DENVER | It was a win that brought tears to T’Aren Williams’ eyes.
The Overland senior guard had seen a lot of winning in the regular season in his previous three years, but the Trailblazers are finally headed to the Class 5A semifinals after a 64-47 victory over Rangeview in an all-Aurora Great 8 contest at the Denver Coliseum.
Sophomore De’Ron Davis delivered a commanding performance with 14 points and 21 rebounds, junior Ryan Swan scored a season-high 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds and Williams scored 13 of his own and did an admirable job of defending Raiders’ star Jeremiah Paige as Overland earned its first trip to the Final Four since 1990.
“This feels real good, we haven’t had one of these in 20 years,” Williams said, still clutching the Bill Weimar Region championship plaque long after the game ended. “Since I came in as a freshman, this was the goal. Just had to go hard every day.
“My heart is beating; there are butterflies, but I’m just going to enjoy it and get back at it tomorrow. We just need to start fresh and get ready for next week.”
Coach Danny Fisher’s Trailblazers (20-6) have a few days of practice ahead as they get ready for a March 14 matchup at the Coors Events Center in Boulder against another top-seeded Denver East, a 64-44 winner over Highlands Ranch in the top part of the bracket.
Against a defense led by Davis in the middle, Rangeview shot just 22.2 percent from the field for the game (12-for-51) and trailed for the entire ballgame. Senior Trey Bridges scored 15 points to lead the way for coach Shawn Palmer’s Raiders, who finished the season 22-4.
Paige added 14 points, but made just one field goals — a 3-pointer — on 12 attempts with Williams paying him extra defensive attention.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
(1) OVERLAND 64, (2) RANGEVIEW 47
Score by quarters:
Rangeview 9 14 12 12 — 47
Overland 16 15 14 19 — 64
RANGEVIEW (47)
Jalen Davis 2 3-4 8, Trey Bridges 6 3-4 15, Tim Wyatt 0 0-0 0, Jeremiah Paige 1 11-12 14, Tarren Storey-Way 1 2-3 5, Tyrei Randall 1 0-0 2, John Saltzman 1 0-0 3, Jordan Hanzlick 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 19-23 47.
OVERLAND (64)
Jervae Robinson 3 0-0 6, T’Aren Williams 5 3-4 13, Austin Conway 3 0-0 6, De’Ron Davis 5 4-4 14, Ryan Swan 9 0-0 18, King Grant-Perry 1 3-3 5, Reggie Gibson 0 0-0 0, Khalil Jenkins 0 0-0 0, Tyler Stevenson 1 0-0 2, Osaid Sasi 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 10-11 64.
3-point field goals — Rangeview (4): Jalen Davis, Jeremiah Paige, John Saltzman, Tarren Storey-Way. Total fouls — Rangeview 9, Overland 18. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — Rangeview: Paige.