AURORA | Regis Jesuit shook off a slow start with a 47-point second half Wednesday night, rolling to a 67-42 victory over Grand Junction in a Class 5A boys state basketball tournament Sweet 16 contest.
The top-seeded Raiders found themselves tied with the fourth-seeded Tigers after one sloppy quarter and had a three-point edge at halftime. Coach Ken Shaw’s team exploded for 25 points in the third quarter and kept the pedal on the floor to return to the Great 8 for the first time since they won the third of three straight 5A state championships in the 2010-11 season.
Junior Josh Perkins scored a team-high 23 points and 10 different players had at least two points for Regis Jesuit, which advanced to an all-Aurora matchup with second-seeded Eaglecrest on Friday at the Denver Coliseum. The Raptors knocked off Rangeview 45-32.
Game times for the Great 8 will be announced Thursday morning by the Colorado High School Activities Association.
Reach Sports Editor Courtney Oakes at [email protected] or 303-750-7555
(1) REGIS JESUIT 67, (4) GRAND JUNCTION 42
Score by quarters:
Grand Junction 7 10 11 14 — 42
Regis Jesuit 7 13 25 22 — 67
REGIS JESUIT (67)
Josh Perkins 10 3-6 23, Eric Stemper 0 2-2 2, Bryan Staerkel 4 0-0 9, Devin Kadillak 2 1-2 7, Kip Boryla 4 1-1 10, Cam Beards 2 0-0 5, Zach Smith 1 0-0 2, Elijah Sanford 2 1-1 5, Vaughn Samson 1 0-0 2, George Kyriazi 1 0-0 2, Taylor Kallsen 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 8-12 67.
3-point field goals — Regis Jesuit (5): Devin Kadillak 2, Cam Beards, Kip Boryla, Bryan Staerkel. Total fouls — Regis Jesuit 18.
