Jake Nielson didn’t know he was going to be awesome on Friday night.
“The last couple of games I hadn’t been working hard on defense, so I came out to work hard on defense,” the senior said. “I got a couple breakaway steals and that let me into the game.”
Actually, Nielson, who will play at Colorado State in two years after taking a religious mission, owned the game. He scored 37 points as Grandview knocked off East 78-77 at the Denver Coliseum in the Class 5A’s Great 8 to make it an all-Centennial League final four.
Grandview (21-5) will join Cherry Creek, its next foe, Mullen and Smoky Hill for the semifinals Wednesday at the University of Colorado’s Coors Events Center. East ended its season 22-4.
In advancing to their third final four in four seasons, the Wolves never trailed and rode the performance by Nielson, which included seven rebounds, nine assists and seven steals.
“He had quite a night,” said coach Gary Childress.
Nielson fueled the Wolves early and often. He had 23 points in the first half, sparked a 12-0 lead in which he recorded three steals that led to layups and eventually scored over, under and through the Angels.
“I had it going,” he said.
East trailed by double figures well into the second half and didn’t get close until late. Childress said he never felt comfortable, but there were two other reasons. He suffered two cracked ribs Wednesday, when Zach Tiedgen of ThunderRidge ran him over on the bench while attempting to get a loose ball and pinned the coach’s back against a bleacher row.
“Oh, you know,” Childress said when asked how he felt.
He felt better when his Wolves “closed it down with a lot of composure.”
Late free throws and ball protection helped Grandview, although the Angels had multiple opportunities at the free-throw line, from the perimeter and inside to take control.
They never did.
“We got outworked,” East coach Rudy Carey said. “We had our chances….Nielson is as good as (ThunderRidge’s Matt) Bouldin in the open floor.”
Nielson’s two free throws with 13 seconds left sealed it.
Brandon Gentry (11 points) and Wynne Mason and Brandon Sweet (10 each) supported Nielson, who also repeatedly beat the East press.
Donell Wells led the Angels with 28 points. Next were Eric Miller (13) and Ben Boyd and Blake Swain (11 each).
“I would have hated to be the one that let (the league) down,” Childress said. “I never get too stressed out about not having a league championship, because I know it’s how you finish.”
Grandview 24 18 20 16 – 78
East 13 20 21 23 – 77
Grandview – Childress 0 4-6 4, Gentry 5 0-0 11, Nielson 15 6-8 37, Flanagan 2 0-0 6, Sweet 3 4-7 10, Fernandez 0 0-0 0, Mason 5 0-0 10, Olmstead 0 0-0 0. Totals 30 14-21 78.
East – Miller 5 3-7 13, Boyd 3 5-6 11, Swain 4 3-3 11, Wells 9 5-7 28, Gilbert 3 2-2 8, Battle 0 0-0 0, De. Thornton 2 0-0 4, Williams 0 0-0 0, Martinez-Doublin 0 0-0 0, Verner 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 18-25 77.
3-pt. goals – Flanagan 2, Gentry, Nielson; Wells 5. Total fouls – Grandview 22, East 18. Fouled out – Flanagan; Swain. Technicals – None.
