CHSAA 5A Final Four – Mountain Vista vs Eaglecrest

By CarlAuer
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March 24, 2013
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The final game of the Final Four matches pitted Mountain Vista up against Eaglecrest.  Mountain Vista, while a #1 seed in the tournament, came in with two regular season losses putting them third in league play, but had an overall record of 23-2, while Eaglecrest, a number 2 seed, held a 11-3 regular season record, coming in second in their division.  Many people felt going into this game that the final tomorrow night would be between Mountain Vista and Denver East.  Eaglecrest had other ideas.

March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles junior guard Jake Pemberton (3) pulls up a shot attempt in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against the Eaglecrest Raptors at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles junior guard Jake Pemberton (3) pulls up a shot attempt in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against the Eaglecrest Raptors at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

For this game, I switched things up.  I had been shooting with my 70-200 on my 7D and my 120-300 on my 1D Mark II.  But, for this game I threw my 70-200 on my 1D and my 120-300 on the 7D.  This gave me some extra reach with the 120-300 and better focusing on my main camera with the 70-200.

March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors senior forward Rayjon Craig (1) out jumps Mountain Vista Golden Eagles senior forward Chandler Wiscombe (2) for a rebound in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors senior forward Rayjon Craig (1) out jumps Mountain Vista Golden Eagles senior forward Chandler Wiscombe (2) for a rebound in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

Eaglecrest came out strong in the 1st quarter, scoring 18 points.  The Golden Eagles came out almost as strong, scoring 16 points to trail the Raptors by 2.  It appeared that this was going to be a great final game of the day.

March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles junior guard Jake Pemberton (3) attempts a lay up in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against the Eaglecrest Raptors at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles junior guard Jake Pemberton (3) attempts a lay up in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against the Eaglecrest Raptors at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

When the second quarter started, the wheels came off for Mountain Vista.  Eaglecrest’s defense was tough, and it was apparent that Mountain Vista was going to have a very tough time getting past the Raptors.  Heading into the locker room at halftime, Eaglecrest lead the Golden Eagles by a score of 35 to 27 after the Raptors outscored Mountain Vista 17 to 11 in the second quarter.

March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles senior guard Damini Respass (0) floats a shot attempt up in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against Eaglecrest at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles senior guard Damini Respass (0) floats a shot attempt up in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against Eaglecrest at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

After the halftime break, it was still all Eaglecrest.  The Raptors retained control of the game, out scoring the Golden Eagles 16-13 and would go into the 4th quarter with a 11 point lead.  The Golden Eagles from Mountain Vista had a big hole to dig themselves out of in the 4th if they wanted to play for the State Championship.

March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles senior forward Chandler Wiscombe (2) attempts a lay up in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against the Eaglecrest Raptors at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Mountain Vista Golden Eagles senior forward Chandler Wiscombe (2) attempts a lay up in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game against the Eaglecrest Raptors at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

But Eaglecrest played the 4th quarter like a team on a mission.  They hit the court for the 4th and played some of the best basketball I had seen all year long.

March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors senior forward Rayjon Craig (1) attempts a shot between the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles defense in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors senior forward Rayjon Craig (1) attempts a shot between the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles defense in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

In the fourth, the Eaglecrest Raptors outscored the Golden Eagles, who also played a great offensive quarter, by a score of 23 to 19.  This gave the Raptors a 74-59 win and more importantly a trip to the final game against Denver East Saturday night.

March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors junior guard Jaisean Jackson (21) attempts a shot past the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles defense in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors junior guard Jaisean Jackson (21) attempts a shot past the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles defense in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

Mountain Vista played a great game, but just came up short in each quarter to the rabid offense coming from the Raptors.  True to their name, the Raptors just consumed the Mountain Vista players with double teams, forcing turnovers and grabbing those important rebounds.  It was a great game, with only the second quarter really holding Mountain Vista down.

March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors senior guard TreShawn Wilford (21) elevates for a shot attempt against the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado
March 15th, 2013: Eaglecrest Raptors senior guard TreShawn Wilford (21) elevates for a shot attempt against the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles in the CHSAA 5A Final Four game at the Coors Events Center in Boulder, Colorado

To view and purchase photos from this game, please go to Maxpreps.

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