Greeley – Gym ball can get old real quick.
But gym ball with some of the state’s top basketball players rarely had a dull moment Saturday at Northridge High School in the final of the annual Colorado All-State Games.
There were moments of sloppiness, a few airballs, but plenty of entertainment in a game the Red squad won 87-66 after the White team had battled back only to be blown out late in the fourth quarter.
The subtle humor was that the game was sponsored by the Colorado High School Coaches Association. There was only so much a coach could do in the limited time he had with his team, but the Red squad set itself apart by doing the little things better.
With Christian Tena (Roaring Fork) on point, Elgin Fitzgerald (Palmer) in the center and aggressive forwards Neal Kingman (Greeley West), Kyle Perkins (Montezuma-Cortez) and Mark Reding (Rye), the Red squad dominated the boards, was quick in transition and made the high-percentage shots.
Perkins led all scorers with 16 points, Tena had 13 and Fitzgerald finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and one crushing screen on All-Colorado player of the year Matt Bouldin (ThunderRidge). Reding pulled down six of his 11 rebounds in the first quarter, and Kingman’s 3-pointer with 4:42 remaining helped the Red squad pull away for good.
“We did a good job getting up and down the court,” Kingman said. “When everybody was getting a little tired, we would rebound and run and just ran them into the ground, pretty much.”
The Red squad led 48-30 at halftime and 62-50 heading into the fourth quarter before the White squad rallied to within two baskets.
T.J. Robinson (ThunderRidge), Bouldin and Steve Johnson (Cheyenne Mountain) led the charge for the White squad, cutting the deficit to 64-58 with 8:03 remaining as the Red squad missed its first 10 shots in the quarter.
Johnson, who finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, pulled down Bouldin’s missed 3-pointer and banked it home to cut the Red team’s lead to 68-64 with less than seven minutes remaining.
The Red squad responded with a layup from Perkins, a layup from Robbie Pride (Kent Denver) and Kingman’s 3-pointer to go up 75-64, then closed the game on a 12-2 run.
“We held them to 66 points,” Reding said. “I think that’s pretty good with 10-minute quarters.”
Robinson led the White squad with 14 points. Robert Horton (Mancos) and Kyle Ruzicka (Lake County) each added nine, and 6-foot-8 Brent Schuster (Denver Christian) blocked four shots. Trevor Oliver (Gateway) had 12 for the Red team.
Red 26 22 14 25 – 87
White 13 17 20 16 – 66
Red – Canty (Sanford) 1 0-0 2, Pride (Kent Denver) 3 0-0 7, Scott (Ouray) 0 0-0 0, Tena (Roaring Fork) 6 1-1 13, Reding (Rye) 2 1-2 5, Lebsack (Yuma) 3 2-2 9, Perkins (Montezuma-Cortez) 5 5-5 16, Kingman (Greeley West) 4 0-0 9, Fitzgerald (Palmer) 6 0-0 12, Bailon (Ralston Valley) 1 0-0 2, Oliver (Gateway) 5 1-1 12, Hanzlik (Mullen) dnp. Totals 36 10-11 87.
White – Lane (Jefferson Academy) 1 1-2 3, Jimenez (Holy Trinity) 0 0-0 0, Ruzicka (Lake County) 3 0-0 9, Culver (Grand Valley) 2 0-0 5, Murray (Holyoke) 1 0-0 2, Soucie (Norwood) 0 0-0 0, Horton (Mancos) 4 1-3 9, Robinson (ThunderRidge) 6 0-0 14, Johnson (Cheyenne Mountain) 5 2-2 12, Schuster (Denver Christian) 2 0-0 4, Bouldin (ThunderRidge) 1 6-6 8. Totals 25 10-13 66.
3-point goals – Kingman, Lebsack, Oliver, Perkins, Pride; Ruzicka 3, Robinson 2, Culver. Total fouls – Red 14, White 8. Fouled out – None. Technicals – None.
