12 Brighton Standard Blade
March 10, 2022
LOCAL
SPORTS
Ravens’ season ends after first trip to Sweet 16 BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
MEAD -- Riverdale Ridge’s first trip to the Sweet 16 of the state 4A boys basketball tournament did not end in a win. But it might set the stage for future endeavors for the program. At least that’s what RRHS coach Byron Gray thinks. “These guys are young. We’ve got a young group,” he said. “We’re preparing for the future. We’re going to keep building, keep adding on. This is year four of the program. This is where we are at. That’s not bad at all.” The Ravens will lose just three seniors -- Lane Hawkins, Anthony Chavez and RJ Holliday. “There’s a bunch of talent in the pipeline,” Gray said. “We’ve got some eighth-graders coming in. We’re going to be solid.” The Ravens led after the first
quarter. The Mavericks scored the last nine points of the second quarter to take a halftime lead. Ryan Leopold, who finished with 17 points, scored 10 in a row in the third quarter to pull the Ravens to within three points. Mead’s James Shiers converted from the inside and Nick Basson scored from 3-point range to extend the Mavericks’ lead to seven points after the third quarter. “Riverdale is a tough team. They are big and fast,” Shiers said. “They do everything well. We just outplayed them in the fourth (quarter). They are all tough, but we handled it well. We watched film. We knew what was coming. You can know what’s coming, but it’s better to guard it than watch it.” Jathan Alston took over the Ravens’ scoring effort in the fourth quarter. His half-dozen points cut Mead’s lead to five points
Riverdale Ridge’s Brady Greene, left, battles Mead’s Nick Basson for a rebound during a CHSAA 4A playoff game at Mead High School in Longmont March 2. The Mavericks defeated the Ravens 61-50. PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY
with a minute to play. But Shiers made four free throws, and Basson added two more to seal the win. Brady Greene scored 12 points, and Alston added 10. Shiers led all scorers with 20 points. Basson scored 18, and Elijah Knudsen contributed eight. “I liked our fight. We knew they were going to make a run, and we had to respond. Each time, we responded,” Gray said. “That’s a good team. We knew exactly what we were facing.” The Ravens finished the season with a record of 18-7. “We anticipated a fight, and that’s what we gave them,” Gray said. “The guys were pretty confident coming in. We made a few mistakes, and they made us pay for it. That’s the way the game works. That’s what you learn from. You come back and be better.”
Eagle Ridge advances in playoffs BYJONATHANMANESS SPECIALTOCOLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA
BRIGHTON – Eagle Ridge Academy’s historical season on the basketball court continues as the Warriors sealed their trip to the Great 8 March 5. The No. 8-seeded Warriors rolled past No. 9 Highland Huskies 84-66 to advance to the Class 3A state basketball quarterfinals for the first time in school history. The Warriors now have the tough task of knocking off top-seeded St. Mary’s at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 11, at the Hamilton Gym at University of Denver. The Pirates (23-1 overall) have won 14 in a row. Eagle Ridge (21-3) has proven that it isn’t an easy opponent either with a long and athletic group of players that is extremely skilled. The Warriors’ size and athleticism were a problem for the Huskies, who shot 26 percent from the field. ERA had 13 blocks in the contest and dominated the glass 38-22, which led to easy fast-break baskets for the Warriors. “We’ve been blessed with height,” Eagle Ridge coach Jay Powell said. “But it helps that we have a great group of kids that are extremely coachable. They really enjoy playing basketball and are hoopers.” The top five scorers for the Warriors are all 6-foot-2 and taller, and all have
the ability to score in a variety of ways. Peyton Torres showcased his game against Highland, scoring a game-high 33 points. He only missed one shot in the contest and dished out eight assists. The junior guard was locked in early, scoring 14 points in the opening quarter to give the Warriors a six-point advantage after the first quarter. James Kyren Allen hit a pullup jumper for Eagle Ridge in the second quarter and was a monster on the glass in the quarter as ERA pushed its lead to 17. Allen had a game-high nine rebounds. Brothers Cameron and Christian Seifert, listed at 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-7, respectively, also were dominating presence in the paint. The duo combined for 13 rebounds and eight blocks in the contest. Cameron Seifert also had 20 points. Highland implemented a full-court press in the third quarter and was able to cut the lead to 65-53, but the Warriors figured it out thanks to Hunter Hill’s ability to get down the court. The junior scored eight of his 14 points in the quarter to help Eagle Ridge take a 69-55 lead into the fourth. The Warriors took advantage of a tired Huskies squad in the fourth as Cameron and Christian Seifert each beat the press for easy baskets to seal the victory. It was a much different game than the
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March 4 contest against Platte Valley. Hill hit a pullup jumper with 3.4 seconds left to give Eagle Ridge the 51-50 victory, which was too close for Powell and his team’s liking. “Not sure if it was nerves, but we didn’t come ready to play,” Powell said. “The guys responded (Saturday) and that is what we needed.” St. Mary’s is led by senior point guard Sam Howery, who is arguably the best player in the state. Howery is third in scoring with 26.5 points a game and second in assists (9.2). He also is grabbing 8.6 rebounds a game and 3.4 steals. “St. Mary’s has been really good for a while, so we have to come out and play our game,” Powell said. “Hopefully our height will help us out. But we will have to execute defensively and hold them to only one shot.” The 3A title game will be played Saturday, March 12.
NEXT UP Riverdale Ridge’s Ryan Leopold attempts a reverse layup against Mead’s James Shiers during a CHSAA 4A playoff game at Mead High School in Longmont March 2. The Mavericks ended the Ravens’ most successful season to date 61-50. See the Brighton Blade for story. PHOTO BY STEFAN BRODSKY
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