LOUISVILLE — There are times when high school basketball coaches send out their teams, sit on the bench and enjoy as if they’re proud fathers.
Other times, well, their players drive them crazy, and they have to call timeout to inquire, “Who are you guys?”
“You’re absolutely right,” said Boulder coach Alan Schulz, whose Panthers gave him a shot of both on Friday night in taking a 60-55 road victory over Monarch.
In a Boulder Valley rivalry, the Panthers took another step in the Class 5A Front Range League, improving to 9-2 overall, 4-0 in league, but not before scrambling late.
Somehow remaining in the game despite 13 turnovers in the first half, five by senior sparkplug Riley Grabau, the Panthers trailed by 10 points early in the fourth quarter.
But a quick burst fueled by the Boulder press as well as a couple of turnovers and questionable shots by Monarch (5-5, 2-2) tied the game, and the Panthers made more plays in the final minutes.
“It wasn’t clicking for our team, but that’s the way it goes sometimes in basketball,” said Grabau, who scored a team-high 17 points, 11 in the fourth quarter. “We were rolling with it, but sometimes it’s hard to get it going.”
Grabau finally did, darting to the basket and cutting off passing lanes.
Loren Ban’s inside move gave the Panthers the lead for good with 2:37 to play, and Monarch, which rode Isaac Spence’s seven-point binge (20 for the game) into the fourth quarter before fading, had no answers, including two key turnovers in the final 47 seconds.
“We just didn’t make plays at the end, a couple of key turnovers and missed free throws (four in the fourth quarter),” Coyotes coach Ken Niven said. “If we make those plays . . . (the Panthers) did and we didn’t.”
Boulder 10 13 11 26 — 60
Monarch 10 15 14 16 — 55
Boulder — Ban 4 3-4 11, Rieder 5 0-0 11, Wilson 3 4-5 11, Baker 1 0-0 2, Rothweiler 0 0-0 0, Grabau 5 7-8 17, Krimstock 1 1-2 4, Zeren 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 15-19 60.
Monarch — Brook 2 2-2 7, Przedpelski 1 0-0 2, Spence 5 8-10 20, Moon 2 0-0 4, Wilding 2 0-0 4, McCrudden 3 3-6 11, Johnson 3 0-0 7, Webb 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 13-20 55.
3-point goals: Boulder — Krimstock, Rieder, Wilson; Monarch — McCrudden 2, Spence 2, Brooks, Johnson. Total fouls — Boulder 18, Monarch 16. Fouled out — Ban; Brooks. Technicals — None.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
