5A Great 8 Preview and Predictions: Late Games

The second set of games Saturday in the Great 8 feature big star power. De'Ron Davis of Overland and Colbey Ross of Eaglecrest are top players in the state in their respective classes, but to reach the ultimate prize, it takes far more than one player to carry the load. Who else will step up to help their team get to Boulder? <strong>Overland (22-3) vs. Doherty (22-3), 4 p.m.</strong> One team is the defending champion, which started the year ranked No. 1 and has hovered near that spot for much of the season. The other was unranked and under-the-radar. Yet here they both are, one victory away from Boulder. You could call this a David-versus-Goliath matchup, but that would be to severely underestimate a Doherty team that has proven all year that it belongs. The Spartans beat Cherokee Trail in the season opener on a buzzer-beater by <strong>Brevin Brimble</strong>, a moment that seemed to springboard them another level, one ruled by confidence and a deeply gelled chemistry first forged during a team trip this summer to Lawrence, Kan. and famed Allen Fieldhouse. We have written a lot about Brimble -- a high-IQ, 6-0 junior point guard and lights-out shooter -- and <strong>Dalven Brushier</strong> -- a 6-3 senior who has developed into one of the state's top few guards -- but there have been plenty others responsible for the success, and who will be relied upon heavily if they are to defeat the Trailblazers and the state's top player, <strong>De'Ron Davis.</strong> Taking care of the ball will be vital for Doherty. Overland, with great length at nearly every position, loves to pressure and force mistakes they quickly turn into offense. <strong>Padiet Wang</strong>, a 6-3 senior wing is long and energetic on defense. <strong>Alijah Halliburton</strong>, off next fall to play football at Wyoming, has been an athletic force capable of causing havocs on both ends. <strong>Jervae Robinson</strong>, <strong>Stephen Hayes</strong>, <strong>Reggie Gibson</strong>, <strong>Asad Yousuf</strong>, <strong>Tyler Stevenson</strong> and <strong>Nick Holmes</strong> can all add athletic punch on the defensive end, making ball security paramount. Doherty will have to be able to limit the attacking penetration of Robinson, Gibson and others in order to keep their bigs, <strong>Joe Golden</strong> and <strong>Kayden Washington</strong>, out of foul trouble. They will inevitably commit fouls guarding Davis, so they have to avoid cheap ones on penetration. If Doherty can get hot from behind the 3-point line, forcing Overland to extend its defense, they will have a formula for staying in the game. Will that be enough to author their biggest victory in a special season full of them? <strong>Prediction:</strong> Overland <strong>Eaglecrest (23-2) vs. Regis Jesuit (22-3), 5:30 p.m. </strong> The Raptors, led by Mr. Colorado Basketball candidate <strong>Colbey Ross</strong>, have been reached this point without a conventional big man, but they have continually extended an athletic, trapping and harassing defense to create offense the other way. Ross' credentials make him a candidate for the state's player of the year honor. The 6-foot junior, who holds several mid-major Division I offers, averaged 18.8 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during the regular season. And he also made leaps and bounds as a leader, telling us after a regular-season victory over Denver East, in which he scored a career-high 38 points, that he has tried to create an energy and mentality that can lift the teammates around him. That has certainly worked well this season, with a long list of contributors making big impacts along the way. Junior <strong>Ikenna Ozor</strong> and sophomore<strong> Victor Garnes</strong> have been great additions to a team that was stacked last season with senior leadership. That is once again an ingredient for a Regis Jesuit team that is once again one step from Boulder under veteran coach Ken Shaw.<strong> Geoff Kelly</strong>, a versatile 6-6 forward, is among the state's top remaining unsigned players and would certainly be a big coup for a Division II program. He is accompanied inside by 6-9 senior <strong>Marc Reininger</strong>, who has been difficult to score against inside this season. Perhaps Regis' wild card, though, is 5-10 sophomore guard <strong>Elijah Martinez</strong>. He had 15 big points in the Raiders' second-round victory over Dakota Ridge, and he's been a major spark plug on both ends. How Martinez and other Regis guards fare against Ross, and whether they are able to force him into considerable size up front rather than heating up from the perimeter, will go a long way in determining which team heads to Boulder and which one heads home. <strong>Prediction:</strong> Regis Jesuit &nbsp; &nbsp;