AURORA — Expected shuffling and positioning at the top of Class 5A boys basketball continued with a rare big game for a Monday night. On the heels of the 10-day holiday break, it drew a large crowd that could have included a section reserved for interested coaches.
No one seemed to leave disappointed after Regis knocked off top-ranked Eaglecrest 66-58 in a nonleague matchup that delivered in most areas, notably in intensity, interest and effort. Neither team led by more than six points until inside the final minute, and every play was hotly contested.
“It’s a great confidence booster for us,” Regis coach Ken Shaw said after his team, ranked No. 4 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, improved to 9-2, both losses to undefeated Fairview. “It’s a shot in the arm for our kids, who did some of the top-level things you have to do to win a game like that.”
Said Eaglecrest coach John Olander: “In a game like this, especially on their home court, we just had to execute better, and it just came down to a couple of possessions that got away from us.”
Ultimately, Regis, which protected its lead down the stretch, enjoyed superior ball-handling and free-throw shooting. The Raiders converted 22-of-26 for the game, 14-of-15 in the fourth quarter.
Regis’ Joey Ptasinski was only 2-of-8 from the floor but 8-of-8 at the foul line over the final eight minutes. Bud Thomas paced the Raiders with 23 points and made all four of his free throws late before fouling out.
“It was probably the biggest game of the year, and I didn’t want to leave my team down like that,” he said.
Ptasinski and R.J. Demps backed Thomas with 14 points each, and sophomore reserve Ryan Winters contributed nine rebounds and lots of defense against the athletic Raptors, who kept coming after squandering brief leads.
Eaglecrest (7-2) suffered its first loss in Colorado but played its usual pesky defense and challenged everything from rebounds to inbounds passes despite never really getting going offensively in a foul-plagued game. Even with a couple of late turnovers, the Raptors were right there into the final seconds.
Even with the late miscues, Olander admitted the Raptors had their chances.
“It came down to a one- or two-point game,” he said.
Josh Caldwell, Josh Turner and Gage Wooten each scored 11 points for Eaglecrest.
Eaglecrest begins Centennial play Wednesday. Regis has a nonleague game against Doherty on Thursday, then embarks on Continental play next week.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
