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Scrappy defense carries Aspen boys basketball over Berthoud in first round of 4A playoffs

Basalt fell short in defensive affair at Resurrection Christian

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Austin Colbert
  

Aspen High School's Henry Hurd, left, and Jack Berro, right, fight for the ball against Berthoud in the first round of the Class 4A state basketball tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2024, inside the AHS gymnasium.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

When the offense faltered late, the Aspen High School boys basketball team’s season never looked like it was on edge.

That’s because the Skier defense was able to put the clamps down when needed during a 70-58 win over Berthoud in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament on Wednesday inside the AHS gymnasium.

“We played on our heels a little bit on the offensive end, which allowed them to get the ball back a little bit quicker without really good shot attempts on our offensive end, and they capitalized on that,” Aspen coach Cory Parker said. “Ultimately, diving on the floor and taking charges in the second half, those are going to get us stops and wins.”

Aspen’s scrappiness late against the visiting Spartans helped shut the door on any comeback attempt and sends the Skiers into the next round. Seeded No. 10 in the 32-team tournament, AHS (19-5 overall) will hit the road for the Round of 16 to face No. 7 DSST: Montview (22-2) on Saturday. Final details, including a start time, were not yet available as of Wednesday night.

The win over Berthoud was the first for the Skiers as part of Class 4A, a move made only last season when 6A was created and the classifications were re-organized. AHS lost in the first round of the 4A tournament last winter. The Skiers won the 3A state championship two seasons ago, going 27-0 in Parker’s first season as head coach.


Aspen High School’s Giovanni Seeman gets an easy lay-in against Berthoud in the first round of the Class 4A state basketball tournament on Wednesday inside the AHS gymnasium.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Aspen High School’s Tommy Franceschi rises up for a shot against Berthoud in the first round of the Class 4A state basketball tournament on Wednesday inside the AHS gymnasium.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

“Sometimes that’s the hardest game, the first game of the tournament. Brand new team from a totally different region. They got nothing to lose and that higher seed gives us maybe a little bit more pressure. Those are always just a battle,” Parker said. “We made some adjustments at halftime and I thought some boys really stepped up off the bench and played extremely solid defense. We got really good stops down the stretch. Guys were first to the floor down the stretch and came away with some really great stops when we needed to.”

Berthoud had the edge early on Aspen and even led 15-13 after the first quarter. But the Skiers turned up the offense in the second quarter, outscoring the Spartans 20-12 in the frame to take a 33-27 lead into the halftime break.

Aspen’s lead held into the fourth quarter — 50-42 after three quarters despite a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Berthoud — but the Spartans were able to get as close as 55-50 with six minutes to play. The closing salvo belonged to Aspen, however, as a stingy defense led to a couple of easy transition baskets and suddenly AHS led by as much as 13 with barely two minutes remaining.

Aspen High School’s Tanner Benson (No. 10) fights for the ball against Berthoud in the first round of the Class 4A state tournament on Wednesday inside the AHS gymnasium.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Aspen High School’s Tommy Franceschi, right, defends against Berthoud in the first round of the Class 4A state basketball tournament on Wednesday inside the AHS gymnasium.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

“Jitters and nerves, for sure,” Parker said of the team’s slow start. “We talk about being the dictators all the time, but still, they are kids. They want to feel the other team out first, and I think sometimes it just takes a little while and getting some confidence … defense gives us that confidence.”

Next up is a DSST: Montview team fresh off a win over No. 27 Summit in the first round, 77-60. The Aspen-Montview winner heads to the Great 8, or the quarterfinals, inside the Denver Coliseum on March 2. They’d face either No. 2 Resurrection Christian or No. 15 Fort Lupton for a spot in the semifinals.

“It’s about us. We know what we are capable of. We know what kind of caliber of a team we are. So as long as we keep it internal,” Parker said about focusing on themselves and not the other teams as the tournament moves on. “We’ll do our job with personnel and scouting and make sure these guys know what they need to, but it’s all about us.”

Resurrection Christian advanced on Wednesday after beating No. 31 Basalt in a low-scoring affair, 37-29. The Longhorns finish out the season with a 10-14 overall record.

Elsewhere, No. 22 Coal Ridge pulled off one of the biggest first-round upsets, beating No. 11 Sterling on Wednesday, 53-49. The Titans will play at No. 6 Riverdale Ridge in the second round.

acolbert@aspentimes.com

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