Although this season’s Arapahoe Warriors are superior to their two predecessors, it wasn’t easy for them to forget the past.
The Warriors’ past two seasons ended at the Denver Coliseum in the Great 8 of the Class 5A boys basketball tournament. But they got over the hump Saturday with a tougher-than-it-looked, 66-45 victory over Abraham Lincoln.
Arapahoe pulled away after the Lancers got within striking distance midway through the fourth quarter.
“Two years we’d been here, two years we hadn’t gotten out, so it’s nice to finally get out of here,” said Arapahoe senior Parker Semin, who led all scorers with 23 points. “I was having a few flashbacks of the past two years when they were coming back.”
The Lancers (18-8) already had exceeded expectations this season, so they were playing with nothing-to-lose exuberance when they trimmed their deficit to 49-41.
“I think we came out a little nervous and dug ourselves a hole,” said Lancers senior Ray Logan, who scored all 13 of his points in the second half. “But I’m proud of our accomplishments because people didn’t believe we’d get this far.”
Arapahoe (25-1), which won its 11th straight game after its lone loss to Overland, held Lincoln star Dominic Williams to eight points. Williams had been averaging 24 points.
“We think he’s one of the top few players in the state and we designed our defense to stop him,” Arapahoe coach Dan Snyder said. “I think the kids did a great job.”
Corbin Fromm and Shane Jensen added 11 points apiece for Arapahoe, which ended the game on a 17-4 run. “We held our composure very well,” Snyder said. “It was also nice to have some cushion.”
Semin, who will decide his college plans after the season, scored nine consecutive points during one stretch to help the Warriors build a 16-point halftime lead.
Abraham Lincoln 8 6 17 14 — 45
Arapahoe 13 17 11 25 — 66
Abraham Lincoln — Zamora 3 1-2 8, Abeyta 1 0-0 3, Jurado 1 0-0 2, Williams 4 0-0 8, Vasquez 2 2-4 7, Logan 6 1-3 13, Vazquez 2 0-0 4, Gile 0 0-0 0, Reat 0 0-0 0, Rich 0 0-0 0, Perez, 0 0-0 0, Dotson 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 4-9 45.
Arapahoe — Fromm 3 5-5 11, Webb 0 1-2 1, Balli 1 2-2 5, Moore 2 1-2 6, Semin 8 6-8 23, Haas 0 0-0 0, Jessup 0 0-0, Bobzien 0 0-0 0, Jensen 4 2-3 11, Kocur 0 0-1 0, Ratterman 2 4-6 9, Johannsen 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 21-29 66.
3-point goals — Zamora, Abeyta, Vasquez; Balli, Moore, Semin, Jensen, Ratterman. Total fouls — Abraham Lincoln 21, Arapahoe 14. Fouled out — None. Technical fouls — None.
