Loveland survived the Swamp as the 10th-seeded Indians pulled the biggest upset of the first round of the Class 5A boys state tournament Thursday with a 77-62 victory at No. 7 Standley Lake.
Collin Klein scored 30 points for the Indians. Trent Pahl and Andrew Zehnder scored in double figures for the Gators (15-9), who hit eight 3-pointers.
The Ray Ball Region saw three higher seeds escape upsets.
No. 6 Monarch trailed 11th-seeded Lewis-Palmer 20-9 after the first quarter but outscored the Rangers 27-10 in the fourth quarter for a 64-53 victory. Sabatino Chen scored 22 points and Brooks Bajcar hit five 3-pointers and finished with 19 points for Monarch (18-6).
No. 8 Boulder slipped past No. 9 Rangeview 69-65, and seventh-seeded Arvada West trailed No. 10 Legacy 38-27 at halftime but rallied for a 60-54 victory.
In the RW Truscott Region, Highlands Ranch and Green Mountain fought through close games, and Douglas County and Chaparral rolled.
No. 6 Green Mountain needed overtime to shake off No. 11 Grand Junction 59-54. Highlands Ranch had 24 points from Blake Olson and 17 from Jason Davis to edge Lakewood 69-64.
