Regis Jesuit advances with upset against East

A new Cinderella story has emerged for the Class 5A boys basketball championships. The glass slipper belongs to No. 29seeded Regis Jesuit. Up next, a visit to the Denver Coliseum to prove the Raiders can dance.

Regis Jesuit defeated Denver East 62-58 on Wednesday night in front of a capacity crowd inside the Thunderdome at Manual High School, with fans crowding the bleacher aisleways and wrapped around the gym. The Raiders, with a modest 13-13 record, advanced to the Great 8 behind the late-game heroics of Kyle Sandler, who scored 14 of his team-high 17 points in the fourth quarter.

Regis Jesuit coach Ken Shaw stood near a mob of jumping student fans to reflect on an unlikely hoops journey. And, it’s not over yet.

“They’re very resilient,” Shaw said of his team. “We told them when we started the playoffs: ‘Everybody has the same record now.’”

However, the Raiders’ underdog rise didn’t appear so certain at times on Wednesday night.

Denver East (21-4), led in scoring by junior forward Boston Stanton’s 23 points, went up by double digits in the first quarter. Regis Jesuit trailed until the 3.7-second mark of the second when junior point guard Alonzo Paul drained a corner 3pointer, and the Raiders took a 34-31 advantage into halftime. It didn’t last for long.

Regis Jesuit, facing Denver East’s zone defense, went completely scoreless in the third quarter.

“That was a quarter from hell,” Shaw said. “We just seemed like we couldn’t do anything right. But a trademark of this team is we didn’t give up.”

What buoyed the Raiders was their equally impressive defense, holding Denver East’s prolific offense to six points in the third quarter, and the Angels lead was only three entering the fourth. Suddenly, both teams caught fire.

It was Sandler who truly owned the hot hand.

The Regis Jesuit sophomore rained down four 3-pointers and converted a pair of free throws to put Denver East away. Shaw said: “He’s had some big games for us, and obviously, the 3-point shot is what he does well.”

Regis Jesuit moves on to face Grandview (19-6) on Saturday at the Coliseum. It’s likely the Raiders won’t be favored in the eyes of many. That’s nothing new. After a slow start to the year, though, they’ve lost only four games over the last two months.

So, doubt Regis Jesuit all you want. It’s just how Cinderella likes it.

“If we bring our A-game, or close to it, I think we can play with anybody,” Shaw said.