Donnell Wells allowed sluggish East to shift gears.
The speedy junior helped spark the Angels’ defense and transition down the stretch Saturday in a hard-fought, 52-48 home victory over Rocky Mountain in a Class 5A nonleague game.
East, ranked No. 1 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, improved to 5-0. Rocky Mountain suffered its first loss in three games.
The Lobos, who led throughout the first half, then built an 11-point margin midway through the third quarter, had threatened to pull away from an East team cold from the field and prone to turnovers.
However, East’s defensive pressure eventually bothered Rocky Mountain. And after teammate Demetrious Thornton threw down a thunderous dunk for the Angels’ first lead (40-39) in the second half, Wells scored six consecutive points as East took command.
Wells, a reserve guard, converted two follow-up shots in transition and got a layup to put East ahead just enough to fend off the Lobos.
“We tried to press them and run them down the floor, and get a lot of open baskets,” Wells said after leading East with 16 points. “The tempo was real slow into the third quarter and coach told us to pick it up.”
Rocky Mountain, which took advantage of open looks, still had its chances but missed just enough times to remain trailing in the closing minutes. The Lobos also didn’t come up with key loose balls or rebounds.
“I think (East’s defensive pressure) bothered us from that point of view, but not necessarily, and we rushed (shots) a little bit and didn’t get just enough key rebounds,” Rocky Mountain coach Bruce Dick said. “We know we’re good shooters, but we just didn’t quite make enough plays to beat East today.
“We’ll learn from it and get better. It’s one to take with us.”
Trent Wahlfeldt (12 points), Jacob Houghton and Marcus Coldiron (10 each), Tyler House and Jared Houghton all had assorted moments for the Lobos.
East led only briefly in the first half as the Lobos, despite getting out- rebounded, hit shots, found the open player and made East look a step slow on defense. In fact, the Lobos led 34-23 as East shot only 3-of-17 from the floor in the third quarter.
But the Angels gradually closed piece by piece as they began to connect from the perimeter, got some easy baskets on the break and went 8-of-8 at the free-throw line in the fourth quarter.
“(The Lobos’) legs were gone,” East coach Rudy Carey said of his team’s late move. “We’re playing so bad right now. No excuses against Rocky Mountain. They played good; we played bad.
“We’ve got a bunch of kids who can play, but we don’t have a scheme yet. (The Lobos) were solid, played hard and were competitive. We just have to get our kids playing hard.”
East, which inserted 11 players, also received eight points each from Eric Miller and Sam Williams.
Rocky Mountain 11 16 9 12 – 48
East 8 15 8 21 – 52
Rocky Mountain – House 2 2-3 6, Coldiron 4 0-0 10, Gutting 1 2-2 5, Jacob Houghton 4 2-2 10, Wahlfeldt 5 0-0 12, Jared Houghton 2 1-2 5, Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 7-9 48.
East – Miller 3 2-2 8, Williams 2 2-2 8, Boyd 1 0-4 2, Swain 1 2-2 4, Gilbert 1 3-4 5, Wells 6 2-2 16, Duncan 1 0-0 3, Thornton 2 0-0 4, Washington 0 0-0 0, Martinez-Doublin 1 0-0 2, Battle 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 11-16 52.
3-point goals – Wahlfeldt 2, Coldiron 2, Gutting; Williams 2, Wells, Duncan. Total fouls – Rocky Mountain 15, East 12. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
