DENVER | Michael Rogers will consider the big picture later, but for now, the Grandview boys basketball coach is enjoying his team’s wild playoff ride.
And what a ride it’s been for the Wolves, who have reached unprecedented heights for the program as it earned its first trip to the Class 5A state championship game.
Sixth-seeded Grandview got past the semifinal round that had tripped up it up in three previous trips with a 42-39 upset victory Friday night at the Denver Coliseum over second-seeded ThunderRidge, the same team responsible for denying the Wolves’ championship game bids in 2003 and 2005.
“I’m sure when we sit back and look at it, it will be big, but we’re just enjoying it,” said Rogers, whose team will face fifth-seeded George Washington — a 47-41 overtime winner over No. 1 Rock Canyon — at 8:30 p.m. for the 5A crown.
“I want the kids to enjoy it,” he added. “Not many people ever get this opportunity that play years of basketball.”
Rogers himself had that last chance in 2009, when he coached George Washington into the finals against Regis Jesuit, a game won by the Raiders at the Coors Events Center.
Against his former team, Rogers has a Grandview team that has long banished the memory of last season’s stunning Great 8 loss to Rock Canyon and turned its eyes on a state title.
The Wolves have worked their way through the postseason on a combination of guile, composure and the ability to finish.
They missed all three of their 1-and-1 free throw attempts in the final 1 minute, 6 seconds, but still managed to hang on against the Grizzlies, who got a 3-point shot by Kaison Hammonds at the buzzer that caught the back of the iron and came out.
“I knew we would pull through, we have a ton of will power and a ton of heart,” senior Gunner Gentry said. “I have a lot of faith in our team. Now, we have a great opportunity. We’re blessed.”
To put themselves in position to win, Grandview had reverse its fortunes after a four-point second quarter, which put them in a seven-point hole against ThunderRidge (25-2).
Gentry gave the a spark right away with a layup and jumper to trim the deficit to four. Sophomore Caleb McGill (team-high 10 points) also picked it up in the quarter, as he used the motivation from Rogers’ halftime talk to assert himself.
The 6-foot-5 post player scored six points in the third period and brought his team into a 28-28 tie with a short hook shot in the closing seconds of the period.
“During halftime, coach really motivated me to play better,” McGill said. “I had a weak first half, but he got into me a little bit and it helped.”
Junior Dayne Prim, the team’s leading scorer, was held off the scoreboard in the opening half, got scored a couple of baskets in the third quarter and picked it up in the fourth with a layup and a three-point play that gave Grandview the lead for good at 33-30 with 6:55 left.
Scoreless for the first three quarters, senior Ben Boone stepped up and nailed a huge 3-pointer from the corner for a six-point lead and the lead grew as large as eight points on McGill’s driving dunk off a bounce pass from Gentry with 1:45 left.
With just one free throw attempt through three-plus quarters, Grandview struggled in the 1-and-1 situation as sophomore Lian Ramiro, Prim and Boone all missed their first attempts, which allowed desperate ThunderRidge to edge closer and closer.
The last miss allowed Hammonds (who had a game-high 13 points) to race down the court and get off his final shot that missed.
Grandview players mobbed each other when it was over, then Prim leaped over a barrier wall and climbed up the Wolves’ joyous faithful.
Unlike the nearly week-long wait between the Great 8 and the Final Four, Grandview turns around to play the championship game just a day later.
“We’ve worked so hard for this,” Gentry said. “When I came in with Coach Rogers, we’ve always talked about getting to the state championship and now that we’re here, we’re going to have fun with it.”
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
(6) GRANDVIEW 42, (2) THUNDERRIDGE 39
Score by quarters:
Grandview 10 4 14 14 — 42
ThunderRidge 11 10 7 11 — 39
GRANDVIEW (42)
Caleb McGill 5 0-0 10, Gunner Gentry 3 0-0 6, Lian Ramiro 1 0-1 3, Ben Boone 1 0-1 3, Dayne Prim 4 1-2 9, Tyler Unger 2 0-0 5, Davon Walker 2 0-0 4, Andrew Turner 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 1-4 42.
THUNDERRIDGE (39)
Austin Holt 2 0-3 4, Tyson Cruickshank 2 1-2 5, Kaison Hammonds 5 1-2 13, Justin McCaw 3 0-0 6, Bailey Verk 1 6-10 8, Robby Hess 1 0-0 3, Kevin Sax 0 0-0 0, Garrett Arnold 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 8-17 39.
3-point field goals — Grandview (3): Ben Boone, Lian Ramiro, Tyler Unger; ThunderRidge (3): Kaison Hammonds 2, Robby Hess. Total fouls — Grandview 16, ThunderRidge 11. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.
