ARVADA — It’s definitely not the same Faith Christian boys basketball team that was so impressive in its run to the Class 3A title last season.
However, it’s easy to see glimpses of why the Eagles are still considered a favorite to make a deep run in March.
Relentless defensive pressure and a crafty offense were on display in Saturday’s Metropolitan League victory over unbeaten Colorado Academy 67-61.
“We’ve got a lot to work on still,” Faith Christian senior Stephen Dennis said. “But, it’s always nice to walk away with a ‘W’.”
Top-ranked Faith Christian improved to 7-0 overall and 2-0 in league play. The Mustangs, ranked No. 5 in the latest Denver Post/9News poll, dropped to 8-1 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Faith Christian’s pressure defense, which varied from man-to-man to a 2-3 zone, gave the C.A. ballhandlers fits and forced the Mustangs to make rushed decisions.
“There is a reason they’ve only lost once in the last two years. If they are not the quickest team in 3A, I don’t know who is,” Colorado Academy coach Dan Zinn said. “Our guards aren’t the best ball-handlers, but they do what they can.
“They made some decisions that weren’t necessarily what we wanted to have happen.”
In the process of hassling the guards, Faith Christian limited the touches of Mustangs big man David Jones in the first half, limiting the Mines signee to just two shots and four points in the first 16 minutes.
The Eagles built their lead to double figures on their first possession of the second half and never looked back. Seven Faith players scored in the third quarter, highlighted by reserve Micah Twedell’s steal and layup that put Faith up 44-32.
The lead stretched to 19 points early in the fourth quarter, before the Mustangs and Phil Jones closed out the game with a 16-6 run to make the score more respectable.
“We had stretches where we played well, but overall, mentally we just didn’t execute things the way we wanted to,” Faith coach Andrew Hasz said. “They played well. We were disappointed with some of the things we did, but pleased with the outcome.”
Dennis led five Eagles in double figures with 16. Riley Grabau — a sophomore who dazzled the crowd with his passes — Jordan Stone, Joel Hegarty and reserve Hayden Loudenslager all finished with 10.
Phil Jones led all scorers with 28 points, including going 10-for-12 at the free-throw line. Older brother David finished with 14 points — including an all Jones ally-oop play — on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor.
“They make you play your best basketball to have a shot,” Zinn said. “We’ve had good halves against them in the past and not battle back, but they came back and never stopped fighting (which) proves we aren’t going to quit.”
Colorado Academy 11 14 16 20 — 61
Faith Christian 14 18 20 15 — 67
Colorado Academy — P. Jones 7 10-12 28, D. Jones 5 4-6 14, Greenberg 3 0-0 7, Sadler 3 1-2 8, Perkins-Smith 2 0-1 4, E. Hopfenbeck 0 0-0 0, C. Hopfenbeck 0 0-0 0, Wilson 0 0-0 0, Woodruff 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 15-21 61.
Faith Christian — Grabau 4 1-2 10, Stone 3 2-2 10, Hegarty 4 1-2 10, Dennis 7 2-4 16, Gallagher 2 0-0 4, Rindels 1 0-0 3, Twedell 2 0-0 4, Brekke 0 0-0 0, Loudenslager 5 0-0 10. Totals 28 6-10 67.
3-pt. goals — P. Jones 4, Greenberg, Sadler; Stone 2, Grabau, Hegarty, Rindels. Total fouls — Colorado Academy 12; Faith Christian 18. Fouled out — Perkins-Smith. Technicals — None.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
