Class 5A No. 1-ranked Rangeview fought off a potential early-season upset on the road, overcoming a seven-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat No. 7 Columbine 62-54 on Saturday.
“We showed a lot of fight, even though we didn’t show a lot of intelligent play in the first two quarters,” Rangeview coach Shawn Palmer said. “We just had too many turnovers and a lot of bad offensive possessions. But I’m proud of the way we competed. In the fourth quarter, I just told our guys we needed three straight stops, and we got them.”
Rangeview improved to 9-0, while the host Rebels fell to 6-1.
“Thatap a really good team,” Columbine coach Clay Thielking said of the defending 5A state champion. “I think we learned a lot about our guys. Itap great experience, and you have to go through situations like that to learn. Sometimes you have to learn the hard way.”
Cade Palmer, son of the head coach, paced the Raiders with a team-high 11 first-half points, including two 3-pointers.
“He got going for us early when we really couldn’t score,” said the elder Palmer. “We’re deep enough to where different guys are going to have different moments.”
Rangeview senior Obi Agbim drew the visitors within a point with a first-half buzzer-beater from beyond the arc. Columbine led 29-28 at the break.
Columbine was once again led in scoring by University of Colorado signee Luke O’Brien (24 points). O’Brien entered the game as the state’s third-leading scorer across all classifications.
“Luke is top notch, and Columbine plays well around him,” Palmer said. “They know what their jobs are and do it really well.”
Taking advantage of the double-team defense on O’Brien, junior point guard Garrett Rogers pitched in for the Rebels with a game-high five 3-pointers.
“Garrett got hot and gave us a really big lift,” Thielking said. “It just wasn’t quite enough.”
Rangeview trailed until 3:31 left in the fourth quarter, when a shot from Agbim put the Raiders in front 51-49. Agbim led the Raiders defensively with two steals that led to fast-break points, and the Raiders stayed in the driver’s seat for the rest of the game.
“That buzzer-beater really ignited us,” Palmer said. “Obi is a matchup nightmare, and we just want him to continue to be aggressive. He hit some big free throws and played good defense. He had a big night for us.”
Columbine will host ninth-ranked Legend (6-3) at 7 p.m. Monday. Rangeview next travels to face Northglenn (1-6) at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
