(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
MONUMENT — Lewis-Palmer is going to get everyone’s best shot, and they know it. But that’s to be expected as the CHSAANow.com No. 2 ranked team in the state.
Still, with the right preparation, effort and execution, the Rangers are looking more and more like a team that could emerge from 2015-16 season hoisting a state championship trophy.
Friday’s 72-59 win over Sand Creek was just another example of how deep the Rangers are and how their work and effort will help them reach the highest levels this year.
“We just keep doing the same thing every day,” Rangers guard Jonathan Scott said. “If we do the same thing every day and we don’t slack off at any point and we play defense hard in practice, (our high level of play) is never going to die.”
Scott led his team in scoring with 23 points, but he got plenty of help from his teammates. The Rangers (16-1 overall, 8-0 Pikes Peak Athletic Conference) had four players score in double figures.
But that’s just the way the team works. Scott might be the player who most often has the hot hand, but if someone else steps up and starts knocking down shots, the team isn’t afraid to keep feeding that player so long as it results in a win.
“It makes a big difference,” Lewis-Palmer coach Bill Benton said. “We have four guys averaging double figures, it could be five if we really wanted to. They understand if someone is hitting or if someone else is being taken away, one of them will have to step up.”
While the Scorpions (9-7, 4-4) aren’t as deep as the Rangers, they still have the x-factor in D’Shawn Schwartz. Sand Creek trailed 30-21 at halftime and there was danger that the game could get out of hand, but Schwartz fought to bring his team back.
He scored the first nine points of the second half for the Scorpions and cut the Lewis-Palmer lead to 34-30. As was the case in Wednesday’s loss to Vista Ridge, Sand Creek once again showed it is a second-half team, with Schwartz being the catalyst.
If they could put together four solid quarters, they could be a very dangerous team in a Class 4A field that runs extremely deep.
“I think they know it,” Scorpions coach Mark Bowers said. “I don’t think they’re willing to accept it. I had a lot of conversations with my kids and I utilized some of my resources. I’m excited after tonight. I truly am. With what they did, if they keep building on that, if we make the playoffs I think we could be one to watch for.”
Schwartz finished with a game-high 25 points, showing at times that he has the ability to take a game over and score at will, even with a standout defender like Scott playing blanket defense.
“I still played as hard as I could on defense, he just played amazing,” Scott said.
The Scorpions were able to pull to winning six late in the game, but it was Joe Decoud with a layup and then a back-breaking 3-pointer that helped the Rangers pull away. Through the tough moments in every game and even knowing he will take every team’s best shot Benton is able to relax knowing that he has a group of seniors that know how to pull out the close wins.
“Having five seniors makes a big difference,” he said. “These guys have been in games. They’ve been in tight games, big games. They’re not rattled by a lot of stuff.”