The final score – Mountain Vista 78, Palmer 69 – was interesting, its story and ramifications better.
The seventh-seeded Golden Eagles’ takedown of the No. 2 Terrors in Class 5A boys Round II on Saturday night was worth fighting for. Mountain Vista won a postseason game on the road and wasn’t held back by some of the growing pains still relevant to a fourth-year varsity program. The Golden Eagles extended their season by at least five days, clinched their initial Sweet 16 showing and realized the joy of winning a playoff game in which not many gave them a realistic chance.
Plus, coach Brandon Brookfield said, “We just about got beat in every other area … and that’s the kind of team that has given us trouble all year, the small, quick teams.”
Mountain Vista, which replaced four starters from a year ago, gave up 25 offensive rebounds, committed 24 turnovers and nearly squandered a double- figure lead. No problem. The Golden Eagles shot 60 percent and made 6-of-8 3-pointers. Kyle Behrens had 25 points and 17 rebounds. And Mountain Vista, which earlier gave Continental League champion and neighboring ThunderRidge its lone league loss, turned it up a notch by, Brookfield said, “keeping its composure” as well as converting 20-of-25 free throws.
Next up for the Golden Eagles, a big part of the big schools’ next round Thursday, is Cherry Creek, the 2005-06 season’s runner-up fresh from defeating Gateway, a team the Golden Eagles lost to by 30 points in league play.
Otherwise, five of the top six 5A seeds remain, including Aurora Central (24-0).
Two-time defending 4A champion Thomas Jefferson is through two rounds, and its Ron Shavlik Region is the only one of the four without the top four seeds intact – Fossil Ridge (5) and Conifer (7) have joined host Widefield (1) and the city’s Spartans (3).
The classification’s power also includes Abraham Lincoln, down from 5A and a legitimate threat in a region including top-ranked Harrison. And, in a side development, Lancers star guard Jorge Gutierrez, a native of Mexico classified as a junior, was informed over the past month he is considered a senior. A recheck of his transcript by city officials necessitated the change and it’s not an unusual occurrence involving foreign-born competitors, according to Bert Borgmann, assistant commissioner of the Colorado High School Activities Association.
In mid-range play, 3A’s 32-team field is headed by top-ranked and undefeated Faith Christian, which all but toyed with a deep Metropolitan League and is the definitive favorite.
“Man, are (the Eagles) good,” said Dick Katte, coach of two-time defending champion Denver Christian.
But the Eagles have plenty in front of them. Colorado Springs Christian and Roaring Fork each enter Friday’s first round with one loss. Eaton, Manitou Springs, Pagosa Spings, Rye and surprising Sheridan account for some of 3A’s considerable depth and balance.
Smaller schools got off to slower starts for this weekend’s regionals as blowing snow Saturday caused multiple postponements, delays and headaches. Sixteen teams in each class need a victory to qualify for the state championships, March 8-10 in Colorado Springs and Pueblo.
Heavyweights in 2A include Evangelical Christian, Del Norte, Jefferson Academy and Sanford; in 1A, it’s the likes of Granada, Kit Carson, Stratton and Flagler.
Neil H. Devlin can be reached at 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com.
