Tradition says Broomfield’s presence as one of the four top seeds in the Class 4A boys state tournament shouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Reality might beg to differ.
Yes, the Eagles went to the Final Four last season, and yes, they won state in 2004 with a well-executed upset of Fountain-Fort Carson. And yes, the Eagles are always at or near the top of their league, thanks to coach Kevin Boley and a school that regularly produces talented athletes across the sports landscape.
But why wasn’t this season more like 2005, when the Eagles were regrouping after winning state and entered the postseason without much fuss before exiting in the second round?
Why are a bunch of kids you probably never heard of before Christmas now perched atop the Jim Baggot Region? And how on earth did Boley so easily replace nine seniors without any standouts, such as Adam Nigon or Geoff Sewell, to build around?
“Truthfully, I didn’t really know what to expect, but I knew it was a great group of kids that were going to play exceptionally hard every time on the floor and I knew they were going to be coachable,” Boley said.
Welcome to 4A basketball, where this season the stars are scarce and giants will be made of the teams that can put the little pieces together in time for the March 10 final.
The Eagles (18-5), of course, are shining examples. Winners of five straight, they gained their lofty perch by winning the Northern League Tournament, knocking off Greeley West in double overtime and by holding an explosive Windsor squad to just 33 points.
According to Boley, it all starts with defense, basketball’s great equalizer since the days of Phog Allen and Adolph Rupp.
“You got to have one thing you’re better at than anyone else,” Boley said of his defensive philosophy.
The Eagles are allowing 48 points a game and have held opponents to fewer than 40 points six times. Broomfield closed out last week’s Northern League Tournament by allowing 67 points in their last two games combined.
Shortly after losing by 19 at home to Mountain View on Feb. 2 for the second time this season, Boley tinkered with his lineup and decided to bring points, not defense, off the bench. In went Conor Nehf and Luke Stahler to the starting lineup, and out came shooter Doug Fankell and inside scorer Brian Travis.
“That’s what is great about our team is we don’t have that standout player,” leading scorer Ryan Garren said. “We’re more of a team and we look for people to get hot in games and we feed off their energy. One person steps up and we carry our team.”
Case in point: Garren scored 30 points against Greeley West, but he had just six points two days later against Windsor. Enter starter Tim Halliday, who scored a team-best 17 points and is second on the team in scoring.
Boley’s current starting five (which includes the versatile Alex Barthule) averages just barely 36 points a game. But with Fankell, Travis and shooting guard Zac Claeys coming off the bench, the Eagles are stopping teams first, establishing a deliberate tempo and hitting enough outside shots to win.
“Everyone knows their roles and what they bring to the table,” Halliday said.
Whether or not the Eagles can win it all remains to be seen; however, the team that does conquer 4A next month will almost certainly have to play like them.
