by Keith Kelley–2 Jan ’15
The second-ranked Cheyenne East boys basketball team came back from the holiday break with a hard fought win over Ft. Collins Friday night, beating the Lambkins 52-49 at the Thunderdome. The Thunderbrids (5-1) rallied from eight points down in the second half, to win their fifth game in a row.
Trailing 49-48 with about a minute left to play, the T-birds would have an outstanding offensive possession to get the game-winning hoop. East would take nearly 40 seconds off the clock, and eventually found Tyler Peeples inside for an easy lay-up that gave the Thunderbirds a one point lead that they wouldn’t give up. Head coach Jeff Bailey said they ran that possession just like they planed it.
East played a pretty good game defensively, holding Ft. Collins to just those 49 points. They also did a pretty good job against Lambkins senior, 6’9″ Tristan Von Nieda. The T-birds held him to 14 points, but mixed up their defenses a lot. Bailey said they did their best and it worked in the end.
East was led by junior Elijah Oliver with 23 points, while senior Zach McCord finished with 12 points, 11 in the second half. The T-birds also overcame a terrible night at the free-throw line, connecting on just 16-31 from the charity stripe.
Next up is the Cheyenne Invite, at East, Central and South high schools, next Thursday through Saturday.
