EDGEWATER — Subtle reminders of a once-proud past hang in the northeast corner of the Jefferson High School gymnasium.
It has been half a century since the Saints won the second of the school’s two boys basketball titles, but the 2008-09 version is giving the locals something to get excited about.
After years of toiling near the bottom of the the Class 4A Jefferson County League, the Saints dropped down to 3A this year and are living the dream. After a 61-45 victory over former 4A rival and winless Summit on Saturday, the Saints improved to 15-0.
“It feels real good,” said senior guard Alex Gore, who led all scorers with 17 points. “The original goal was just to make it to state; now we want to win state. It’s a long way off, but we believe.”
Seeing is believing, and coach Tony Sangaline’s 12-man roster that includes 11 seniors is more than mature enough to handle the rigors that the impending state tournament will throw at them.
“What we have to not do is play to the level of our competition,” said Sangaline, whose Saints trailed 20-19 after one quarter Saturday and didn’t pull away from the Tigers until after halftime.
“When we play good teams, we play at a completely different level and will battle the entire time.”
Playing in the newly formed Frontier League’s Western Division, which includes home-and-home dates with the likes of Lake County, Clear Creek, Middle Park, Platte Canyon and Sheridan, the Saints will have to wait till the postseason to tangle with the league’s Eastern Division heavyweights in Jefferson Academy and The Pinnacle.
The ultimate test, though, will come next Saturday night, when the Saints will put their perfect season on the line against top-ranked and defending champion Faith Christian in Arvada.
“This has just been a blast so far,” said senior Jordan Martinez, who attends Jefferson County Open School. “We’ll be fine if we lose. It will be in the past, and we’ll just move on to the next game.”
Summit 20 5 10 10 — 45
Jefferson 19 10 16 16 — 61
Summit — Brooks 5 2-2 13, T. Roggasch 0 0-2 0, Troutman 5 3-3 14, K. Roggasch 1 0-1 2, Leopold 6 2-5 14, MacMurray 0 0-0 0, Daniels 1 0-0 2. Totals 18 7-13 45.
Jefferson — Chapa 2 4-6 9, Jor. Martinez 3 0-0 8, Waters 3 3-4 9, Gore 6 3-6 17, Aragonez 6 2-3 14, Butler 1 0-0 2, Patterson 0 2-4 2. Totals 21 14-23 61.
3-pt. goals — Brooks, Troutman; Jor. Martinez 2, Gore 2, Chapa. Total fouls — Summit 19; Jefferson 14. Fouled out — K. Roggasch, T. Roggasch. Technicals — Troutman, T. Roggasch.
Jon E. Yunt: 303-954-1354 or jyunt@denverpost.com
