Cherry Creek boys basketball pulled off the upset of the night in the Sweet 16, beating No. 1 ThunderRidge. More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
(4) Cherry Creek 67, (1) ThunderRidge 56
Cherry Creek boys basketball stunned No. 1 seed ThunderRidge with a 67-56 win in the Class 5A Sweet 16 on Wednesday night. The win secures a spot for the Bruins in Saturday’s Great 8.
The Bruins, a No. 4 seed, were in control at seemingly every juncture. They jumped out to a 13-4 lead late in the first quarter, and extended that lead to 24-19 at halftime. It was 46-37 after three quarters, and Cherry Creek controlled the fourth quarter for the upset.
Cherry Creek had a scoring advantage in every quarter en route to the win, which knocked off last year’s 5A runner-up.
This is the Bruins’ first appearance in the Great 8 since 2012, according to AD Jason Wilkins.
Find photos from the game here.
(1) Chatfield 63, (3) George Washington 59
Chatfield rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter, and sparked a comeback victory over George Washington.
The Chargers trailed 46-36 in the third, but an 11-0 run gave Chatfield a 47-46 lead.
Chatfield had trailed after the first quarter — 17-10 — but a 9-0 run gave the Chargers a 19-17 lead. Still, GW took a 26-25 advantage into halftime.
The Patriots pushed their lead to that 46-36 margin in the third quarter, before Chatfield’s 11-0 run changed the game.
It was 58-56 Chatfield with just over 30 seconds to play, and the Chargers were able to hold on from there.
The upcoming trip to the Great 8 is believed to be the school’s first in 15 years, according to Chatfield.
(1) Rangeview 57, (5) Arvada West 56
Kris Hollins made what proved to be the game-winning free-throw with 2.1 seconds left to help Rangeview escape an upset bid.
As it typically does, Rangeview jumped out on Arvada West early, and led 17-11 after the first quarter. But A-West hung around in this one.
The Wildcats rallied to take a 27-26 lead at halftime, and stuck close throughout.
Rangeview did lead 45-39 after three quarters, but Arvada West cut it to a three-point lead with 1:17 to go. With 35 seconds to play, it was a two-point lead.
The game was tied late when Hollins was fouled following an offensive rebound, according to Brock Laue. He hit one free-throw, and that proved to be the difference.
(2) Cherokee Trail 56, (3) Legend 52
In yet another close Sweet 16 contest, the two teams stayed close all night.
Still, Cherokee Trail held narrow leads after each quarter. It was 17-15 after one, 27-24 at the half, and 46-42 after three.
According to Ian Silvester, Cherokee Trail’s David Thornton led all scorers with 21 points. Thornton is CT’s leading scorer this season at 19.5 points per game.
(2) Regis Jesuit 60, (3) Dakota Ridge 53
Regis Jesuit beat Dakota Ridge to move on to the Great 8. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Regis Jesuit had a monster second quarter to build a lead, then held on for the Sweet 16 win.
The Raiders trailed 10-9 after the first quarter, but used runs of 11-0 and 7-0 to take a commanding 33-19 lead into halftime.
It was 39-27 going to the fourth, and Dakota Ridge would get within five with three minutes left, but Regis Jesuit was able to put the Eagles away.
The Raiders had four players hit double figures, led by Elijah Martinez and Michael Wambsganss, who each scored 15. Geoffrey Kelly added 13 points, and Connor Hobbs had 10 for Regis.
Find photos from the game here.
(1) Overland 68, (4) Boulder 40
Alijah Halliburton went off for 20 points as the defending champions cruised back into the Great 8.
Halliburton’s total was just off his season high of 23. Five other players had at least seven points for Overland, including De’Ron Davis (10), Reggie Gibson (nine), Jervae Robison (eight), Nick Holmes (eight) and Padiet Wang (seven).
Bill Discipio was Boulder’s leading scorer in the loss with 12 points.
Great 8 matchups
Times TBD
- (1) Eaglecrest vs. (2) Regis Jesuit
- (1) Rangeview vs. (2) Cherokee Trail
- (1) Overland vs. (2) Doherty
- (4) Cherry Creek vs. (2) Chatfield