DENVER | Danny Fisher saw the signs in the later stages of Saturday night’s Class 5A Great 8 contest.
His Overland boys basketball team was plenty talented, but there was a little something missing that its opponent, top-seeded Rock Canyon, had thanks to a Final Four appearance last season. That ingredient was experience in crucial moments on the big stage.
Appearing in the 5A quarterfinals at the Denver Coliseum for the first time since the program’s championship-winning 2015-16 season with a new cast, Fisher’s eighth-seeded Trailblazers had a four-point lead late in the third quarter until the veteran Jaguars went on an 11-2 run that put them ahead for good on their way to a 54-47 victory.
Overland tried to play catch up for the final quarter, but never got any closer than three points to Rock Canyon, which advanced to a March 9 semifinal matchup against fifth-seeded George Washington.
Senior Tucson Redding scored a game-high 20 points before he fouled out late in the fourth quarter, while senior Goy Wang and junior Jalon’e Rice added nine and six points, respectively.
The Trailblazers finished the season 16-10, a significant achievement given they went into winter break with a 1-7 record. Overland roared back to win the Centennial League championship and made it three rounds deep into the state tournament.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
(1) ROCK CANYON 54, (8) OVERLAND 47
Score by quarters:
Overland 13 14 11 9 — 47
Rock Canyon 15 12 13 14 — 54
OVERLAND (47)
Daijon Smith 0 1-1 1, Tucson Redding 6 5-5 20, Stephen Hayes 1 1-2 3, Goy Wang 4 0-0 9, Laolu One 2 1-2 5, Jalon’e Rice 2 2-5 6, Alex Pena-Avila 1 1-2 3, Hezekiah Swanson 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 11-17 47.
ROCK CANYON (54)
Blake Williams 1 2-4 4, Nick Janedis 3 0-0 8, Sam Masten 7 5-5 19, Tyson Gilbert 4 5-6 15, Joe Bryson 1 0-0 2, Jaylen Eikenberg 2 0-0 4, Jake Hassett 0 2-2 2, Matt Rich 0 0-0 0, Mason West 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 14-17 54.
3-point field goals — Overland (4): Tucson Redding 3, Goy Wang; Rock Canyon (4): Tyson Gilbert 2, Nick Janedis 2. Total fouls — Overland 18, Rock Canyon 15. Fouled out — Overland: Redding, Laolu Oke, Daijon Smith. Technical fouls — None.