Ah, change. Defending Class 5A state champion and regular power Denver East entered Wednesday night’s Class 5A first-round playoff game against Fairview at a sparsely attended Thunderdome as a No. 6 seed.
The Angels, who returned just one starter from last season’s team, which didn’t lose a game against an in-state opponent, also brought with them an unusually different 13-10 record.
And junior guard Jack Buckmelter, who had to sit out the first half of the regular season because he transferred from last season’s 3A state runner-up, Colorado Academy, was playing in his first big-school postseason game.
All Buckmelter did was go off on a torrid scoring binge as the Angels won their sixth consecutive playoff game and 10th in 11 outings as they easily handled the Knights 69-39.
The 6-foot-2 Buckmelter scored Denver East’s first 14 points and 24 of his team’s first 39, mostly from outside, in finishing with a game-high 26.
Think he had a good time?
“Just a little bit,” Buckmelter said as flashed a winner’s smile. “I got going, and it was a lot of fun.”
He made his first four shots, including back-to-back 3-pointers, as Denver East ran to a 21-11 lead. He then was 3-for-3 in the second, adding another two 3-pointers, as the Angels displayed superior athleticism in motoring to a 39-21 halftime bulge.
The transfer seems to be sitting well with Buckmelter.
“I love everything about this,” he said.
Angels regular-season leading scorer Brian Carey, a senior guard, added 10 points and 12 assists and East turned up the defense, rebounding and shot-blocking after recent subpar performances to cap the regular season.
“We’re lucky we’re a No. 6 seed,” Denver East coach Rudy Carey said. The ebb and flow of this season has been interesting, he added. “We can beat anybody, and anybody can beat us.”
The Knights (9-15), who arrived late because of the snowstorm, had no answers. They generated little offense — 11 points was their highest output in any quarter. Turnovers also were an issue against the Angels’ pressure. Senior Kamran Shahbaz led Fairview with 11 points.
Denver East will travel to Highlands Ranch on Saturday for a 3 p.m. game to take on host Rock Canyon in the second round, and the Angels expect to play in front of the Jaguars’ usually loud crowd.
“We can’t make mistakes, and we have to be sharp,” Carey said.
Fairview 11 10 10 8 — 39
Denver East 21 18 14 16 — 69
Fairview — Shahbaz 3 5-6 11, Graham-Bell 1 0-2 2, Arehart 1 2-2 5, Grainger 1 0-0 2, Simmons 1 0-0 2, Petrov 0 0-0 0, Brennan 3 0-0 7, Weatherly 3 0-0 9, Mooz 0 0-0 0, Pykkonen 0 1-2 1. Totals 13 8-12 39.
Denver East — Willis 6 2-5 14, Buckmelter 9 4-4 26, Myers 0 0-0 0, Carey 5 0-0 10, Potts 2 0-0 4, Ogsbury 1 0-0 2, Dioum 2 2-2 6, Osburn 0 0-0 0, Moore 1 0-0 2, Wiese 2 0-0 5, Mackey 0 0-0 0, Abiakam 0 0-0 0. Totals 28 8-11 69.
3-pt. goals — Weatherly 3, Arehart, Brennan; Buckmelter 4, Wiese.
Neil H. Devlin: ndevlin@denverpost.com or
