GREELEY – The 1A boys basketball Great 8 took place Thursday inside the Bank of Colorado Arena. Advancing to the Final 4 were Granada, Merino, Sierra Grande, and McClave.
(3) Granada 67, (6) Haxtun 58
The Bobcats are back in the final four for the second consecutive season after holding off the Fighting Bulldogs of Haxtun by nine. Granada is seeking their first state championship appearance since 2002 and first title since 1991.
Granada was led by Dominic Coleman, who tallied 17, while right behind him were Maddox Coleman and Brandon Gonzales, who added 15 each. For Haxtun, four players ended up in the double digits, with Owen Knode tallying 18, followed by Michael Gerk with 14, Mac Tempel with 11, and David Avery with 10.
The first quarter was a true back and forth affair, but Granada maintained the slight lead, 20-17, after one. The lead went to 33-29 into the half. The Bobcats began to pull away by the end of the third, leading by ten, before eventually closing out the 67-58 final. Granada went a perfect 39-for-39 from the free throw line.
(7) Merino 38, (2) Evangelical Christian 37
Merino also returns to the final four, as they edged out higher seeded Evangelical Christian by one. Merino has not reached the finals since 1999, with their last boys basketball title coming in 1980.
Merino was led by Kaden Piel, who led the team with nine points. Next highest for the Rams was Tyler Miller, who added eight. For ECA, Michael Mann was the only player in double figures with 10, while RJ Wagner finished with nine.
The Rams started out on a 10-0 run, forcing the ECA timeout. After regathering, the Eagles scored the next six, to tighten the gap, before Merino closed out a 15-9 first quarter lead. ECA kept battling back, as they got to within one in the second quarter, and only trailed, 21-19, going into the locker room.
Evangelical Christian took their first lead of the game in the third quarter and kept it at 28-26 into the fourth. Merino kept answering back, though, as they recaptured a four-point advantage with just four minutes to play.
Down the stretch, it was a back-and-forth battle, as ECA scored five straight to take a lead, but Merino got a free throw to tie it with under three. The two teams then traded buckets to keep it tied with a minute and a half to go. After taking a brief lead, Merino’s Zach Batt completed a three-point play, which ended up being the decisive bucket, as the Ram defense stepped up with two huge steals to close out the one-point victory.
(1) Sierra Grande 62, (8) Dove Creek 52
Sierra Grande fended off the upstart Dove Creek Bulldogs to get to the Final 4. The undefeated Panthers are looking for their first state title appearance since 2012, and first state title in boys basketball history.
Isiah Chairez was the star of the show in the game, totaling 28 points total, including three three’s and a thunderous dunk. Brian Ontiveros added 21 with four three pointers as well. For Dove Creek, Kade Hankins poured in 23, while Ryan Jarmon contributed 13.
Dove Creek was all over the Panthers to start the game, striking for a 6-0 lead at the under four-minute mark. Sierra Grande got a pair of steals for layups to break the ice and only trailed 12-10 after the first quarter. From there it was a steady back-and-forth, until Chairez hit a few key triples to get the Panthers the lead, 33-27, into the half.
Sierra Grande kept up the pace to start the third quarter, upping their lead into the double digits late in the third and taking a 45-31 advantage into the final stanza. Dove Creek did not back down, getting the deficit back to within single digits with just under three minutes to play. The Panthers would not relent, however, sealing up the 10-point victory.
(5) McClave 66, (4) Caprock Academy 58
The McClave Cardinals became the only school to have both their boys and girls teams reach their respective Final Fours in 1A. The boys will look to reach their second championship game in program history, the other being a title in 2013.
They were led by Eduardo Verdu, who scored a game-high 20. He was followed by Riccardo Cazziniga, who had 16, while Aiden Martinez had 15. For Caprock, Andrew Jordan also scored 20, while Jonathan Abshear added 14 of his own.
The first quarter was neck and neck, as it was 8-8 at the 2:30 mark of the first quarter. It remained within one score the rest of the way, as a Caprock buzzer beater made it 14-13 McClave after one.
Caprock took a lead on a big dunk out of the brief break, but McClave responded to take a five-point advantage. Their lead remained steady until the final minute, when Caprock scored six straight to take a 31-29 lead into the half.
McClave hit a three to start the second half to take a lead, but it quickly went back to being tied 34-all with 5:30 left in the third. McClave battled back to take a steady five-point lead over the next three minutes, and maintained that lead, 43-38, into the fourth.
Caprock came out firing in the fourth, scoring six straight to take a lead. The two teams then traded buckets and traded leads until McClave took a three point advantage with five minutes to play.
The McClave lead ballooned to seven at the 2:36 mark, 54-47. It remained steady the rest of the way, resulting in the eight point victory.