LOVELAND — No. 3 seed Jim Elliot Christian had an obvious advantage against No. 6 South Baca in the Class 1A boys basketball state tournament.
The Warriors had a few inches on the Patriots at every position, allowing them to pass over the top, dominate the glass, protect their own rim, and cruise to the 1A state semifinals with a 67-55 Great 8 victory at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.
Tanner Smith of Jim Elliot Christian boys basketball. (Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)
The Patriots struggled with matchups, but then again, who hasn’t struggled guarding Tanner Smith this season?
The 6-foot-1 senior guard, the only 1A player to be named to Colorado’s all-star game, The Show, was a magician with the ball while throwing fancy passes to his post players and getting into the lane at will to score.
The captain of the Warriors, Smith was averaging 18.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, 6 assists, 4.1 steals, and 2.5 blocks entering Thursday. He stuffed the stat sheet again on the biggest stage, much to the delight of a large Jim Elliot fan section who made the drive north from Englewood, finishing with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Of course, in a game Jim Elliot led throughout and mostly controlled, Smith got plenty of help from thick forwards Connor Bogner (23 points) and Brennan Moore (18).
Built more like football players, sophomore Bogner and his senior brother Matt, along with senior Moore, look poised to battle in the trenches.
“We’re a lot more physical this year, especially Connor and Brennan Moore,” Smith said. “They are deceptive. They aren’t super athletic guys or super tall or anything, but they just get the ball inside, take their time, they are strong with it, and they finish their layups. That’s what you need to do.”
Jim Elliot, which opened its doors in 1999, is enjoying a dream season. They set a program record with 21 wins, with a now 22-2 mark, and they reached the state tournament for the first time after coming close in recent years.
“We had been to regionals the two years before,” Smith said. “We wanted to get here and enjoy it.”
The Warriors get the chance to continue their best run ever with a Final 4 showdown scheduled for 8:30 p.m. Friday evening.
South Baca (18-4) was led by Matthew Crane’s 16 points.
(1) Sangre de Cristo 63 (8) Peetz 27
The Thunderbirds cruised to a 24-0 record by handling the Bulldogs in a game that was never close.
They won it all in 2001, their lone state championship in boys hoops.
(2) Holly 64 (7) Prairie 50
The Wildcats scorched the nets early and won easily over the Mustangs as Yaniel Vidal scored 24 points. Bryan Ortiz and Tristan Nelson chipped in 10 each.
This is Holly’s third straight appearance in the state tournament, but first in the Final 4 in recent years.
(5) Fleming 54 (4) Ouray 31
The Wildcats handled the Trojans thanks to a balanced scoring effort from Alex Vandenbark (10 points), Joey Stahley (9), Blake Meredith (8), and Cameron Henry (7).
Fleming only has one senior on the roster.