Regis Dominates Doherty, Aims For Repeat Crown

Regis senior, Bud Thomas, surveys the court fduring Thursday night's dominant 80-42 victory over Doherty.

BOULDER—Regis entered Thursday’s matchup against Doherty as the favorites and clearly displayed why. From the opening tip-off the Raiders made sure the Spartans spectacular playoff run ended at the Coors Event Center in the Final Four.

The Raiders stuck to their game plan throughout the game and hurt Doherty with exceptional team play, clutch shooting and dominant rebounding. Early turnovers and offensive fouls got Doherty into an early hole against the defending 5A champs.

Capitalizing on Spartan mistakes and open perimeter looks, the Raiders jumped out to a 18-4 lead with seconds remaining in the first quarter.

A Tyler Velasquez three-pointer kept the lead manageable for the Spartans as they entered the second quarter down 11.

It was more of the same from Regis as they kept swinging the ball around the perimeter and waiting for a hole in the Doherty defense. With a team full of shooters the Raiders game plan fit perfect for the matchup.

“They ran a 1-3-1 zone most of the game and that really leaves shooters open and I got a lot of good looks and passes and I knocked them down,” said Drew Dyer who finished 5-for-7 from the field and 16 points.

Doherty, after being down 16 pulled within 11 after a Matt Oesterie fast break bucket. But as the most of the night would go Regis had an answer. Joe Ptasinski caught a quick pass on the wing and drained a three-pointer to make the score 30-16 with 2:43 left in the half.

Velasquez seemed to be the only player to get an offense rhythm and scored his tenth point of the first half on another late three pointer to make the score 35-19 at half.

Regis really took over the game and left no doubt of their depth in the third quarter. They continued to swing the ball and take very good shots. Tanner Samson, Ryan Winters, Damian Mencini, Dyer and Thomas all had great field goal percentages as they took the score to 50-23 with 3:50 left in the third.

After upsetting Rampart in overtime Doherty’s coach Dan McKiernan knew they would have to play exceptionally well to stay with the Raiders. “They are just a better basketball team. There is nothing else to say about it,” McKiernan said “We would have to play a perfect game to play with them.”

Doherty continued to fight, but with many close misses and only Velasquez succeeding to score they were no match for the Raiders. The Regis crowd, known for their often odd chants hit the nail on the head after a late Ptasinski jumper. The crowd roared “That’s too easy!” as the Raiders increased the score to 68-33 with 6:20 remaining in the game.
With little more than four minutes remaining both teams sent in their reserves and Regis solidified their position as 5A favorites and defending champions. Regis capped off their road to the finals with an 80-42 victory over the surprise of the playoffs, the Doherty Spartans.

Not only did Regis outscore Doherty but their rebounding had a lot to do with the victory as well. The teams total rebounding was a lopsided 48-31 led by Thomas’s 13.

“If we could get the zone out of position a little bit we knew it would free us up for some open boards. When we are down there in games we are all there together going for it. It showed tonight,” said Thomas who also finished with a team high 18 points.

Asked how this team compared to last Thomas was quick to respond saying, “We picked up right where we left off. We are just the same team, same coach. We move the ball around; no one forces shots or worries about stats. We love playing with each other.”

Going into the championship against Fairview Saturday the Raiders are ready for the atmosphere. “We feel great. Pretty much all us are returning. We know what we want. We are just ready to win,” Dyer said.

On the question of the illusive repeat and the season long pressure his team has dealt with Regis coach Ken Shaw was emphatic in describing what an accomplishment it would be.

“It has brought out the best in us. We played a strong schedule,” Shaw said. "In support of our guys they came to work everyday and we got better as the season went on. Well, it would be special, not very many teams can do it, even when your one of the best. I mean if we were to happen to win that would be 45 games in a row we’ve won in state over two years and that’s not easy to do either with teams going after you every night.”
       
Checkout the updated brackets.

Contact the writer at scowhick@milehighhoops.com