LITTLETON — If the mass hysteria that accompanied Dakota Ridge’s 51-42 upset win Friday over Chatfield — with what seemed like the entire student body rushing the court at game’s end — seemed a tad over the top for a late January game, there are those who would argue there was nothing run-of-the mill about the night.
“Those guys always seem to sweep us. We probably haven’t beaten them in four or five years,” Eagles guard Brandon Wilson said. “This was so huge. I can’t even explain it.”
Gary Anderson, coach of the eighth-ranked Chargers, went so far as to say the game may have been a program-defining victory for Dakota Ridge (12-3). And while there were pangs of anguish at how his team played, Anderson was so effusive that one would have thought he had been at the center of the Eagles’ impromptu mosh pit.
“There’s no shame in losing to a good team and, holy cow, they played great,” Anderson said. “It was a big night for them and they played like it, and in some ways we didn’t respond to that.”
What the game might have lacked in aesthetics — 39 free throws were attempted and Chatfield made just two field goals in the fourth quarter — was more than made up for in intensity.
With bodies careening all over the floor like bumper cars, it seemed clear the game would be decided by whichever team could find a player who could keep his head amid all the bedlam, or make a basket.
As it turned out, Wilson was up to the task in both facets. The senior, who had three 3-pointers in the first half, took control in the waning stages of the game, scoring a basket and another 3 and adding four free throws in the final minute to keep Chatfield at bay.
Wilson led all scorers with 18 points. Dean Wright had 14 for the Chargers (10-4).
“Brandon Wilson stepped up huge,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy said. “He’s had some ups and downs this year, so it was great to see him do this tonight. He really met the challenge.”
So did the Eagles, hence the postgame revelry. The question is, will that be the extent of it, or can Dakota Ridge make occasions like Friday old hat?
“It was a fun night, but at the same time it was just one game,” Yutzy said. “I appreciate what coach Anderson said, but maybe we’ll find out what kind of team we have the next time we play.”
Chatfield 10 10 9 13 — 42
Dakota Ridge 10 13 6 22 — 51
Chatfield — Wright 2 7-8 14, Wages 3 3-5 10, Carter 1 3-6 11, Vaninger 1 2-3 4, Vermeer 1 0-0 2, Evans 1 0-0 2. Totals 9 16-22 42.
Dakota Ridge — VanderVelde 5 0-0 10, Smith 1 0-1 5, Robbins 1 0-0 2, DiFolco 2 7-8 14, Sherman 0 2-4 2, B. Wilson 1 4-4 18. Totals 10 13-17 52.
3-point goals — Chatfield, Carter 2, Wright 1. Dakota Ridge, B. Wilson 4, Smith 1.
Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com
