BOULDER, Colo.—Bud Thomas hit a 3-pointer with 1:55 left in overtime Saturday night, and Regis Jesuit converted its free throws down the stretch to win its first Class 5A state boys basketball championship with a 67-63 win over George Washington.
The victory came one night after the Regis girls beat Monarch for their first 5A crown.
Leading 59-58, Thomas, who finished with 15 points, calmly hit his jumper from the left side of the key, giving No. 1 seed Regis (26-2) a 61-58 lead. RJ Demps then scored five of six free throws, and Will Cobb hit three more to seal the win for the Continental League champions from Aurora.
Demps led Regis with 22 points, while Joey Ptasinski scored 17.
George Washington (26-2), a No. 2 seed and champions of the Denver Prep League, led only once in overtime, 53-52 on a basket by Novian Balous with 3:35 to play. After Demps hit a free throw to tie it, Drew Dyer hit a trey, giving Regis the lead for good with 2:36 remaining.
It was fitting the game went to overtime, considering George Washington and Regis both won their semifinal games in OT on Thursday.
George Washington’s Thomas Bropleh sent the game to the extra period when he ran under the basket to receive an inbound pass, banking the ball in for an easy score with 2.1 seconds to play and tying the game at 52-52.
Bropleh led the Patriots with a game-high 25 points. Tyrelle Millard and Balous added 18 and 12 points, respectively.
Both teams shot 44 percent from the field, but the difference came at the free-throw line, where Regis hit 20 of 28 attempts. George Washington was just 6 of 10 from the stripe.
Regis, which appeared in the final four for the first time since 1981, led 27-24 at the half. The Raiders led the entire second half, going up by as many as 9 points (47-38) with 18.7 seconds to play in the third quarter.
Regis suffered its only two losses of the season to Fairview, which lost to George Washington 76-74 in overtime Thursday.
The title caps an impressive winter sports season for the Raiders, who in addition to their boys and girls basketball championships, won the ice hockey crown.
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