Saturday morning’s Denver East-Smoky Hill basketball game was nothing less than a highlight extravaganza.
Great 8, indeed.
In the end, East’s tenacious defense forced key turnovers and its star players delivered when it counted the most, leading the Angels to a 77-71 victory in the quarterfinals of the Class 6A state basketball tournament at the Denver Coliseum. The No. 4 Angels (24-2) roll into next week’s Final 4 riding a 24-game winning streak. They will play the winner of Saturday night’s game between Mountain Vista and Valor Christian.
East senior Austin Mohr led all scorers with 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting (including 3 of 6 on 3s) and gobbled up a game-high 13 rebounds. But this was a contest of multiple acts and talented players.
“Yeah, great game. And this was one of our tougher games, and we knew it would be competitive,” said Angels senior point guard D’Aundre Samuels, who scored 19 points before fouling out. “But this team is all about chemistry. We’ve built a bond this season that I have never felt before.”
This was a game full of monster jams and magic moments.
At the end of the first half, East’s Ryan Kelly banked in a 30-foot, buzzer-beating 3-pointer to extend the Angels’ lead to 42-37.
But every time East made a run, the Buffaloes answered. Down 54-42 midway through the third quarter, Smoky Hill senior guard Rickey Mitchell drained back-to-back 3s off the dribble to cut East’s lead to 54-48. And when Carter Basquez drained a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, the Buffs took a 60-59 lead.
But late in the fourth, the Angels scored three crucial buckets off offensive rebounds — one by Sam Scott, one by Samuels and one on a put-back dunk by Gil Gonzalez — and took advantage when Mitchell fouled out with 5:55 to play.
Yet of all of the highlights in the frenetic game, the one that will be remembered most arrived in the second quarter. With Smoky Hill in a full-court press, Samuels received an in-bounds pass on the run, broke through pressure, crossed midcourt and lofted a long pass toward the rim. Gonzalez took flight and jammed it home.
“That was tough man, that was tough,” Samuels said.
Added Gonzalez: “That’s something we always work on. We’re always working for perfection. The chemistry with this team is so special and I knew that pass was coming and I was ready for the jam.”
The fifth-seeded Buffaloes, looking for their first trip to the Final 4 in 17 years, finished 20-6. Coach Anthony Hardin, proud of his team and able to appreciate the quality of the game, was nonetheless disappointed in two things.
“We were expecting an exciting game, and that’s why the whole community is (ticked) that it was a (10:15 a.m.) game,” Hardin said.
Both teams played sloppy in the early going, something Harding attributed to the morning tip. The coach was also disappointed that both Mitchell (17 points) and Samuels fouled out.
“I’m trying to stay positive, but everyone who is here bought a ticket to see Rickey Mitchell and D’Aundre Samuels and we would like them to be on the floor,” he said.
Samuels, who had to sit the final 2:38, never doubted his teammates would deliver.
“I just had trust that they were going to pull through,” he said.
The Angels will enter the Final 4 carrying the memory of a lost classmate on their minds.
Luis Garcia, 16, was sitting in his car near East High on Feb. 13 when he was shot and critically injured. He died Wednesday after being hospitalized for more than two weeks. Some East High students walked out of class Friday and marched to the state capital chanting “No more silence, end gun violence.” The players took the court Saturday wearing T-shirts inscribed: “#AngelsStrong … Luis.”
“Gun violence has become a problem at our school,” Gonzalez said. “And my friend, Luis, recently passed away due to gun violence. We are dedicating this win to him.”
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.
