ARVADA — Ralston Valley’s boys basketball team kicked it into a different gear in the third quarter Monday night.
The Mustangs looked to be in danger of saying goodbye to its winning streak trailing Class 6A Jeffco rival Columbine 35-27 early in the third quarter. However, Ralston Valley turned it on to outscore the Rebels 45-20 to close the game, grabbing a 72-55 conference victory at home.
“We just tried to get together and regroup,” Ralston Valley junior Jackson Hansen said of the halftime talk. “That is what we did and we found a way to get the win.”
Ralston Valley (12-4, 4-1 in league) scored 26 points in the third quarter to turn the 8-point deficit into a 11-point lead heading to the fourth quarter.
“We shared the ball and trusted each other,” Hansen said of the 26-point outburst over seven minutes during the third quarter. “That worked out for us. We got good shots and that is how we have to play from here on out.”
Hansen poured in 16 points, while sophomore Tanner Braketa scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the second half. Columbine (10-7, 3-3) was doubling Braketa every time the reigning conference MVP got the ball.
The attention to Braketa allowed senior Josh Rillos and junior Jace Cattoor to score six points each in the third quarter. Rillos scored all of his baskets inside the paint, while Cattoor drained a pair of 3-pointers over the span of 20 seconds late in the quarter to give the Mustangs a 48-40 lead.
“We tell them all the time to shoot it with confidence,” Ralston Valley coach Chris Braketa said of his role players. “Jace finally got going last game and he hit two huge ones tonight.”
Rillos finished with 11 points and Cattoor had 7 points off the bench. Junior Mason Trebilcock had 6 points with two of his baskets coming off steals that lead to breakaway layups.
“(Columbine) was getting the 50/50 balls in the first half and offensive rebounds,” Coach Braketa said. “We had to go out compete and have some multiple efforts out there. They responded pretty well.”
Columbine senior Ty Afraimi had a solid game with a team-high 16 points. He had 9 points in the second quarter to help the Rebels take a 33-27 halftime lead. Columbine hosts Lakewood coming up on Wednesday, Feb. 1, before heading to Highlands Ranch on Saturday to face Valor.
Ralston Valley in on a 6-game winning streak after dropping its conference opener against Valor back on Jan. 11. The Mustangs have a stretch of three straight road games against Bear Creek (Feb. 1), Arvada West (Feb. 4) and Valor (Feb. 7).
“I don’t mind going on the road,” Coach Braketa said. “It is a tough stretch with Bear Creek, Arvada West and Valor.”
It looks to be a three-team race for the conference title between Ralston Valley, A-West (14-4, 6-1) and Valor (10-7, 5-1).
“It’s in our control, but it’s a tough battle right now,” Coach Braketa said of trying to repeat as league champs. “There is much more parity right now.”