Fossil Ridge falls short in upset bid of No. 1 Regis

The Fossil Ridge High School boys basketball team is good.

It's just not great. Not yet, at least.

The SaberCats built a big lead on No. 1 Regis Jesuit on Saturday night, only for the Raiders to storm back for a 61-57 win.

"I'm just so proud of the kids," said Fossil Ridge coach Matt Johannsen, who graduated nine players from last year's state runner-up team. "Nobody gave us any kind of chance."

Not only did Fossil Ridge have a chance, but also the SaberCats punched Regis (13-0) in the mouth right from the start.

Fossil Ridge (8-5) jumped out to an 18-2 lead and were up 32-21 at half on the top-ranked team in Class 5A in the Associated Press media poll.

Those first two quarters were Fossil Ridge's flashes of greatness.

Then — just like in an early-January three-point loss to No. 8 Mountain Vista — the SaberCats stumbled through a poor third quarter.

Turnovers and stagnant offense allowed Regis Jesuit to outscore the hosts 23-8 in the quarter, taking a lead it wouldn't relinquish.

"We left the door open for them. They're too good a team to leave the door open," Johannsen said. "They'll break the door down even without leaving it open."

But, Fossil Ridge fought back. In the final minutes, they were down a point, but the lone chance to take the lead was missed on a Ryan Quaid jump shot.

Regis then hit its free throws down the stretch to stay perfect. Coming in, Regis' closest game was a 17-point victory, but team with nine seniors stayed in control.

"You can't duplicate that type of situation in practice," said Regis coach Ken Shaw, who spent 16 seasons as the coach at Rocky Mountain High School. "To see your kids show composure and come back in a game like that will help us down the road."

Bryan Staerkel had 18 for Regis, and Nolan Ebel had 16. Jackson Everhart led Fossil Ridge with 13. Quaid added 12 and Zacc Drovdal had 11.

Through nonconference play, Fossil Ridge is 8-5, with losses to the Nos. 1, 5 and 8 teams in Colorado and two out-of-state schools. The SaberCats are 2-0 in Front Range League, with a win over No. 10 Monarch.

"We're headed in the right direction. Our confidence is growing," Everhart said. "The nonconference schedule definitely helped us. We're right there with all the top teams, and come tournament time we'll be right there."

Follow sports reporter Kevin Lytle at twitter.com/Kevin_Lytle and at facebook.com/KevinSLytle.

REGIS JESUIT 61, FOSSIL RIDGE 57

Regis Jesuit — Staerkel 18, Ebel 16, Caseria 9, Kallsen 6, Boryla 6, Kelly 4, Samson 2. 19 17-21 61.

Fossil Ridge — Everhart 13, Quaid 12, Drovdal 11, Semadeni 10, Bertolette 7, Menefee 4. 16 14-19 57.

3-point field goals — RJ 6 (Ebel 2, Boryla 2, Caseria, Staerkel), FR 7 (Drovdal 3, Semadeni 2, Everhart, Menefee). Team fouls — RJ 22, FR 19.