DENVER — Bragging rights in the Denver Prep League and more importantly a ticket to the Class 4A boys’ basketball state semifinals was on the line Saturday night at the Denver Coliseum.
Denver Prep foes Thomas Jefferson and Denver South had split their previous two meetings this season. The rubber match went to the Rebels of Denver South with 54-52 win, which had a dramatic ending — and led to Denver South’s first final four appearance since 1970.
After trailing for the majority of the game, Thomas Jefferson (17-9) tied things at 52-52 on a bucket from senior Josh McNair with 50 seconds left. The Spartans had the ball with the chance to take the lead, but South senior Ibrahim Sylla got a steal with just under 30 seconds left.
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
“Defense wins games,” said Sylla, who finished with a game-high 20 points and 13 rebounds. “I was just determined to block a shot or get the steal. I was just determined.”
Sylla fed the ball ahead to senior teammate Tyson Purifoy after the steal. Purifoy beat all Spartan defenders down the court and finger rolled in a layup with 23 seconds left for the eventual game-winning shot.
“If I miss that I’m going to be crying,” said Purifoy about his layup. “I just had to make it. Make it for my team.”
Thomas Jefferson had the final possession, but after a missed jumper in the lane Sylla grabbed the rebound, and the final horn sounded.
The No. 2-seeded Rebels (18-8) will face Cheyenne Mountain in the semifinals Friday, March 13, at the Coors Events Center in Boulder. Purifoy added that he believes the tournament is “wide open” with none of the No. 1 seeds advancing to the semifinals.
Seven state basketball trophies belong to the Rebels, but Denver South hasn’t won a championship since 1970, which was also the team’s last trip to the semis.
Sylla had a monster first quarter, slamming down a couple of dunks on his way to 11 points. His final dunk actually caused a delay to start the second quarter. The force of the dunk knocked the basket standard off its moorings.
“I’m kind of skinny, but I’m strong,” Sylla said of his first quarter dunks.
Foul trouble kept Sylla on the bench for the majority of the second quarter, but the Rebels were still able to hold on to their lead. Denver South was ahead 28-20 at halftime.
Purifoy found his outside shooting touch in the third quarter with a pair of field goals. He finished with 17 points and eight rebounds.
“Anytime Tyson can get a mid-range game going he is almost unstoppable,” Denver South coach Malik Fletcher said of Purifoy. “You can’t keep him from getting to the paint. If he can knockdown shots he’s almost impossible to check.”
Senior Antonio Garcia was key in the second half. He buried a 3-pointer late in the third quarter to give the Rebels a 44-32 lead and was 3-for-5 from the free-throw line to finish with eight points.
However, Thomas Jefferson rallied in the fourth quarter behind McNair (18 points), junior Jalen Rose (11 points) and senior Treyvon Andres (eight points). The Spartans come-from-behind attempt just fell short.
The Spartans have three state titles under their belts, including back-to-back 4A titles in 2006 and 2005. Thomas Jefferson have had a rough go of it in the state tournament in recent years, bowing out in the Great 8 or Sweet 16 the last four seasons.
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)