With six minutes left in the third quarter, Bryce Riehl was forced to the bench with a fourth personal foul that came via the way of a technical. He thought he got fouled on layup attempt, but no call was made.
He voiced his frustration and got hit with the technical as the Grizzlies were beating Palmer 35-32. They eventually won the game 49-48 and Riehl eventually fouled out. He scored just six points – the only time he’s been held to single digits all year – but his impact on the floor goes well beyond getting the ball through the rim.
For so many reasons, Riehl has been a vital piece of Mesa Ridge’s back-to-back Class 5A boys basketball state championships and is trying to lead the way for a third.
“His instinct off the ball is crazy, coach Joel Babbitt said. “He can read things and cause some havoc and jump in the passing lanes. He causes a lot of problems.”
And he solves a lot of them, as well.
The Grizzlies have lost one game all season. It came in the season opener when Liberty edged them out 47-44. Riehl scored 12 points and shot 19% from the field. But here’s the thing: He was only a few days removed from throwing touchdown passes for the football team. Riehl led the Grizzlies to the 4A state semifinals and then made a quick turnaround to get on the hardwood.
In his second game of the year, Riehl scored 38 points, grabbed seven rebounds and had seven steals. He just needed a week to get his hoops legs back. And since then, the basketball team has looked the part of a defending state champion.
“I just like winning,” Riehl said. “I feel like I have a big role with my teammates this year and help them stay intense and not worry about things outside of the game.”
His focus lies solely in the task at hand. That’s been the case on the big state as he’s shown while playing for state championships and it shows no matter if he’s wearing shoulder pads or a pair of Nike basketball shoes.
His work this season is a big reason – although he’ll be the first to say not the only reason – that the Grizzlies could make a run for a third consecutive championship. He scored 13 and grabbed six rebounds in a win over Windsor, a rematch of the 2024 state title game.
In a win over Lewis-Palmer, he scored 23 points and acted as a master thief by adding nine steals.
People gush about the 23 points, but he takes pride in the steals. Having been to the mountain top twice already, Riehl knows that the soul of a championship team is in its ability to defend.
Scoring 49 points against Palmer almost sounds like a sure-fire loss. But the Grizzlies are happy with that total as long as their opponents score at least one fewer point.
“We just all play defense,” Riehl said. “We have to make sure we’re getting stops, especially in a game where we score 49 points, but we still win.”
It’s a good formula for success and one that Riehl can continue to cook up as the Grizzlies eye another trip to the Denver Coliseum.
