quarter to push the Wildcats’ lead back to double-digits. 

The Wildcats also went 14-for-16 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

“I was glad our guys fought through the adversity, even what I put on them,” Coach Vais said. “They kept playing.”

Coach Vais picked up a technical foul with 5:43 left to play in the fourth quarter. Columbine converted two A-West fouls sandwiched in-between Coach Vais’s technical foul making 5-of-6 free throws.

“We are just a great team and have a great compatibility with each other,” Balistreri said. “I feel like we are so tight-knit and play together good. We are showing out this year.”

It looks like 6A Jeffco might have some realistic team that have a chance to make deep playoff runs. Ralston Valley (10-0, 1-0), Valor Christian (6-5, 1-0), along with A-West got wins Monday to open league play. Chatfield (8-1, 0-1) had its undefeated start come to an end with a close loss to Valor. 

“I love what the job they have done down here (Columbine). Obviously, Chatfield is doing a great job. RV, Valor and Lakewood are tough,” Vais said of the 6A Jeffco League teams that have a combined 47-24 overall record through Monday’s games. “It makes it a fun environment for the fans to be in. It helps the league as a whole to get ready for those playoff runs.”

A-West has its league home opener against Lakewood on Wednesday, Jan. 14. 

“We don’t focus on that,” Balistreri said of the perfect 11-0 record. “We focus on getting the job done. We love getting after people. We don’t look at the fact that we haven’t lost yet.”

Columbine will attempt to bounce back against Valor on the Rebels’ home court Wednesday night.