CENTENNIAL — Competing in their first playoff game after an opening bye and without Centennial League-leading scorer Tim Haas, Arapahoe’s Warriors made a concerted effort to defend and rebound.
Haas is sidelined with a broken bone (his right ankle and foot are in a cast), and his 20 points per game won’t return.
Coach Dan Snyder was realistic about losing Haas during the final rounds of the regular season, but insists there’s no reason his Warriors can’t progress in the Class 5A bracket by doing more of the little things he preaches.
They did lots of them and they were big Friday night in a 52-26 drubbing of visiting Grand Junction in the second round.
“It hurts,” Snyder said of losing Haas. “We can say whatever we want, but it has been an adjustment for us. But tonight our defense and rebounding were excellent, so we’re good with that.”
By extending its defense, crashing the boards and challenging everything the Tigers attempted, Arapahoe moved to 22-2 and will host Legend on Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Sweet 16. Grand Junction ended 15-9.
While the Warriors’ offensive concerns continued, their defense flourished. The Tigers had two points after a quarter, 10 at halftime, then just 17 entering the final eight minutes.
“I was very happy with the defense and very happy with the effort, which is huge for us,” Snyder said.
Senior Zach Kocur contributed 10 points, but the bigger number was his 13 rebounds.
“Defense is the one thing we can control,” Kocur said.
Arapahoe cruised to a 13-0 lead as Grand Junction had four turnovers, missed its first four shots and didn’t score until 2:53 remained in the first quarter, then had to settle for a 23-10 halftime deficit. Scoring remains a worry.
“It was unusual in that we generally shoot better,” Snyder said. “But we got some transition baskets in the third quarter, which helped.”
Despite the Tigers staying within range, they never seriously challenged. Arapahoe’s late surge increased its lead to 41-17, and its lead crested at 28.
The Warriors were led by Evan Walsh’s 13 points and pivot Shane Jensen’s 11.
Grand Junction: 2 8 7 9 — 26
Arapahoe: 13 10 18 11 — 52
Grand Junction: Rubalcaba 0 0-0 0, Kiel 1 0-0 2, Robinson 4 0-0 9, Burns 1 0-0 2, Whiting 1 0-2 3, Harrison 1 0-0 3, Rose 1 0-0 3, Powers 2 0-0 4, Hansen 0 0-0 0, Bennett 0 0-0 0. Totals: 11 0-2 26.
Arapahoe: Bobzien 0 0-0 0, Jensen 4 3-4 11, Sparks 2 1-1 5, Kocur 4 0-0 10, Walsh 5 0-0 13, Trotman 1 0-0 3, Pedersen 1 3-4 5, Albyn 1 0-0 2, Ervine 0 1-2 1, Glasscock 0 0-0 0, Weaver 0 2-2 2. Totals: 18 10-13 52.
3-point goals: Harrison, Robinson, Rose, Whiting; Walsh 3, Kocur 2, Trotman.
Neil H. Devlin: 303-954-1714 or ndevlin@denverpost.com
