AURORA | The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team killed two big birds with a gigantic stone Tuesday night.
Not only did the Raiders knock off defending Class 5A state champion and previously unbeaten Overland 66-60 in front of a packed house, but they kept the wait short for venerable coach Ken Shaw as he picked up another coaching milestone.
Now 41 seasons into the coaching game, Shaw got victory No. 700 and sits third on the all-time Colorado list for coaches behind only Denver Christian’s Dick Katte and Denver East’s Rudy Carey.
Win No. 700 — which came with several of Shaw’s old players from his coaching days at Rocky Mountain, Smoky Hill and Regis Jesuit in the stands — required every bit of resolve his Raiders had to hold off an Overland team that hadn’t lost in nearly a full calendar year since a Jan. 9, 2015, defeat at Eaglecrest.
“That was a terrific win for our kids; we staggered a few times, but we never went down thankfully,” said Shaw, whose team improved to 8-0. “They are a load and obviously they are a great team, so our guys had to certainly meet that intensity and battle them on the boards, which we did.
“I’m just happy for our guys, it was a great win.”
With great energy inside Guy Gibbs Gymnasium beforehand, the Trailblazers got called for a team technical foul before the game began for dunking during warmups.
Regis Jesuit senior Michael Wambsganss made one of the two free throws — which started him on his way to a team-high 14 points — and the Raiders were able to get off to a strong start against coach Danny Fisher’s Overland team, which played for the first time in nearly three weeks after winning the Tarkanian Classic on Dec. 19 in Las Vegas.
Led by attacking senior guard Dante Drennan, who racked up 10 of his 12 points in the first half, Regis Jesuit built a lead as large as eight points in the opening half.
Robinson, who finished with a game-high 21 points, kept the Trailblazers in the game early as they tried to get into the flow. Star center De’Ron Davis — who earlier in the day was announced as Colorado’s lone boys nominee for the 2016 McDonald’s All American Game — and Alijah Halliburton finally got going in the second period, combining for 17 of the team’s 21 points to make it a three-point margin at halftime.
Davis got called for a technical foul while jostling and jawing with Regis Jesuit’s Gage Dyer in the second quarter as the game turned physical.
“Just two competitors going against each other,” said Dyer, who noted he might go to Indiana University — where Davis has signed to play — as a student next year.
“I try not to be intimidated by anybody, not even a guy like that,” he added. “I just try to play hard.”
Regis Jesuit’s three-point margin remained after the third quarter — despite three 3-pointers from the suddenly hot Wambsganss — but Overland finally managed to tie it at 54-54 with 3:30 remaining on a jumper from Robinson after a time out.
Senior Geoff Kelly drained a 3-pointer just under a minute later to give the Raiders a lead they kept the rest of the way. Kelly went 6-for-6 from the free throw line and scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Robinson followed Kelly’s triple with a basket to make it a one-point game, but Drennan restored the lead with a layup and Dyer’s follow made it five-point edge with just 55 seconds left.
Davis made four free throws in the final minute, but Overland never got closer than three.
Coming off their state championship and fast start, the Trailblazers know they can expect from every team on their schedule this season.
“It’s an odd feeling (losing), but it happens,” said Halliburton, who finished with 15 points. “Everybody brings the best against us and that’s definitely what happened tonight. We just have to step up to the challenge next time.”
Shaw was pleased with how his team came through in the key moments of the game and it furthered showed him that the group he saw grow together on the lower levels and over the summer had good possibilities ahead.
“You always need a big hoop, free throw, big stop or rebound; there are a lot of turning points in a game like that for sure,” Shaw said. “I’m just happy for our kids. This has been a great group. We lost nine seniors and I don’t think many people thought we were going to be any good, but these guys have put in a lot of work.
“It’s early in the season, but it’s a nice win at this point.”
Added Drennan: “We’ve practiced for the last 10 1/2 months trying to be the best team that we can b. Most of us played together on JV last year and we’ve been grinding since the end of last season for this. We have another tough game against Fossil Ridge coming up, but this is a great feeling.”
Notes: Shaw will be given a commemorative basketball signifying the 700th win prior to the tip off of a 7 p.m. game Saturday against Fossil Ridge, the next home game for Regis Jesuit.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
REGIS JESUIT 66, OVERLAND 60
Score by quarters:
Overland 10 21 14 15 — 60
Regis Jesuit 16 18 14 18 — 66
OVERLAND (60)
Jervae Robinson 9 2-4 21, Reggie Gibson 0 1-2 1, Stephen Hayes 1 0-0 2, De’Ron Davis 3 11-12 17, Alijah Halliburton 7 1-3 15, Tyler Stevenson 1 2-2 4, Goy Wang 0 0-0 0, Brian Price 0 0-0 0, Asad Yousuf 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 17-23 60.
REGIS JESUIT (66)
Michael Wambsganss 4 3-4 14, Connor Hobbs 1 1-3 3, Geoff Kelly 3 6-8 13, Dante Drennan 3 6-6 12, Gage Dyer 3 2-2 8, Elijah Martinez 3 1-4 9, Marc Reininger 2 1-3 5, Quinn Ritzdorf 0 2-2 2, Sam Bannec 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 22-32 66.
3-point field goals — Overland: Jervae Robinson; Regis Jesuit (6): Michael Wambsganss 3, Elijah Martinez 2, Geoff Kelly. Total fouls — Overland 22, Regis Jesuit 20. Fouled out — Overland: Tyler Stevenson. Technical fouls — Overland: De’Ron Davis, team.