Aurora Central Bounces Overland

AURORA—So Coach, tell me about the game.

“So much fun,” said Aurora Central coach Ian Calvert after his team won 73-65 Friday night. “Huge crowd. Excited players, excited environment.”

The environment Coach Calvert was describing was the second round playoff game between the visiting fifth seed Overland Trail Blazers, and the fourth seeded hosts, the Aurora Central Trojans.

Overland came into the game fresh off of a 33 point victory in the first round over Liberty, while Aurora Central came in after sweeping its Skyline League competition by 28.5 points per game.

The early aggressors were the Blazers who jumped out to a 7-2 lead, forcing Calvert into a time-out to calm his team’s nerves. The Trojans pulled themselves together after the timeout, led by junior swingman Shawn Banks who hit 3-of-4 three-pointers in the first quarter.

Overland struggled in the second period. They managed only nine points in the frame, mostly due to the play of Aurora Central’s lesser lights. Freshman forward Carlton Hurst played the entire first half and locked down his responsibilities in the zone defense.

“There is no secret anymore about Carlton Hurst,” Calvert said. “I play him, and I play him, and I play him, and I keep playing him, and I’m not gonna take him out. He’s been playing big varsity minutes for me and making big plays and doing good things since the beginning of the year.”

Although Aurora Central went into the third quarter with a 34-26 lead, it was obvious they hadn’t played their best ball yet. In the third period, the superior athleticism of the Trojans shone through as they outscored the Blazers 20-10.

“That third quarter was huge,” Calvert said. “Catching stuff above the rim. Extending the lead to big numbers. Thats what we do.”

Aurora Central senior center DeSe Lee scored 12 of his 22 points in the third, including three huge dunks to demoralize the Blazers.

 Their big kid hurt us,” Overland coach Ron Garcia y Ortiz said. “We just didn’t have the size to handle him.”

Punctuating the third quarter was a rare six-point-play by Aurora Central. Senior point guard Joseph Abrams drove to the basket, made a shot and was fouled. Abrams missed the shot, got the rebound and put it back in plus another foul. Once again Abrams missed the shot, and this time it was rebounded by Lee and laid in the basket.

Overland played with dogged determination in the fourth, but began the frame trailing by 18 points. The Blazers got as close as 62-56 after forcing four consecutive Trojan turnovers, but were never able to get over the hump.

With 3:46 seconds remaining in the game, DeSe Lee checked back into the game with four fouls. Without a second ticking off the clock, Lee fouled a man going for a rebound and was done for the game. Stepping into Lee’s place was senior Rachaud Russell who snatched eight tough rebounds.

The deep and talented Overland squad carried nine seniors, and after the game their emotion was obvious.

“I said thank you to our senior group,” Garcia y Ortiz said, “The seniors in that locker room have put in a lot of blood sweat and tears. Really, what our message has always been, is that it’s about much more than basketball. It’s about life and taking swings. We got knocked down tonight, but how are we going to get up?”

For the Trojans, it is on to the third round where they will face off against one seed Fountain-Fort Carson who have won nine in a row.

Checkout the updated brackets

Contact the writer at csilverman@milehighhoops.com