Huge home comeback powers Resurrection Christian boys basketball into 3A Great 8
LOVELAND — Ryan Yoder took his elbow and slammed it right into the cage of the locker.
It wasn't exactly a violent, angry gesture from the coach but rather a message.
“We have to get into somebody,” the Resurrection Christian boys basketball coach told his team.
The No. 6-seeded Cougars trailed No. 22 Manitou Springs by a huge margin early in Saturday’s Class 3A Sweet 16 game in large part because RCS could not grab rebounds.
Manitou Springs grabbed three on the first possession alone as the visitors raced to a 14-point lead after one quarter.
Message received. Resurrection Christian was absolutely dominant in the second half to grab a 53-42 comeback win and advance to the Great 8.
“Defense is what makes our team,” freshman guard Ty Yoder said. “That’s what we needed to lock down on and we did. That’s why we won the game.”
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Manitou Springs (14-10) had 10 offensive rebounds at half. Combine the loose balls won with a great shooting quarter and Manitou Springs was up by an eye-popping 20-6 total after the first quarter.
RCS (19-5) had cut it to a five-point deficit by half as the Cougars steadied.
Then the third quarter happened.
In the first three minutes RCS started making shots and a flurry of steals led to fastbreaks. The 14-point deficit turned into a lead in less than 11 minutes of game action and RCS never looked back.
The Cougars won the third quarter 19-3 and held Manitou Springs to 22 points in the final three quarters combined. The total score for the final three quarters: 47-22.
“They did a good job turning it up,” Ryan Yoder said.
This young team keeps figuring it out. Five of the top scorers from last year are gone and now RCS has a bunch of youngsters playing key roles, with freshmen or sophomores four of the top five scorers.
Ty Yoder, the freshman point guard, took the lead in this one. He finished with a game-high 21 points, including two and-1’s where he took contact with his slight frame and finished.
Junior Cody Michaelson scored 10 points and freshman Cade Crutcher added nine.
“It feels incredible,” Ty Yoder said. “It means a lot to move on with the young team we have.”
The Cougars play in the Great 8 Thursday at the University of Denver against the winner of No. 3 Aspen and No. 14 Englewood.
Heritage Christian boys season over after tight loss
It was a thriller that went the wrong way for the home team, as the Heritage Christian boys basketball team’s season met an abrupt end with a 56-54 loss to No. 10 Wray in the Class 2A Sweet 16 on Saturday in Fort Collins.
This was a back-and-forth affair throughout, with neither team leading by more than five points to match a dozen lead changes.
Wray’s Chris Arambula broke open a 51-51 tie with a clutch 3-pointer, one of six deep balls for the visitors in the second half.
Sam Lundy had another strong game with 15 points, including a 3-pointer in the final minute that nearly brought Heritage back. Lundy finished his senior season averaging almost 20 points per game.
For Wray, Rafael Trejo scored 10 points in a row early in the third quarter and finished with 12 points overall.
The home Eagles (both teams share the mascot) acquitted themselves far better than they did against Wray last month, nearly avenging a 59-31 road loss to Wray on Feb. 19.
Heritage Christian (18-6) was the No. 7 seed in the 2A bracket and won the Mile High League with an 11-1 mark before winning last week’s district tournament.
Wray was the only team to beat the Eagles since Jan. 14, with Heritage Christian going 15-0 down the stretch otherwise.
Heritage girls upset in 2A first round
The Heritage Christian girls basketball team’s season came to a surprisingly early end with a 42-38 upset loss to Yuma on Friday night in the first round of the Class 2A playoffs at Rye High School.
Yuma (10-12) was the No. 21 seed in 2A and had lost seven of its previous nine games before upsetting the No. 12 Eagles.
Yuma ultimately lost to No. 5 seed and host Rye (24-0) in a 46-11 blowout on Saturday in the Sweet 16.
Heritage Christian (19-4) posted an unbeaten 10-0 mark in the Mile High League this year and had won 14 straight games entering the 2A bracket but drew a tough regional road trip to Rye.
Star guard Kali Siemers’ prep basketball career came to an end after a sensational senior season, as she averaged 17.3 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.
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Res. Christian girls fall in first round
The Resurrection Christian girls basketball team dropped a tough game with a 45-43 loss to Coal Ridge on Friday night in the first round of the Class 3A playoffs at University High School in Greeley.
The No. 15 Titans (13-7) used some clutch late free throws to hold off a late comeback from the No. 18 Cougars (14-9) in a tight contest.
Coal Ridge ultimately fell to No. 2 seed and host University on Saturday afternoon in the Sweet 16.
Resurrection Christian went 6-3 in Patriot League but lost its last three games after a strong start to the season.
However, the Cougars’ future remains bright with underclassmen standouts like sophomore Mackenzie Flikkema (12.1 points per game) plus freshmen Olivia Klein (11.5 ppg) and Callie Gillespie (5.8 ppg) all back next season.
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This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Big comeback powers Resurrection Christian boys basketball into Great 8
