Kent Denver and Colorado Academy set for 4A boys basketball title clash

DENVER – With the anxiousness of returning to the Class 4A boys basketball title game, Kent Denver had no desire to slow down the Sun Devils put the full extent of their offensive capabilities on display to run out to an 84-70 win over Prospect Ridge Academy in the Final 4 at Denver Coliseum.

The 84 points was much closer to their season average of 86 than two of the three playoff games the Sun Devils have played so far. The scoring output was powered by Caleb Fay, who scored a game-high 26 points, and Elvis Lloyd who chipped in 23.

But this win was never about how many points they could score, but rather getting back to a state title game that holds some sore memories for them. At least for now. In last year’s title game, the Sun Devils lost to Resurrection Christian, leaving this returning group with a vast hunger for championship gold.

“Last year, we were really disappointed in the locker room,”” Lloyd said. “Walking through these halls and seeing that door that we [went in after we] lost in and we just don’t want that to happen.”

The key to that has been utilizing their run-and-jump offense which has them as one of the highest scoring teams in all of high school basketball this season.

A big chunk of that offensive firepower can be credited to Lloyd’s growth as a scorer this year. He’s averaging more than five points per game more than he did a year ago.

He says the output is partially due to his dad, former Denver Broncos receiver Brandon Lloyd, urging him to play with a little more urgency on the court.

“It’s been my dad yelling at me,” Lloyd said. “Me and Caleb are just communicating better, and he’s averaging [almost 23 points per game] and he’s leading the team. He’s going to do that every night.”

Now the Sun Devis are eyeing their first boys basketball championship since beating Centauri 51-44 in the 3A title game in 1997.

Their state final appearance last year was their first in a decade and they have no desire to let this second opportunity go by without capitalizing on the moment. They want to do something special for their school.

“It would be nice to be remembered,” Lloyd said. “Coach [Todd] Schayes tells us it’s not the players you remember, it’s the team.”

With one more win, this Kent Denver squad can be a team worth remembering.

(10) Colorado Academy 67, (6) Coal Ridge 62

You could hear it from the Colorado Academy sideline over and over as the Mustangs held off a Coal Ridge team that never quite went away.

“We’re good. We’re good.”

Even though it was dicey at times as the underdog Titans shrunk the Mustangs’ lead from double digits to two possessions multiple times, Colorado Academy was able to hang on to win 67-62 and advance to the 4A state championship game.

“We had a run, then they had a run,” Mustangs coach Steven Hyatt said. “But we never panicked. Once we got the lead, we never gave it up. We were able to control the tempo of the game and that put us in a good spot.”

At its largest, the Colorado Academy lead stretched to 13 points early in the third quarter before Coal Ridge came roaring back with its outside shooting. The Titans cut it to a single possession, down 41-38 with 11 seconds left in the third before another 3-pointer from Love at the buzzer stretched the score back out.

The Mustangs oscillated between double-digit leads and high single digits until the final minute, when the Titans came within four points.

Clyde Love finished with 27 points to lead all scorers, while James Claypool had 16 points and River Hamm had 14 points. Coal Ridge was led by Ben Simons with 17 points and Gio Ervin with 14 points.

“All the credit to Paul Harvey and Coal Ridge,” Hyatt said. “They’re tough as nails, they make shots and I just knew they weren’t going away. It was going to be a street fight until the end.”