5A Final Four: Good Guards Almighty!
Point Guards Should Decide Games
DENVER—With all due respect to Bud Thomas, DeSe Lee, Michael Melillo and Matt Oesterle, the primary big men for their teams, Thursday’s Final Four games will likely be decided by the exceptional guards remaining in the tournament.
Each of the remaining teams have a multitude of backcourt players who can change the outcomes of their games to advance to Saturday’s championship game.
On Thursday, some of Colorado’s best guards will be on display at the Coors Events Center at CU. In two great match-ups, there will be four very different styles of play, with guards to suit every occasion.
If you needed one bucket at the end of a game to win it, Fairview’s Darragh O’Neill might be your man. If the doctor ordered a highlight-reel play, Aurora Central point man Joseph Abrams is the prescription.
Doherty’s backcourt of Mark Jones and Tyler Velasquez showed big-time backbone in a come-from-behind Great 8 overtime win over rival Rampart. Now they will try to shoot their way past the defending champs, Regis. The Regis guards, Joey Ptasinski Michael Clark and Tanner Samson will have a huge size advantage. It will be interesting to watch coach Ken Shaw’s plan of attack.
A glance at Thursday evening’s match-ups:
7 p.m. Regis Jesuit Raiders (25-1) vs. Doherty Spartans (18-9):
This is a match-up of the known entity in Regis, and the wild card Doherty Spartans. In three playoff games, Doherty senior Tyler Velasquez is scoring better than 22 points per game. No matter what, he gives the Spartans a shooters chance. In order for Doherty to win, Velasquez and Mark Jones must keep the game close into the fourth quarter. A very hot start would help keep the Regis crowd quiet and instill confidence. They must take care of the ball, and make good decisions with it. Can the Spartans make the game crazy enough, up-and-down enough to make it a contest?
For Regis, this game is a matter of business as usual. When you are defending State Champions on a 23 game winning streak, it is expected that you will dictate the terms of the game. Besides the dangerous guards mentioned above, Regis can go down low to Mr. Colorado Bud Thomas, or big men Ryan Winters and Drew Dyer. Regis also holds the advantage of having beaten Doherty already this season 73-56 at Doherty.
8:30 p.m. Aurora Central Trojans (20-6) vs. Fairview Knights (21-5):
Fairview senior Darragh O'Neill has scored 67 points in
his last two games and will certainly be a handful for
Aurora Central Thursday night.
Photo by Pat Miller, patmiller.com
Will Aurora Central make it 12 straight wins and three straight tournament upsets? Or will Fairview make it 15 straight in hometown Boulder to earn a spot in the championship game?
Fairview senior Darragh O’Neill has been heating up in the playoffs, scoring 14, then 32, then 35 points. Michael Melillo is a very good second banana, but the question is: who else is going to knock down shots? The Knights do not shoot a ton of three pointers, and they do not go to the line a lot, but they are a 10 senior team who can come at you in waves.
Aurora Central sure picked the right time of year to peak. The Trojans thrive on momentum and big plays, because they have the players to swing games in a hurry. Senior DeSe Lee is playing like the best player in the state, and when fouls become an issue head coach Ian Calvert has a good feel for playing Lee on offense and subbing in senior Rachaud Russell for defense. Besides Lee, the Trojan guards are a triple threat, Joseph Abrams brings speed, Aubree Prickett strength, and Shawn Banks can really shoot.
The winners will meet at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Coors Event Center on the campus of CU Boulder.
Checkout the updated brackets.
Contact the writer at csilverman@milehighhoops.com