Dakota Ridge sophomore Devante Jones, right, attempt to lockdown Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton during the second quarter Wednesday night. The Eagles took a 52-48 victory in the Class 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss)
LITTLETON — Dakota Ridge’s hoopsters Jake Jones and Devante Jones aren’t related, but they provided the 1-2 punch Wednesday night.
The Eagles’ Joneses combined for 30 points to propel Dakota Ridge (16-6, 11-4 in league) to a 52-48 home victory against Ralston Valley in Class 5A Jeffco League boys basketball action. Senior Jake Jones poured in a game-high 19 points, including four 3-pointers in the second half.
“Jake has been a sparkplug for us a number of times. That is exactly what it was tonight,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy said. “He knocked down a couple of shots and got after it defensively. He played very well tonight.”
Dakota Ridge senior Jake Jones (30) was called for a charge on this play when he collided with Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker (0). Jones had an impressive second half with four 3-pointers to lead the Eagles to a 52-48 victory Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Facing a double-digit deficit in the second quarter, Yutzy called on sophomore Devante Jones to try to slow down Ralston Valley’s 6-foot-9 sophomore Dallas Walton. Walton had is way on the inside scoring nine points midway through the second quarter.
Walton was as much of a factor in the second half. He finished with 13 points for the Mustangs (16-6, 11-4).
“(Devante Jones) stepped up big,” Jake Jones said. “He is usually good on the defensive end blocking shots and he is long. I think he was a perfect matchup against Dallas. He did an awesome job.”
The Eagles cut Ralston Valley’s lead to 24-19 at halftime. The Mustangs scored the first three points of the second half, but Dakota Ridge broke out offensive with a 15-0 run.
Dakota Ridge junior Cody Pittman capped off the scoring barrage with a 3-pointer with 2:16 left in the third quarter, giving the Eagles a 34-27 lead.
“Halftime we thought it was going to be a rough one, but we came out fired up in the second half,” Jake Jones said. “We got on a roll and started knocking down shots.”
Ralston Valley on the other hand went cold offensively. The Mustangs scored just eight points in the third quarter and struggled from the free-throw line in the second half.
“We were actually 1-for-11 at one stretch at the free-throw line,” Ralston Valley coach Mitch Conrad said. “That turned the game right there. That was the ballgame.”
Behind senior Bryn Finnefrock (team-high 14 points), the Mustangs cut the Eagles’ lead to 52-50 in the final seconds.
“(Finnefrock) is a senior and a captain. He has been playing varsity for three years,” Conrad said. “That is what you expect from him. He did a good job for us.”
From left to right: Dakota Ridge sophomore Devante Jones, Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton, Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker and Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo battle for a rebound Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Ralston Valley closed a late deficit in its first meeting against Dakota Ridge on Jan. 21. The Mustangs came from behind to force overtime and eventually won 66-62. Dakota Ridge refused to make the same mistakes it did the first time around with Ralston Valley.
Jake Jones sealed the victory with a pair of free throws with 6.6 seconds left, giving the Eagles the four-point win.
“(Ralston Valley) is battle tested and makes plays in situations like that. They did again tonight,” said Yutzy, who pointed out that the Mustangs had a record of 7-1 in games decided by four points or less coming in. “The good thing is we’ve been in a good amount of those games ourselves. Our guys did a great job of making plays and taking care of the ball for the most part.”
Dakota Ridge finishes up conference play also on the road. The Eagles travel to Lakewood for a 7 p.m. tipoff Friday. A win would allow the Eagles at least earn a share of second-place in 5A Jeffco with Ralston Valley. It would also have Dakota Ridge on a three-game winning streak.
“We are going to be on a roll and go deep into the tournament, hopefully,” Jake Jones said.
Chatfield (18-4, 13-2) clinched back-to-back conference titles Wednesday night with a 68-61 victory over Arvada West.
Ralston Valley wraps up its regular-season schedule with a road game against rival A-West at 7 p.m. Friday.
The brackets for the 5A state tournament will be released Sunday. First-round postseason games will be played Feb. 26.
Dakota Ridge junior Mason Grothuesmann (31) passes the ball around Ralston Valley junior Andrew Wingard (1) during the first half Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)