REGULAR SEASON: El Paso, Biloxi, Fargo (Twice), Aurora, Boise
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Boise (Consolation Game 2)
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT: St. Martinville (Round 1), Frankfort (Consolation Game 3)
REGULAR SEASON: Ocala, Denver (Twice), Gulf Shores, Aspen, Aberdeen, Keystone, College Station,
Aurora
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Keystone (Round 1), Fargo (Consolation Game 1)
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT: Memphis (Round 2), Carlsbad (Consolation Game 4), Lancaster (Consolation Game 5),
Green Bay (Consolation Game 6)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 160
I was almost immediately spoiled when I first took over this team at the start of Season 25. I had inherited a team which had totaled only 25 wins in the last four seasons. But Boulder came out on top in two of its three exhibition games, including one over the Augusta Jayhawks, a #10 seed in the previous season's National Tournament.
After shaking off an opening day loss to a very good Ocala Oak team, the Avalanche reeled off four straight wins, knocking off the El Paso News 108-97 in overtime, outgunning the Biloxi Szczerbiaks, a team that nearly reached the NTT, handily defeating the below-average Fargo Terpz, and surprising the higher-ranked Aurora Falcons.
But things went downhill from there pretty fast. After an overtime loss to the Denver Fighting Eels, an absurdly tall team coming off a loss in the Conference Championship Game one year before, losses to the NTT-bound Gulf Shores Na'a ali'i and the Aberdeen Vikings (who would turn out to be a #2 seed) quickly followed. Boulder was also outgunned 99-90 by the lower-ranked Aspen RuffRyders to dip the Avs' record under .500.
The Avalanche got back on track with a relatively easy win over the dreadful Boise Bunglebottoms, but close losses to the middle-tier Keystone Gipsar Stal and College Station Babelfish set us back behind the eight-ball again. Another win over the Fargo Terpz in Game #13 would be the last one of the regular season, as the Avalanche were pounded hard in the rematches against both Aurora and Denver.
My first Conference Tournament game as coach of the Avalanche didn't turn out so well. Keystone's up-tempo offense was just too much for our undersized lineup, and Boulder dropped out of the tourney in the first round by a score of 79-70. The Avs' struggles continued after getting pasted by Fargo in a consolation game before scratching out another win against Boise in what amounted to the "7th-place game".
The higher seed won every game of the Conference Tournament, but it was not without drama. Aberdeen squeaked past Aurora 70-69 to claim both the regular and postseason conference titles. The Vikings would be the conference's only representative in the NTT.
The Avalanche were seeded 10th in the Regional Tournament, the third tier of the four postseason tourneys. And despite failing to contain the great guard tandem of the St. Martinville Chargers, Boulder scratched out a five-point win to advance past the opening round. However, heartbreak set in in the second round, when Freshman Pete Hynes committed a foul behind the three-point line in the dying seconds and Boulder leading by one point. The Memphis Krushers' forward hit two of his free throw attempts, and the Avalanche lost 68-67.
Boulder would pick up it's ninth and final win of the season in the next game, a consolation matchup against the Frankfort Elite Kings. But that would be the team's last good effort of the season, as the Avalanche were buried by Carlsbad, Lancaster, and Green Bay in succession. Boulder's final record was 9-15, with a final power ranking of 160.
The coaching staff and the Boulder faithful got a pleasant surprise with the revelation of the All-Conference awards. Freshman phenom Rob Weedman earned a spot on the All-Conference Second Team, and was also named Conference 21's Freshman of the Year. Hopefully his stellar season was just a sign of greater things to come.
The National Tournament turned out to be wildly unpredictable with three #1 seeds dropping out by the end of the third round (Culver City, Branson, and Pueblo). Three of the #2 seeds (Roswell, Eugene, and Aberdeen) didn't even reach the third round, and two #10 seeds (Sioux Falls and Macon) reached the Elite Eight.
The Cheyenne Cardinals were the only top seed to reach the Final Four, eliminating the Casper Pack in the Southeast Regional Final. Conference 9's Ft. Lauderdale Cougars, the fifth-seed in the Northeast, would be their opponent after knocking off the Virginia Beach TARS, a team that had previously eliminated powerhouses Aberdeen and Carbondale. And both #10 seeds would fall short of the Final Four, with Sioux Falls losing to the 4th-seeded Mobile Glory in the Northwest, and the high-flying Burbank Stealth, the fifth-seed in the Southwest, taking care of Macon.
A pair of defensive-oriented teams proceeded on to the Final, with Ft. Lauderdale holding mighty Cheyenne to just 55 points, and Mobile stifling Burbank, one of the league's best offenses, in an 82-68 win. When the dust finally settled, Ft. Lauderdale won a defensive duel, 68-59 over Mobile, for their first ever Championship.
The Avalanche said goodbye to Seniors Kellen Wessel, Corbin Holder, and Colby Knipp following the conclusion of Season 25. Wessel started at Point Guard for most of his final season, and proved to be a good mentor for his heir apparenent, Jontae Madison. Holder was a dependable reserve who played both the SG and SF spots, while Knipp, unfortunately for him, was not good enough to log even a single minute of any game during his four-year stint on the Boulder roster.
REGULAR SEASON: Madison, Philadelphia, Boise, Fargo
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Fargo (Consolation Game 2)
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT: Yonkers (Round 1), Charleston (Round 2), Durham (Round 3), Columbus (Consolation Game 5),
Concord (Consolation Game 6)
REGULAR SEASON: Pueblo, Fargo, Aurora (Twice), Denver (Twice), Arlington, Aspen, Aberdeen,
Keystone, Jefferson City
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aberdeen (Round 1), Aspen (Consolation Game 1)
REGIONAL TOURNAMENT: Fargo (Round 4)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 142
Boulder's recruiting class was very disappointing, as my inability to learn the system in time caused me to fall behind on several players that I wanted to land. Compounding this was the fact that my top two targets (Garry Denny - Fargo and George French - Keystone) decided not only to play elsewhere, but to play for conference opponents. The one target we did land, Alexander Payton, is a decent player who improves the team's defense, an area that we were sorely deficient in last season. But Boulder's other two recruits turned out to be walk-ons. Michael Joyner is 6'7", but is a poor rebounder. Rance Dietrich is not only undersized (5'8"), but he also isn't skilled enough to even warrant playing time on a lower-tier team.
Despite the recruiting woes, for the second straight season, Boulder managed to win two of their three preseason games. Two stellar defensive efforts led to comfortable wins over the Jersey City Boinkers and the Raleigh Rats. The middle game against the Corpus Christi Barking Spiders was a pretty big letdown, but thankfully it was just an exhibition game.
The Avalanche blazed out of the gates in their first two games, leaving two of League's Six's poorer teams, the Madison Carzy Wild Cats and the Philadelphia Luscious Boys, in the dust. Boulder blitzed both teams in the first half, racing out to a thirty-point lead at the midway point of both games, and cruised to two very easy victories.
But after that, the Avalanche would not win again until the tenth game of the season, suffering through a stretch of seven straight defeats, including a particularly painful string of three consecutive overtime losses.
The skid began against the Pueblo Sorcerers, a #1 seed in the Season 25 National Tournament, and a team that was clearly out of our league. But the Avs hung tough, and amazingly trailed by only two points with four minutes remaining. However, the Pueblo defense kept Boulder off the scoreboard for the rest of the game and took home a ten-point victory.
The following week, the rest of the very strong South Division ran the table against the Avalanche by a total of twenty points. The Fargo Terpz, led by my very desired recruit, Garry Denny, cruised to a 12-point win. Boulder then blew a chance at an upset against the Aurora Falcons, missing seven free throws in the contest and falling by a score of 73-68 despite holding Aurora to a dreadful 3-23 shooting performance from three-point range. Then, despite being horribly outrebounded by the Denver Fighting Eels, one of the tallest teams in the entire league, the Avalanche managed to hang close thanks to a 30-point effort from Paco Lichtefeld, but came up just three points short.
Then the string of overtime defeats began. The Arlington Running Utes had struggled to a 1-5 record at this point, but they dominated Boulder in the overtime period, outscoring the Avalanche 18-6 in the extra five minutes. A very painful 111-109 double overtime loss to the Aspen RuffRyders followed two days later, when Elroy Klemenz scored the winning basket in the final seconds of the second overtime. The real heartbreaker came at the end of the week against the powerhouse Aberdeen Vikings, a game in which Boulder led in the final minute of both regulation time and the overtime period, only to cough up the lead both times, and lose on Mel Rozier's game-winning shot with nine seconds to play.
The losing streak finally ended against the lowly Boise Bunglebottoms with an 81-68 victory. But loss number eight would come at the hands of the Keystone Magic, who got a whopping 44 points from their bench enroute to a 91-78 victory. The Avalanche were then held to a dismal 37% shooting night in a fourteen point loss to another good team in Jefferson City.
But with the season-ending division swing coming up again, Boulder would show a spark against 70th-ranked Fargo, defeating the Terpz in the rematch by a score of 72-68. Pete Hynes was a monster in that game, and the Avalanche shot a sparking 54% from the floor, hanging on to win despite missing eight free throws. The Avs then played one of their best offensive games of the season in the rematch with Aurora, only to fall to the hot-shooting Falcons, 92-88. The regular season ended with the Avalanche being completely shut down by 18th-ranked Denver, a win which gave the Fighting Eels the Conference's regular season title.
Boulder finished the regular season as the seventh seed in the Conference, and put up a dreadful performance in a 68-51 loss to the second-seeded Aberdeen Vikings. The Avalanche only made 21 shots and turned the ball over 17 times. It is the second straight season that the team fails to advance in the Conference Tournament. The offense returned in the first consolation game against Aspen, but the RuffRyders raced out to an early lead and the Avs never recovered. However, the Avalanche would pick up their fifth win against Fargo, finally winning an overtime game by a score of 81-74. That was Boulder's second win over the Terpz this season, and their fourth in the last two.
8th-seeded Boise shocked the regular season champion Denver Fighting Eels in the first round of the conference tournament. This seemed to open the door for defending conference champion Aberdeen, but they were upset by the 5th-seeded Keystone Magic, 78-69, in the Championship Game.
However, the season was not yet over for the Avs. The win over Fargo enabled the Avalanche to sneak back into the Regional Tournament as a #15 seed. And they would not go quietly. Boulder stunned the "#2 seed" in their region, the Yonkers Machiavellis, by a score of 75-60. The Avs' defense held Yonkers to a dreadful 26 for 65 shooting performance, and Pete Hynes dominated the game with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks. The win pushed Boulder into the RTT's second round for the second straight season. The Avalanche would then pull off another surprise and advance again, outgunning Charleston by a score of 92-84. Boulder overcame 15 missed free throws thanks in large part to strong offensive nights from Hynes and Lichtefeld. Then despite being badly outrebounded against Durham, the Avs managed to survive a late flurry and stun the Duke Haters by 1 point to move on to the Final Eight of the tournament.
The run would finally end in the fourth round, oddly enough against conference-rival Fargo. The Avalanche simply ran out of gas and got hammered on the boards, falling by 10 points. Boulder would rebound with consolation wins over Columbus and Concord to finish with 6 wins in the last 7 games. The team posted its first 10-win campaign since Season 20.
Meanwhile, in the National Tournament, only one #1 seed reached the Final Four. The Bangor Yellow Jackets made it out of the Southwest Region, knocking off the #7 seed Wilkes-Barre. The offensively-charged Branson Rejectors came through the Northwest as a #2 seed, knocking off eighth-seeded New Orleans in the Final Eight. The Cheyenne Cardinals, the #3 seed in the Northeast, made it back to the Final Four with a wild victory over 12th-seeded Columbia in a game that totaled 203 points scored. The Minneapolis Killer Dolphins became the fourth participant, making it as a #5 seed in the Southeast, taking out the tourney's Cinderella team, 15th-seeded Fremont.
The Championship Game would be an all-Conference Seventeen affair, as Branson shut down Bangor 71-56, and Minneapolis pummeled Cheyenne by twenty points, handing the Cardinals another National Semifinal defeat.
Branson stormed out to a big early lead in the title game and beat Minneapolis 75-58 to win their first ever National Championship.
Boulder's three graduating Seniors were all backups. Deandre Finley was a starter when I took over the team, but was relegated to a backup role by the end of his career because of his suspect defense. But Finley could shoot pretty well and was a nice spark off the bench. Sid Holcomb was too small to be playing as a backup power forward, but he was surprisingly a pretty decent player, especially on offense. And I didn't use Walker Ray as much as I would've liked, since even though he only had average ratings, he was one of the smartest guys on the team and played reasonably well when given the chance.
REGULAR SEASON: Anaheim, Albuquerque, Fargo (Twice), Denver (Twice), Aspen, Boise, Aurora
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Denver (Quarterfinals)
PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT: Tulsa (Round 1), Tucson (Round 2), San Francisco (Round 3)
REGULAR SEASON: Cheyenne, Aurora, Phoenix, Aberdeen, Keystone, Clemson
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aurora (Semifinals), Fargo (Consolation Game 2)
PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT: Owensboro (Round 4), Hot Springs (Consolation Game 5), Burbank (Consolation Game 6)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 52
Season Twenty-Seven would finally begin Boulder's long road back to respectability. The Avalanche would pull in one of the top recruiting classes in the entire league, with a class rank of 6/8. 6'5" PG Madden Weir entered college with stunningly strong all-around ratings, and 6'8" Sandy Flener would immediately step into the starting lineup as the team's only excellent rebounder. 6'7" Pat Tate has the potential to be a solid player as well, although as a backup in limited minutes rather than a starter.
Boulder burned all three of their exhibition opponents, winning all three games against moderate to lower-level competition by double digits. The Freshmen all played well, as Weir and Flener would earn starting spots. Amazingly, the Avalanche only turned the ball over a total of 12 times in the three games.
The Avalanche nearly pulled off a big upset in the opening game of the season, leading most of the second half against powerhouse Cheyenne, but the Cardinals took the lead with two minutes to go and held on to win by seven. Boulder would rebound in the following game, turning in a less-than-spectacular performance against a bad Anaheim team, but the Avs would tie the school's all-time record for steals in a game and coasted to a twenty-point victory. The team finished the non-conference week with a convincing 99-74 win over a decent Albuquerque squad. The Avs shot the lights out, and other than some early foul trouble, played a near perfect game for another 2-1 start to the season.
Boulder would open the conference schedule by throttling rival Fargo by a score of 88-69. The Avs' shooters were on fire again, and the team played an extremely strong all-around game, outrebounding the Terpz by 8 and only turning the ball over 8 times. However, the offense abruptly disappeared in the following game, as despite shutting down Aurora and their strong offense with a very stingy defensive effort, Boulder couldn't hit a shot all night and lost by a score of 69-59. The shots still weren't falling two nights later, but Boulder somehow managed to outrebound the extremely tall Denver team, and a lights-out performance from Rob Weedman lifted the Avs to a 64-60 win over the Eels. It was only the second win for Boulder in their last twenty games against this team.
However, Boulder's string of bad luck in overtimes came back to bite them in the following week. The Avs dropped their second non-conference game of the season, blowing a nine-point halftime lead against a very strong team from Phoenix, losing the game by four points in overtime. Boulder was badly outrebounded, and the Highlanders shot over 50%, including eight three-pointers. The Avs won the turnover battle by a stunning margin of 21-5, but faded down the stretch. Two games later, Boulder would come up just short against Aberdeen, losing by a score of 82-79, again in overtime. The Avs' freshmen shot a miserable 9 for 29 in the game, as the Vikings scratched out an extra-period win against Boulder for the second time in as many seasons. All was not bad news during this stretch though, as the Avs did manage to play a complete game against Aspen, outgunning the RuffRyders 93-88 in between those two games, handing the RuffRyders their first conference loss of the season.
The alternating pattern of wins and losses would continue, as the Avalanche crunched Boise by a lopsided score of 81-48. Boulder's defense totally shut down the Bunglebottoms' outside shooters (1 for 15 on three-pointers), and held them to only 20 points in the second half. But two nights later, inconsistency set in again, as the Avalanche shot only 30 for 75 in a narrow loss to Keystone, despite holding their best player to only 10 points. And then a horrendous offensive performance cost the Avs a win over a 2-9 Clemson team, as Akili Nixon of the Knights hit a buzzer beater for a 75-74 win, a game in which Boulder shot 29 for 61 and missed 10 free throws.
Despite missing 12 more free throws in the next game, and giving up a game-tying buzzer-beating three-pointer to Wilt Render at the end of regulation, Boulder won a wacky 98-95 overtime game over Fargo. Weedman, Hynes, and Lichtefeld combined for 69 of the team's 98 points in the huge conference win. The Avalanche would then follow that up with an even bigger win, shocking 33rd-ranked Aurora by a score of 94-84. Boulder converted 27 free throws, hammered the Falcons on the boards, and Rob Weedman exploded for 33 points in the upset victory. And to cap off the romp through the division, Weedman was on fire again, breaking the team's single-game record for points with 38, as the Avalanche held on to defeat Denver for the second time this season, by a narrow margin of 73-67.
The Avalanche stunningly earned the #2 seed in the Conference Tournament, and then knocked off Denver for the second time in four nights, and for the third time on the season, with an 81-69 victory in the Quarterfinals. 21 points from Pete Hynes and 21 assists as a team were the big factors, as the Avalanche advanced to the Semifinals for the first time since I became the coach of this team. The win was also the team's 10th of the season, already equalling our win total from the previous season.
But the absence of Paco Lichtefeld due to injury and a stunning lack of free throw shooting came back to bite the team badly in the Semifinals. The Avalanche only made six of eighteen free throw attempts, and ran out of gas late against Aurora, falling by a score of 85-76. The Avs had a four-point halftime lead, but Pete Hynes fouled out with eight minutes left in the game, and the defense fell apart in the final minutes. Boulder lost a big chance, instead sending the Falcons to the title game. The Falcons though, would end up losing to Aberdeen in the Final by a score of 93-80. The Vikings beat Aurora in the Championship for the second time in three seasons.
The Avalanche would qualify for the Provincial Tournament as a #4 seed, and immediately made a statement with a solid 81-69 win over 13th-seed Tulsa in the opening round. The 99ers' big frontcourt didn't faze the Avs at all, as Boulder held a 38-25 rebounding edge and lead by 21 points at halftime. Then, despite getting badly outrebounded by a strong team from Tucson, the Avalanche forced 18 turnovers and came from behind late to beat the Kings 89-83 in the second round. Another tough matchup followed in the Third Round against San Francisco, but the Avs' shooters were hot and they hung on for another six-point win.
The run finally ended in the fourth round against Owensboro. The Avalanche didn't do any of the little things right, giving up offensive rebounds on free throws, and getting burned badly by the Devils' forwards, who combined to shoot 14 for 23. Rob Weedman had an off night, shooting only 10 for 29. Despite 10 steals and only 8 turnovers, Boulder simply couldn't catch up, falling just short by two points. Owensboro went on to win the Tournament. Boulder would lose both of the remaining consolation games, but they were both hard-fought battles against tough competition, as the Avs fell by only 7 points to Hot Springs, and by only 10 points to Burbank to finish the season at 13-11.
Unlike last season, the Avalanche got a couple of players on the All-Conference teams this time around. Rob Weedman, the conference's second leading scorer earned a First Team nod for the first team in his career, and Paco Lichtefeld deservedly made it onto the Second Team.
The Final Four would feature some new faces. Knoxville, the only past champion to reach the National Semifinals (Season 19 Champs), made it out of the tough Northwest region as the top seed, slipping past third-seed Galveston in the Regional Final. Jackson, the 12th seed in the upset-heavy Southwest region, would be their opponent after they defeated sixth-seed Ithaca. The Sacramento Gunners, the top seed in the Northeast, flew past second-seed Bangor, and the Duluth Warriors reached their first Final Four, as the five-seed in the Southeast defeated third-seed Scranton, a team that had come out of nowhere to reach the Regional Final.
Neither of the National Semifinal games were very close, as Knoxville downed Jackson 80-69, and Sacramento crunched Duluth 84-60. Knoxville would then earn their second championship, hanging on to beat Sacramento in the Final by a score of 90-84.
The Avalanche would graduate a pretty good class consisting of one starter and two former starters. Paco Lichtefeld was the team's second leading scorer in his final season, and left school with a career average of nearly 15 PPG. He wasn't a great all-around PF, but he was a huge part of the Boulder offense. Jontae Madison lost his starting PG spot this season, but he still leaves as the school's all-time assist leader. And Rashad Marlow was a nice depth forward at the end of his career, not providing anything special, but was a pretty good defensive presence off the bench.
REGULAR SEASON: Orlando, Anchorage, Aurora (Twice), Denver, Myrtle Beach, Aspen, Aberdeen, Cambridge
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aurora (Consolation Game 2)
PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT: Baltimore (Consolation Game 2), Inglewood (Consolation Game 3), Nashville (Consolation Game 5), Fort Worth (Consolation Game 6)
REGULAR SEASON: Salem, Fargo (Twice), Boise, Keystone, Denver
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aberdeen (Quarterfinals), Aspen (Consolation Game 1)
PROVINCIAL TOURNAMENT: Morgantown (Round 1), Denver (Consolation Game 4)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 76
The Avalanche pulled in a highly-rated class for the second season in a row. Darryl Daniel, a slick-shooting SG from Tempe, looks like a near-clone of star player Rob Weedman and should put up some very good offensive numbers. 6'4" Adrian Worthington isn't as polished all-around as Daniel, but his high school offensive stats were even better. And 6'8" Willie Dover would step in and immmediately replace the departed Paco Lichtefeld at PF. Dover is a pretty solid offensive player who has a better all-around game than his predecessor. Three more solid players added to an up-and-coming lineup.
The Avalanche breezed through the exhibition games, defeating three lower-tier opponents, all by at least 17 points. Boulder did not allow more than 69 points in any of the practice games, and the new gunners (Daniel and Worthington) breathed much-needed life into the offense. Hopefully a sign of better things to come.
The Avalanche kicked off the new season with a bang, methodically taking care of Orlando by a score of 89-68 in the opener. Six players were in double figures, the team shot over 54% from the floor, and held a 40-25 rebounding edge. The frontcourt played very well, as Sandy Flener scored 10 points and grabbed 12 boards, while Willie Dover had 13 and 9. Another stellar effort turned away Anchorage in the second game by a score of 81-65. Rob Weedman and Adrian Worthington were both hot from the floor, and the Avs' stifling defense held yet another opponent under 70 points. However, Boulder's defense wilted in the following game against a high-powered offense from Salem, as the Ions defeated the Avalanche 94-82 behind a 24-7 run in the final 8 minutes of the game.
The Avalanche lost the conference opener to rival Fargo by a score of 85-82. The Terpz held a decided rebounding advantage, and made just enough free throws at the end to stave off a furious comeback in which Boulder made 3 three-pointers in the final minute. But the Avs achilles' heel, free throw shooting, reared its ugly head again, as Boulder missed 11 of 29 attempts from the line in the loss. The first conference win would come in the following game against Aurora, and the Avs pounced all over the Falcons early, racing out to a 25-point lead at halftime, and were never threatened from there. Flener outplayed much-hyped freshman DeShaun Logsdon, while Worthington, Daniel, and Weedman combined for 55 points in the surprisingly easy victory. The Avalanche finished the week with a hard-fought low-scoring victory over Denver, in which the Fighting Eels only managed 27 points in each half, and Worthington's 19 points was the only offense to speak of on either team.
The first game of the following week wasn't pretty, but the Avalanche fought past 10 missed free throws and 19 fouls to defeat Myrtle Beach by a score of 83-76. The Forge coughed the ball up 17 times, and Weedman had a huge game with 21 points and 9 rebounds. Back in conference play, the Avs weren't great against Aspen either, but Elroy Klemenz' last-second long ball didn't fall, and Boulder hung on to win by three. The Avalanche fought through a mediocre shooting night, 12 turnovers, and a huge game from Aspen big man Milo Horton. Boulder then finished the week with a convincing 79-61 win over Aberdeen. Despite being outrebounded by eight, the Avalanche held the Vikings to just 24 second-half points, and rode Darryl Daniel's hot shooting night to victory, my first as coach in four seasons over the Vikings.
The fourth week would be a rough one, and it didn't off start off well with the Avs losing rather easily to the resurgent Boise Bunglebottoms 86-72. Boise was blazing from beyond the arc, and the Boulder defenders watched helplessly as the Bunglebottoms made 14 of 27 three-point attempts. Boise held a small rebounding edge and the Avalanche couldn't do much with 17 forced turnovers. The Avs lost a heartbreaker to Keystone in the following game, letting a 12-point halftime lead slip away and losing the game 86-84. Both Daniel and Flener had a chance to tie the score in the last five seconds, but neither could get their shots to fall. Keystone's Logan Hughes torched the Boulder defense again for 27 points. However, Boulder did rebound at the end of the week with a convincing 92-81 victory over 29th-ranked Cambridge. Weedman lead the way with 28 points, and Daniel followed with 20.
The Avalanche lost to Fargo again to kick off the second division swing. The Terpz dominated on the boards again, and picked apart the Boulder defense with 54% shooting. The loss would be the third for the Avs in their last four games. The Avalanche did rebound in the following game, hammering Aurora for the second time on the season in an 89-68 victory. Boulder's defense forced 20 turnovers and the offense was in high gear with a 55% mark from the field, earning win number nine on the season. But the season finale proved to be a complete meltdown, a 78-76 overtime loss to Denver. Flener missed a chance to seal the game from the line late in regulation, and Darrell Spence scored to force the extra period. Then, after D.J. Fuson tied the game from the line with 16 seconds left, Flener had the ball stolen by Christopher Donahue, who promptly hit the game-winning shot. Denver held a 45-27 edge on the boards in arguably the worst game the Avs played all season long.
The Avalanche dropped to fifth place in the conference with the loss to Denver in the finale, and the team's slump continued as they lost easily in the Quarterfinals to Aberdeen 94-77. The Avalanche were horribly outrebounded again, and were not able to stop the Vikings' offense the entire night. The disappointing loss overshadowed a fantastic performance from Darryl Daniel, who scored 37 of the team's 77 points. Boulder's frustrating slump continued for another game as the Avalanche lost to 2-14 Aspen, but the team briefly righted the ship with their third pasting of the season against Aurora to finish with 10 wins headed into the Provincial Tournament.
Fargo would take home the conference crown, denying Aberdeen their third title in four seasons with an 81-69 victory in the championship game. Despite the loss, Aberdeen still qualified for the NTT as an at-large team, joining Fargo and regular season champion Keystone as C21's representatives in the Big Dance.
For the second straight season, Boulder qualified for the PTT, this time as a #8 seed. However, after reaching the fourth round the previous season, Boulder didn't even close come this season, failing to advance beyond the first round. The Avalanche were absolutely dreadful on offense, barely shooting 41% from the floor, and got hammered on the glass again, losing 76-64 to Morgantown. Darryl Daniel shot 6 for 17, and lead the team with 8 rebounds. 16 turnovers and 7 missed free throws added to the misery as the team's puzzling late-season swoon continued. However, the Avalanche did finish strong with four wins in their last five games to finish at 14-10. And Darryl Daniel was named Conference Freshman of the Year, the second time in four seasons that a Boulder player won the award.
Three number-two seeds reached the Final Four of the NTT. The Branson Rejectors (Season 26 Champions) came out of the Northwest Region, running past the 9th-seeded Peoria Boomers, who had upset heavily-favored Rochester two rounds before. The Galveston Godfathers easily upset top-seeded Virginia Beach in the Southwest, and the Oxford Chargers slipped past the 5th-seed Independence in the Northeast Region. The fourth team would the Eugene Ninja Pacifists, the top seed in the Southeast, who edged out second-seeded Scranton in the Regional Final, handing the Cardinals their second straight Elite Eight loss.
Galveston crushed Branson by 21 to reach the championship game, along with Eugene, after the Ninja Pacifists held off Oxford by 11. Finally, the championship game wasn't really in doubt after halftime, as Eugene cruised to a 84-73 victory over the Godfathers, the first national title for the Ninja Pacifists.
The Avalanche graduated a solid class that was lead by Rob Weedman, who leaves as the school's career leader in both points and steals. Pete Hynes was a solid third starter for most of his career, and a strong playmaker off the bench in his final season. And Jared Keen never got the chance to be a regular starter, but he was a fixture as a solid backup guard, always putting up good numbers in limited minutes. The magazines didn't rate this class very highly, but all three players will be missed.
REGULAR SEASON: Myrtle Beach, Des Moines, Bethlehem, Fargo, Aurora (Twice), Mobile, Aspen, Aberdeen, Keystone,
Denver
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Boise (Quarterfinals), Aspen (Semifinals)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Jefferson City (Round 1), Nashville (Consolation Game 4), Laramie (Consolation Game 5)
REGULAR SEASON: Denver, Boise, Oxford, Fargo
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Keystone (Championship Game)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Oxford (Round 2), Memphis (Consolation Game 3), Twin Falls (Consolation Game 6)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 32
Recruiting wasn't very kind to the Avs at the start of Season Twenty-Nine. Boulder did acquire three solid backcourt reserves, but missed out on two gamebreakers who would have been immediate starters. For the guys who did come to Boulder, 6'4" Jarred Bartlett is an excellent defender who should slide into the backup PG role behind Madden Weir. 6'1" Sheldon Keen is another strong defensive presence and a good athelete. And 6'6" Michael Dutton turned out to be a near clone of Keen, except five inches taller. All three players will contribute off the bench, but none is likely to earn a starting job.
It was an impressive preseason for the Avalanche, headlined by a 71-63 win over a Salem group that finished as the 14th-ranked team last season. The Ions outraced last season's Avs' team in the regular season last year, but this time around, Salem only shot 32% against Boulder's stifling defense. The Avs followed that impressive victory with an easy 23-point win over a bad team from Philadelphia, and finished the week by clamping down on Concord, holding the Copyboys to 35% shooting and only 46 points on the night. None of the three opponents scored more than 65 points.
Boulder began the season by coming from behind to beat Myrtle Beach 76-61. The Avs turned the ball over 13 times, but Darryl Daniel had a huge game, and the Forge only shot 40% on the night. Boulder also held a big edge on the glass even though Sandy Flener and Willie Dover combined for only 9 rebounds. The Avalanche clamped down in the second game as well, holding Des Moines to only 31% shooting in a 70-47 victory. Darryl Daniel and Adrian Worthington combined for 46 of the team's points, and the defense also forced 19 turnovers. Boulder closed the opening week by scratching out a nail-biter, barely hanging on to beat Bethlehem 65-63. The Gulls had two chances to tie in the final seconds, but could not force overtime. Daniel had another strong game with 20 points, pacing the team through a 42% shooting night. The Avalanche were the only team in C21 to start the season at 3-0.
Conference play began with similar results. The Avalanche managed to shut down the potent Fargo offense for a 74-64 victory. Even though Boulder missed 14 free throws, they kept the mistakes to a minimum, held the Terpz to 46% shooting, and were only outrebounded by two. The Avs' best offensive performance of the young season downed Aurora 89-75, putting the team at #15 overall in the initial power rankings, by far the highest mark in my five seasons as coach. Worthington paced the offense with 25 points, and Weir dished out 10 assists. Boulder allowed more than 65 points for the first time on the season, but stifled every Falcon except for Deon York. But the first division swing ended with Boulder's first loss of the season, a 68-63 decision to Denver. The Fighting Eels blocked 8 shots, had a 32-24 edge on the glass, and held the Avs to 39% shooting, offsetting a 29-point night from Worthington.
The biggest win of my four-plus season coaching tenure came in the next OOC game against Mobile. The Glory entered the game as the 6th-ranked team in the league, and the game was a "national feature". And with the cameras burning, the Avs clamped down and held the Glory to just 35% shooting, leading the entire game enroute to a stunning 76-63 victory. Willie Dover scored 16 points in the first game of the season that Daniel or Worthington wasn't the team's top scorer. Weir dished out 8 more assists, and Sandy Flener held his own against Mobile's twin giants under the basket. The unbelievable upset gave Boulder their sixth win in seven games. Then, with first place on the line at this relatively early point in the season, the Avs came from behind in the second half to beat Aspen 82-72. The RuffRyders generated a ton of second chances on offense, but only shot 42% on the night, and were unable to hold a 9-point second-half lead. Boulder hit 20 free throws on the night, and Darryl Daniel came up huge in the win with 27 points and 7 rebounds. The Avalanche finished the very impressive week by coasting past a weakened Aberdeen team, 79-45. The Vikings only hit 16 shots in the game, and Boulder held their biggest rebounding advantage of the season (42-23). Willie Dover had a nice night with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 2 blocks, and Worthington paced the offense with 28 points.
The fourth week began with a big hiccup, as a huge night from Kadeem Guinn lifted Boise to a 79-67 victory, and the Bunglebottoms outshot the Avalanche 55% to 40%. Boulder won the turnover battle 17-3, but lost the rebounding battle again 32-23. But two nights later, Boulder defeated Keystone for the first time in my five-season coaching tenure, pulling away late for a 79-64 victory. After being switched over to the SG position, Darryl Daniel completely shut down George French, one of the league's top players, holding him to 9-27 shooting and only 21 points. The Avs kept it close on the boards against a far better rebounding team, and Madden Weir had an awesome night with 10 points and 10 assists. The win put the Avalanche into a three-way tie for first place in the conference. Boulder nearly came up with another big OOC upset at the end of the week, but fell just short against Oxford, 77-67. Weir tied his own team record with 11 assists, and the Avs had pulled within four with a minute to play, but could not finish the comeback. 42% shooting and 11 turnovers hurt them in the loss against the league's third-ranked team.
With their destiny in their own hands to sweep the division and take the conference title, the Avalanche blew their chance early, losing at the start of the week to Fargo 85-75. Boulder's defense simply had no answers for the Fargo shooters, who nailed their shots at 55% accuracy on the night. The Terpz dominated on the glass, leading comfortably all the way through the second half. A fifth straight victory over Aurora at mid-week gave the Avalanche their 10th win of the season, holding the Falcons' star freshman Damian Doherty to just 6 points in the 82-69 victory. Boulder shot 52% from the floor, came up with 9 steals, and won the battle on the glass. The Avs then concluded the season by roaring from behind in the second half to beat Denver 80-68. Boulder shot 58% from the floor in this game, held Denver to 43%, and rebounded from a poor start to win comfortably. Worthington went off for 26 points, as the Avalanche clinched second place in the final conference standings, and at 11-4, finished with the best regular season mark in my five seasons as coach.
The second-seeded Avalanche started slow in the conference quarterfinal against seventh-seeded Boise, but rallied big in the second half to win 81-64. This time, while the Bunglebottoms did make 10 of 24 three-point baskets, they only shot 38% overall. Kadeem Guinn did score 17 points, but Nicholas McCoy was held to 13. The Avalanche shot 52%, outrebounded Boise by four, and sank 18 free throws to just 6 for their opponents. Worthington led the way on offense with 21 points, and Daniel was right behind him with 20. Boulder then survived a wild Semifinal contest despite a statistically poor effort, eliminating third-seeded Aspen by a score of 81-74. Boulder did not shoot the ball all that well, got killed on the boards, had 12 shots blocked, and missed 10 free throws. But the team's swarming defense held Aspen's shooters to a collective 39% night and forced 21 turnovers to make up for all of the RuffRyders' offensive chances.
Unfortunately, despite holding a 10-point lead with 10 minutes left in the game, the Avalanche blew the lead and lost the conference championship game to top-seeded Keystone, 60-58. The Magic outscored the Avalanche 17-5 over the final 10 minutes, and Ernest Collins hit the winning shot with 4 seconds left on the clock. Another great defensive effort put Boulder in a position to win the game, but they killed themselves with 16 turnovers and only 42% shooting, foiling my first shot at a conference title with this team.
Despite losing the conference title game, the Avalanche still qualified for the NATIONAL TOURNAMENT for the first time in my career. Boulder drew a number-nine seed, and scored the team's first NTT victory in many many seasons, knocking off 8th-seeded Jefferson City in the first round by a score of 67-57. The Avs did not shoot the ball well on offense, but did just enough to win thanks to a 37-30 rebounding advantage (13 boards for Sandy Flener), holding the Vampires to 40% shooting, and forcing 16 turnovers. The win was Boulder's 14th of the season, already equalling the previous season's total, and the most for any Boulder team in over 12 seasons. But the Avalanche would be eliminated two nights later in the second round, dropping another hard-fought contest to top-seeded Oxford, 66-58. The Chargers, the second-ranked team in the league, did exactly what they did against Boulder in the teams' OOC meeting two and a half weeks before, play the Avs' game better than they could. 6'9" Dwayne Hammons lit up Boulder's top defender, Darryl Daniel, to the tune of 19 points on 6 of 9 shooting to along with 5 rebounds, and holding Daniel to just 6 points. Despite being repeatedly frustrated on the offensive end again, the Avs made it another close game against an extremely talented team, and there were no long faces in the Boulder locker room despite elimination from the tournament. Especially since the Chargers went on to become the national champions.
Adrian Worthington became just the second Boulder player in the last five seasons to be named to C21's All-Conference First Team. The Sophomore Guard led the team in scoring with over 18 PPG on nearly 53% shooting, putting up very strong numbers in his first season as a regular starter. Also, Junior PG Madden Weir earned a Second Team All-Conference honor in recognition of his stellar non-offensive numbers, being the league's third-leading assist man and the conference's leader in steals.
As for the rest of the National Tournament, Peoria, the sixth-seed in the Southeast bracket, was the only non-number one seed to reach the Final Four, edging out the other top seed, Sacramento, in the Regional Final. Elsewhere, S27 champion Knoxville defeated second-seeded Rochester in the Northwest. Galveston, the loser of the previous season's championship game, outlasted third-seeded Mobile in overtime of the Southwest Regional Final. And Oxford, the team that eliminated Boulder in round two, took out tenth-seed Salt Lake City in the Regional Final of the Northeast bracket.
Galveston made it back to the championship game, as the Godfathers cruised past Knoxville 88-71. And the Oxford Chargers would be their opponent after ending Peoria's magical run with a 12-point win in the other national semifinal. Oxford capped off the season with their first ever national championship, pulling away late to beat Galveston 74-60. The Godfathers were defeated in the title game for the second straight season.
The Avalanche waved good-bye to their worst ranked class. Alexander Payton was a servicable career frontcourt backup, but Michael Joyner only made spot appearances, and Rance Dietrich never suited up in a Boulder uniform for a single game.
REGULAR SEASON: Blacksburg, Inglewood, Billings, Fargo (Twice), Aurora (Twice), Denver (Twice), Flint, Aspen, Aberdeen,
Boise, Galveston
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aberdeen (Quarterfinals), Aspen (Semifinals), Denver (FINALS)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Phoenix (Round 1), Yakima (Round 2), Ocala (Consolation Game 4), Bakersfield (Consolation Game 5), Panama City (Consolation Game 6)
REGULAR SEASON: Keystone
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: NONE
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Mobile (Round 3)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 4
For the second straight season, recruiting turned out sour. The Avalanche lost out on three solid centers, any one of whom would have finally helped solve Boulder's big rebounding issues. But all three decided to go elsewhere, including a 6'11" standout from Boulder High School. As a result, the new class is ranked 169/143. 6'7" Hakim Kimball is a terrible shooter, but he is outstanding defensively and with some solid rebounding skills, could challenge for a starting job. 6'10" Lorenzo Gravina should make a solid backup center for the next four seasons, and 6'2" Douglas Hogue has some defensive ability that could be useful down the road.
Boulder had another extremely impressive preseason, sweeping the Ft. Myers "Free-For-All" preseason tournament. The opener was slow going against Little Rock, but the Avs held the Crusaders to 37% shooting in the 14-point win. Boulder passed the toughest test in the middle game, knocking off the tough Ft. Myers squad by 11 and holding them to only 61 points on the night. The Avalanche capped off the preseason by blowing away Boca Raton 87-58. Adrian Worthington exploded for 26 points against the Crush, and Sandy Flener was outstanding in all three games. The team's vice-like defense picked up right where it left from last season, only allowing 169 total points in the 3 practice games.
The Avalanche began the regular season with an impressive 78-71 victory over a traditional powerhouse from Blacksburg. The Avs nearly let a 10-point lead with 10 minutes to play slip away, but the Tribe never got closer than 3, and Boulder hangs on despite shooting only 43% from the floor. The Avs were outstanding from the free throw line, nailing 27 of 32 free throws. Adrian Worthington led all scorers with 24 points, and Darryl Daniel scored 17 to go along with 7 rebounds and 4 steals. Then despite getting dominated on the boards two nights later, the Avalanche blazed past Inglewood with an awesome offensive performance to win 80-68. The team shot 60% from the floor, led by Adrian Worthington's 33 points and 20 more from Darryl Daniel. Boulder forced 20 turnovers and held the FastBreakers to just 39% shooting despite all their additional chances from their big rebounding edge. Boulder finished the week by blowing away Billings by a score of 85-54. The Avalanche outscored the Jillas 45-20 after halftime and shot 61% for the game. Worthington led the way again with 23 points and the team dished out 22 assists to start the season 3-0 for the second year in a row.
The Avalanche started conference play by thumping Fargo, 82-67. The Avs' offense was in high gear again, shooting 56% from the floor and getting 23 more points from Worthington. Fargo had the edge in rebounding, but Boulder dished out 24 team assists, forced 13 turnovers, and held the Terpz to 43% shooting in the convincing win. Two nights later against Aurora it was the defense literally stealing the show in a 79-58 victory over the Falcons. The Avs' defense forced 24 turnovers and swiped a team-record 15 steals in the game, 5 of them by Madden Weir. Boulder only shot 42% from the floor, but won the rebounding battle and once again shut down Aurora's stud PF Damian Doherty. The perfect 5-0 start put the Avalanche at #10 in the first power rankings of the season. Boulder would then avoid a letdown and finished off the perfect second week by scratching out a 65-58 nailbiter over Denver. The Avalanche only shot 47% and were outrebounded by 12, but held the Eels to just 39% shooting and never relinquished their slim second-half lead. The victory moved the Avs up to fifth overall in the national rankings, setting a new milestone for the team's highest rank, perhaps ever.
Week three began with the Avs completely burying the Central Taipans of Flint by a score of 87-62. Worthington had a career night with 35 points on 16-30 shooting to go along with 5 rebounds and 3 steals to pace Boulder to the easy victory. Pat Tate scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while Sandy Flener scored 10 to go along with 8 rebounds to counteract the imposing presence of Boulder native Jason James in the middle of the Taipans' lineup. Two nights later it was Aspen falling victim to the surging Avalanche, as Boulder ran by the RuffRyders by a score of 76-59. The Avs only shot 45% on the night, but amazingly held a 40-30 advantage on the boards despite the presence of one of the league's top rebounders in the opposing lineup. The Avs also blocked 8 shots in the game, 4 of them by Sandy Flener, who had a monster game with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Darryl Daniel stood out as well, pacing the offense with 26 points as well as shutting down Aspen's super-frosh Carlos Schmitt to just 11 points on 4-16 shooting. Finally, Boulder would cap off the week by knocking off a weak Aberdeen squad by a score of 74-56. It wasn't the Avs' best effort, as they missed 10 free throws and were only up by 1 early in the second half, but Worthington's 27 points and Tate's 11 rebounds sees the team through to their ninth consecutive victory to start the season.
The longest winning streak in team history continued easily as the Avalanche obliterated Boise 89-55 at the start of week four. The Avs completely buried the Bunglebottoms in the second half, outscoring Boise 52-23 after the break. Madden Weir broke his own team record with 14 of the team's school record 26 assists, and Pat Tate scored a career high 20 points. Boulder forced 19 turnovers and shot 59% from the floor in another sparkling performance. But two nights later the streak was finally over, as Keystone came from behind in the second half to knock off the Avalanche 56-54. Zach O'Connell scored 17 of his 23 points in the second half, the last two of which came from the free throw line with 14 seconds to play, and Sandy Flener was unable to force overtime at the buzzer. The Avalanche shot a season-low 36% from the floor and only scored 22 points in the second half to finally fall from the ranks of the unbeaten. Despite the loss, Boulder came out hard against powerhouse Galveston, the loser of the last two national championship games, and hung on to beat the Godfathers at the end of the week by a score of 79-76. The Avs nearly blew a 15-point halftime advantage, but dominated on the boards (36-27) and sank 19 free throws to just 4 for the opposition. Worthington went off for 29 points, and Weir still dished out 7 assists despite only playing 20 minutes due to foul trouble.
Boulder survived a stiff test from Fargo by a score of 84-74 to start off the final division swing for a season sweep of the Terpz. The Avalanche kept up with Fargo's early hot shooting by making 52% of their shots, outrebounding the Terpz by 5, and sinking 20 free throws to 11 for their opponents. The Avs outscored Fargo 28-16 over the final ten minutes of the game. This set up the huge victory two nights later over Aurora, a 76-68 triumph over the Falcons that clinched the team's first REGULAR SEASON CONFERENCE TITLE. Another strong second half propelled the Avs to victory, holding the Falcons to just 26 points after halftime, and forcing 18 turnovers and 13 steals. Madden Weir had 5 of those steals, as well as matching his team record of 14 assists. Adrian Worthington exploded for 33 points and Sandy Flener grabbed 12 rebounds in another outstanding performance to lock up first place in the conference. Finally, the Avalanche capped off the season by thrashing Denver in the finale, 76-53. Boulder shot 53% from the floor, held down the Fighting Eels to 38%, and shut down Denver's leading scorer, Evonne Hall, to just 4 points on the night. Darryl Daniel led all scorers with 28 points as the Avs finished the regular season at an astonishing 14-1.
The Avalanche got a little complacent in their Conference Quarterfinal matchup against last-place Aberdeen, but still comfortably beat the Vikings, 69-54. Boulder generated a 15-point halftime lead and had pushed it to 25 early in the second half before the Vikings made a little run at the end to keep the score relatively close. The Avs' defense was out in full force again, causing 14 turnovers, holding the Vikings to 42% shooting, and outrebounding them 35-25. SG's Adrian Worthington and Michael Dutton combined for 28 of the team's 69 points. Then, a much better effort in the Semifinals put the Avalanche into the conference championship game for the second straight season after a 75-62 victory over Aspen. The Avs' defense clamped down on Carlos Schmitt again, holding him to just 17 points and the team to just 39% shooting. Boulder also outrebounded the 'Ryders by eight and forced 17 turnovers, playing a near mirror image of the regular season win over Aspen three weeks before. The Avalanche then capped their run with a convincing 78-60 victory over 7th-seeded Denver to win the team's FIRST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP. Worthington led the way with 24 points, Weir dished out 12 more assists, and Pat Tate had a big night with 18 points and 4 rebounds as a solid all-around effort foiled Denver's upset bid. Boulder would blaze into the NTT with a 17-1 record, and earned a #2 seed.
Boulder didn't come with their best offensive performance in the opening round of the NTT, but their defense did do the job in a 65-51 over 15th-seeded Phoenix. The Avs only shot 40% from the floor, but forced 19 Phoenix turnovers and sank 24 free throws to just 5 for the Highlanders. The second round was a far stiffer test, but the Avalanche held on to advance to their first Regional Semifinal with a 74-68 comeback win over the 10th-seeded Yakima Rufus. Yakima torched the Avs' defense in the first half, but cooled off after the break, and let their 7-point halftime lead slip away. Boulder held Yakima without a single point in the last five minutes of the game, and Darryl Daniel sank 4 free throws in the final 20 seconds to preserve the victory. Also, this victory, which was the team's 19th of the season, set a new school record for wins with four games still to play.
Sadly, the Avs' magical run came to an end in the Regional Semifinal, falling to the number-three seed, the Mobile Glory, by a score of 74-59. An injury to Pat Tate really hurt Boulder inside, as Willie Dover did not play a great game in his place, and Mobile outrebounded the Avalanche 33-25. While Worthington did score 22 points, Darryl Daniel was invisible on offense, and ineffective at stopping Mobile's Stoney Lampton (6-9, 14 points). Madden Weir also only had 4 assists, and Glory PG Stan Nguyen, the team's leading scorer, scored 16 points against him. Mobile shot 56% on the night, while Boulder only shot a dismal 36%. Despite the loss, it was an incredibly successful season for Boulder to go all the way to the Sweet 16.
But not only did the Avalanche stun their fans with their run to the Regional Semifinals, they finished the season with three straight wins over quality teams from Ocala, Bakersfield, and Panama City. Boulder's final record would stand at 22-2, and finishing as the fourth-ranked team in the league. An astonishing season to say the least.
Three Boulder players were recognized in the C21 awards. Adrian Worthington earned his second straight First Team nomination, while Madden Weir made the Second Team for the second season in a row, and Darryl Daniel also was named to the Second Team, his first All-Conference award since being Freshman of the Year two seasons back.
The remainder of the NTT featured a rare oddity in that all four #3 seeds advanced to the National Semifinals. The Mobile Glory passed through the Northwest bracket after defeating Boulder and then knocking off 9th-seeded Asheville three nights later. Their opponent would be the Akron Wrecking Crew, winners of the Southwest region after defeating 8th-seeded Pueblo. The other side of the tournament featured a pair of number-three's upsetting a pair of top seeds, as the Bangor Yellow Jackets narrowly made it through the Northeast region over Idaho Falls, and powerful Sacramento would come up short again, losing in the Southeast regional final to the Ithaca Warrior Poets.
Akron would advance to the Championship Game with a 70-55 victory over Mobile, and they would face Ithaca, who cruised past Bangor by 20 points. There, Akron turned the title game into a late rout, hammering the Warrior Poets, 94-65, giving the Wrecking Crew their first ever NTT title. Akron was also the only team to finish the season with a better record than Boulder, at 23-1.
Boulder's graduating class following Season Thirty was the group that sparked the team's turnaround after coming in as a consensus top-10 class. Madden Weir will go down as one of the best PG's to ever wear a Boulder uniform, and perhaps one of the best ever in L6. Weir set individual season records with 188 assists and 45 steals in his Senior season, as well as finishing as the school's all-time career leader in both categories, with an astounding 595 assists and 135 steals in his 96 games played. Sandy Flener started all four seasons at center, finishing with a school-record 665 career rebounds and blocking 118 shots during his stellar time on campus. And lastly, Pat Tate may not have started until his Senior season, but he was a solid rebounding presence who will be sorely missed as well.
REGULAR SEASON: San Antonio, Hartford, Casper, Fargo (Twice), Aurora (Twice), Denver, Naples, Aspen, Aberdeen,
Boise, Keystone, Tempe
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aberdeen (Quarterfinals), Aurora (Semifinals), Keystone (FINALS)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Plainview (Round 1), Rochester (Round 2), Nashville (Regional Semifinal), Ithaca (Regional Final), Tallahassee (Consolation Game 6)
REGULAR SEASON: Denver
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: NONE
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Mobile (National Semifinal)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 3
The Avalanche would fill three major needs in recruiting at the start of Season Thirty-One, replacing a 6/8 ranked class with a stellar threesome ranked 35/50 in the magazines. The surprise catch was 6'9" Richard Northern out of Inglewood HS, breaking a 4/4 tie to get him, the largest tie I have won in SimSports after six seasons. Northern is a solid all-around big man who can play defense and has good rebounding ability. Additional frontcourt help would come from 6'11" Atlantic City HS standout Jay Triano. Triano is essentially the same player as Northern, except slightly more athletic but with less skill in ball handling. Regardless, these two guys give Boulder the first real frontcourt tag team they have had since I took over the squad. And last but definitely not least, hometown product Devon O'Rourke will fill the hole at the backup point guard position, getting a chance, albeit in limited minutes, to play in front of the hometown crowd. O'Rourke is the first Boulder native to choose to stay home and play for me.
Boulder started the preseason with an easy 88-50 demolition over a bad Huntsville team. The big story of this game was the first half, which ended with the Avalanche ahead of the Eagles by a score of 54 to eight. The game did not count, but this was the best defensive half by a Boulder team ever. The rest of the preseason wasn't very impressive though, as the Avs lost a hard-fought overtime contest to Ocala, and barely beat a decent Columbus team with a very lackluster effort.
A big second half from Adrian Worthington carried the Avs to victory in the regular season opener, a 75-65 triumph over a solid team from San Antonio. Worthington finished with 29 points on the night, and Jay Triano had an excellent first game with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. The Avalanche blocked 10 shots as a team, and clamped down to hold the Stampede to 34% shooting on the night. Boulder followed this game with an 81-71 victory over Hartford, barely avoiding a letdown against a below-average team. The Howlers hustled for rebounds all night, forced 11 turnovers, and held the Avalanche to just 43% shooting. The Avs also didn't do themselves any favors with 12 missed free throws. But Worthington finished with 31 points and 3 steals, while the team's defense finished with 13 steals and also held Hartford to just 43% shooting. Worthington then tied the school record with a 38-point night in a blistering 85-67 victory over Casper to finish another 3-0 opening week. The Avs ran away in the second half, outscoring the Pack 49-35 after the intermission. The defense forced 14 turnovers and held the very good Casper team to just 41% shooting in the game.
The Avs cruised past Fargo by a score of 83-67 in the first game of conference play. The Terpz were more dominant in rebounding, but the rest of the game essentially belonged to Boulder. The defense forced 16 turnovers in large part due to 11 steals, 5 of which were swiped by Darryl Daniel. Daniel also scored 17 points to go along with 7 rebounds, while Worthington paced the offense again with 24 points, as the team shot 52% against the Fargo defense. Next, the team continued its dominance over Aurora, running roughshod over the Falcons by a final score of 85-48. Jay Triano and Richard Northern combined for 23 rebounds, while Aurora's entire team managed only 29. The Avs' offense shot 56% in the game (24 points for Daniel and 23 for Worthington), while the defense held the Falcons to just 16 baskets, a dreadful 29% shooting night, and matched the team record for steals with 15, which was set against the Falcons last season. The win was Boulder's eighth in a row over the Falcons, and set the Avs as the third-ranked team in the league following the release of the first power rankings. This was also the team's third consecutive 5-0 start to a season. The Avs then capped off the week with a hard-fought 76-66 triumph over Denver. Worthington managed 27 points before fouling out after 26 minutes, and Richard Northern came up large with 9 rebounds and 6 assists. Devon O'Rourke hit 6 huge free throws in the last 90 seconds, and the defense held the Fighting Eels to just 40% shooting, including a 3-12 night for top scorer Evonne Hall.
The winning streak was barely kept alive after a tense 63-57 victory over Naples. The Guinea Pigs' defense held the Avs' offense in check all night (35% shooting) and they dominated on the boards (40-27), but could not overcome 16 turnovers and 37% shooting of their own. Boulder came up with 12 steals and sank 19 free throws to escape with the narrow win. It was much smoother sailing against Aspen, as the Avs downed the RuffRyders 87-68 in a game in which they were not really threatened at all in the second half. The offense was back in high gear with Worthington, Daniel, and Triano combining for 57 points, and Jarred Bartlett dishing out 10 assists. Also, Aspen gunners Carlos Schmitt and Robert Francis only had 18 points between them in another solid defensive effort. The Avs then took a weak Aberdeen team for granted and almost got caught in a huge upset, but came from behind in the second half to beat the Vikings, 70-59. Darryl Daniel had a big night with 27 points and the team matched the school record with 26 assists in the game (10 from Jarred Bartlett). The Vikings turned the ball over 14 times and shot only 40% as Boulder ran their record to 9-0 for the second straight season.
Boulder's best defensive effort of the season was on full display at the start of week four, as the Avalanche completely shut down Boise by a score of 72-37. The Bunglebottoms made just 16 baskets in the game and shot 29% from the floor. They also turned the ball over 12 times and shot only 3-17 from three-point range. The Avs outrebounded Boise 37-23 and shot 55% from the floor, led by Darryl Daniel's 29 points, in the easy victory. Richard Northern also had a nice game with 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks even though he did not score. Then, Boulder got a huge monkey off their backs with an enormous 78-68 victory over Keystone, leaving the Avs undefeated at the top of the conference heading into the final division swing. Magic super-frosh Willie Short erupted for 36 points, but the rest of the team only managed 32. Adrian Worthington found his stroke again and scored 28 points, followed closely by Darryl Daniel's 19, who also had another stellar defensive showing against Terrell Vanwingerden, another one of Keystone's impressive freshmen. The big key to the game was turnovers, as the Avalanche only had 5, while the Magic had 16. Keystone's freshman PG, Ray Luce, had 8 assists but also had 7 turnovers. Jarred Bartlett, on the other hand, had 7 assists without a single turnover. The Avs' defense also blocked 7 shots and swiped 9 steals for just the team's second victory over Keystone in seven seasons. Boulder would finish the week ranked third in the nation after barely hanging on to defeat the offensively-charged Tempe team by a score of 76-73. The Flying Wombats lived up to their nickname in the first half, dropping in 48 points in the first 20 minutes. But the Avs' defense stiffened in the second half, and they needed to, since the offense only generated 3 points in the final nine and a half minutes. The 73 points was the most that the team had allowed to this point, but 28 points from Worthington, 12 rebounds from Northern, and 24 team free throws turned out to be just enough to keep the team undefeated through the first half of the season.
Adrian Worthington got his name in the record books in the next game, a 68-55 victory over Fargo. Worthington swiped nine steals to tie the all-time single-game record in League Six history, a record that had not been matched in three calendar years. He also scored 32 points, and the team shot 52% from the floor. The defense forced 16 turnovers overall and held the Terpz to 43% shooting. The Avs also benefitted greatly from Fargo's ten missed free throws. This set up the victory two nights later over Aurora that would clinch the Regular Season Conference Championship for the second season in a row. But it didn't come easy, as the Avs barely hung on to beat the Falcons, 62-60. Boulder only shot 41% from the floor, got outrebounded 34-26, and missed 9 free throws. But the defense forced 20 turnovers and kept the Falcons away from the free throw line (4-6) just enough to come away with the win. Aurora had a couple of chances late in the game, but Charlie Buckley missed a jumper that would've forced overtime, and Damian Doherty missed a three-pointer that would have won the game. But the Avalanche would be unable to finish the deal on a perfect regular season. Boulder played their absolute worst game of the season in a stunning 59-54 loss to Denver in the season finale. The Fighting Eels' center, Jason Perna, dominated the game with 19 rebounds, but it was mainly the Avalanche killing themselves with 42% shooting and an astounding 11 missed free throws. Worthington scored 22 points, but nobody else was able to finish with more than 9. However, despite the horribly disappointing finish, it was the team's second straight 14-1 regular season on top of a second consecutive regular season title.
Boulder was back on track in the Conference Quarterfinals, coasting past last-place Aberdeen by a score of 75-47. The team shot 52%, dominated on the glass, and forced 13 turnovers. Darryl Daniel led the offense with 19 points, and Jay Triano had a very nice evening with 10 rebounds. Four starters scored in double figures to hand the Vikings their 38th consecutive defeat in conference play. The team was very shaky again though in the Semifinals, barely hanging on to beat Aurora, 66-64. The Avalanche were completely dominated on the glass and missed 8 free throws to prevent them from generating a comfortable lead. The game wasn't over until Deshaun Logsdon missed a long jump-shot at the buzzer. Adrian Worthington bailed out the Avs in a big way with 27 points, and the defense forced 18 turnovers. But despite the team's struggles of the previous two weeks, Worthington set a new TEAM RECORD with 48 POINTS to help the Avalanche capture their second consecutive CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP, with a convincing 82-64 victory over Keystone. Worthington shot 21-32 in his record-setting night, despite giving up 28 points to Freshman phenom Willie Short on the other end. The Avs were outrebounded again, but made 13 free throws to Keystone's 4, and took advantage of the Magic's 16 turnovers. Boulder shot 55% from the floor in front of the sellout crowd to help claim another conference crown.
Also for the second straight season, the Avalanche received a #2 seed in the National Tournament. Worthington would follow up his monster game in the conference championship with a 34-point performance in a narrow 80-71 escape of 15th-seeded Plainview. The Avs were hammered in rebounding again, but shot 54% as a team and handled the ball much better than the Canucks (14 turnovers to 5). Willie Dover had a key 10 points off the bench, and both Jarred Bartlett and Devon O'Rourke dished out 5 assists to help the team advance to the second round. Boulder would make it back to the Sweet 16 for the second straight season, after outlasting 10th-seeded Rochester, the most decorated team in the history of the league, by a final score of 56-53. The Myth shut down the Avs' offense, holding the team to just 40% shooting, forcing 13 turnovers, and containing Worthington to just 17 points on 8-22 shooting. But Darryl Daniel stepped up to lead the team with 18 points, and the young frontcourt stepped up in a big way, as Richard Northern and Jay Triano both grabbed 9 rebounds as the Avs outrebounded Rochester 37-30.
Then, to make up for last season's disappointing exit in the Sweet 16, this year's version of the Avalanche got over that hump by escaping 6th-seeded Nashville by a score of 66-64. The SS Rangers had a chance to win at the buzzer, but Harry Bennett missed the three-pointer that would have given his team the win. Worthington led the offense with 20 points in 25 minutes of playing time, while Triano had 8 rebounds and 3 blocks, and Jarred Bartlett also stood out with 6 assists with 3 steals. 9 missed free throws nearly derailed the Avalanche, but they shot 54% from the floor, and the defense came up huge, limiting the league's 10th-best offense to just 64 points on just 43% shooting.
As expected, Adrian Worthington was selected as the Conference Player of the Year, as well as being named First-Team All-Conference for the third season in a row. On top of this, Worthington was also selected to the ALL-LEAGUE THIRD TEAM for his outstanding performance this season. Darryl Daniel also earned his second straight Second-Team All-Conference award. High accolades for the team's dominant Seniors, ensuring that they will leave campus as two of the school's best players ever.
Then in a huge thriller, the dream ride continued, as Darryl Daniel's buzzer-beater at the end of regulation sent the Avalanche into the FINAL FOUR with a wild 84-82 victory over 9th-seeded Ithaca. The defense completely melted down in the second half, blowing a 12-point lead and allowing 47 points in the final 20 minutes. But the offense had enough to keep up with the run-and-gun Warrior Poets, as Daniel finished with 30 points after the winning shot, and Worthington topped all scorers with 37. Bartlett helped things along with 8 assists, and the team shot 51% from the floor. The Avalanche would be joined in the National Semifinals by the Mobile Glory, who came out of the Northwest Region as a 5th-seed to reach the Final Four for the second season in a row, after handing 2nd-seeded Ft. Myers their first loss of the season in the Regional Final. The defending champion Akron Wrecking Crew came through as the only #1-seed, knocking off #2 Pueblo in the Northeast bracket, and this season's Cinderella would be the 8th-seeded Tallahassee Tabby Cats, coming out of the Southeast Region with wins over the #1 (Laramie), #5 (Idaho Falls), and #2 (Eugene) seeds in the region.
Sadly, the Avalanche's run would come to an end with a 71-63 loss in the National Semifinals to Mobile. The Glory copied their formula from last season's Sweet 16 win almost perfectly in this game, with Stoney Lampton erupting for 28 points, and Worthington held to just 16. Darryl Daniel and Richard Northern both fouled out, and the Avs coughed the ball up 15 times thanks to 11 Mobile steals. The Avs trimmed the Glory's 12-point second half lead down to 2 with two minutes remaining in the game, but could not score again to finish the comeback. It was a much different Boulder team this time, but the result was the same. Despite the loss, it was an absolutely incredible run to make it all the way to the Final Four, and just two wins shy of the national title.
Mobile would take on the defending champions from Akron in the title game, who slipped past Tallhassee by 3 points in the other National Semifinal. It would turn out that the Avalanche lost to the eventual champions, as Glory point guard Norm Crockett hit a jumper at the buzzer to upset the Wrecking Crew, 62-61. Mobile wins their first national championship in school history.
The Avalanche defeated Tallahassee in the final consolation game to finish the season at 22-2 for the second straight year, already surpassing what had been the team's best season in school history just one season before. The team also finished ranked third in the final power rankings as a testament to another phenomenal season.
Boulder graduated what would go down as the team's best class of players ever. Adrian Worthington turned into a league star in his Senior season, eventually breaking all three of the team's scoring records (1,839 points for his career, 622 in his Senior season, and 48 for a single-game in the S31 conference championship game), as well as getting his name in the league record books with his 9-steal performance against Fargo this season. He made the All-League Third Team, and the All-Conference First Team three times in addition to being named as the school's first Conference Player of the Year in over 8 seasons. Darryl Daniel leaves as the school's third leading scorer for a career, and his 119 steals were just 16 fewer than the record holder, Madden Weir. Daniel earned a pair of Second Team All-Conference awards, as well as the Conference Freshman of the Year. He lived up to all his billing as an extremely versatile player. And lastly, Willie Dover was a two-year starter who converted into the team's "sixth man" off the bench and played very effectively in limited minutes. It is a bittersweet day for the team to lose these three fine players to graduation.
REGULAR SEASON: Flint, Fargo (Twice), Denver (Twice), Pontiac, Aspen, Aberdeen,
Boise, Keystone, Fresno, Aurora
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aberdeen (Quarterfinals), Keystone (Consolation Game 1)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Indianapolis (Round 1), Silver City (Round 2)
REGULAR SEASON: Mobile, Charleston, Aurora
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Denver (Semifinals)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Sacramento (Regional Semifinal), Aurora (Consolation Game 4), Oxford (Consolation Game 5),
Augusta (Consolation Game 6)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 15
Boulder brought in some significant talent in recruiting to a replace a very significant class of Seniors. 6'6" Martin Howell comes in with an excellent all-around game, and will start at SF from day one. He should be a pretty special player in the same mold as the departed Darryl Daniel. 6'6" Solomon Stewart is the best pure shooter of the recruits, and while he won't immediately be as prolific as Adrian Worthington, he should eventually come close. Additionally, 6'4" Douglas Basile also enters college with an excellent all-around game, and should be a top reserve if he does not land a starting role.
The Avs' young lineup adjusted quite well, as the team went undefeated through the exhibition week. The defense wasn't great in close wins over New Orleans and Hartford, but held Washington to just 47 points in the third game. Stewart and Howell both played well, showing that they should be able to shoulder a large load in their first seasons.
The Avalanche scheduled the Mobile Glory for the first game of the season, but once again were beaten by their Conference Eight nemesis, and once again completely shut down in a 62-44 defeat. The team shot only 32% for the game, made only 16 baskets, and turned the ball over 17 times. Martin Howell and Solomon Stewart scored 29 of the team's 44 points between them, but it was nowhere near enough to prevent the team's first loss in the opening week in three seasons. The offense was no better two nights later, as the Avs already matched their previous season's total for losses with another horrible performance in a 56-49 loss to Charleston. The team only shot 33%, and while Howell and Stewart both scored 16 points, they only shot a combined 14 for 40. Jarred Bartlett dished out 10 assists in the only real highlight of the night. But the Avs would not go down without a single win for the week, scratching past Flint by a score of 69-65 despite shooting just 39% for the game. Michael Dutton stood out in a big way in his first career start, as the Senior led all scorers with 18 points (on 8-14 shooting) while getting the Taipans' standout SG Dolph Slayer to foul out in just 8 minutes. Hakim Kimball also grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 3 assists while limiting Boulder native Jason James to just 11 points in his first career start as well.
Dutton and Kimball were the big stories again as the Avalanche kicked off conference play with a 70-55 victory over Fargo. Dutton went off for 22 points, a new personal best, shooting 9-15 for the game and once again getting the opposing SG (Jerry Welsh) to foul out early. Kimball grabbed 11 rebounds and also kept the Terpz' big PF Greg Hamm on the bench for most of the evening. Richard Northern and Jay Triano scored 10 points each, as the team dominated Fargo on the boards (37-23) and held the Terpz to just 38% shooting for the game. But the Avs' 10-game winning streak against Aurora would come to an end two nights later, and Damon Rubin hit a buzzer-beater at the end of overtime to lift the Falcons to an 86-85 victory. Boulder killed themselves with 20 turnovers, 3 of which came in the last 90 seconds of the game. The Falcons also shot 54% and got big nights from their top scorers (Damon Rubin and Damian Doherty) to offset a 33-26 rebounding deficit and 19 turnovers of their own. Dutton scored 26 more points and swiped 4 steals, while Richard Northern put up big numbers back in the starting lineup with 24 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. But the Avs could not slam the door despite having chances to win at the end of regulation and having multiple chances to put it away late in the overtime. The loss dropped Boulder to 137th in the first power rankings, the lowest the team had been in a long while. The Avalanche were fortunate enough to rebound though at the end of the week by scratching out the lowest-scoring game in team history, a 45-44 victory over Denver. Boulder only made 16 baskets, shot only 37% from the floor, and missed 8 free throws, but still hung on to win after Jason Perna missed a long jumper at the buzzer. The defense held the Fighting Eels to just 34% shooting, and Dutton led the way again with 20 points to square the team's record at 3-3.
The offense came back to life in a narrow 81-78 OOC win over Pontiac. The Sharks were able to shoot 58% against the Avs' defense, but Boulder held the edge on the boards and sank 20 of 27 free throws as a team. Michael Dutton and Solomon Stewart both scored 16 points, and Richard Northern added 15 more. The Avs were then able to take down Aspen, using a huge advantage at the free throw line to beat the RuffRyders, 83-73. Boulder got to the line 37 times, converting 25 times to just 11 for Aspen. The surprise of the evening was Douglas Basile, shooting 7 of 9 off the bench for a team-leading 17 points. Northern had another strong game with 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Jarred Bartlett kept the offense running efficiently with 8 assists and no turnovers. Boulder then closed the week with a 73-44 romp over punchless Aberdeen to pick up win number six on the season. Dutton and Triano both scored 15 points to lead the way, while Stewart added 14 more off the bench. The team missed 11 free throws, but Northern grabbed 13 of the team's 45 rebounds, as the Avs crushed the Vikings on the glass and forced 17 turnovers to cruise to the easy win.
The winning streak was extended to five with a hard-fought 68-57 victory over Boise. The Avalanche weren't totally clicking offensively and left nine more points by the wayside at the foul line, but a tough defense and another stellar effort from Michael Dutton was enough to lift the team to victory. Dutton scored 19 points and swiped 4 of the team's 15 steals, which as a team matched the school record for one game. Jay Triano pulled down 10 rebounds as well, even though the Avs were surprisingly outrebounded as a team. Then a dominant defensive performance was the difference in an important 63-51 win over Keystone. The Avs held the Magic to 42% shooting for the game, and superstar Willie Short finished the game with just 12 points. Dutton scored 21, and while no other Av finished with more than 8, they scraped together enough to win comfortably despite missing 12 free throws. The victory left Boulder in second place in the conference, just 1 game behind undefeated Aurora. A very similar effort capped off the perfect week with a 63-50 victory over Fresno. Dutton again dropped in 21 points, while the defense held the Titans to 41% shooting and forced 14 turnovers.
A near-flawless offensive performance allowed Boulder to cruise comfortably past Fargo a second time, by a score of 74-61. The team shot a shade over 50%, sank 20 of 23 free throws, and turned the ball over just 1 time. Solomon Stewart led the way with 17 points, while Michael Dutton scored 15 and grabbed a team-high 6 rebounds. The Avs were once again able to shut down the entire Terpz' roster with the exception of Arthur Maddox, who made things a little interesting in the last ten minutes, but the final result was never really in doubt. Two nights later it was the defense taking center stage, as an incredible shut-down performance lifted the Avalanche into first place with a 65-55 victory over Aurora, then 12-1 and the 20th-ranked team in the league. Douglas Basile got his first career start and immediately paid huge dividends, leading the team with 22 points, and more impressively, holding Aurora's senior sharpshooter, Damon Rubin, to just 13 points on 5-16 shooting. Dutton added 14 more points, and Jay Triano pulled down 11 rebounds. Stewart shot 5 for 5 off the bench, and the Falcons high-flying offense shot just 38%. The Avs only shot 42% themselves, but made 9 more free throws. Boulder then capped off the regular season with their 10th straight win, a 72-57 triumph over Denver that clinched the team's third consecutive regular season conference title. Dutton was limited by foul trouble all night, but he still managed to score 15 points. Richard Northern also scored 15 and Basile added 14 more to follow up on his career night. Boulder crushed Denver on the glass (35-20) and benefitted greatly from the Eels' 11 missed free throws. The victory and the title assures that the Avs will be headed for the NTT for the fourth straight season.
The Avs had some trouble in the Conference Quarterfinals against Aberdeen, but got the win by a score of 60-44. The offense wasn't really clicking, although Michael Dutton was near-perfect with 20 points on 9-12 shooting. The defense clamped down though, holding the Vikings to just 16 baskets and 34% shooting. The Avs also completely dominated on the glass (37-16) to end up with victory number thirteen on the season. But the wheels would finally come off two nights later in the Semifinals, as the Avalanche were upset by Denver, 74-69. The difference in the game was free throw shooting. The Fighting Eels got to the line 34 times and converted 26 of those attempts. The Avs on the other hand couldn't shoot straight all night, missing half of their 22 attempts, and shooting just 46% overall for the game. Dutton couldn't get of his own way in the first half, and Barry Talley got Richard Northern to foul out in 19 minutes. The loss denied the Avs a shot at their third straight conference title, and ended their 11-game winning streak. Boulder would end up with a 14-4 record heading into the NTT after Richard Northern hit a basket in the final seconds of overtime to beat Keystone by one. Aurora defeated Denver by a score of 80-68 to win their first conference championship in more than nine years.
The Avalanche were seeded 8th in the NTT, and once again proved that one of the league's best defenses resides in Boulder, completely shutting down 9th-seeded Indianapolis in the first round by a score of 61-47. The Infantry mustered only 22 baskets in the game, and finished shooting 36% overall. The Avs held a 16-2 advantage in free throws, and forced 19 turnovers thanks to 15 team steals. Nobody had more than 3 steals individually, but 7 of the 10 players had at least one. Michael Dutton had a bit of a rough night, but Douglas Basile picked up the slack, leading all scorers with 18 points. The Avalanche reached the second round of the NTT for the fourth year in a row, but they weren't quite finished just yet, as Boulder stunned top-seeded Silver City in the second round, as Dutton beat the buzzer with a long jumper as time expired in overtime to beat the Scorpions, 82-81. Terry Behler's two free throws had given Silver City a one-point lead with just seven seconds remaining, but Dutton and Douglas Basile were able to work the ball down the court and give Michael the open look that won the game. Both Dutton and Basile finished with 21 points and Jay Triano played an excellent game with 12 rebounds and 3 blocks. Also, lost in Dutton's heroics at the end of the game, was Richard Northern's buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of regulation that extended the game in the first place, the first three-point shot he made all season.
Unfortunately, the Avalanche followed the Silver City upset with one of their worst games of the season, falling meekly to 4th-seeded Sacramento in the Regional Semifinal by a lopsided score of 80-55. Boulder simply self-destructed, shooting just 46%, allowing the Tigers to shoot 55%, getting dominated on the boards, giving the ball away 15 times, and missing 10 free throws. It was simply an ugly game, one that seemed to bring the team full circle back to the first week of games, leaving a bit of a sour taste in the mouths of the Boulder faithful. Still, the team ended up exceeding expectations by reaching the Regional Semifinals for the third season in a row, even though the team finished poorly with four consecutive losses to finish the season at 16-8.
Michael Dutton earned a Second Team All-Conference award for his surprising season. Basically coming out of nowhere after three seasons as a backup, Dutton became the team's top offensive threat and kept the offense afloat after having lost two powerful weapons to graduation the season before.
Last season's national finalists both reached the Final Four again. The Akron Wrecking Crew made their third straight National Semifinal after getting out of the Northeast Region with a narrow escape of #2-seed New York City. The defending champion Mobile Glory would get to face them a round earlier this time after coming through the Southeast as the #3-seed, knocking off 9th-seed Cambridge in the Elite Eight. The Sacramento Tigers, who buried the Avalanche in the Sweet 16, finally made it to the Final Four with a Regional Final win over 11th-seed Glendale. And the 6th-seeded San Antonio Stampede were the winners of the Northwest bracket, upsetting 5th-seed Laramie in overtime of the Regional Final contest.
Akron reached their third straight championship game after avenging last season's title game loss to Mobile with a 13-point win over the Glory in the Semifinals. And Sacramento would be their opponent, making it to the Final for the first time in six seasons after knocking off San Antonio in the other Semifinal contest. Akron then claimed their second national championship in three seasons with a 79-69 victory over Sacramento.
The Avalanche graduated a mid-ranked class that was very productive during their four-year stint. Jarred Bartlett played second fiddle to the venerable Madden Weir for two seasons, but held the full-time PG job for the last two seasons and did a very nice job. Bartlett finished with 289 career assists, starting in exactly half of his 96 career games. Michael Dutton was a solid reserve for three seasons before coming out of nowhere in his Senior year to nail down a starting job and ended up leading the team in scoring with exactly 400 points for the season. The last member of the class was Sheldon Keen, who only played one full season and was inactive for basically the entirety of the other three. Keen wasn't a terrible player, but could not find a spot in the rotation on a team that was rising to national prominence.
REGULAR SEASON: Witchita, Pensacola, Aurora (Twice), Denver (Twice), Aspen, Aberdeen, Boise, Durham, Fargo
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aspen (Consolation Game 1), Aurora (Consolation Game 2)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Ames (Consolation Game 3), Denver (Consolation Game 4)
REGULAR SEASON: Canton, Fargo, Eugene, Keystone
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aberdeen (Quarterfinals)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: New York City (Round 1), Buffalo (Consolation Game 2), Rochester (Consolation Game 5),
Phoenix (Consolation Game 6)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 50
The Avalanche landed a big steal at the start of Season Thirty-Three in the form of Toledo High School's former SG, Gary Giles. Despite trailing by five recruiting points at the end of the season, Giles chose Boulder, and brings with him an excellent offensive game that should help fill the big void of the team's go-to scorer. He even reminds some scouts of the venerable Adrian Worthington. Charles Davidson brings a strong inside presence to Boulder and should help out a lot off the bench. Davidson could probably start if he was a better shooter, but he will play some valuable minutes nonetheless. And while Boulder native Lou Peltier came in far below the scout's expectations, he will probably find a spot in the rotation as well. The class was ranked 56/34 overall.
Boulder swept through the preseason again and looked very good overall in the practice week. Three different players led the team in scoring in the three games. The Avs took down perennial NTT squad Youngstown by 10, escaped Bloomington on a buzzer-beater by Richard Northern, and then finished by hammering Beaumont by 24. Gary Giles played excepetionally well in his first taste of college action.
The Avalanche took the first game of the new season from Witchita by a score of 78-68. The defense didn't play that well against a clearly inferior team, but the Avs still outrebounded the Upchuckers 41-25 and came away with 10 steals. Gary Giles stood out in a big way in his first game, nailing 13 of his 18 shots on his way to a 34-point night, which was the second-highest individual output that night in the entire league. Jay Triano grabbed 12 rebounds, and the offense as a whole was in high gear, shooting 55% for the game. The Avalanche dominated the second game, easily overcoming 15 turnovers in a 79-55 drubbing of Pensacola. Douglas Basile led all scorers with 25 points, and Giles added 20 more. Triano was a beast inside again, pulling down 15 of the team's 43 rebounds (the Ballers only had 18) and snatching 3 steals. But the Avs got pummeled in their first big test of the season, falling to Canton by a score of 83-69. The Milk Cows shredded the Boulder like a hot knife through butter, shooting 59% for the game and holding the edge in rebounding (28-22). The only real bright spot was Giles exploding once again for 33 points on 14-24 shooting.
Boulder suffered a surprising setback at the start of conference play, as the Avs were upset in overtime by Fargo, 78-73. Arthur Maddox torched the defense all night, finishing with 24 points and hitting a three-pointer at the buzzer to send the game into overtime. But the bigger story was Boulder killing themselves with 10 missed free throws, 11 turnovers, and another sub-par defensive effort. Gary Giles finished with 25 points and Douglas Basile finished with 21, but it wasn't enough in the end. The defense clamped down two nights later though in a nice rebound win over Aurora, 69-56. The Falcons were held to just 36% shooting on the night, and Giles ripped off 33 more points. Richard Northern was a beast on the boards with 11 rebounds, further helping the team overcome more mistakes (12 turnovers and 8 missed free throws) and wind up at 95th in the first power rankings of the season with a 3-2 record. The Avs then escaped the first week with win number four, edging out Denver by a score of 69-68. Barry Talley had a shot to win for the Eels at the buzzer, but the shot rimmed out and enabled Boulder to jump into a three-way tie for first place in the South Division. Giles scored 28 more points, and Northern had another very good game in support with 9 rebounds, 4 blocked shots, and 3 assists.
The Avalanche lost a close one to start week three, falling to Eugene, 76-74. The Ninja Pacifists, one of the league's best teams year in and year out, looked like they were going to run away with this game, taking a 12-point lead into the locker room at halftime. Boulder did manage to crawl back and take the lead late, but Gary Giles fouled out with three minutes to play and even though Solomon Stewart hit a three-pointer at the buzzer, it was too little, too late. The Avs lost despite getting 26 more points from Giles, 19 from Stewart, and shooting 54% for the game. Thankfully, conference play proved once again to be a cure for the team's temporary ills, as an efficient offense (53% shooting) was on full display once again in an 87-77 victory over Aspen. Giles led the way again with 22 points, while Douglas Basile added 17 more off the bench. Richard Northern pulled down 14 rebounds and Jay Triano blocked 5 shots to assert their dominance up front. This was enough to overcome 17 turnovers and a 30-point outburst from Aspen's SG, Robert Francis. The Avs then survived an injury to Giles to knock off Aberdeen, 86-71. Five players scored in double figures to make up for the absence of the team's top scorer. Basile scored 25 points in 25 minutes, while Martin Howell surprisingly stepped up with a season-high 17 points. The team was on fire again with 56% shooting in the game and once again dominated up front with a 40-19 rebounding edge. The Vikings were able to stay within 15 at the end largely due to Boulder's 22 turnovers. The victory put the Avalanche into a four-way tie for first place atop the conference standings.
Even with Giles still out of the lineup, the Avalanche managed to pull out a 71-60 victory over Boise to start week four. Solomon Stewart picked up the slack with 21 points, and Martin Howell filled in well at the point with 4 assists, 2 steals, and 0 turnovers. The Bunglebottoms made 8 three-pointers, but Boulder kept the mistakes to a minimum in this game, missing just 4 free throws and giving the ball away just 5 times. Giles was really missed in the next game though, as the Avalanche were hammered by Keystone, 77-60, in a battle for first place. Boulder coughed the ball up 16 times, missed 11 free throws, and shot a dreadful 38% for the game. The Avs had a chance to come back with superstar Willie Short out of the game with foul trouble early in the second half, but self-destructed down the stretch. Short finished with 37 points as the Magic took over the top spot in the conference with four games to go. Giles returned for the OOC game at the end of the week, and even though he scored 32 points, the Avalanche barely escaped a bad Durham team by a score of 84-80. 17 turnovers nearly threw the game away for Boulder, and Giles was lit up by opposing PG Nolan Martin for 35 points. The Avs were lucky to come away with the victory, which put them at 8-4 heading into the final week of the regular season.
Boulder avenged the earlier loss to Fargo to start the final division swing, knocking off the Terpz by a score of 80-64. Gary Giles didn't play much defense, but he did have another outstanding offensive game with 27 points, and Douglas Basile helped him out with 20 more. The Avs were more efficient than usual, giving the ball away just 6 times while shooting 51% and sinking 18 free throws. The Avalanche then survived a huge scare two nights later, escaping Aurora by a score of 64-63 despite turning the ball over 20 times on the evening. Giles still finished with 21 points despite a bit of an off night, but the Avs really asserted their dominance upfront, as the team outrebounded the Falcons by a margin of 45-26. Jay Triano, Richard Northern, Martin Howell, and Lorenzo Gravina all pulled down at least 7 boards each. And while it came down to the last day, the Avalanche hammered Denver by a score of 82-65 to clinch the school's fourth straight Regular Season Conference title. Giles exploded for a season-high 39 points, and Basile ably helped out with 16 more. The Avs could not stop Denver SF Jesus Gaston (29 points), but limited the rest of the team to just 36 points put together. The Avs only turned the ball over 5 times, and sank 19 of their 23 free throw attempts. The win continues the Avs' run of C21 dominance, and ensures a fifth straight trip back to the NTT.
But from there, Boulder's entire season crashed and burned. The Avalanche were stunned in the Quarterfinals of the Conference Tournament by last-place Aberdeen, 87-86. The Avs committed a horrible 19 turnovers, and an inexplicable 22 fouls gave the Diablos 23 points from the free throw line. Aberdeen's win was their first victory over a C21 team in 62 games. The loss denied the Avs even a place in the Conference Championship Game for the second season in a row, and sent the team reeling into the NTT. The Avs were fortunately able to salvage a pair of consolation wins, which included a 42-point output from Gary Giles in a third victory over Aurora. Boulder finished the regular season at 13-5 and would be seeded 13th in the Southwest Region.
For the first time in the school's five-year NTT run, the Avalanche failed to advance beyond the first round of the tournament. Terrible ballhandling doomed the Avs from the start in a 70-53 loss to 4th-seeded New York City. The Dark Wolves' tough defense forced Boulder into a whopping 24 giveaways, allowing them to win easily despite being outrebounded and shooting only 44%. Gary Giles managed 18 points in his first taste of NTT action, but Solomon Stewart had a horrific evening with 6 turnovers and just 6 points. The Avs did manage to grab two more consolation wins, beating Ames and Denver for the third team to finish with a record of 15-9. It was the team's worst mark since Season Twenty-Eight.
Despite missing two games in the middle of the season, Gary Giles became the first Boulder player to win the Conference Freshman of the Year award and be named First Team All-Conference in the same season. Giles was one of the league's top scorers all season long, and could have put up even better numbers had he not missed those two games. Giles was a huge bright spot in what was otherwise a very up and down season.
The Akron Wrecking Crew amazingly reached their fourth consecutive Final Four, coming out of the Northwest Bracket as the top seed, barely escaping 7th-seed Raleigh in the Regional Final. New York City, the team that defeated Boulder in the opening round, defeated 10th-seed Austin in the Final of the Southwest Bracket. The Mobile Glory qualified for the third spot as the winner of the Northeast bracket, taking down 6th-seed Mesa in the Elite Eight. And lastly, the 2nd-seeded Peoria Boomers upset top-seed Knoxville in the Regional Final of the Southeast Bracket.
Akron continued their incredible run and reached their fourth consecutive championship game as well, defeating New York City by nine. A rematch of the Season Thirty-One Final was then set up when Mobile edged out Peoria by four. Akron then took home their third national championship in four seasons, defeating Mobile, 75-68.
The Avalanche graduated a class of role players at the end of Season Thirty-Three. Hakim Kimball was a capable backup at SF/PF who did get a chance to start a few games in this Junior year. Lorenzo Gravina played all 96 games of his career as a backup forward, managing to pull down a total of 257 rebounds. Last on the list was Douglas Hogue, who only played in one game for only seven minutes, and did not score a single point in a Boulder uniform.
REGULAR SEASON: San Antonio, Bowling Green, Denver, Clearwater, Aspen, Aberdeen, Boise, Culver City
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Denver (Quarterfinals), Aurora (Semifinals), Fargo (FINAL)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Minneapolis (Round 1), Fargo (Round 2), Tampa (Regional Semifinal), Camden (Consolation Game 6)
REGULAR SEASON: San Francisco, Fargo (Twice), Aurora (Twice), Keystone, Denver
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: NONE
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: New York City (Regional Final), Inglewood (Consolation Game 5)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 35
The Avalanche landed a solid class for Season Thirty-Four, ranked 59/21 in the magazines. Evan Allison immediately steps in as the new Point Guard, and should solidify the position for the next four years. Allison is an excellent defender who sees the floor well and who can also shoot a bit (49% in high school). Allison joins what should be a very exciting young backcourt playing alongside Gary Giles. 6'10" Stephen Lilly is another excellent addition, and is only the second big tie (4/4) who decided to come to Boulder in nine seasons. Lilly is a workmanlike bruiser who defends well and rebounds well. He won't start right away, but should get plenty of chances down the line. And 6'6" Henry King comes in with solid ratings for an SF, and while he may not see much time immediately, he also could play some useful minutes later on in his career.
The Avalanche dominated the preseason week against three average teams. Boulder handled New Orleans by a dozen, and blew out both San Diego and Philadelphia. Gary Giles led the team in scoring in all three games, totaling 65 points for the week. Evan Allison also played very well in his first taste of college ball.
Boulder won their season opener, taking a hard-fought contest from San Antonio by a score of 73-63. Gary Giles led the way with 19 points, but played only 23 minutes due to foul trouble. Douglas Basile picked up the slack with 14 points off the bench on 7-11 shooting. Evan Allison also played very well with 6 assists and 2 steals in his first college game. But it was the defense coming up large down the stretch, limiting the Stampede to just 6 points in the final ten minutes and holding them to 38% shooting for the game. Giles then went off for 30 points in the second game as the Avs pulled away late from Bowling Green, 80-56. Allison had another solid game with 4 assists and 3 steals, while Richard Northern also played very well with 9 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists for the evening. Devon O'Rourke also had 3 steals off the bench. But the wheels came off in the last game of the week, as the Avalanche lost to San Francisco, 88-78. Boulder committed 22 fouls which led to 37 San Francisco free throws, of which led to 31 Isopoda points. Giles scored 29 more points, but the team had an uncharacteristically bad shooting night (43%), and the defense was burned by San Fran Freshman Martin Hines, who had the best game of his short career with 24 points, 7 boards, and 3 steals. The 2-1 start to the season was good, but not exactly what the fans were hoping for.
Surprisingly, the Avalanche came out incredibly flat in the conference opener, and were soundly beaten by Fargo, 64-53. It was one of the team's worst games in years, and the second straight season that the Terpz took the first game on the conference schedule. The Avs shot a dismal 43%, gave the ball away 13 times, and were surprisingly outrebounded 35-30. The only bright spot of the whole night was Douglas Basile hitting 5 of 5 shots off the bench in 7 minutes of playing time. Switching to an up-tempo pace wasn't able to jumpstart the offense either, as the Avs lost to Aurora, 83-73. Boulder only shot 40% for the game and still turned the ball over 16 times. Gary Giles had a miserable game shooting just 8-22. It was the first time since Season Twenty-Six that Boulder lost the first two conference games of the season, and uncharacteristically started at #139 in the first power rankings of the season with a 2-3 record. Fortunately, Boulder was able to avoid a division sweep, as they managed to defeat Denver by a score of 78-67. Giles exploded for 40 points, accounting for more than half of the team's offense by himself. Allison dished out 7 assists without a single turnover, and the Avs held a 21-8 advantage at the free throw line in a game they absolutely had to have.
Boulder picked up a nice win to start week three with a 76-54 victory over Clearwater. Gary Giles scored 17 points in 26 minutes, while Solomon Stewart had a nice game back in the starting lineup with 15 points and 5 rebounds. Jay Triano grabbed 12 boards, and Evan Allison dished out 9 assists. The Avs shot 58% for the game and the defense forced 14 turnovers in the comfortable win. Boulder missed an astounding 12 free throws in the next game, but still barely had enough to scratch past Aspen, 74-68. The Avs had a big edge on the glass and Giles scored 29 points to make up for a horrible 6-18 shooting night at the line as a team. Boulder closed the week with a much better performance, knocking off punchless Aberdeen, 81-60. Unlike the Conference Quarterfinal game last season, the Avalanche took full control of this game early, grabbing a 14-point lead at halftime and never letting go. Giles scored 25 more points and Stewart had a very nice game with 20 more. Triano's 14 rebounds helped the team's big edge on the glass, and the defense held the Diablos to just 40% shooting.
After a rare league-wide week-long layoff, Boulder shook off the rust in a hurry, comfortably knocking off Boise, 73-53. The defense was the big story, holding the Bunglebottoms to just 39% shooting and forcing 16 turnovers, 5 of them by talented Freshman PG Marion James. Gary Giles scored 27 points and Richard Northern grabbed 12 rebounds in a game that would have been more lopsided had the Avs not missed 11 free throws. Boulder suffered a huge letdown though in the following game, losing 79-77 to rival Keystone. Willie Short burned the Avs' defense for 43 points, and Boulder gave away yet another game against an inferior opponent. Giles fouled out in only 21 minutes with 16 points, and while Douglas Basile picked up the slack with 19 off the bench, the Magic matched the Avs in rebounding (where Boulder had a huge advantage) and the defense allowed the Magic to shoot 54% as a team. It was an ugly loss typifying the team's maddening inconsistency to this point of the season. Boulder responded to the disappointing loss by venting some frustration against hapless Culver City, posting the most lopsided victory in school history with a 92-33 romp over the Cadence. The Avs shot 65% for the game, while the Cadence only made 12 baskets and only shot 26% for the game. Giles led the way with 24 points, Basile scored 20 after being elevated into the starting lineup, and Evan Allison had a great game with 7 assists and 3 steals.
Boulder let another game slip away to start the final week of the season, losing to Fargo, 65-62, and getting swept by the Terpz for the first time in six seasons. Jerry Welsh hit a three-pointer to break the tie with just over a minute remaining, and the Avs had no answer for it. Gary Giles scored 24 points and Jay Triano grabbed 11 rebounds, but Douglas Basile came up dreadfully empty with only 9 points on 4-11 shooting. The loss ensured that Boulder's streak of four straight regular season conference titles would come to an end. The Avs then dropped back into the triple digits of the power rankings after getting completely shut down again, this time by Aurora, 72-53. The Falcons' defense limited the Avalanche to just 39% shooting in the game and forced 17 Boulder turnovers. Basile had another terrible game, scoring only 10 points and allowing a Freshman (Roger Garcia) to score 19 on him at the other end. The regular season ended on another low note, as the Avs were shut down by Denver as well, 76-64. The Fighting Eels dominated on the boards and held the Avs to just 42% shooting. 23 Boulder fouls led to 21 Denver points. It was another ugly performance that saw the Avs finish the season with 4 losses in their last 5 games.
Boulder dropped all the way to fifth place in the conference standings after the late-season skid, but managed to make something out of the Conference Tournament with a 75-71 upset win over Denver in the Quarterfinals. Jay Triano broke a tie game with a short basket with only 30 seconds to play, and Evan Allison sealed the game with 2 late free throws. Gary Giles went off for 32 points and was instrumental in getting Denver's top scorer, Jesus Gaston, to foul out after only 24 minutes of playing time. Allison also finished with 15 points in the game and Richard Northern pulled down 10 rebounds against the Eels' tough frontcourt. It still appeared that the season was all but over at that point, but the Avs came out firing in the Semifinals and stunned first-place Aurora by a score of 76-61, handing the Falcons just their second loss of the entire season and avenging a regular season sweep. Giles ripped apart Aurora's Freshman SG for 30 points, and Solomon Stewart stepped up in a big way with 18 more of his own. Northern and Jay Triano pulled down 21 rebounds between them, while the Falcons grabbed just 24 boards in the entire game. The Avs did miss 9 free throws and gave the ball away 15 times, but the defense stepped up big time in limiting the nation's 12th-ranked team to just 39% shooting.
The Avs then finished what seemed to be improbable less than a week earlier, obliterating Fargo, then 30th-ranked in the league, by FORTY-ONE POINTS to win the school's third conference tournament championship by a final score of 91-50. Boulder raced out to a 28-point halftime lead and simply ran the conference's second-best team off the floor in their own building. The Avs held a 40-19 edge in rebounding, shot 55% for the game, and limited Fargo to just 38% shooting. Giles scored 24 points, Stewart stepped up again with 16 more, and Allison added 14 points to go along with 6 assists. It was quite simply the best game the team played all season, and despite just an 11-7 record, the Avalanche would be playing in the NTT for the sixth season in a row.
With some help from upsets in other conference tournaments around the rest of the league, the Avalanche actually got a 14th-seed in the NTT with their national ranking of 74. The deck was stacked against the Avs in the first round against 3rd-seeded Minneapolis, a team that came into the game ranked 9th overall in the country. But despite missing 10 free throws and giving the ball away 13 times, Boulder kept themselves in the game down the stretch, and eventually polished off a stunning 70-66 upset of the Killer Dolphins. Richard Northern missed all four of his free throw attempts earlier in the game, but hit two with sixteen seconds remaining to seal the improbable victory. After being held in check in his first NTT action last season, Gary Giles stepped up big time on the national stage in this go around, shooting 13-22 for the game to finish with 30 points. Northern pulled down 11 of the team's 30 rebounds, and the defense limited the Dolphins to just 44% shooting. Ironically, the Avs' second round matchup would be against Fargo, getting a rare conference opponent in the NTT. While Boulder didn't blow the Terpz away this time, the Avalanche still won the game, incredibly reaching the Sweet 16 with an 87-77 victory over the Terpz. Giles had another big game with 29 points, and Solomon Stewart stepped up in a huge way, scoring 19 points, grabbing 5 rebounds, and limiting Fargo stud Arthur Maddox to only 13 points. The team shot a blistering 55% to keep their amazing NTT run alive.
Incredibly, the Avalanche still weren't done. Boulder took down 7th-seeded Tampa by a score of 79-68 in the Regional Semifinal. The Bobcats had just come off a big overtime upset over 2nd-seeded Twin Falls, but despite a blistering first half, they could only manage 23 second-half points against the Boulder defense. Adding yet another surprise to this tournament run, Boulder won the game with free throw shooting, an area that had been a huge weakness all season. The Avs were given 39 free-throw attempts, and sank 30 of them. The defense held the Bobcats to only 39% shooting in the game, which helped make up for a relatively ordinary game from Gary Giles, in which he only scored 19 points.
Gary Giles was the only individual award winner this season, but he made the All-Conference First Team for the second year in a row, finishing second only to Keystone's Willie Short in the CPOY voting. Giles was averaging 25 PPG and shooting an amazing 58% at the time of the award.
The Regional Final was as far as the Avalanche would go though, as they simply ran out of steam against the top-seeded and #1 ranked New York City Dark Wolves. Gary Giles scored 28 points to keep pace with the Wolves' superstar SG Len Anderson, but NYC had too much of a stronger supporting cast and won the game 71-60. The Avs simply could not overcome 17 turnovers and 22 fouls against such a great team. While nobody other than Giles scored more than 6 points, there was no quit in this team, and the Avalanche showed plenty in not only making it this far, but hanging tough against the league's best team. Boulder would finish with a 15-9 record for the second year in a row, losing a consolation game to Inglewood, but finishing strong with a 2-point win over 11th-ranked Camden.
New York City would be joined in the Final Four by the Reading Red Eagles, the Southeast's 5th-seed, who won a shootout over the aptly-named Inglewood Fastbreakers, the two-seed, in the Regional Final. On the other side, it was the Akron Wrecking Crew coming out of the Northwest as the #2 seed, incredibly reaching their fifth straight Final Four. But they needed a double-overtime win over 4th-seeded Eugene to get there. And lastly, the top-seeded Laramie Fighting Irish made it through the Southwest, culminating with a 30-point thrashing of 3rd-seeded Camden.
Akron was finally denied another trip to the Championship Game, falling by two points to Laramie in their National Semifinal. The Fighting Irish would take on an unfamiliar participant for the title, after Reading upset New York City by four in the other Semifinal contest. Then, in one of the bigger surprises in recent league history, the Reading Red Eagles completed their emergence to national prominence by shocking Laramie, 96-86, to win the first National Championship in school history. The Red Eagles capped off an amazing three-season run in which they lost only a total of 6 games. And they had to erase a 14-point second-half deficit to stun Laramie in the Final.
The Avalanche graduated a class that included a pair of four-year frontcourt starters. Jay Triano was the first true center the team had in a long time, and left school with the career record in Rebounds (734) and Blocked Shots (148). Triano also broke the school single-season record for rebounds on the final game of his career. Triano was never outstanding, but did his job well, and was an integral part in the two big NTT runs during his time. Richard Northern was Triano's sidekick for four seasons, and while he never put up outstanding numbers, he turned out to be an excellent compliment at PF, finishing his career third on the career list in Rebounds and Blocks. The third member of the class, Devon O'Rourke, was a capable backup PG who got into 92 games during his career.
REGULAR SEASON: Honolulu, Fargo (Twice), Aurora (Twice), Canton, Aspen, Aberdeen, Boise, Keystone, St. Paul, Denver
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Keystone (Quarterfinals), Boise (Semifinals)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Indianapolis (Consolation Game 2), Vicksburg (Consolation Game 5)
REGULAR SEASON: Mobile, Santa Fe, Denver
CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Aurora (FINAL)
NATIONAL TOURNAMENT: Youngstown (Round 1), Cooperstown (Consolation Game 3), Clearwater (Consolation Game 4), Cambridge (Consolation Game 6)
FINAL POWER RANKING: 50
Season 35 would be a first, in that for the first time ever, the Avalanche won three recruiting ties. 6'9" Paul Sherman was the biggest catch, an excellent rebounder and a solid defender who will be expected to step in immediately and fill the void left in the frontcourt by graduation. Sherman was also a surprisingly good shooter in high school at 52% accuracy. 6'7" Joaquin Clark didn't quite come out with the numbers or ratings that the coaches would have hoped for, but he is a solid all-around player who could challenge for a starting spot sooner rather than later. And last but not least, 6'7" Lamar Peachey brings a very similar game to Clark, and at least will be a top reserve if not an eventual starter as well. Overall, the class was ranked 46/11.
GAME SNAPSHOTS