Chasing its sixth state championship and first since legend Chauncey Billups led the program to the 1994 Class 6A title, No. 3 held off No. 2 ThunderRidge 61-56 on Friday night in a Class 5A boys semifinal game at the Denver Coliseum.
Senior forward Trey Pierce led George Washington, which advanced to Saturday’s championship game, with 17 points and into the program’s eighth title appearance and first since 2009, when the Patriots fell to in overtime. Junior Shawn’Trell White (14 points), senior point guard Jervay Green (12) and junior guard Jon’il Fugett (10) also contributed in the win.
Just like the first time the two teams played this season — a 71-61 ThunderRidge win Jan. 6 — the game was up-tempo from the opening tip, with the Patriots owning a 16-11 lead after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Patriots (25-2) stepped on the gas, opening up a double-digit lead that had ThunderRidge (24-3) on its heels as George Washington took a 29-19 lead into the half. The Patriots continued to ride that momentum into the second half to take a 15-point lead, the largest deficit ThunderRidge has faced all season.
Coach Joe Ortiz’s Grizzlies came out with a different intensity in the fourth quarter, though, using turnovers and a number of baskets from senior Kaison Hammonds (27 points) to make it a one possession game down the stretch, with the lead going back and forth before George Washington was able to pull away with free throws in the final minute.
The Patriots played the entire fourth quarter without the services of senior guard Calvin Fugett, who fouled out in the waning moments of the third, but role players White and senior guard Shaheem Speer picked up the slack in his absence.
Saturday’s championship game is at 8:30 p.m., where George Washington plays the winner of No. 1 Eaglecrest (22-4) and No. 5 (23-3).
