Locked in a battle against a league rival, two uh-oh moments defined the defending champions’ ability to survive and advance.
Halfway through the second quarter of Saturday’s Class 6A Great 8, Ralston Valley star Tanner Braketa crossed over reigning Mr. Colorado Basketball Cole Scherer, then drained a three. Then a few minutes later, the Mustangs’ Zeke Andrews had a thunderous and-one dunk. Both plays wowed the crowd, and swung the lead and momentum back to Ralston Valley.
But no matter for Valor Christian, which cruised to a 72-59 victory with a dominant third quarter. Scherer shook off that crossover to finish with a game-high 28 points, while the Eagles tightened up their inside game down the stretch as fellow senior Brady Wynja posted a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
“Because of the seniors we have and the type of toughness our team has developed, they very quickly move on to the next play,” Valor Christian coach Jeff Platt explained. “We don’t panic. We might struggle for a couple minutes, have a little bit of a lapse like (in the second quarter), but our guys haven’t flinched when it’s time to move on to the next play.
“We understand that if we do what we do well for four quarters, we can weather any storm throughout the game.”
The Eagles did just that, overcoming a strong performance by Ralston Valley’s star Braketa brothers. Senior Tanner Braketa led the Mustangs with 22, and junior Caiden Braketa had 21.
“You’ve got to crowd those guys, or they’re going to bury you,” Platt said. “When you give them an inch, they’re really capable of hurting you. We tightened up the screws defensively (in the second half), and I thought we limited them from not getting second-shot opportunities, which really hurt us in the first half.”
The Eagles faced a 33-32 deficit heading into the locker room but used an 18-9 third quarter to pull away. While Ralston Valley’s offense sputtered with empty possessions, Scherer & Co. stepped on the gas. Scherer drove to the rim and made tough finishes at will, while Wynja battered the Mustangs’ big men.
“We struck with the gameplan,” Scherer said. “Nothing really changed after that (crossover in the second quarter). (Braketa) made a great play. I knew we just had to put that behind us, and move forward. We played great after that, we came together, played smart basketball.”
That gave Valor Christian the edge in the rubber match between the two Jeffco League stalwarts. Ralston Valley won on Jan. 17 in Arvada, 65-58, before the Eagles handed the Mustangs their first loss in a 60-57 win on Feb. 11 in Highlands Ranch. In that game, Scherer banked in the game-winning 3 at the buzzer.
“We did today what we did that day, and what we’ve done all season — we found a way to get it done,” Wynja said.
Valor Christian hasn’t lost since that January defeat to Ralston Valley, ripping off 13 straight wins to return to the Final Four.
“Once we got beat at Ralston, we knew we were capable of a title run again, because we know how good they are,” Platt said. “And to be right there on their home floor gave us a measure of where we were at that time. We knew we had to keep getting better in order to get over the hump and be one of the top teams.
“We made a commitment since that night, and our guys haven’t looked back.”
The Eagles will take on No. 1 Rangeview or No. 9 Regis Jesuit in next week’s Final Four. They are seeking their third state title since 2017, counting last year’s and a Class 4A crown. Platt said his team doesn’t feel extra pressure to repeat.
“We’re still going after it like we’re hunting,” Platt said.
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