Demons tourney champs but have bigger plans

– It was déjà vu all over again Saturday night at D’Evelyn High School.

The Jaguars were playing host to Golden in the season starting tournament that the two schools annually co-host. And just like they did last season the Demons defeated the Jaguars 72-58 to win the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic.

Golden senior Ryan Thistlewood was named the tournament MVP, scoring a game-high 31 points. He scored 21 of his 31 from the free throw line.

That’s because the referees also starred in the tournament finale, calling an unbelievable 63 combined fouls on the two teams.

“The officials played a big role tonight that’s for sure,” Golden coach John Anderson. “But we are happy to leave this building with a win.”

The Demons got off to a hot start outscoring the Jaguars 20-8 in the first quarter and then took a 39-18 lead into halftime.

Golden actually only scored two total second half field goals, but maintained its lead with the help of solid defense and attacking the rim on the other end of the floor.

D’Evelyn was led by senior Grant Witherspoon who scored 28 points to go along with five rebounds and four steals.

“It feels a little like what happened to us last year,” D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner said. “We definitely weren’t at our best, the refs didn’t help, and now we are going to have to get them back later in the season.”

Last season the Jaguars were beat by the Demons 76-66 in the tournament’s championship game. However, D’Evelyn went on to beat Golden twice in league play to secure the 4A Jeffco league title.

But things look and feel a little different this season. Not only does Golden have a star scorer in Thistlewood but they also have some of the best size in the state.

And that played true on Saturday night as the Demons out-rebounded the Jaguars 34-18.

Golden beat Vista PEAK Prep 67-49 on Thursday during the first round of the tournament. They then beat Pueblo Central 78-76 in a thriller, were the Demons rallied in the second half down by four at halftime.

D’Evelyn beat Denver West 92-33 in the first round and then beat Pueblo South 51-45 before falling to Golden.

Not only did a great rivalry add another chapter on Saturday night but Golden and D’Evelyn both proved to be legitimate top ten teams in the state.

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