6A Boys Basketball: Rock Canyon Earns First-Ever Boys State Crown

DENVER – Iron sharpens iron, and that’s what the members of the Rock Canyon boys basketball team did daily this season, which helped them eventually cut their way to a first-ever state championship.

The Jaguars took the physical, dogged aspects of their everyday practices and applied them to opponents, which helped them come out on top of a tooth-and-nail battle for the Class 6A state championship with Ralston Valley on Saturday evening at the Denver Coliseum.

A double-digit lead got away from Rock Canyon in the fourth quarter, but junior Jacob David scored seven straight points in crunch time and the fifth-seeded Jaguars would not be caught in a 68-58 victory over the second-seeded Mustangs in front of a raucous packed house.

“This group is so special and they hold each other accountable,” said emotional head coach Kent Grams, who waited 14 years to celebrate his first state championship. “Our practices are so intense and I’ve never seen the competitiveness that we have. I have to calm people down all the time and let them know we are teammates and we can’t hurt each other. But we all made each other better. Everybody deserves this so much.”

Grams admitted that playing on back-to-back days took its toll — the Jaguars (24-3) had defeated top-seeded Chaparral in Friday’s semifinals to gain revenge for their lone in-state loss of the season — but that’s where the toughness kicked in for the Continental League regular season runner-up.

Coach Chris Braketa’s 26-2 Ralston Valley team — which downed third-seeded Rangeview less than 24 hours earlier in the semifinals — came out swinging and built an early lead, only to see Rock Canyon resolutely respond. Five different players scored in the opening period, as the Jaguars were effective inside and outside to take a four-point edge.

Five Rock Canyon players also scored in the second quarter as the lead expanded to to nine by halftime and then reached double digits early in the third quarter on a layup by junior Cooper Elwood (who finished with a team-high 19 points).

Ralston Valley responded with a run keyed by senior post Zeke Andrews — who tallied a game-high 21 — but David closed the quarter with a pair of free throws and then a buzzer-beating 3-pointer (much like one he hit the previous night against Chaparral) to make it a 46-37 Rock Canyon lead after three.

The Mustangs rode the hot shooting of senior guard Frank Psaute (who made five 3-pointers and registered 17 points) to get back into it, and took a one-point lead on a putback dunk by Andrews before the Jaguars dug in one last time.

Gritty senior post Kai Valentine (15 points, including seven in the final period) gave Rock Canyon the lead back with an inside basket before David took over. The big blow came after he sliced through a pair of defenders and pulled up to hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key. David added four straight free throws to cap a 16-point night and put the Jaguars in firm control.

“My teammates were telling me to go get the ball and I got it and made a play with it,” said David, who had 12 in the final two quarters. “My teammates having confidence in me really helps. …We’ve been down a lot, but we always crawl our way back. We have people who will everything because they just want to win. It feels amazing to get one.

“We were due.”

Once the final buzzer had sounded, Rock Canyon got to celebrate the title with a massive cheering section — known as the Canyon Crazies — and relish school history.

“It’s unbelievable, I couldn’t be happier,” Elwood said. “Every single one of these coaches wanted it as bad as we did. I love every single coach and I love every single player here. To get a banner to put up in the gym is unreal.”

Added Grams: “In a couple of days I will get to reflect on it all and understand why. There are some unique things about this group and I want to make sure I remember them.”

Ralston Valley — which also got 16 points from senior Caiden Braketa — suffered its first loss since a four-point defeat to No. 4 Arvada West on Jan. 31. The Mustangs came up short in their quest to win a second all-time state title after they took the then-4A crown in 2003.