(Max Potter/CHSAANow.com)
GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Cherry Creek boys basketball snapped its two-game skid with a 71-67 win over Smoky Hill on Wednesday night.
Right out of the gate, Smoky Hill came out hot and ready to play while the Bruins (13-3 overall, 5-2 Centennial League) came out cold and had problems covering the height that Smoky showcases.
Smoky had a 19-7 lead at the first break and that success spilled over into the second quarter as the Buffs (11-5, 4-3) extended their lead to 23-7 only a minute and seven seconds in the second quarter. Smoky continued their dominance through the period, but the Bruins showed fight late in the second and the Buffs went into the locker room with a 40-22 lead.
Cherry Creek came out of the break with renewed focus. They brought the Buffalo lead to 45-35 about halfway through the third quarter, until Smoky turned on the jets and grew that lead out. A late Cherry Creek run brought the lead back to 10 heading into the fourth quarter.
And that’s when the Bruins really showed up. They went on a 11-0 run and grabbed their first lead of the day with 4:15 remaining in the game.
“I knew that once we got it down to single digits and tied it the game was ours,” senior Jalen Meeks said. “We started rolling.”
Meeks described it as the momentum started to shift to Creek, and a big shift it was as the crowd became a factor late.
It was another great individual performance from Meeks as he dropped 20 points despite getting into foul trouble.
“My guys had me the whole way,” Meeks said. “They found me in my mid-range spots and that’s when we started rolling.”