Tonight’s basketball matchups at the Coors Events Center in Boulder:
REGIS JESUIT VS. DOHERTY, 7 p.m.
Who: Regis Jesuit Raiders (25-1, 11-0 Continental League) vs. Doherty Spartans (18-9, 10-6 C.S. Metro).
Coaches: Ken Shaw, Regis, 35th season, third with Raiders; Dan Mc-Kiernan, Doherty, 46th season, fifth with Spartans.
Key players: Regis Jesuit — Bud Thomas, Sr., 20.4 points; Joey Ptasinski, Sr., 17.4 points; Drew Dyer, Jr., 10.2 points; Doherty — Tyler Velasquez, Sr., 20.9 points; Mark Jones, Sr., 11.5 points; Dylan Sisneros, Jr., 10.0.
Final Four appearances (since format change in 2004): Regis Jesuit, second; Doherty, second.
Outlook: Shaw and McKiernan have a combined 81 years of head coaching experience. Shaw, who has been at multiple schools in Colorado, has 583 career victories; McKiernan, who also coached out of state, is three shy of 600. . . . Defending state champion Raiders have won 24 games in a row and have not lost to a Colorado opponent in 43 tries. . . . Spartans were losing to Rampart by 18 points in the Great 8, but Velasquez sparked a comeback with a team-high 19 points. . . . Doherty began the season 4-4, but is on a five-game roll to tie a season high.
FAIRVIEW VS. AURORA CENTRAL, 8:30 p.m.
Who: Fairview Knights (21-5, 11-0 Front Range) vs. Aurora Central Trojans (20-6, 8-0 Skyline).
Coaches: Frank Lee, Fairview, 13th season; Ian Calvert, Aurora Central, third season.
Key players: Fairview — Darragh O’Neill, Sr., 24.3 points; Michael Melillo, Fairview, Sr., 14.1; Shane O’Neill, So., 7.7 ; Aurora Central — DeSe Lee, Sr., 20.4 points; Joseph Abrams, Sr., 17.7; Shawn Banks, Jr., 12.5.
Final Four appearances (since format change in 2004): Fairview, second; Aurora Central, second.
Outlook: Fairview’s O’Neill not only leads 5A in scoring, but is money at the free-throw line — 196-of-217, 90.3 percent. . . . Knights have won 14 games in a row. They fell to eventual runner-up George Washington last season 76-74 in OT in the semifinals. . . . Aurora Central has won 11 straight games after a wild, triple-overtime loss to Abraham Lincoln in which Lee scored 47 points and was 19-of-22 at the free- throw line. Conversely, the 6-foot-7 center scored 21 points and was just 3-of-17 shooting foul shots in a 69-65 victory in the Sweet 16 at Fountain-Fort Carson . . . Abrams turned an ankle on the final play of the third quarter in the Great 8 against Arapahoe, but has been rehabbing feverishly to be ready.
Neil H. Devlin, The Denver Post
