AURORA | When the Rangeview boys basketball team takes its home floor for a Class 5A boys state basketball semifinal, it will be more than the Raiders had last year.
Last March, a day before the Raiders were to play Grandview in an all-Aurora Final Four contest at the Denver Coliseum — hoping to secure a second straight trip to the 5A state championship game — the remainder of the tournament was wiped out by the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.
Fast forward more than one full calendar year and Rangeview is back in the same position, but coach Shawn Palmer’s third-seeded team will play at home in front of a limited number of fans against No. 7 George Washington at 6 p.m. Thursday for the right to play for another championship. Because of the pandemic, Rangeview is still the last crowned 5A boys state champion in Colorado with its title in the 2018-19 season.
The Raiders face off with a Patriots team that upset second-seeded Regis Jesuit 54-52 in the Great 8 and prevented an all-Aurora semifinal. The Rangeview-George Washington winner moves into the 5A state final at 8 p.m. Saturday at the World Arena in Colorado Springs against either No. 4 ThunderRidge or No. 1 Cherry Creek.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
