AURORA | A see-saw opener to the 2024 portion of the boys basketball season for two Aurora teams finally tipped in Regis Jesuit’s direction Wednesday night.
The tipping was done primarily by sophomore Eric Fiedler, who scored nine straight points for Regis Jesuit, which outscored host Rangeview 13-0 in the final 2 minutes, 58 seconds, of regulation on its way to a 60-48 win in a local battle.
The 6-foot-7 Fiedler — who averaged 20.4 points per game in nine contests before winter break — tallied a game-high 30 points, while junior Lucas Dickinson added 14 and junior Zach Harlan seven for coach Ken Shaw’s team, which improved to 7-3 on the season.
Senior Zachary Butler scored 18 points and junior Kenny Black-Knox added 12 for coach Shawn Palmer’s Rangeview team, which is now 2-8.
Rangeview led 36-34 after a layup by senior Mareon Chapman, but Harlan’s two free throws created another tie at the end of three quarters. Harlan’s 3-pointer from the corner put Regis Jesuit ahead in the early stages of the fourth quarter, but Black-Knox’s uncontested dunk gave Rangeview another lead at 40-39 with 6:10 remaining.
Black-Knox gave Rangeview another advantage at 48-47 with 2:58 left, but it was all Regis Jesuit from there, as Fiedler came up big.
His finish through traffic with 2:45 remaining put Regis Jesuit in front and he followed that with another inside basket, open midrange jumper from the wing and three-point play that pushed his team in front 56-48 with just over a minute left. The burst brought Fiedler to the 30-point mark for the second time this season, as he had 34 in a win over Mullen on Dec. 2.
Dickinson came up with two steals and two layups to follow as Regis Jesuit’s lead reached double digits inside the final minute.
Regis Jesuit finished 3-1 in non-league play against Aurora programs, as it defeated Overland, Cherokee Trail and Rangeview and suffered a two-point overtime loss to Grandview in the game before the hiatus. Regis Jesuit is next in action at home at 7 p.m. Jan. 10 against Cherry Creek.
Rangeview — which had its losing streak reach six games — is home at 7 p.m. Friday to face winless Columbine. The program will honor members of its Top 40 player list at halftime of the game.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
REGIS JESUIT 60, RANGEVIEW 48
Score by quarters:
Regis Jesuit 7 14 15 24 — 60
Rangeview 12 9 15 12 — 48
REGIS JESUIT (60)
Zach Harlan 2 2-2 7, Mason Marshall 1 0-0 2, Lucas Dickinson 6 1-4 14, Eric Fiedler 11 8-9 30, Deion Cesario-Scott 0 0-0 0, Damarius Taylor 1 1-2 4, Alec Roumph 1 0-0 3. Totals 22 12-17 60.
RANGEVIEW (48)
Royce Edwards 2 0-0 4, Yasin Sekue 1 0-0 2, Mareon Chapman 2 0-0 5, Kenny Black-Knox 5 0-0 12, Archie Weatherspoon V 1 3-4 6, Zachary Butler 7 0-1 18, Elijah Denny 0 1-2 1. Totals 18 4-9 48.
3-point field goals — Regis Jesuit (4): Lucas Dickinson, Zach Harlan, Alec Roumph, Damarius Taylor. Rangeview (8): Zachary Butler 4, Kenny Black-Knox 2, Mareon Chapman, Archie Weatherspoon V. Total fouls — Regis Jesuit 10, Rangeview 20. Fouled out — Rangeview: Demetrius Bailey. Technical fouls — None.
