AURORA — There may be something significant here.
“We’re building,” Gateway coach Jeff Sweet said Tuesday night after his Olympians handled Rock Canyon 72-52 in the Class 5A Continental League.
The Olys, ranked No. 6 in The Denver Post/9News 5A poll, showed some lapses after halftime before improving to 11-3 overall, 2-0 in league. They have a sense of the big picture, especially after knocking off league power ThunderRidge this past weekend, but realize they can stumble easily.
“(Beating ThunderRidge) gave us a lot of confidence. It’s the first time we’ve beaten them, but (Sweet) says every game is the next big game,” Josh Pleasant said. “We can’t overlook anyone.”
The Olys also get their league shot at No. 2 Regis on Friday, a team they lost to in a tournament in December.
A feisty Gateway team took control early against the younger, 4A Jaguars and ran to a 39-21 halftime lead. However, poor ball protection helped whittle the lead to 10 points before turnovers by Rock Canyon led to quick, easy baskets.
“It seems to always happen in this league,” Sweet said. “We didn’t have the intensity to start the third quarter. Rock Canyon wasn’t going to stop playing hard.”
Ultimately, Pleasant (17 points, nine rebounds), Larry Riley (21 points, seven rebounds) and Vincent Roybal (15 points) helped Gateway own the paint.
“We got manhandled on the boards,” Rock Canyon coach Jim McClurg said. “We battled back and played hard, but our kids didn’t understand what we had to do against a strong and athletic team.”
Justus Bennett (15 points) and Josh Puccini (11) paced the Jaguars.
Rock Canyon 9 12 20 11 — 52
Gateway 20 19 14 19 — 72
Rock Canyon — Bennett 5 2-2 15, Puccini 4 2-4 11, Carlton 0 3-4 3, Hopper 0 0-0 0, McCubbin 1 0-0 2, Brannock 2 0-0 5, Burrage 3 0-0 7, Sheridan 0 0-0 0, Sunshine 1 0-1 2, Link 3 1-2 7. Totals 19 8-13 52.
Gateway — Pleasant 7 3-5 17, Gibson 1 0-0 2, Witherspoon 0 0-0 0, Collins 1 0-0 2, Brever 3 0-0 9, Berling 2 2-2 6, Roybal 6 3-4 15, Riley 9 2-2 21, Mansaray 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Monroe 0 0-0 0, Kranger 0 0-2 0. Totals 29 10-15 72.
3-pt. goals — Bennett 3, Brannock, Burrage, Puccini; Brever 3, Riley. Total fouls — Rock Canyon 12, Gateway 11. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
