Greenwood Village – In a collision of Class 5A Centennial League boys basketball powerhouse teams Wednesday night, the biggest player on the court sandwiched a bit of finesse between some muscle.
With time winding down and the score tightening, Cherry Creek wanted to put Mullen’s 6-foot-11 Ray Hall on the free-throw line. But when it mattered most, Hall made both free throws amid two monster jams to help the Mustangs to a 54-45 victory over the Bruins at Cherry Creek.
The victory for the No. 3 Mustangs (18-2, 10-1 league) put them up two games in the Centennial League – Cherry Creek and Smoky Hill are next at 8-3 – with three to play.
“I knew they were going to come after me because I’m not that good of a free-throw shooter,” Hall said. “But I’m improving.”
Hall’s 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots were key, as were Jon Ward’s feathery jumpers from his spot near the free-throw line and Robby Hanzlik’s defense. Ward finished with 14 points and nine rebounds. Hanzlik added 12 points.
“This was a big win for us, a statement win,” Hanzlik said. “We’ve got to play our game. And if we do that, we win.”
David Fishel led No. 9 Cherry Creek (14-6 overall) with 16 points, including three 3-pointers. Taylor Rhode added 10 points for the Bruins. Grant Parker pulled down nine rebounds but was held to four points.
The Mustangs hit 50 percent of their shots in the first quarter en route to an 18-9 lead, but a tough layup by Fishel capped a 9-2 run by the Bruins and cut Mullen’s lead to two points, 20-18, near halftime.
Fishel again cut the lead to two points with a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, and he would hit Cherry Creek’s next shot as well. The only problem was that his next shot did not come until after Mullen went on an 11-0 run. Ward pitched in with two of his trademark jumpers that drove the coaches on Cherry Creek’s bench crazy.
“That’s my shot,” Ward said. “It is always a tough game with Creek. This is our big rivalry.”
The Bruins looked to be fading, falling into a 40-28 hole early in the fourth quarter. But Fishel came up big yet again, this time with a 3-pointer to make the score 40-35 with 4:10 to play.
“We were in a quick offense, and it was working for us for a little bit. Then they just took off,” Fishel said.
Said Hall, “We just know what we have to do toward the end of games.”
Mullen 18 5 15 16 – 54
Cherry Creek 9 9 10 17 – 45
Mullen – Aguilar 1 2-2 5, Ward 6 2-2 14, Shaw 2 0-0 5, Hanzlik 4 3-4 12, Hall 7 4-11 18, Allen 0 0-0 0, Theret 0 0-0 0, Brugman 0 0-0 0, Stathopulos 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 11-19 54.
Cherry Creek – Sokoloski 0 0-0 0, Fishel 6 1-2 16, Rhode 4 1-1 10, Parker 1 2-2 4, Montgomery 4 0-2 8,
Heimbrock 1 0-0 2, Pingree 1 0-0 2, Wilde 1 0-0 3. Totals 18 4-7 45.
3-point goals – Aguilar, Shaw, Hanzlik; Fishel 3, Rhode, Wilde. Total fouls – Mullen 15, Cherry Creek 15. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
