Jefferson County – Evergreen shot enough bricks Wednesday night to build a bakery and D’Evelyn had enough turnovers to fill those shelves.
Textbook basketball it was not. But at least all that industry provided a memorable finish.
With 2.2 seconds remaining, D’Evelyn senior Spencer Gardner went to the free-throw line to break a tie. The 6-foot-5 standout missed his first attempt but sank the second as the fourth-ranked Jaguars held off the seventh-ranked Cougars 44-43 to forge a tie for first atop the Class 4A Jefferson County League.
“I knew that I better make this one – a lot is riding on it,” Gardner said of his thoughts between free throws.
Gardner scored nine of his game-high 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Jaguars (16-4 overall, 5-1 league) were able to overcome Evergreen’s scramble zone defense that forced 26 turnovers.
Gardner, who was 5-for-5 from the field in the second half, banked in a 3-pointer with 1:38 remaining to tie the game at 43-43. Gardner hit three 3-pointers and 6-9 junior Andrew Hooper had one 3-pointer but was held to just five points.
“They did a really good job of doubling down on our post, and they made us hit shots to win the game,” Jaguars guard Isiah Pachner (seven points) said.
Evergreen (14-6, 5-1), which got 10 points and five rebounds from Blake Sutton, missed 47 shots to put a halt to its six-game winning streak.
The Cougars got a good look to win the game as junior Travis Tucker hauled in the inbounds pass, got a defender off his feet and beat the buzzer with a shot just outside the free-throw line. The Cougars also had J.D. McJunkin’s 3-pointer rattle out with 33 seconds remaining.
“On a regular shooting night, we probably win that game by 10,” said Cougars senior Kevin Fay, who scored seven points and had a strong game defensively to deny the ball inside.
Said Jaguars coach Troy Pachner: “That’s the way the game went. It could have been anybody’s.”
Things don’t get much easier for the Cougars, who face fifth-ranked Ralston Valley on Friday and 10th-ranked Golden next week. D’Evelyn has an easier schedule but probably needs to win out to ensure at least a tie for the Jeffco title.
The teams exchanged the lead 12 times Wednesday and neither was able to get up by more than six points.
Evergreen 10 7 15 11 – 43
D’Evelyn 13 5 12 14 – 44
Evergreen – Beaudin 0 0-0 0, Blackstock 1 1-2 3, Tucker 3 1-2 8, Esmaili 2 0-0 5, Poepping 0 2-2 2, McJunkin 1 0-0 2, Herbert 2 2-3 6, Sutton 4 2-2 10, Fay 1 5-5 7. Totals 14 13-16 43.
D’Evelyn – Hooper 1 2-2 5, Harbaugh 0 0-0 0, Knowles 1 0-0 2, Kastens 0 0-0 0, Schaffer 0 1-2 1, Goetz 4 1-2 9, I. Pachner 3 0-0 7, Gardner 8 1-2 20, Graeve 0 0-2 0. Totals 17 5-10 44.
3-pt. goals – Esmaili, Tucker; Gardner 3, Hooper, I. Pachner. Total fouls – Evergreen 15, D’Evelyn 14. Fouled out – None. Technicals – Goetz.
