Coach Bob Caton hasn’t had to give too many meaningful halftime speeches this season.
On Wednesday night, his Aurora Central Trojans trailed at halftime for the first time all season, then outscored Arapahoe 25-6 in the third quarter and eventually defeated the Warriors 79-64 at the Thunderdome to advance to Friday’s Elite 8.
The Trojans (25-0), whose bugaboo has been the Sweet 16 the past two seasons, will play Cherry Creek, a 60-50 winner over Palmer, in the final of the Class 5A Glenn Wilson Region.
“Arapahoe really came out and shot the ball well. They were unconcious,” Caton said. “I told them at the half: ‘Just keep playing defense the way you’re playing. They are going to have to cool off a little bit.”‘
Arapahoe (15-10) started missing shots in the third quarter that went in at a 50 percent clip (12-for-24) in the first half. It was the Warriors’ defense that let them down, allowing the Trojans to go a sizzling 11-for-14 (78.6 percent) from the field and blow the game open.
Stephen Franklin scored nine of his 20 points in the third quarter. Central’s Marcus Johnson was cold most of the game but hit a couple of big 3-pointers.
“We got our bearings offensively and turned the tide a little bit,” said Caton, who has guided Central to a 48-1 record over the past two seasons. “We told the kids we wanted to knock the door down of the Sweet 16, and we did. So now it’s back to one game at time.”
Said Franklin, “It was very emotional in the locker room, but we just came together like we know how to do.”
Arapahoe 19 15 6 24 – 64
Aurora Central 15 14 25 25 – 79
Arapahoe – Agee 3 3-4 11, Carlson 2 2-2 6, Ericson 5 2-4 13, Knutson 8 2-2 20, Cross 1 2-6 5, Whitaker 3 0-0 9, Jones 0 0-2 0, Okazaki 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 11-20 64.
Aurora Central – Johnson 3 0-1 8, Cunningham 7 5-6 22, Franklin 7 4-7 20, Martin 5 1-2 11, Scarbrough 5 3-5 14, Woahene 1 2-2 4, Ray 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 15-23 79.
3-point goals – Whitaker 3, Agee 2, Knutson 2, Ericson, Cross; Cunningham 3, Johnson 2, Franklin 2, Scarbrough. Total fouls – Arapahoe 19; Arapahoe 17. Fouled out – Ericson; Johnson. Technicals – None.
