AURORA | The Rangeview boys basketball team earned its way to the Great 8 round of the Class 5A state playoffs for the second time in the past four seasons with an often-harrowing Sweet 16 home win Wednesday night.
The third-seeded Raiders built a 14-point lead over the 19th-seeded Trojans, saw the lead shaved to as little as two points and then pulled away again in the fourth quarter on their way to a 72-54 victory.
Senior Jodaun Dotson went 8-for-8 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter on his way to a game-high 28 points for coach Shawn Palmer’s Rangeview team, which remained unbeaten in 16 games since the end of winter break and improved to 23-2.
Senior Quincey Jewett and junior Christopher Speller also added 13 points apiece for the Raiders, who will try to dethrone defending 5A state champion and sixth-seeded Grandview (19-6) in an all-Aurora Great 8 contest at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.
Dotson owned the opening quarter for Rangeview, as the senior guard drilled three 3-pointers and scored 10 total points — as many as Fountain-Fort Carson had as a team — to put himself well on his way to his career high in points.
Sophomore Cade Palmer knocked down a pair of 3-pointers in the late stages of the second quarter to help the Raiders reach the lockerroom with a 14-point edge.
The Trojans stormed back with a 22-point third quarter — keyed by 11 points from James Sanders — and got as close as 38-36 late in the period.
A key sequence in the fourth quarter helped Rangeview take control again when Fountain-Fort Carson’s Keiton Beck was whistled for his fifth foul and assessed a technical foul, which gave the Raiders four free throw attempts.
Dotson made all four shots and on the ensuing possession, junior Christian Speller blew past the Trojans’ Keyshawn Maltbia and threw down a one-handed dunk to electrify the crowd and put his team up by nine points.
The Raiders pushed the margin back into double figures inside the last three minutes and went on to their first Sweet 16 victory since the 2015-16 season when they lost to Eaglecrest in the 5A semifinals.
Rangeview gets a rematch with a Grandview team that it lost to by two points back in December.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
(3) RANGEVIEW 72, (19) FOUNTAIN-FORT CARSON 54
Score by quarters:
Ftn. Fort Carson 10 9 22 13 — 54
Rangeview 18 15 11 28 — 72
FOUNTAIN-FORT CARSON (54)
Keyshawn Maltbia 8 3-8 20, Keiton Beck 0 0-0 0, James Sanders 7 0-0 17, Michael Shannon 1 0-0 2, Rashon Barron 3 1-1 7, Isaac Berrier 1 0-0 2, Divante Lynch 1 0-0 3, Isaiah Thompson 1 1-2 3, Treshawn Taylor 0 0-0 0, Daveon Hill 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 4-9 54.
RANGEVIEW (72)
Cade Palmer 2 0-0 6, Jodaun Dotson 7 10-10 28, Christopher Speller 4 5-6 13, Quincey Jewett 6 1-2 13, Christian Speller 3 2-4 9, Kamren Stroter 0 0-0 0, Obi Agbim 0 0-1 0, Isaiah Hayes 0 1-2 1, Isaiah Sweetwine 1 0-1 2. Totals
3-point field goals — Fountain-Fort Carson (6): James Sanders 3, Rashon Barron, Divante Lynch, Keyshawn Maltbia. Total fouls — Fountain-Fort Carson 19, Rangeview 13. Fouled out — Fountain-Fort Carson: Rashon Barron, Keiton Beck. Technical fouls — Fountain-Fort Carson: Beck.
