COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — With a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line, Southern Colorado teams experienced upsets, blowouts, and heartbreaks in the 14 games that took place on Friday.
Liberty is the last standing team in the 6A bracket after their upset win over Eaglecrest. Lewis Palmer, Pueblo South, Palmer Ridge, Mesa Ridge, and Rampart all advanced in the 5A tournament.
Liberty 70, Eaglecrest 58
The Lancers did not *JUST* win this game, but they proved they are a legit contender in this tournament. Seeded at No. 21, Liberty went on the road to No. 12 Eaglecrest and led wire-to-wire. Cameron Cunningham (18), Akai Council (16), and Zay Bradley (15) were the leading scorers for Liberty. The Lancers will play at Rock Canyon in the Sweet 16.
Palisade 47, Pueblo County 45
Pueblo County nearly pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the year. The Hornets are the No. 33 seed in the 5A tournament, and they took top-seeded Palisade down to the wire. The Hornets trailed by 12 points going into the fourth quarter, but sparked their comeback in the final eight minutes. They were able to get the game tied at 45, but a foul with 2 seconds on the clock lifted Palisade to the win.
Lewis Palmer 76, Evergreen 53
The Lewis Palmer defense was extremely aggressive, forcing Evergreen into 21 turnovers. Great defense led to easy offense as they got out on the break and scored points off a lot of those turnovers. Jonas Miller had a huge night for the Rangers, scoring a game-high 23 points and hitting the 1,000 career point milestone after his first basket. Lewis Palmer will host Pueblo South in the next round.
Pueblo South 60, Air Academy 50
The Colts are heading to the Sweet 16 for the fourth time in the last six seasons after defeating Air Academy at home. Sophomore J’rell Williams scored 30 points for Pueblo South in the win. The Colts will travel to Lewis Palmer for their next matchup.
Eagle Valley 52, Coronado 41
Coronado’s season came to a close with a loss on the road at Eagle Valley. The Cougars were in a close game in the second quarter, but the Devils went on a run before the end of the half and pushed the lead to double digits. Coronado trimmed the lead, but Eagle Valley used another big run at the end of the third quarter to claim a 13-point lead heading into the fourth.
Silver Creek 49, Harrison 44
Harrison was one quarter away from pulling off the upset and advancing, but they let the game slip away in the fourth quarter. The Panthers led after each of the first three quarters, holding a 38-31 lead going into the fourth. Silver Creek outscored Harrison 18-6 to pull off the comeback win.
Palmer Ridge 52, Cheyenne Mountain 51
Palmer Ridge picked up their second win of this postseason tournament with an upset win over No. 5 Cheyenne Mountain. The entire game was back and forth. Cheyenne led by 4 after the first quarter, but the Bears led by 2 at halftime after a buzzer-beating layup by Lukas Pears. The Hawks then took a 7-point lead after the third quarter, but Palmer Ridge rallied to complete the comeback and advance to the Sweet 16. Pears scored 29 points in the win for the Bears, and James Dalsaso scored 17 for the Hawks. Palmer Ridge will visit Mesa Ridge in the next round.
Mesa Ridge 70, Falcon 63
These two teams batted for the entirety of the 32 minutes. In what looked like a sold-out gym at Mesa Ridge, the Grizzlies had a ton of momentum but Falcon was never backing down. Mesa Ridge did control the lead for majority of the game, outscoring Falcon in every quarter except the fourth where they tied. Isaiah Lukas was big on the offensive glass for the Grizzlies and he scored a team high 18 points. Dustin Haley added another 16 for Mesa Ridge. Kamrin Lane led the way for Falcon with 19, and Jake Hunter chipped in 16 as well. Mesa Ridge will host Palmer Ridge next.
Grand Junction 68, Discovery Canyon 36
Discovery Canyon played a very tough, second-seeded Grand Junction team on the road. The Thunder were behind by just two points after the opening quarter, but Grand Junction outscored them 38-12 over the span of the second and third quarters.
Rampart 51, Dakota Ridge 37
Rampart had fresh legs after having a first-round bye, and that proved effective after they led the entire game against Dakota Ridge. Isaiah Melecio was the high scorer for the Rams, putting up 15 points in the win. Rampart will host Lutheran their next time out.
Severance 81, Pueblo Central 41
Pueblo Central traveled to third-seeded Severance and had a rough night. The Wildcats only scored 4 points in the second quarter and trailed 51-16 at halftime, a deficit too large to overcome.
Regis Groff 57, Palmer 43
Palmer’s season came to a close with a loss at Regis Groff. The Terrors were playing from behind the whole game, and despite a great effort, they could not mount a comeback to save their season.
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