DENVER — If there is one word to describe Pueblo East’s boys basketball team, it’s “gritty.”
The Eagles compete every play and have amazing believe in one another. They don’t back down from any team. This grittiness has them in their first final four since the 2009-10 season after a 62-56 overtime win over Valor Christian at the Denver Coliseum.
“We take pride in being really mentally tough and hard-nosed and outworking people,” Pueblo East coach Dave Ryder said. “They’ve been playing together for a long time and they know when one guy’s feeling it, they keep giving him the ball. They believe in each other.”
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
The guy who was feeling it Saturday morning was Dylan Gavin, a senior and the leading scorer this season with a 20.5 points per contest average. Valor threatened to run away with the game with a 22-11 second quarter lead, but Gavin showed off his sweet shooting stroke and led East back. He had 15 first-half points and the game was tied at 24 at the break.
Gavin got offensive help in the second half in the form of Jimmy Valdez, Alex Jara and TJ Gradisar. Valdez was an effective low-post scorer, Jara made jumpers and Gradisar came through at the charity stripe.
In a game featuring five lead changes and eight ties, it was knotted at 35 headed into the fourth. Valor held a two-point lead with 19.6 seconds left in regulation at 49-47. Gavin came through with a drive for the bucket.
“It was a new play we put in a few weeks ago,” Gavin said. “We’ve only run it a couple times. It was supposed to be a back pick for our big guy to get a lob, but there wasn’t that much time left. I put my head down and went to the hole and I was lucky to make the shot.”
Pueblo East controlled overtime and won 62-56 as Gavin finished with 27 points and 11 rebounds.
No. 1-seeded Valor Christian, considered the top team in 4A all year, finishes its season 21-5. No. 2 Pueblo East will play the winner of D’Evelyn vs. Sand Creek in the final four in Boulder.
More photos. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)