PUEBLO — Right after the holiday break, Pueblo Central was run over by rival Pueblo East.
The Wildcats have kept that in mind and did something about it Friday night with a 63-53 decision that knocked Pueblo East from the unbeaten ranks and opened the top of the South Central League.
Pueblo Central, ranked No. 4 in The Denver Post/9News Class 4A poll, moved to 14-2 overall, 6-1 in league, a half-game behind third-ranked Pueblo East (15-1, 7-1).
In front of an estimated 4,000 fans at the Colorado State Fair Events Center, the Wildcats were patient, methodical, packed in their defense under the basket and dared the Eagles to beat them from outside.
East didn’t.
“If they wanted to beat us from out there, go ahead,” Pueblo Central coach Brad Ranson said of his team’s zone that frequently was set behind the free-throw line.
It was where 6-foot-7 senior Donthe Lucas roamed authoritatively, scoring a game-high 19 points, grabbing nine rebounds and rejecting five shots. His presence alone changed other shots, and his overall play — including a couple of dunks, inside moves and follow-ups, and converting free throws — served as a backbone to a defense that allowed the Eagles only one 3-pointer.
“We knew how big the game was coming in,” said Lucas, who has received recruiting inquiries from Northern Colorado and CSU. “We just had to be tough inside and take our time.”
In the teams’ earlier meeting, Pueblo Central’s guards struggled, but not Friday. Junior Kevin Torres scored 16 points and smartly ran the show, Ranson noted, by slowing down the game when necessary, setting up the offense, then executing it. He also had success driving to the basket.
Steven Starcer, Ryan Trujillo and Trent Thompson also turned in an assortment of plays for the Wildcats, who weathered a better Eagles’ defensive effort after halftime.
Despite six early turnovers, the Wildcats managed an 18-11 lead, then were ahead 34-26 at halftime. Pueblo East twice cut the deficit early in the third quarter, but the Wildcats stubbornly ran their offense, did a better job on the boards and beat the pressing Eagles down the floor a couple of times for easy baskets.
Pueblo East got within 53-47 early in the fourth quarter, but the Wildcats shot 8-of-10 from the floor down the stretch to pull away.
Pueblo Central 18 16 9 20 — 63
Pueblo East 11 15 12 15 — 53
Pueblo Central — Torres 6 4-5 16, Starcer 4 0-0 8, Trujillo 4 0-1 9, Lucas 6 7-8 19, Thompson 3 0-0 7, Hart 2 0-1 4. Totals 25 11-15 63.
Pueblo East — Fabrizio 1 2-2 4, Allen 4 2-4 8, Sandoval 5 0-0 11, Secora 3 5-6 11, Kochenberger 4 2-2 10, Verstoeg 3 0-0 6, Parks 1 1-1 3, Jara 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 12-15 53.
3-point goals: Pueblo Central — Trujillo, Thompson; Pueblo East — Sandoval.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
