Columbine boys basketball overcomes slow start to beat Golden

GOLDEN — If it wasn’t for Columbine junior Brody Burkhalter, the Rebels’ non-league boys basketball game could have went the other way Monday night.

Burkhalter scored eight of his 15 points in the second quarter when it looked like Golden had the opportunity to grab a solid first-half lead. Instead, the Rebels stayed within striking distance to eventually took a 58-52 victory at Golden High School.

“Brody is a phenomenal shooter. I have all the faith in the world in him,” Columbine coach Kevin Chester said. “I tell him if he is open, shoot it. He does that time-and-time again. He is a zone killer.”

Golden (9-7, 1-1 in Class 5A/4A Jeffco League) threw a zone defense against Columbine (8-7, 1-3 in 6A Jeffco). The Rebels had some major issues with the zone, scoring just six points in the opening quarter.

“We were just trying to attack the zone (defense) and attack the middle as well,” Chester said of the Demons’ zone defense giving the Rebels’ offensive issues. “If we get the ball in the middle it can break the zone down. We were getting the ball down there, but not making the shots.”

Burkhalter scored the Rebels first eight points in the second quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers to cut Golden’s lead to 20-14 with 6:03 left before halftime.

“My goal is to be the best team player that I can be,” Burkhalter said of his role. “I want to be the energy guy, keep the team together and help out where I can.”

Still, Golden held a 28-24 lead at halftime. Senior Leif Hansen would finish with a team-high 18 points. Sophomores Nick Goodspeed and Zach Orser had 11 points each for the Demons.

However, the second half belonged to Columbine junior Cash Boykin. After an extremely quiet first half where the Rebels’ leading scorer had just 2 points, Boykin turned it on in the second half to finish with a game-high 21 points.

“I told him that he doesn’t have to feel the game out,” Chester said of what he told Boykin at halftime. “He knows who he is and what he brings to the table. He just needed to be aggressive.”

With the game tied at 40-40 early in the fourth quarter, Boykin and Burkhalter combined to score 14 of the Rebels final 18 points to lift Columbine to victory.

“It is a critical week for us. Just trying to play the right way,” Chester admitted as the Rebels got back above .500 with their overall record. “We are still trying to figure each other out. I knew it was going to be an up-and-down season. We are doing well.”

Columbine stays on the road Wednesday with a 6A Jeffco League game at Lakewood. The Rebels host rival Chatfield on Saturday, Feb. 1.

“This week is a big week,” Burkhalter said. “We need to show that we can dominate teams and really play basketball like we can.”

It was the second straight tough loss for the Demons. Golden couldn’t hold on to a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter last Friday night at Evergreen High School. The Cougars rallied for a 55-53 victory.

Golden finishes out the week with a pair of 5A/4A Jeffco League games. The Demons host Littleton (Wednesday) and Conifer (Friday).