AURORA — In all seriousness, Overland coach Ron Garcia y Ortiz said, he kind of knew that “everybody expected us to come out and lay an egg.”
His Trailblazers, anticipating a big week at home, surprisingly lost to district rival Eaglecrest on Wednesday. So what did Overland do on Friday? In front of a packed, loud gymnasium, the Trailblazers took down top-ranked and previously undefeated Arapahoe.
Behind explosive shooting, superior rebounding and athleticism that disrupted the Warriors’ perimeter game, Overland handled Arapahoe 60-56 to make the Centennial League extremely interesting as it nears its halfway point.
Ranked No. 10 in The Denver Post/9News Class 5A poll, Overland moved to 11-4 overall and is tied with the Warriors at 5-1 in league.
“You never know,” a thrilled Garcia y Ortiz said of his Trailblazers’ up-and-down moments this season.
Conversely, senior Curtis Redd is convinced he does know: “When we play together, I think we are the No. 1 team in the state.”
Redd was the man early — he scored Overland’s first eight points as it ran to an 11-0 lead. Redd (a game-high 19 points) along with fellow seniors Brandon Benning and Darius Pardner (17 each), were at the front of an effort that had success from the perimeter, flourished in the lane and cleaned up near the basket.
Plus, the Trailblazers’ 3-2 zone defense, headed by speed and quickness, clearly bothered the Warriors (14-1) out front. They also defended Parker Semin down low.
Arapahoe led only once, 50-49 on a Corbin Fromm 3-pointer, with 4:28 to play.
But Overland, despite making only 1-of-6 free throws down the stretch, spread the floor, protected well and kept the Warriors scrambling.
“They played a good game and deserved to win,” Arapahoe coach Dan Snyder said of Overland, adding that he’s hoping it will be a learning experience for his Warriors.
Arapahoe 11 11 18 16 — 56
Overland 16 10 19 15 — 60
Arapahoe — Fromm 3 4-6 13, Semin 5 0-0 10, Ratterman 0 0-0 0, Jessup 0 0-0 0, Moore 4 0-0 10, Webb 2 0-0 5, Kocur 0 2-3 2, Jensen 0 0-0 0, Balli 6 0-0 16, Haas 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 6-9 56.
Overland — Williams 2 0-0 4, Pardner 7 2-3 17, Redd 7 1-4 19, Benning 8 1-4 17, Soto 1 1-4 3, Bixenmann 0 0-0 0, Curry 0 0-0 0, Turner 0 0-0 0, Patton 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 5-15 60.
3-pt. goals: Arapahoe — Balli 4, Fromm 3, Moore 2, Webb. Overland — Redd 4, Pardner. Total fouls — Arapahoe 19, Overland 12. Fouled out — None. Technicals — None.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
