Fort Collins – Dean Grable finally got his state title. He just had to wait 13 years.
Now the coach at Eaton, Grable, a three-sport standout at Horizon in the mid-1990s, guided the Reds to their first state title since 1991 on Saturday night at Moby Arena with a 60-50 victory over Kent Denver.
“I told these guys they have a chance to do something I’ve never done,” said Grable, whose former Horizon coach, Dave Lawrence, was in attendance to watch his pupil. “I know what it feels like to be in the other locker room.”
Grable and his brother, Keith, were crucial parts of the Hawks’ 1994 basketball team that lost to the Chauncey Billups-led George Washington team by four points.
Eaton (24-3), the first Patriot League team to win a state title since Highland in 2000, responded to Grable after he picked up a technical foul midway through the third quarter. Trailing 33-28 at the time and down two more after Kent Denver’s Kyle Lewis hit the free throws, Eaton went on an 8-2 run to close out the quarter and seize the momentum going into the fourth.
“I think the technical worked to our advantage,” Grable said. “I told them, ‘I’m sticking up for you guys, now it’s time you get it done for me.”‘
The fourth quarter belonged to Eaton. With Lewis’ game limited because of foul trouble, the Sun Devils struggled to find good looks on the offensive end and the Reds forced Lewis farther from the basket.
“The shots that were falling the past couple of nights, just weren’t falling,” said Kent Denver coach Todd Schayes, whose team had been eliminated the past two seasons by quarterfinal buzzer beaters. “(Kyle) fought his way to 27 points. They made him work for it.”
Eaton guards Lance Korell and Drew Geisick constantly had a hand in Lewis’ face and forced the DU-bound senior to look for other options.
Seth Lobato, a 6-foot-6 sophomore, was held to just two points in the first half, but erupted for 17 in the second half. Korell, who scored the game-winner Friday night against Faith Christian, led the Reds with 24 points and was 10-of-11 from the free-throw line in crunch time.
“Those guys did a real good job, especially Lance,” said Lobato, whose brothers played at Eaton and are now assistant coaches. “(Lewis) is a great player, and you’re not going to hold him to a goose egg all game. We knew we just had to shut down their role players.”
Kent Denver (20-7), which got five points from its bench in the three games at Moby, got 10 points from Ben Stewart inside.
Kent Denver 12 10 15 13 – 50
Eaton 11 10 15 24 – 60
Kent Denver – Reilly 1 0-0 2, Lewis 10 4-4 27, Deevy 2 2-2 8, Wiebe 0 0-1 0, Stewart 4 2-5 10, Kraus 0 0-0 0, Ely 0 0-0 0, Clark 0 0-0 0, Holz 1 0-0 3, Muray 0 0-0 0, Kenney 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 8-12 50.
Eaton – Korell 5 13-14 24, Geisick 4 0-2 9, Smith 1 1-2 3, Ball 0 1-2 1, Lobato 6 4-4 19, Merritt 0 0-0 0, Stewart 1 2-2 4, Maulsby 0 0-0 0, Smallwood 0 0-0 0, Hall 0 0-0 0, McNear 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 21-26 60.
3-pt. goals – Lewis 3, Deevy 2, Holz; Lobato 3, Korell, Geisick. Total fouls – Kent Denver 22; Eaton 16. Fouled out – Wiebe; Ball. Technical – Eaton coach Dean Grable.
THIRD-PLACE GAME
FAITH CHRISTIAN 66, C.S. CHRISTIAN 65
C.S. Christian 13 15 15 22 – 65
Faith Christian 20 8 23 15 – 66
C.S.C.S. – Mellema 3 4-4 10, Veltkamp 4 0-0 12, Selley 3 2-4 10, Broekhuis 4 0-0 8, Baarts 7 5-6 20, Smith 1 3-5 5, Collura 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 14-19 65.
Faith Christian – Wall 9 4-4 24, Ziemer 7 4-5 22, Colson 3 5-6 12, Gill 1 0-0 2, Yantis 2 1-4 5, Hegarty 0 0-0 0, Coon 0 0-0 0, Kirkwood 0 0-0 0, Chapman 0 1-2 1, Grabau 0 0-0 0, Yeager 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 15-21 66.
3-pt. goals – Veltkamp 4, Selley 2, Baarts; Ziemer 4, Wall 2, Colson. Total fouls – C.S. Christian 17; Faith Christian 18. Fouled out – Broekhuis. Technical – Faith Christian bench.
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
ROARING FORK 55, PAGOSA SPRINGS 48
Pagosa Springs 9 6 15 18 – 48
Roaring Fork 13 13 9 20 – 55
Pagosa Springs – J. Shaffer 6 6-6 21, Hilsabeck 4 2-3 10, Trujillo 2 0-0 4, Ormonde 3 5-6 11, Martinez 0 0-0 0, T. Shaffer 0 0-0 0, Walters 0 0-0 0, Richie 0 0-0 0, Hart 1 0-0 2, Ross 0 0-0 0. Totals 16 13-15 48.
Roaring Fork – Gianinetti 5 3-6 13, Tr. Hunt 0 3-4 3, Raaflaub 3 8-9 14, Ty. Hunt 4 1-2 10, Udall 3 5-6 11, Hernandez 0 0-0 0, Abrahamovich 2 0-0 4. Totals 17 20-27 55.
3-pt. goals – J. Shaffer 3; Ty. Hunt. Total fouls – Pagosa Springs 22; Roaring Fork 14. Fouled out – J. Shaffer, Ormonde; Ty. Hunt. Technicals – None.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Matt Baarts, C.S. Christian, Jr.
Drew Geisick, Eaton, Sr.
Lance Korell, Eaton, Jr.
Kyle Lewis, Kent Denver, Sr.
Seth Lobato, Eaton, So.
MVP: Seth Lobato
