Arvada West boys hoops edges rival Ralston Valley in battle of the unbeaten

ARVADA — The showdown of cross-town rivals in a battle of unbeaten boys basketball teams lived up to the billing Saturday night.

In a defensive scrum, Arvada West edged Ralston Valley 45-42 in front of a standing-room-only crowd at Arvada West High School.

“It means so much,” A-West junior Cooper Vais said following the Wildcats’ student section storming the court after Vais raced down the floor with the ball in the final seconds to secure the win. “As a program at Arvada West we haven’t beat those guys in I don’t even know how many years. It’s been awhile.”

Ralston Valley had a 12-game winning streak against its cross-town rival. A-West last victory over the Mustangs was Feb. 15, 2019. 

“It is really kind of surreal,” A-West senior Keegen Balistreri said of the Wildcats finally defeating Ralston Valley on the hardwood. “It’s been four years, but I feel like we’ve been building up to this moment forever. We came out, we were fast and intense.”

The final minutes were intense with A-West (16-0, 6-0 in Class 6A Jeffco League) trying to hold off the surging Mustangs (15-1, 5-1). The Wildcats held a 28-16 lead early in the third quarter after a 15-0 run over a nearly 8-minute span during the second and third quarters to give A-West a double-digit lead.

“The last two years here we’ve been trying to rebuild and get kids to believe around here,” A-West coach Danny Vais said. “All the things that could go wrong went wrong. The kids showed some toughness tonight to want to finish it and really win.”

Ralston Valley seniors Caiden Braketa and Frank Psaute got hot in the fourth quarter to cut A-West’s lead to 41-40 with under a minute to play. A-West sophomore Vedad Hadzic went 1-for-2 from the free-throw line with 12.3 seconds left to give the Wildcats a 45-42 lead.

Braketa was able to shake free from Balistreri to get off a 3-pointer with around 5 seconds left in an attempt to tie the game.

“Obviously, every time you see Caiden shoot it you are a little bit scared,” Balistreri said of Braketa getting off a 3-pointer that would have sent the game into overtime.

The shot hit the back of the rim. The loose ball was eventually picked up Vais and he raced down the court knowing the game was decided.

“I felt the pressure for sure,” Vais said of going 5-for-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. “I just cleared my head. I had confidence in myself and confidence in my teammates that we were going to do it.”

Vais (16 points) and Balistreri (11 points) led the Wildcats offensively. Braketa (17 points) and Psaute (14 points) paced the Mustangs in the low-scoring game that didn’t surprise Ralston Valley coach Chris Braketa.

“They are so physical and good defensively,” Coach Braketa said of A-West. “We are really good defensively too. I did think it was going to be a low-scoring game like this. We made a good run at the end, but Danny had them prepared. They are a really tough team.”

A-West’s big defensive key was containing Ralston Valley senior Zeke Andrews. The 6-foot-6 senior that just recently committed to play football at the University of Northern Colorado was held in check with just 4 points, well below his 15-point average per game.

“Zeke, Caiden and Frank do a great job,” Coach Vais said of Ralston Valley’s three top players. “We did everything we could. We are still undersized most games. Our kids just have heart. That is something nobody can take away. These kids will fight tooth and nail until it is over. The ball just seemed to bounce our way tonight.”

Ralston Valley will get back on the court next week with games against Bear Creek, Lakewood and Chatfield.

“You always learn from the losses like this,” Coach Braketa said. “I think it was a really good learning experience. I think we’ll respond really well and it was good for us to see all of that.”

A-West continues a tough stretch hosting Columbine on Tuesday, Feb. 3, before heading to Highlands Ranch to face Valor.

“We still have a lot of work to do,” Coach Vais said. “I want these kids, I want this community and everyone from Arvada West to enjoy this one (win) for a little bit.”

The rematch between A-West and Ralston Valley is scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at Ralston Valley High School. That game will likely determine the conference champion and maybe a No. 1 overall seed for the 6A state tournament.

“We have to go to their house next time,” Balistreri said of the second go-around. “Obviously, they are a little more used to that, but we’ll be ready and excited for it.”

Saturday night’s sell-out crowd at A-West definitely showed the excitement both boys basketball programs have generated so far this season.

“The atmosphere was awesome,” Coach Braketa said. “It is so fun with both of us being so good. When you have cross-town rivals that are good it’s just a fun environment. Upmost respect for Danny and those kids. They work their butts off.”