Ant-Man: Nettles leads the way as Eaglecrest captures 6A boys basketball title

DENVER – The battle for who’s No. 1 in Class 6A Saturday came down to the guys wearing No. 1 on their jerseys.

Eaglecrest’s Ant Nettles out-dueled Valor Christian’s Cole Sherer as the No. 2 Raptors spoiled the No. 6 Eagles’ effort to secure back-to-back 6A state championships with a 65-63 win Saturday at Denver Coliseum.

It was Sherer who struck last, laying in the final two of his 35 points as the buzzer sounded, but Eaglecrest had built up enough of a lead to survive a relentless onslaught from the reigning Gatorade Player of the Year.

Nettles powered a more balanced effort from the Raptors as the point guard finished with a team-high 14 points and four assists, including the five-point swing needed to give the Raptors their final lead with 5:08 to go.

“I’m proud of these dudes for playing their hardest,” Nettles said. “All the work we put in preseason and in practice, day in and day out, it was for this result.”

The senior had to sit out the first half of the season after transferring from Douglas County, but the Raptors were undefeated since he stepped on the court, including four overtime thrillers.

Even battling foul trouble in the state championship game, Nettles played nearly every offensive trip in the second half. The result was the Raptors’ first state championship since 2017, when they beat George Washington.

“All that adversity and the things we had to go through and we still come out on top,” Nettles said. “That makes me feel good.”

Eaglecrest opened the game on a 6-0 run thanks to an and-one from Gavin Gallegos and a 3-pointer from Jason Noone. Valor Christian was able to come almost all the way back on a pair of treys from Sherer, but Garrett Barger’s layup gave the Raptors a 14-12 edge at the first break.

In the second quarter, Sherer powered the Eagles’ offense through shooting, penetration and passing, giving them a lead that stretched as big as four points when they led 22-18 with 4:27 until half, but a string of big plays from Nettles flipped it back in Eaglecrest’s favor.

Nettles’ airborne behind-the-back pass set up Lucas Kalimba for a layup, then Nettles followed that up with a breakaway layup a few trips later to tie the game. Another transition opportunity for Nettles gave the Raptors their first lead in more than four minutes, then another 3 from Noone and a bucket from Barger made it 29-23 at half.

Valor Christian came roaring back in the third as Sherer knocked down three 3-pointers in a four-minute span, including a step-back strike to ignite the crowd and open an eight-point lead for the Eagles. From there, Nettles’ rally got the lead back for the Raptors.

After many missed opportunities at the free-throw line, it was Noone’s free throws that put the game out of reach.
Noone finished 11 points, Barger had 12 points and Kris Coleman chipped in 10 points.

“I was shaking,” Noone said of his last free throws. “But it was muscle memory.”