(Brie Thomas/CHSAANow.com)
BOULDER — Tuesday night, Boulder’s most intense high school rivalry reverberated throughout the Coors Events Center as the clock ticked down to tip off.
When the night was over, Boulder (11-5) pulled away with a 39-35 win over the Fairview Knights (7-9).
The game was tough sledding at first, taking over three minutes for the first points to be scored. Fairview jumped out to an early lead, keeping Boulder scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter.
It wasn’t until senior guard Landon Taliaferro entered the game, giving the Panthers the spark they needed.
“We started off a little bit slow, didn’t have the best shooting night,” Taliaferro said. “Simple as that, we just got it done.”
With both teams off to shaky starts from the paint, the first quarter ended all knotted up at 7-7.
Boulder started off the second quarter looking to be more aggressive both offensively and defensively. The Panthers did just that when Taliaferro hit an early 3-pointer.
The intense atmosphere of the Coors Event Center seemed to carry through into the second quarter as both teams struggled to get baskets.
“I just thought we battled, competed really hard, we didn’t shoot the ball especially well, this is a tough gym to shoot in for our guys,” Boulder coach Jack Clarke said.
With both teams looking for a glimmer of hope, Fairview found themselves at the line knocking down four free throws to give them a 14-13 lead.
But that lead was short lived after Henry Ryan knocked down a much needed 3-pointer for Boulder. With an easy layup made by Fairview’s Frank Ryder, the second quarter ended with each team scoring 16 points.
Boulder made five 3-pointers compared to Fairview’s one. When asked about why they had so much trouble defending the three, Fairview coach Patrick Burke said, “They defended like crazy, they did a really good job defending. That’s their game, to shoot threes.”
Both teams came out after halftime with determination, each making a 3-pointer. The crowd erupted after Trent Carson gave Fairview a three-point lead.
Boulder showed its grit and toughness in the third quarter when they racked up 15 points, almost equally their total score from the first half, ending the quarter with Boulder up on Fairview by 6, 31-25.
“We just talked about being a little bit patient, we got a lot of shots blocked around the rim, taking some better shots and getting some more shots in rhythm,” Clarke said. “I think we rushed stuff a little bit in the first half trying to win the game in one play instead of grinding it out.”
Boulder looked to its offensive rebounding skills to put up second chance points.
“They were a little more aggressive on the offense glass than us, I think thats what was the biggest difference,” Burke said.
With the intensity in the gym reaching an all time high, Boulder continued to find open looks. With four minutes left in the game Boulder found itself with a 37-29 lead, but knew the game was far from over.
Fairview was able to get Frank Ryder to the line three separate times, cutting the lead to four. With 35 seconds left, Ryder released a floater that dropped through the net, causing Boulder to take a time out.
As time was ticking down, Fairview had two last ditch 3-point efforts to tie the game but unfortunately ending up falling short. With 15 seconds left, Fairview was forced to foul Peter Chopra who went one for two in his free throws, leading to Boulders 39-35 win over Fairview.
Fairview will look to bounce back this Friday against Fort Collins.
Boulder takes on a 13-3 Greeley West.