Resurrection Christian boys back in Great 8

The Resurrection Christian boys are back in the Great 8, this time in Class 4A.

Last season, the Cougars lost in this round to eventual state champion Aspen in Class 3A. This year, the team is hungry for more despite playing up a classification.

RCS (21-4), the No. 2 seed, will face No. 23 The Classical Academy (17-8) at 10:15 a.m. Friday. The Titans upset No. 10 Sterling and No. 7 Eaton to get to the Great 8 while the Cougars got some big free throws down the stretch last Saturday to thwart an upset bid by No. 18 Steamboat Springs, 46-35.

“We feel really good,” RCS head coach Ryan Yoder said. “At the start of the year, we said what are our realistic goals and it was conference championship, regional championship and then state championship. I hate to make any predictions, but I love how we are playing. We are playing our best ball right now.”

Since opening the season 0-3, the Cougars have won 21 of the past 22 games. They had an 11-game winning streak before losing their only Patriot League game at Eaton. They have since won 10 in a row, including a rematch against the Reds at RCS.

A win against the Titans would put the Cougars in the Final 4 for the first time since the 2019-2020 season. That year, RCS was 25-0 before COVID halted all high school sports in Colorado just before the 3A semifinal games.

“We were all in here during the summer, fall, putting in work,” RCS sophomore Cade Crutcher said. “I feel like it is kind of starting to pay off and I feel like we have a good chance at it.”

Crutcher, along with fellow sophomore Ty Yoder, combine to average more than 30 points per game for the Cougars, who average 63 points per game.

They hope their experience and the feeling of defeat last year, will provide some motivation Friday as they look to get back to the Final 4.

“We were here last year, and we lost in the Great 8, but we’re not losing this year,” junior Marcus Phillips said.