(Photo courtesy of SkyView Academy athletics)

When SkyView Academy girls basketball coach Mickey DeVries finished his first season, he knew he was in for a lot of work. And he knew he couldn’t do it alone.

So he looked to a talented group of sophomores on his team and he threw a challenge their way. He challenged them to do the work that’s not only necessary to make the team successful, but do the work and make it so that the others want to be a part of what’s going on.

“They challenged each other to come in and work and strive to be something good,” DeVries said. “They came in all the time in the summer. They were shooting, they were doing some skill work, we were playing game. And they took a huge leap last year. We went from four wins to 11 wins. We’re having success this year and the hard work is showing itself in the win column.”

At 11-2 overall and 5-1 in the Class 3A Metro League, the Hawks are still in the hunt for the league title. Lutheran – the only team to beat the Hawks this year – currently sit in first place. They’re just one win shy of matching their win total from a year ago and with two wins, they’ll triple what they did in 2016-17.

And this isn’t a fluke. A year ago, it was Natalia Miller-Forrest who provided the bulk of the offense. She, Sydney Wyatt and Hannah Banko are all averaging over 10 points per game this season.

A Hawks team with more contributors has given opponents fits this season. They’ve already grabbed wins against Kent Denver and Faith Christian, two teams that beat SkyView last season. A big part of the success has been the development of more scoring options which has also made Miller-Forrest a better player.

(Photo courtesy of SkyView Academy athletics)

“It just makes everything a whole lot easier during the course of the game,” DeVries said. “Last year, Natalia was the only one that could really score. This year having Hannah be able to score and have game experience and Sydney being able to score and having game experience just really opens things up for Natalia.

“She scored at a decent clip last year, but I would say her efficiency is way better this year than it was last year just because she’s seeing less double teams, less box and ones, less of all those things. If other teams run that, Banko can score or Syd can score.”

Miller-Forrest and Wyatt are two of the sophomores that DeVries challenged a couple of years ago after the Hawks went 4-16.

As the girls have worked harder, the results have gotten better. And that’s a fact that hasn’t escaped the minds of the players or coaches. They didn’t just talk about building a culture, DeVries watched as these girls established a standard and hope to see future SkyView teams live by that same standard.

“They have held each other accountable and they have held themselves to higher standard of getting in the gym five teams during the week in the offseason and getting shots up,” DeVries said. “And that’s trickled down. Those two have been the main leaders of that and it trickles down to where Hannah is in here all the time and we have others. Veronica (Neujahr) and Sabrina (Rugg) and we have some other kids that have been in here all the time and it’s building on itself.”

For much of this season, the Hawks have received votes in the 3A rankings, showing that their play on the court has certainly gotten the attention of those around the state. Considering SkyView’s steps of improvement, it’s not a stretch to think that the Hawks could be in for a playoff run, a thought that felt more like a pipe dream just two seasons ago.

“I wouldn’t have believed it,” DeVries said. “It’s been fantastic. My first year was real rough and we talked about building a culture. If you would’ve told me that Syd and Natalia had been where they are two years ago, I would’ve laughed at you. It’s unbelievable how much hard work they’ve put in and where they’ve gotten as a result of that hard work.”

It’s an old school lesson that has yielded desired results today. It’s working beyond the confines of practice. It’s giving extra effort. The Hawks have established a culture of doing what is necessary to achieve the desired results.

(Photo courtesy of SkyView Academy athletics)

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

FOUNTAIN — Kylee Shook hasn’t been around for years. Chloe Welch, the standout guard who led Mesa Ridge to the Class 4A Final 4 a year ago, has graduated and moved on.

Before the year started Jeff Beatty, the colorful personality who led the Grizzlies from the sideline opted to not return.

Yet, the Mesa Ridge girls basketball has sustained the success it has come to know in recent years and is enjoying every second of it.

“They’re good kids and they’re good basketball players,” coach Monte Fetters said. “They’re really competitive and the effort is there. They have great attitudes and they cheer for each other.”

This year should’ve been different from the outside looking in. Welch was Mesa Ridge’s leading scorer last year but currently she’s finding minutes at the Division I level for the Davidson Wildcats.

The only other player to average double figures was Ashley Bowen, but the day after the 2017-18 season ended, her family moved to Texas.

So now it’s Serin Dunne who’s leading the charge and who has helped the Grizzlies (14-3 overall, 11-0 4A Colorado Springs Metro League) once again climb into the CHSAANow.com 4A rankings.

“We just switched our mindset from last year,” Dunne said. “We did have those two primary scorers and we were relying on them and this year everyone has stepped up in leadership, scoring, rebounding and everything.”

It’s eerily similar to a year ago just with different pieces. Mesa Ridge gets the bulk of their scoring from a talented guard and support from down low. It’s not Bowen this year, but rather Angelina Jackson who scores over 10 a game and pulls down six rebounds in the process.

It would appear that the kind of engine that drives this team could look entirely different, but the destination – and the journey in getting there – appears to be the same.

But that mentality isn’t what pushes the Grizzlies. This is a different team than it was a year ago and while the ultimate goal of a state championship might be the same, these girls are looking to establish an identity independent of what past teams have been.

“There’s a good tradition here,” Fetters said. “They’ve won a lot and these girls want to be the team that wins a lot too. They don’t want to be the team that lets that down.”

To a degree, it started with Fetters. Beatty stepped down from the program and Fetters didn’t accept the position until October. For now he’s taking the approach of focusing on this season and not the long-term future.

It’s no secret however, that he cares for his players and is relishing the opportunity to help him succeed.

“That was a lot of it,” he said. “Those kids that were seniors deserved to have a good, positive year and deserved to have basketball be a positive experience for them.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

He is a coach at heart. His father, Carl, was the longtime football coach at Cheyenne Mountain and currently serves as linebackers coach at Colorado State University-Pueblo. Both Carl and Monte have been around their share of high school basketball teams.

Fetters has coached girls golf at Mesa Ridge for seven years so when the season was itching closer he became the ideal candidate to fill the hole.

And he hasn’t missed a beat as far as the success of the team is concerned. The Grizzlies can clinch the 4A CSML title as soon as Feb. 8 they it can beat Mitchell, Woodland Park and The Classical Academy, teams they have already beaten this year.

From there, only time will tell what this version of Mesa Ridge is capable of once the postseason begins.

“We’ll go deep if we stay focused,” Dunne said. “We have to play our roles, of course, and just step up for the rest of the season.”

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

ARVADA — Columbine junior Jeff Potts picked an ideal time to drain his first 3-pointer during a varsity boys basketball game.

Potts, mainly a junior varsity player, drained a 3-pointer from the corner with 40 seconds remaining Wednesday night to tie it up 66-66 against Ralston Valley on the Mustangs’ home court.

Columbine junior Luke O’Brien (0) elevates for a shot over Ralston Valley juniors Caleb Rillos, left, and Caden Gigstad (2). O’Brien had a game-high 26 points in the Rebels’ victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“I knew I was a little anxious,” Potts said of his first 3-pointer earlier in the fourth quarter that well over the rim from the corner. “After that I calmed down and made that adjustment on that second shot.”

The Rebels — No. 10 in the CHSAANow.com Class 5A boys basketball rankings — managed to get a trio of defensive stops after the 3-pointer by Potts. Junior Luke O’Brien went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final eight seconds to pull off an improbable 69-66 victory for Columbine (12-5, 3-0 in Class 5A Jeffco League).

“I don’t know if we win this game three weeks ago,” Columbine coach Clay Thielking said. “This team is still growing. They showed a lot of toughness tonight and I’m proud of them.”

Columbine outscored Ralston Valley 11-1 in the final two minutes to win its sixth straight game and stay undefeated in conference play.

“No doubt,” O’Brien said after the come-from-behind win after trailing for most of the second half. “I never have doubt about this team. Even if our two bigs (Cody Ramming and Justin Lohrenz) foul out. It’s next man up. Our bench is strong.”

Ralston Valley junior Caden Gigstad, left, works off a screen set by Jordan Stratch (23) in an attempt to lose Columbine senior Logan DeArment. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

O’Brien finished with a game-high 26 points, but even the University of Colorado-commit needed plenty of help to overcome a double-digit deficit in the second half. Senior Logan DeArment made 3-pointers with 2:55 and 1:05 left in the fourth quarter to keep the Rebels’ rally on track.

Potts came off the bench in the fourth quarter after Ramming and Lohrenz fouled out. The Rebels were already shorthanded with sophomore Treyvaughn Williams unavailable.

“It didn’t look good. It didn’t look good,” Thielking admitted. “I thought if we could stay connected a little bit and keep it a two-possession game things could get weird in the last couple of minutes and it did. We obviously needed a lot of things to go our way down the stretch and everything did.”

Ralston Valley (13-5, 2-1) nearly sent the game into overtime with a well-executed final shot with 1.6 seconds left and having to go the length of the court. Junior Caleb Rillos fired a pass to senior Jordan Stratch, who dished it to junior Caden Gigstad for a 3-pointer. Gigstad got the shot off before the buzzer sounded, but the ball rimmed out.

“We played really great as a team,” said Stratch, who finished with 11 points. “We had them. We should have put our foot on their neck and stopped them.”

Ralston Valley junior Luke Carlston (32) splits through Columbine senior Cody Ramming (21) and junior Luke O’Brien during Wednesday night’s 5A Jeffco League thriller. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

Rillos had a great game with 21 points while having the task of guarding O’Brien one-on-one for the majority of the game. Gigstad finished with 14 points.

The Mustangs went on a 13-0 run from late in the second quarter until early in the third quarter to grab double-digit lead, but couldn’t close it out. The loss ended an 11-game winning streak for Ralston Valley, the longest winning streak in 5A at the time.

“We’ve got a mindset on the big picture now,” Stratch said of the loss that dropped the Mustangs a game behind Columbine and Arvada West (15-4, 4-0) in the conference standings. “We’ll focus on the next game and get better as a team.”

Ralston Valley is back in action against Pomona (9-9, 1-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday on the Panthers’ home court. The two rivals played in the Ralston Valley Roundup Tournament championship game back on Dec. 14. The Mustangs took a 76-62 victory.

Wednesday was the start of a three road games in four days for the Rebels. Columbine hits the road to face No. 3 Mountain Vista (17-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday in a big non-league game.

“This is a good steeping stone for us,” O’Brien said. “We aren’t done. We still have a lot league games left and Mountain Vista tomorrow. We’ll enjoy tonight and move on.”

The Rebels get back into conference play with a 1 p.m. tipoff at Lakewood on Saturday, Feb. 2.

Ralston Valley junior Walker Brickle (30) tries to dive past Columbine senior Nehemiah Nua (1) during the Class 5A Jeffco League game Wednesday night. The Rebels outscored the Mustangs 11-1 in the final two minutes to rally for a 69-66 road victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

GREENWOOD VILLAGE — Fifth-ranked Smoky Hill boys basketball beat Cherry Creek 75-62 on Wednesday.

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PARKER — Ponderosa wrestling emerged with a 57-23 win over ThunderRidge in a dual meet on Wednesday. The Mustangs recorded pins in seven matches.

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GREENWOOD VILLAGE — No. 4 Cherry Creek girls basketball cruised to a 73-36 win over Smoky Hill on Wednesday.

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(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

INDIANAPOLIS — Rules regarding the completion of a penalty corner were among the changes for the 2019 high school field hockey season.

All rules changes were recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Field Hockey Rules Committee at its January 7-9 meeting in Indianapolis, and subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

“The Field Hockey Rules Committee continues to examine current trends of the game and work on overall consistency in the rules book,” said Julie Cochran, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the NFHS Field Hockey Rules Committee. “While the sport continues to prosper, there are areas such as eye protection where the committee feels it is best to continue to research options for the betterment of the sport.”

Regarding eye protection, the committee voted to delay the requirement for all eye protection to be permanently labeled with the ASTM 2713 standard for field hockey at the time of manufacture. Rule 1-6-5, which previously had an implementation date of January 1, 2019, now will require permanent labeling beginning in the 2020 season.

“The adjusted date to permanently label goggles is a response to the limited supply currently on the market,” Cochran said. “The committee believed the extension of the timeline will assist production and distribution to help those purchasing new goggles.”

Changes in the criteria for the completion of a penalty corner during regulation and extended play align NFHS rules with other rules codes.

Rule 10-3-1 now states that an awarded penalty corner is complete when a free hit is awarded to the defending team, when the ball is played over the back line and a penalty corner is not awarded, and when a defender commits an offense which does not result in another penalty corner.

The changes to Rule 10-3-2 specify rules concerning a penalty corner as they pertain to extended play only. The newly adopted language is as follows:

1. If time expires at the end of the game after the insertion from the end line, play shall continue until the penalty corner is completed.
2. The penalty corner awarded is also considered completed when the ball travels outside the circle for a second time.

In Rule 9-1-1 regarding a free hit, the committee clarified that the ball should be placed within playing distance of where the foul occurred to improve consistency in the reset of play.

In other changes, the committee approved:

• Revisions that clarify that the ball must travel 5 yards before being played into the circle by the attacking team (9-2-1f); and
• Language stating the school’s name, nickname, logo, mascot and/or team player’s name are permitted on the uniform top and/or bottom (1-5-1b).

A complete listing of the field hockey rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Field Hockey.”

According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, field hockey has 59,856 girls participating in more than 1,700 schools nationwide. Additionally, there are 12 schools with 473 boys participating in the sport.

(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

The nation’s No. 1-rated prep wrestler at 152 pounds, Greeley Central’s Andrew Alirez does not measure himself by titles or accolades. Rather, Alirez states: “I would like to be remembered as the guy who showed up ready to go to war. Good things come from heart and desire. Everyone wants to win titles, but not everyone wants to put in the work.”

With four wins within the past year over ranked college opponents, including Penn State’s Nick Lee (fifth in the 2018 NCAAs), as well as a Pan Am gold freestyle medal, Andrew has always been preparing for the next level.

“I do everything in my power to put myself in a position to win,” explains Alirez. “If I don’t come out on top, I will gain from the experience. When I used to focus on winning or losing, I wrestled more cautiously; now my focus is on doing all I need to do to get it done.”

Before entering middle school, observers were already talking about the possibility of Alirez becoming Colorado’s second seven-time state champion for grades 6-12 (others are Broomfield’s Phil Downey and potentially Pomona’s Theorius Robison this year). Alirez, Robison, Pueblo County’s Brendan Garcia, and Ponderosa’s Cohlton Schultz are all poised to win their fourth prep title as part of Colorado’s best high school graduating class in years.

For his second middle school championship in seventh grade, Alirez bested potential future four-timer Garcia.

Now just one title away from four state high school championships, following three middle school titles at the RMN-sponsored Colorado middle state championships, Andrew’s journey has a certain symmetry.

For his first junior high gold in sixth grade, in the finals he defeated an opponent in overtime – Jason Hanenberg of Air Academy – one to whom he had previously fallen short. As a freshman, to acquire his first secondary school title in 2016, Alirez faced the now sophomore Hanenberg in the finals, this time earning a 12-5 victory.

Currently a freshman starter at Western Colorado University, Hanenberg finished his 2018 senior campaign with his own state championship.

Staying in his home state of Colorado was a relatively easy decision in spite of an all-on college recruiting effort.

Having made an early verbal declaration to attend the University of Northern Colorado, Andrew declares: “Commitments are important to me. My dad (Andrew), my uncle (Mike), my high school coach Eric Penfold, and the Top Notch Wrestling Club all gave me a good base and the right direction to thrive in college.”

The UNC coaching staff, led by head coach Troy Nickerson along with Michael Moreno and Garrett Kiley, has “helped me evolve my style, making me a completely different wrestler, teaching me how to hand-fight, to create angles. I learned to rely less on speed, more on fakes to take me to the next level. Coach Ben Cherrington has helped me tremendously; he’s the best hand-fighter I have ever seen.”

RMN Events will always be special to Alirez in his growth process: “All the dreams have now come to fruition. RMN helped me aim to succeed at a higher level. As things fell into place in middle school, I began to prepare for high school and beyond. It’s all synergy.”

Although he has sustained just one loss (out of state) in his high school folkstyle career, Alirez is even more proficient in freestyle, in which the three-time Fargo placer has aspirations to make the 2020 Olympic Team. Andrew relates: “Freestyle has taught me never to expose my back. I love wrestling on my feet, gaining a takedown, earning exposure.”

Those who know Andrew well, appreciate his unselfish attitude and approachable demeanor. For him, “it is important for me to always give back. I enjoy coaching youth; I do what I can to make them the best they can be. It also makes me a better wrestler; in order to coach, I have to break down technique.”

Andrew admits that his approach to the sport begins with “a different mindset than most. My attitude is that this dude’s going to have to kill me. In the end, the outcome will be what it will be. To beat me, someone’s going to have to ragdoll me. My style is to get physical without getting into a fight. I wrestle with everything I’ve got.”

The literary Boo-Boo is a companion to Yogi Bear, serving as a vocal conscience. The real-life Andrew “Boo-Boo” Alirez serves both as a role model and a check on his teammates.

For the true Boo-Boo is a humble warrior, whose actions tell us more than his words, a battler who stays within himself, win or lose. While he knows others are watching, he battles more to glean the lessons than to acquire the accolades.

The essence of Andrew is that his desire for constant improvement outweighs any achievement, which is only a trophy that becomes outdated the moment that pinnacle is earned.

For him to succeed at the highest level, Andrew knows he must trust in his absolute training as well as continue to learn more advanced technique, both of which will integrate with his superior conditioning to arrive at a level impossible for his opponent to match.

(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Early upsets of our top rated 5A squads ruled the day early in the week as our top 4A squads flexed their muscles and remained unbeaten.

Let’s check it out!

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The Look Back

Monday, Jan. 28

• Javonte Johnson was “stat-stuffin” as Cheyenne Mountain got the week rolling with a 86-52 drubbing of Falcon and Johnson posted 23 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals in the win!
• Wheat Ridge, holding at No. 10 in 4A, pulled away from Bear Creek with a 21-6 third quarter advantage in a game that started close but ended 73-39 at Bear Creek.
• Rogers, Kline, and Lindebad all in double figure scoring led by Josh Rogers 16 in A-West’s 22-point home win over rival Pomona!
• ELEVEN players contributing to the stat sheet Harrison is showing balance and now 14-4 after beating Elizabeth by 21 with Sanchez, Archuleta, and Dawson all scoring in double figures on the road!

Tuesday, Jan. 29

The Fever Crew made it out to Regis as they hosted No. 1 Chaparral on a cold night!

The gym heated up quickly as big Matt Wheelock started off the home Raiders with 14 first half points and 18 overall including a huge late three!

Jamil Safieddiene also heated up as the game went on doing damage while Chap’s Kobe Sanders was in foul trouble finishing the game with 22 overall. Joseph Dalton hit three deep 3s and 11 points total along with Bryce Matthews 23 to lead all scorers in the tight last second loss.

See the full game and Payton Egloff’s game winning free throw here.

In other games:

• What makes No. 1 Lewis-Palmer so scary is they have multiple guys who can get it done any given night and Ethan Forrester’s 24 helped to keep the unbeaten streak alive 71-35 over Vista Ridge.
• After seeing Mead in person last week there’s no surprise to us that they jumped from No. 10 to No. 4 in our 4A poll and they continued strong play with a 12-point win at WIndsor with Caleb Ayers leading FIVE scorers in double figures with 16!
• Centaurus dropped one notch in the 4A poll from No. 9 to No. 8 but it may be hard to hold that spot after going down by 22 to Silver Creek.
• Talk about getting done on both ends of the floor! Unbeaten No. 2 Longmont rolls 93-33 over Thompson Valley with Dallas Dye’s 20 points leading FIVE Trojans in double figure scoring.
• No. 6 ThunderRidge got 16 from junior Justin Smith who led four Grizz in double figure scoring beating league foe Ponderosa by 22 at home.
• With only one loss Mountain Vista is in at No. 3 this week and got 21 points from Ben Grusing (and four other Eagles scored in double figures) as they ran up 89 points on Douglas County!
• Speaking of running up points! Denver East rang up 96 on visiting Lincoln in a battle of two teams who have eyes on a DPL title. Clayton Findley-Ponds was feeling it on this night as he poured in 28 of the 96 for the Angels. 
• Holy Family dropped a couple notches to No. 5 in our 4A poll but got defensive once again holding Fort Morgan to single digits in two of the four quarters leading to a 55-40 win.
• Nicholas Bassett and Javonte Johnson combined for 36 points providing the scoring punch needed for an 18 point impressive win over Discovery Canyon.

Wednesday, Jan. 30

9News Game of the Night was a good one and we were blessed to be their in person and a guest of the live broadcast. Caleb McGill did everything he could to help No. 2 Grandview protect home court vs. visiting No. 7 Overland in this 5A Top 10 battle of giants but it was the inside/out combo of Hezekiah Swanson and Graham Ike that got it done on the road for the Trailblazers in this slight upset.

Swanson confidently pulling up mid-range for jump shots and Graham showing off his greatly improved inside footwork and touch around the rim.

The Trailblazers brought a great crowd and a ton of energy from coaches and sideline in the 3-point win where McGill just missed a shot to send it to overtime for the Wolves at the buzzer. Check out the full action here.

In other games:

• No. 9 Centaurus got 26 from junior Owen Koonce en route to a 10-point victory over Mountain View.
• Senior Beck Page led unbeaten No. 2 Longmont to another double digit win…this time over Silver Creek!
• No. 9 Eaglecrest used their duo of Aaron Bokol and Ty Robinson to carry them once again combining for 34 points in the 15-point win over Cherokee Trail in league play.
• Ralston Valley has been on a nice run of late and took a “furious” comeback for Columbine to get the win per Dennis Pleuss.
• Smoky Hill tuning up for a big rematch vs. Grandview on Friday tuned up vs. Cherry Creek getting a double-digit win
• And talk about “gettin up!” did Kenny Foster hit is head on the backboard on this alley oop???? Kenny doing “Kenny thangz”

Smoky Hill 75, Cherry Creek 62
Final pic.twitter.com/1Q8jEQMIL5

— Smoky Hill Hoops (@SmokyHillHoops) January 31, 2019

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Midweek Thoughts

The Fever Crew has never been one to “flip flop” but this crazy fun season of hoops has us thinking the “cream is clearly rising” one week and then it’s back to “this is WIDE open” another week!

Hey, wide open is a lot more fun anyway, right?

We see about six teams that could rise to the top come March in 5A and those are mainly in the Centennial and Continental leagues that are just beating each other up on a nightly basis!

4A? That picture seems to be a little more clear with Longmont and Lewis-Palmer still trucking along, but our “team to watch” this week 4A is a deep squad from Mead!

Enjoy, folks…

LAKEWOOD — There is still plenty of work to be done, but a Class 4A/3A Colorado 8 League title for Alameda’s boys basketball team is starting to come into focus.

“The pressure is definitely on right now,” Alameda junior Luis Miera said after the Pirates’s 57-49 victory over Englewood on Tuesday edged Alameda International closer to ending nearly a two-decade long drought. “We’ve got to get three more wins.”

Alameda junior Luis Miera (00) goes up strong for two of his game-high 26 points in the Pirates’ victory over Englewood on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

According to Jeffco Public Schools’ league championship archive, Alameda hasn’t won a conference championship in boys basketball since the Pirates claimed the Jeffco 6 League title in the 2000-01 season. The court in the Duane Lewis Gymnasium is actually named after the last coach — Scott Smith — who guided Alameda to the league title 18 years ago.

“It’s in our heads,” Alameda coach Geremey Gibson said of the chances becoming greater to capture that elusive league crown. “I tell my players one game at a time. If we take care of one game at a time we’ll be where we need to be in the end. We don’t want to look too far ahead.”

Englewood (6-8, 2-3 in league) didn’t make the conference game easy in the all-Pirate battle. Senior Thomas O’Connor was unconscious from 3-point range through three quarters. O’Conner had five 3-pointers and a trio of free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point shot to score 18 points through three quarters.

“He (O’Connor) was hitting a lot of 3s. We left him open a couple of times,” said Miera, who got the one-on-one task against O’Connor in the fourth quarter. “We decided to go man (defense) and I guarded him up.”

O’Connor didn’t score in the fourth quarter with Miera shadowing him. However, Englewood sophomore Nate Gravagno had an incredible fourth quarter scoring all 18 points for Englewood to finish for a team-high 23 points on the night.

“We just broke down mentally on defense,” Gibson admitted. “We’ve been trying to switch things up because we know teams are going to come at us with our zone. We broke down mentally and we can’t have that.”

Alameda (14-3, 4-0) turned to Miera to close out the game in the final quarter on the offense end too. The senior scored 14 points in the final six minutes of the game to finish with a game-high 26 points.

Englewood sophomore Isaac Medrano, left, drives past Alameda senior Derik Gutierrez (1) during the third quarter Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

“It was definitely sluggish,” Alameda’s point guard said of the first half. “I was trying to get my teammates involved, but we couldn’t finish around the rim tonight. I figured I should take over the game. A couple of easy buckets, get to the free-throw line and do what I need to do to get this win.”

Seniors Orlondo Aguilar (12 points), Derik Gutierrez (11 points) and Isiah Lawson (eight points) finished out the scoring load for Alameda in its fifth win over the past six games. The only setback over the last two weeks was a non-league loss to Aurora Central.

Alameda’s toughest final hurdle toward a conference title might come Friday night. The Pirates take on Conifer (10-7, 3-1) up in the foothills. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

“I’m looking forward to the game to be honest. It’s going to be a tough one,” Gibson said of facing Conifer. “This win prepares us and we’ll be ready for them.”

Gibson added that slowing down the Lobos’ junior point guard Landon Wallace is going to be key. Wallace is nearing averaging a double-double in points and assists.

“It’s going to be a tough one, but I think we can do it,” Miera said of the upcoming at Conifer game.

Alameda finishes off its league schedule against Weld Central and Riverdale Ridge before heading into the Colorado 8 League tournament.

“The attitude has changed,” Gibson said. “I think the guys are finally locked in because they know what we are working for.”

Alameda senior Isiah Lawson (3) attempts to break free from a double-team Tuesday against Englewood. Alameda took a 57-49 victory to improve to 4-0 in the Class 4A/3A Colorado 8 League. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)