The celebrations after Abraham Lincoln’s 87-80 victory over Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday night were fairly quiet.
Sure, it was a rivalry game that kept the Lancers tied with East atop the Denver Prep League, but both sides talked as if Tuesday’s game was just a skirmish in the looming Class 4A postseason battle.
“It feels good, but we should have played better,” said Lancers guard Saul Torres, who came off the bench and scored seven of his 12 points in the fourth quarter as the Lancers fought off the Spartans’ second big rally to win their sixth straight game.
Both coaches praised their team’s overall efforts but saw enough weaknesses to leave them concerned.
The Lancers, ranked No. 2 in The Denver Post/9News poll, had five players score in double figures, led by Jorge Gutierrez’s 20 points and six rebounds.
The Lancers (12-6, 5-0 DPL) led most the game but had a nine-point lead disappear in the second quarter and nearly lost a 12-point advantage as the ninth-ranked Spartans (10-10, 2-3) cut the deficit to two points with 2:29 remaining.
“We can’t have those lapses down the stretch here where we get complacent,” Lancers coach Vince Valdez said. “There were a couple times we just started trading baskets and we weren’t exerting the same kind of energy on defense we were on offense.”
The Spartans, led by a team-best 17 points from Lawon Benford, never led by more than two points and had to rely on their bench for points during much of the first half.
The two-time defending state champions were strong in transition but faltered in their half-court set, especially when trying to get past the bigger Lancers.
“We talked about attacking, and I think what happened is those early charges they called on us … probably dictated that our guys were a little shy,” Spartans coach Grant Laman said.
Abraham Lincoln 22 19 23 23 – 87
Thomas Jefferson 16 18 24 22 – 80
Abraham Lincoln – Gutierrez 7 5-7 20, Cruz 6 5-8 17, Thomas 5 3-4 15, Pal 8 1-2 17, Preciado 1 0-0 2, Torres 4 4-5 12, Rodriguez 0 0-0 0, Carrasco 1 2-2 4. Totals 32 20-28 87.
Thomas Jefferson – Benford 7 3-6 17, Bellamy 3 7-7 14, Lewis 5 0-0 12, Kane 2 1-4 5, Greer 3 1-2 8, Carter 2 2-3 6, McCullough 3 4-5 11, Workie 2 0-0 5, Walsh 0 2-2 2, Ratcliff 0 0-0 0, Barker 0 0-0 0. Totals 27 20-29 80.
3-pt. goals – Thomas 2, Gutierrez; Lewis 2, Bellamy, Greer, McCullough, Workie. Fouled out – Gutierrez. Technicals – TJ coach Grant Laman, Greer.
