More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
BOULDER — Ibrahim Sylla scored a quiet eight points during the first 32 minutes of Friday’s 4A semifinal game against Cheyenne Mountain. But the nine he scored in the five-minute overtime period proved to be the difference as the Rebels hung on to defeat the Indians 79-75 to advance to the state championship game against Pueblo East on Saturday.
The Rebels had to weather the storm of the Nehme brothers who combined for 49 points for the Indians. Denver South was able to build a 13-point lead in the second quarter, while taking Gus Nehme out of the game by getting him into foul trouble.
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
With momentum clearly on their side, the Rebels found themselves getting comfortable which allowed Cheyenne Mountain to sink a couple of late 3-pointers — including one to beat the buzzer at the end of the first half — to cut the lead to seven. A 22-8 run to start the third quarter for the Indians put the Rebels down by seven, backing them against the wall in the waning minutes of the game.
“We just had to regroup the troops; there’s momentum swings and we expected that,” Rebels coach Malik Fletcher said. “We would’ve liked to handle the pressure better, but we’ve been in these situations before. Our team is battle tested. We’ve been in close games where we’ve had to fight back out of situations like that.”
Leading the fight for the Rebels was senior point guard Tyson Purifoy who ended with a game-high 33 points. His surge through the first three quarters of the game helped the Rebels stay within striking distance going into the fourth quarter where his teammates were able to help him seal the victory.
“I feel like it’s a team; we’re a family, so if one person is down it’s the family’s job to pick him back up” Purifoy said. “I feel like we were really prepared with practices, running and situations — everything. We were prepared for it.”
Denver South will now be looking for the school’s first state championship since 1970, which was also the last time the Rebels made an appearance in the state title game. The long-running drought has also produced some very unpleasant years for the school, something that Fletcher and his team hope to erase come Saturday.
As one of two potential teams representing Denver Public Schools, Fletcher is trying to shrug off any added pressure that might come with playing for a championship.
“There no weight (of the city on our shoulders), it’s just the same thing and the same mindset that we’ve had since the beginning of the year,” Fletcher said. “We expect to be here so there’s no added pressure; we’re just anxious to get our opportunity.”
More photos. (Pam Wagner)
That opportunity will come against a Pueblo East team that will be looking for its first state championship in school history. Unlike the path from the Great 8 to the Final Four, the Rebels will only have a 24-hour turnaround before taking the court again.
“I feel excited,” Purifoy said. “It’s been a long time coming, we’re going to bring (a title) back to DPS and back to Denver South.”
The 4A state championship game will tip-off at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.