Golden advanced to its first Final 4 since 2005 with a 59-52 victory over 4A Jeffco rival Evergreen. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
GOLDEN — The only guarantee Saturday night at Golden High School was a Jeffco League team would be advancing to the Final 4 of the Class 4A boys basketball state tournament.
In the end, Golden took a 59-52 victory to win the battle of the league foes to dance into the state semifinals for the first time since 2005.
“That is something that is really important to us,” Golden senior Kayden Sund said of getting back to the Final 4 for the first time in a dozen years. “To give our city, our school and the whole community the chance to watch us play on a big stage is special.”
The No. 12 Demons will face another 4A Jeffco League team in top-seed Valor Christian with a trip to the championship game on the line Friday, March 10, at the Denver Coliseum. The Eagles swept the Demons during their two regular-season meetings.
Golden’s Kayden Sund, right, had a game-high 24 points against Evergreen. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
“I love playing Valor because they are a Jeffco League team. I love Troy (Valor coach Troy Pachner). I respect that team,” said Golden coach John Anderson, who guided the Demons into the Final 4 in 2003 and 2005. “I want another chance at them.”
Sund and junior Adam Thistlewood were two big reasons how Golden (19-7 record) was able to get the home victory over No. 13 Evergreen (20-6). Sund finished with a game-high 24 points, including 14 points in the first half were it seemed like he couldn’t miss.
“Kayden is so engaged right now,” Anderson said. “I told him, ‘We are going as far as you are taking us Kayden.’ I knew when we got into the playoffs anything can happen.”
Golden’s lone senior sunk a handful of mid-range jumpers and a pair of 3-pointers to help give the Demons a 33-24 lead at halftime.
“To be honest, I thought I’d be cold because I shot pretty well against Longmont and Holy Family,” Sund said of his previous two playoff games. “I was getting open looks and I just let them go.”
Evergreen swept the two conference meetings against Golden this season. The Cougars defeated the Demons 60-53 on Jan. 20 and 70-60 on Feb. 14. So despite falling behind by double-digits early in the second half, Evergreen was confident it could rally.
Golden’s Adam Thistlewood, right, tries to get a shot off over Evergreen’s Michael Dillon. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
The Cougars did just that with a 12-0 run where they held the Demons scoreless for more than six minutes.
“We were confident,” said Evergreen junior Bridger Tenney, who finished with 18 points. “We trust each other and know what we can do, but we just weren’t able to do it tonight.”
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Evergreen senior Michael Dillon cut the Demons’ lead to 40-38 late in the third quarter.
“The doubt started to creep in at that point,” Sund said of Evergreen’s 12-0 run that cut Golden’s lead to two heading to the fourth quarter.
However, Golden made a living at the free-throw line in the final quarter. The Demons went 18-for-21 from the charity stripe for the game, including 15-for-16 in the fourth quarter.
Thistlewood (21 points) and Sund combined to score 17 of the Demons’ 19 points in the final eight minutes.
“We just hung with it,” Thistlewood said of the season and being the lowest remaining seed in the state tournament. “We battled some tough losses in league, but now we’re here.”
In fact, six of seven losses for Golden this season came to 4A Jeffco teams. The Demons suffered home-and-away losses to Evergreen, D’Evelyn and Valor. The four Jeffco League programs all played Saturday in the 4A state quarterfinals.
Neither Evergreen or Golden have ever won a boys basketball state title. The Demons’ 2005 team lost to eventual state champion Thomas Jefferson at the Coors Events Center.
The last trip to the Final 4 for Evergreen was 1997 where the Cougars eventually lost in the title game.
“It was a great season,” Evergreen coach Scott Haebe said. “Still, obviously it’s disappointing when you beat a team twice during the year, then you get to the final eight and can’t find a way to beat them again.”
Evergreen senior Michael Dillon (34) drives on a trio of Golden defenders Saturday in the Great 8 playoff game. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)