Post Preps Insider is your daily source for news, story lines, top games and more information on Colorado high school sports — brought to you by Denver Post preps editor Kyle Newman.
ThunderRidge reclaimed the Continental League title on Friday night in Highlands Ranch, outlasting Rock Canyon 78-71 in overtime at the Grizzly Den.
Post Preps Radio was there with the call, and broadcaster Scott Barton notes that the No. 1 Grizzlies (22-1, 10-0) waited all winter for a rematch with No. 3 Rock Canyon (21-2, 8-2), the team that handed them a devastating loss to end last year’s regular season:
ThunderRidge was in control through most of the first half, leading by as many as 10 points en route to a 30-23 halftime lead. The Grizzlies were led by senior guard Joey Rumbaugh, who came off the bench to score ten points in the first half.
The main offensive production in the first half for the Jaguars came from senior guard Tyson Gilbert, who time and time again drove to the basket and finished the half with 15 of Rock Canyon’s 23 points.
Coming out of the locker room in the second half, Rock Canyon played much more aggressively on offense and was able to cut the ThunderRidge lead to three points to end the third quarter.
The teams finally tied the game midway through the fourth quarter. After that, it was a tight game, with both teams missing crucial free throws down the stretch.
Near the end of regulation, ThunderRidge senior point guard Kaison Hammonds was fouled and made one of two free throws to put the Grizzlies up by two.
Rock Canyon senior forward Blake Williams then came down the court, and with time running out, drove to the basket and was fouled with 1.5 seconds left. He made the first free throw to cut the ThunderRidge lead to one.
Williams missed the second one, but ThunderRidge called a time out just before the ball left his hand in an attempt to ice him. After the timeout, Williams made the second free throw to send the game to overtime at 63-63.
While the fourth quarter was back and forth, overtime was a different story. ThunderRidge dominated, in big part due to crucial free throws from Hammonds, senior guard Justin McCaw and senior guard Tyson Cruickshank.
ThunderRidge was led by Hammonds, who had 22 points, and 14 points from Rumbaugh. Rock Canyon was led by Gilbert with 27 points and senior point guard Sam Masten with 20 points.
The win technically gives the Grizzlies their fourth straight conference championship, as per Continental League by-laws, when two teams have the same record they are co-champs even if one beat the other.
So last season, when Rock Canyon beat ThunderRidge, each program finished as league co-champion with a 9-1 record.
