Greenwood Village – The Terrors got a little scare.
Palmer, the third seed in the Glenn Wilson Region of the Class 5A boys basketball playoffs, went down to the wire Friday night against Fairview for a 59-57 victory at Cherry Creek.
The Terrors (20-3) used a collapsing 1-3-1 defense with 6-foot-9 Elgin Fitzgerald anchored at the top at the free- throw line, and the Knights (14-11) found a way through the zone in the early going.
Fairview senior Craig Towler sneaked under the basket time and again for six easy points to give the Knights an early 10-3 lead.
“If the backside wing isn’t looking, he can turn his head and miss that pass,” Fitzgerald said. “That’s one of the weaknesses of the defense.”
But Palmer tightened up the zone and hit clutch free throws in the final minute to advance to the Sweet 16 after dropping out in the first round last season. Waiting will be Cherry Creek.
Fitzgerald scored a game-high 21 points to go with four blocks, and Reggie Jackson hit three 3-pointers for 12 points.
Nicholas Anastas led Fairview with 18 points, while Mickey Citarella came off the bench for 11 and Craig Towler finished with 10.
The Terrors clung to a 57-55 lead with 25.9 seconds left, but Derek Jones hit two free throws with 15 seconds remaining to push the lead to four.
The Knights scored another basket, but only a second remained on the clock and Palmer was able to inbound and wait for the buzzer.
Fairview 15 15 14 13 – 57
Palmer 15 14 15 15 – 59
Fairview – Melillo 3 1-2 7, Fenton 0 0-0 0, Stone 4 0-0 8, Anastas 5 5-6 18, Towler 4 2-2 10, Moore 0 0-0 0, Quilling 0 1-4 1, Citarella 3 2-2 11, Taydus 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 11-18 57.
Palmer – Blackledge 0 0-0 0, Robinson 1 0-0 2, Simons 1 5-6 8, Mayerl 3 1-7 7, Fitzgerald 7 6-9 21, Jackson 4 1-4 12, Jones 2 2-2 6, Renteria 1 0-0 3, Kret 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 15-28 59.
3-pt. goals – Anastas 3, Citarella 3; Jackson 3, Simons, Fitzgerald, Renteria. Total fouls – Fairview 23; Palmer 17. Fouled out – Towler. Technicals – None.
CHERRY CREEK 66, POUDRE 41
It looked like a money night for Cherry Creek from the first shot, when David Fishel cashed in a 3-pointer. That basket was a good sign as the Bruins jumped ahead and stayed ahead.
Grant Parker was dominant with 29 points and 13 rebounds, and Fishel would hit two more 3-pointers to finish with 11 points for the Bruins (18-6).
For Poudre (16-8), Dallas Elmore worked inside and out for 23 points, but nobody else would score more than six.
Cherry Creek never faltered, taking a 15-2 lead in the first quarter, and Parker could not be stopped in the first half, when he put up 22 points.
The Bruins also controlled the boards, pulling down 38 individual rebounds to Poudre’s 15.
Poudre 6 12 10 13 – 41
Cherry Creek 19 17 15 15 – 66
Poudre- Fisher 2 0-0 5, Fulgencio 3 0-0 6, Morrow 0 0-0 0, Elmore 9 3-4 23, Faust 1 0-0 3, Shaw 1 2-2 4, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, P. Casey 0 0-0 0, W. Casey 0 0-0 0, Roberts 0 0-0 0, Crenshaw 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 5-6 41.
Cherry Creek – Sokoloski 1 0-0 3, Fishel 4 0-0 11, Rhode 2 3-6 7, Parker 12 2-3 29, Montgomery 2 0-2 4, Pingree 1 0-0 2, Heimbrock 3 0-0 6, Wilde 1 1-2 4, Link 0 0-0 0, Hoover 0 0-0 0, Giles 0 0-0 0, Keeth 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 6-13 66.
3-pt. goals – Elmore 2, Fisher, Faust; Fishel 3, Parker 3, Sokoloski, Wilde. Total fouls – Poudre 7; Cherry Creek 8. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
