Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo tries to keep his dribble after stumbling during the first half Friday night at Chatfield High School. Antrillo had 12 points in the Eagles’ 74-66 victory against the rival Chargers. (Dennis Pleuss)
LITTELTON — Dakota Ridge has rival Chatfield’s number on the boys basketball court so far this season.
On Friday night Dakota Ridge (15-6, 10-4 in Class 5A Jeffco League) repeated the feat it pulled back on Jan. 17. The Eagles knocked off the No. 8-ranked Chargers by a score of 74-66 on Chatfield’s home court.
“I’m proud of the way the guys have responded all year,” said Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy, a 2000 graduate of Chatfield. “We struggled against A-West (Wednesday). Tonight they responded. They did a heck of a job. They made some plays.”
The loss to Arvada West two days early made it tough for the Eagles to catch Chatfield (17-4, 12-2) in the conference standings. However, Dakota Ridge was up to the task to hand the Chargers their second league loss, along with ending Chatfield’s seven-game winning streak.
Chatfield senior Darius Reiter (25) gets off a shot with the hand of Dakota Ridge junior Mason Grothuesmann in his face during the final minutes of the fourth quarter Friday. (Dennis Pleuss)
“You have to give (Dakota Ridge) credit. They wanted it more then we did,” Chatfield coach Stephen Schimpeler said. “We didn’t play with any desperation. When we did play with desperation we were pretty good, but you have to play desperate from the very beginning.”
Senior Andrew St. Germain helped keep the Chargers within striking distance with 23 points. Senior Darius Reiter scored 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter and sophomore Riley Welch hit a couple of 3-pointers on his way to a 10-point night.
In the end, Chatfield had to swallow the bitter pill of losing again to one of its closest rivals.
“It’s definitely extremely frustrating,” St. Germain said. “You never want to lose at home and you never want to lose to a rival like Dakota Ridge twice.”
Big second and third quarters by the Eagles put Dakota Ridge up 55-41 going into the final quarter. The Eagles’ 74 points was the second most Chatfield has given up this season.
“Our guards really picked it up,” Yutzy said. “We did a good job, especially in the second quarter of attacking their pressure and getting easy buckets rather Chatfield getting easy buckets off steals and turnovers.”
Dakota Ridge senior Devante Williams, who missed the beginning of the season with a shoulder injury suffered during football, had a monster second quarter with eight points off the bench. Williams finished with 10 points.
Junior Cody Pittman had another big game off the bench with 10 points, including a 3-pointer to start the scoring in the fourth quarter for the Eagles. Senior Cambrian Antrillo and junior Mason Grothuesmann both poured in a dozen points for Dakota Ridge.
“We felt a lot more confident,” Antrillo said of having already beat Chatfield. “We practiced hard yesterday and wanted to get the ‘W’.”
Chatfield senior Andrew St. Germain (5) looks for an open teammates while getting pressure from Dakota Ridge senior Jake Flores in the second half Friday. St. Germain had a game-high 23 points in the loss to Dakota Ridge. (Dennis Pleuss)
Seniors Jake Flores (eight points), Jake Jones (seven points), Ian MacDonald (seven points) and junior Alden Erickson (eight points) also had their moments in the Eagles’ victory.
Dakota Ridge has relied on a balanced scoring attack this season and that was no different against Chatfield. Eight Eagles had at least seven points.
“It definitely gives us confidence,” Flores said. “We do it as a team. When we do it like that it makes it a lot more fun to play the game.”
Chatfield got within 69-64 with two minutes to play after a 3-pointer by senior Austin Rice, but Pittman and Grothuesmann sealed the Dakota Ridge victory with free throws in the final minute.
“Chatfield is a heck of a team,” Yutzy said. “Their threes didn’t fall in the end. That is kind of the way the ball bounced for them. Coach Schimpeler does an unbelievable job with his kids. They are a scary team to play.”
Chatfield closes the regular season with a pair of conference road games next week. The Chargers face Arvada West at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 and rival Columbine at 7 p.m. Feb. 21.
“We are still playing for a league championship, a high seed and a home game for the playoffs,” St. Germain said.
Dakota Ridge hosts Ralston Valley at 7 p.m. Feb. 19 before wrapping up its regular season on the road against Lakewood at 7 p.m. Feb. 21.
CHSAA’s Selection Show will be held Sunday, Feb. 23, to announce the 48 squads selected for the 5A boys basketball state tournament.
Dakota Ridge junior Cody Pittman (10) drives on Chatfield senior Thomas Welch (12) on Friday night in the Class 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss)
BROOMFIELD — Jefferson Academy, ranked fifth in this week’s CHSAANow.com 3A boys basketball poll, handed No. 1 Holy Family its first loss of the season on Friday.
Jefferson Academy’s high scorers were Andrew Ullman with 15 and Bryson Sharpley with 16.
Austin Brown with 14 and Chris Helbig with 15 were the high scorers for Holy Family.
D’Evelyn teammates Cameron Brown (10) and Landon Schoenberger (15) reach for a ball with Golden senior Jake McCormick during the first half Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
GOLDEN — Lack of familiarity hasn’t been an issue this boys basketball season between Class 4A Jeffco League rivals D’Evelyn and Golden.
The Jaguars and Demons locked up for the third time in just more than two months on Tuesday at Golden High School. No. 4-ranked D’Evelyn scored the final 12 points to notch a key 52-47 conference victory over 10th-ranked Golden.
D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee (1) goes up and over Golden senior Cole Greff for a layup Tuesday night. McGee scored a team-high 21 point in the Jaguars’ 52-47 victory against the Demons. (Dennis Pleuss)
D’Evelyn (16-3, 11-0 in league) holds a two-game lead Golden (16-4, 9-2) and three-game lead over Green Mountain (11-8, 8-3) with three conference games left for the three top teams in 4A Jeffco.
Despite all but wrapping up its third straight league crown Tuesday, the Jaguars want to sweep the conference for a third consecutive season.
“Green Mountain and Wheat Ridge both gave us fits,” D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner said about the Jaguars’ two upcoming league opponents. “We aren’t resting on our laurels. Our plan is to win each league game we play. Maybe it’s mathematically tough for other people to win league, but we’ll take care of business as we go.”
D’Evelyn has reeled off 38 straight 4A Jeffco League victories dating back to the 2010-11 season. The Jaguars’ last conference loss was just over three years ago to Valor Christian on Feb. 10, 2011.
“It definitely makes us feel good,” D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee said of the Jaguars closing in on another league title. “Our first chapter is getting league, but we have some greater goals.”
The goal Tuesday night was figure out away to slow down Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett. The sophomore was dominating down low pouring in 25 points through three quarters.
“(Blodgett) went off for 16 points in the first half,” said McGee, who led the way for D’Evelyn with 21 points. He was our key kid to focus on in the second half.”
Blodgett, McGee and D’Evelyn junior Gant Witherspoon (15 points) were putting on a scoring clinic through the first three quarters. The trio combined for 59 points going into the fourth quarter with Golden leading 40-39.
The Demons actually took its biggest lead of the game at 47-40 after back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Jake McCormick and a made free throw from junior Ryan Thistlewood with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter. It would be the final points of the night for Golden.
D’Evelyn answered seconds later with a 3-pointer from Nate Flack, who has just recently returned to the court from injury. Flack’s 3-pointer started a 12-0 run for the Jaguars to end the game.
“You hold a high scoring team to 52 points you should have a chance to win the basketball game,” Golden coach John Anderson said. “We got some pretty good looks. Nothing went in.”
Golden junior Phil Katzman (11) has his path to the basket blocked by D’Evelyn junior Grant Witherspoon (24) on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
McGee made a pair of free throws with 4:50 left in the game to pull the Jaguars within 47-45. D’Evelyn took the lead for good on a 3-point play from senior Brian Smith with 4:33 remaining.
Junior Christian Denton stepped up in the final minute on both ends of the floor for D’Evelyn. Denton went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute and also came up with a huge steal on a Golden inbounce pass intended for Blodgett.
“I really respect Christian Denton,” Pachner said. “He nailed the game with four straight free throws. Then the steal, he really made a play there to get it done.”
Golden had one final shot to send the game into overtime, but McCormick’s 3-pointer was off the mark and Denton grabbed the rebound.
The top two teams in 4A Jeffco split their previous two meetings. Golden defeated D’Evelyn 77-67 in the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic tournament final in early December. The Jaguars answered with a 68-50 win over the Demons on Jan. 10 in the first of two conference battles.
“Golden is a great team,” Pachner said. “I thought Blodgett was outstanding all night. We had no answer for him.”
Golden closes out its regular season with home games against Evergreen (Thursday) and Arvada (Feb. 19) before wrapping up on the road against rival Wheat Ridge (Feb. 21).
“The big thing right now is we have to bounce back and bounce back quickly,” Anderson said. “We can’t have a hangover effect. Right now it’s about positioning ourselves for the playoffs.”
The 4A boys basketball state tournament begins Wednesday, Feb. 26.
Golden sophomore Nick Capaul (34) snags a rebound away from D’Evelyn sophomore Landon Schoenberger (15) during the first half Tuesday night at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss)Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett, middle, tries to get a grip on a rebound between D’Evelyn juniors Christian Denton (21) and Grant Witherspoon (24) on Tuesday night. Blodgett had a game-high 25 points, but it wasn’t enough as D’Evelyn scored its 38th straight league victory, 52-47. (Dennis Pleuss)
WESTMINSTER — Mountain Range boys basketball scored 28 points in the fourth quarter of the Front Range League matchup to get a 68-52 win over Fairview on Tuesday night.
Mustang juniors Andrew Romero III (24 points) and Ben Egan (21 points) were high scorers on the night. Senior Grady Egan scored his eight points in the 4th quarter.
Grand Junction started the 2013-14 campaign 7-0. The Tigers then lost two straight just prior to the winter break. However, since that break, GJ is 9-0.
This week, the Tigers cracked the top-10. They are ranked No. 9 in CHSAANow.com’s 5A poll.
Elsewhere in 5A, Denver East extended its stay at No. 1. Fossil Ridge remained at No. 2, and Mountain Vista at No. 3.
Regis Jesuit moved back up to the No. 4 spot after a 2-0 week. Eaglecrest dropped one place, and rounds out the top 5.
Arapahoe is sixth, Overland is seventh and Chatfield is eighth. Highlands Ranch rounds out the ranking at No. 10.
The 4A poll added Golden at No. 10. Other newcomers included No. 8 Centauri in 3A, No. 10 Denver Christian in 2A and No. 8 Shining Mountain in 1A.
Valor Christian (4A), Holy Family (3A), Ignacio (2A) and Caliche (1A) held firm atop their respective polls.
Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett (33) tries to get around Green Mountain senior Mitch Schafer (34) while Green Mountain’s student section looks on during the second half Friday night. Blodgett had 18 points and 17 rebounds in the Demons’ 70-66 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
LAKEWOOD — Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett could still crack a smile despite missing everything on a free throw attempt and with the game on the line Friday night.
“(Blodgett) was laughing about it coming to the bench,” said Golden boys basketball coach John Anderson about taking a timeout after Blodgett’s first of two free throws didn’t find the rim. “I felt pretty good he was going to make the next one.”
With the Demons holding a three-point lead with 3 seconds to play in the Class 4A Jeffco League showdown with Green Mountain, Blodgett sealed the win by hitting nothing but net on his second attempt from the charity stripe to give the Demons (15-3, 8-1 in league) a hard-fought 70-66 road victory.
Golden junior Ryan Thistlewood (21) passes the ball while being guarded by Green Mountain senior Alex Erickson (3). Thistlewood had a key bucket in the final minute to help propel the Demons to a 70-66 road victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
“The game was over if I make this shot,” said Blodgett of his mindset stepping back to the line after his first arrant free throw. “I emptied my head and took the crowd out of it. I went up there and used my legs like I’m always told. I was pretty nervous.”
Blodgett had a monster game with a team-high in points (18) and rebounds (17).
“It’s every night with him,” Anderson said. “Ryan is so explosive and so fast. He is relentless after the ball.”
The sophomore’s only struggles were at the free-throw line where he finished 2-for-8, but he wasn’t alone. Golden finished the night 8-for-22 from the charity stripe, but had enough to run its winning-streak to seven games.
The important conference win over Green Mountain (10-8, 7-3) overshadowed a tough night at the line for the Demons.
“We’ve obviously got to do better than that,” Anderson said of the struggles at the line. “Also, giving up a big lead like that. Our defense got stagnant and we were just standing around. You’ve got to guard, especially when Green Mountain has weapons like that.”
Golden held what seemed to be a comfortable 15-point lead midway through the third quarter. However, Green Mountain chipped away and eventually took a 66-65 lead with a minute to play in the fourth quarter with a bucket from senior Daniel Brughelli.
Brughelli finished with a game-high 21 points.
“We started rebounding and we started playing better, plain and simple,” Green Mountain coach Derek Van Tassel said. “We didn’t play well at all in the first half and that is uncharacteristic for us. Against a team like (Golden) you have to play the whole time.”
The Demons retook the lead at 67-66 with 47 seconds left on a left-handed runner in the lane from junior Ryan Thistlewood (14 points). After a missed 3-pointer from the Rams, Golden junior Cole Greff was fouled with 17 seconds left. Greff (14 points) made both to extend the lead to 69-66.
Green Mountain sophomore Austin Fritts (11 points) launched a 3-pointer from the corner in an attempt to send the game into overtime, but his shot fell short and was rebounded by Blodgett. The made free throw by the sophomore sealed the win.
Green Mountain senior Will Zeiner (52) has his shot blocked Friday night. The Rams rallied from a 15-point deficit in the third quarter, but eventually lost 70-66. (Dennis Pleuss)
Next week is critical in determining how the 4A Jeffco League will shake out.
After facing Alameda at 4 p.m. Saturday, Golden will host conference-leading D’Evelyn (15-3, 10-0) at 7 p.m. Feb. 11. The Jaguars handled Evergreen (10-9, 6-4) on Friday night with a 70-49 victory.
It will be the third meeting between the Demons and No. 4th-ranked Jaguars.
Golden defeated D’Evelyn 77-67 in the championship game of the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic before winter break. However, the Jaguars got some revenge with a 68-50 win over the Demons in their first of two league meetings.
“It’s going to be exciting in our home place,” said Blodgett of the rubber match against D’Evelyn. “Hoping for a huge crowd and the schools show up. It’s going to be a great environment to play in.”
Green Mountain has a pair of key road games next week. The Rams face Evergreen at 7 p.m. Feb. 11, before taking on D’Evelyn at 7 p.m. Feb. 13.
“They are all big. We want to play well every game,” Van Tassel said of facing two more top teams in the conference. “It’s going to be a fun week and a half.”
Green Mountain sophomore Austin Fritts (1) fires a no-look pass through the Golden defense Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
