The Falcons landed in Mountain Vista’s tree and knocked the
Golden Eagles out of their nest 58-41 in boys’ basketball Thursday
night.
Highlands Ranch took advantage of Blake Olson’s 23 points and
another 13 from Eric Mitchell to win a crucial battle in
Continental League action. Kyle Behrens led the Golden Eagles with
23 points in the loss.
“This is great,” Olson said. “Coming to a rival school for a big
game, a conference game. They were right behind us in the
standings. It’s a big win for us. We came into their house, played
a smart game and beat a good team.”
Ranch opened the game with two straight baskets and relinquished
its lead just once in the game. Olson hit three baskets from beyond
the arc to give the Falcons a two-point lead after one.
Vista briefly took the lead on back-to-back 3-point plays by
Behrens. He drew fouls after the basket four times in the game.
That would be the last big surge for Vista. Mitchell ignored crowd
taunts and hit a big 3-pointer. He grabbed three rebounds and got a
key steal as the Falcons regained the lead. Mitchell finished with
five boards and four steals.
“I was just being aggressive,” Mitchell said. “I was taking
advantage of their mistakes, and getting some boards, trying to
open it up for our offense.”
The Golden Eagles were unable to get a foul call at the end of
the half and trailed 23-20.
The Falcons extended their lead in the third despite a strong
quarter from Ryan Dore. Dore grabbed two boards, a steal and added
four points.
The final frame was all Ranch. Olson grabbed four boards, and
Vista couldn’t get anything going down the stretch.
“I think we had a lot of energy coming into the game,” Behrens
said. “I guess they just had more. They got up into us and forced
things for us. We came off a tough game Tuesday. I don’t know if we
were tired, but they pulled away towards the end.”
Ranch (13-8, 7-3) picked up a key league win to stay in third,
while Mountain Vista fell to seventh in the league.