Carol Colby | Cooper Roberts rose to the occasion in Thursday’s playoff loss
The seventh-seeded Breckenridge Cowboys (5-23) kept pace with the second-seeded Border West Buccaneers (21-6) all night long.
In the end, Thursday’s upset magic was wiped away by a moving screen that opened the lane for a game-winning layup and a 63-62 Buccaneers win in the Section 6A Tournament — ending Breckenridge’s season in the process.
Breckenridge took a 62-61 lead with 27 seconds remaining when Cooper Roberts drained a deep three at the shot clock buzzer.
Moments later, Border West ran through a Cowboy defender at the top of the key, pushing him out of the play as Holden Rinke drove unimpeded to the cup with six seconds left for the game-winning layup.
Roberts was phenomenal in the playoff bout, scoring a game-high 21 points. Levi Christensen followed with 11 points, driving to the basket for several clutch layups in the second half. Aidan Sanchez added eight points, six rebounds and three steals.
Breckenridge grabbed a 10-4 lead after Kaleb Albertson sparked the squad with back-to-back triples on his way to nine first-half points.
Border West immediately answered with an 11-0 run to reclaim the lead.
The Cowboys trailed 39-34 at the break after Cooper Roberts scored a tough layup over the defense and Aidan Sanchez blocked Border West at the buzzer.
Border West led the rest of the way until 4:40 in regulation when Charlie Kratcha drained a three via assist from Jaxson Riggs to tie the contest at 56-56. The Cowboys led by as many as five down the stretch.
Kyle Kremer paced the Buccaneers with 18 points and Rinke followed with 17. Gunnar Hofman scored 13 points, 11 of them coming in the first half.
