Arnold powers ThunderRidge

Point guard scores 28 as Thomas Jefferson falls

By Alan Pearce, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published December 2, 2008 at 11:49 p.m.

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Photo by Preston Gannaway / The Rocky

ThunderRidge's Mike Ernst, top, tangles with Thomas Jefferson's Billy Sprague while battling for a rebound Tuesday night during the ThunderRidge Tip-Off Classic.

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Just before the opening game of his boys team's basketball season, Joe Ortiz made a bold prediction. The ThunderRidge coach does not indulge in hyperbole, but he said Grizzlies senior Dave Arnold should make All-Colorado, the highest honor in state high school sports.

Arnold, a 6-foot-1 point guard, went out and for the next 16 minutes, did everything he could to fulfill Ortiz's sentiment. Arnold scored 22 points in the first half, hitting 9-of-10 shots, including his first eight.

"I've never shot the ball that much," Arnold said. "I got in the rhythm and was feeling it."

That feeling, and Arnold's 28 points, helped the Grizzlies to a 54-50 win against Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday in the ThunderRidge Tip-Off Classic.

Arnold's touch was so good, his shots were going straight in, no lucky bounces or helpful rims necessary. His one miss in the first half came when the Grizzlies cleared out in the final seconds and he went on a solo drive for a pull-up jumper. But Arnold impressed again by rebounding the ball and draining another shot just before the buzzer.

Thomas Jefferson, ranked No. 2 in Class 4A, had to have a helpless feeling when Arnold couldn't miss, but it outscored the Grizzlies in each of the final two periods.

The Spartans also were playing in their opener, and the newness showed with a lot of turnovers and shaky outside shooting from several players.

Both coaches switched up defenses after halftime to try to blunt their opponents' plays.

"We tried the box-and-one because Arnold had 22 points at halftime," Spartans coach Grant Laman said. "They went to a zone, which I'm sure we're going to see a lot of this season."

TJ also jumped Arnold with two defenders at the top of the key during the start of halfcourt situations. He immediately passed to open teammates, but the Grizzlies never really took advantage of those openings. Arnold also dished well on the run during fast breaks but only a few baskets resulted.

"We have to play better for him, around him," Ortiz said. "This year, Dave has done a lot to get better. But we broke down on some silly turnovers and didn't compete for things."

The Spartans cut a 15-point deficit to two a couple of times behind the three-point shooting of Chris Carter (17 points) and more baskets from Billy Sprague (11).

"We certainly made a game of it, just came up a bit short," Laman said.

In other games at ThunderRidge, second- ranked Denver East squeezed past Chaparral 72-71 in overtime. Troy Wiese made a driving baseline layup with seconds left for the winning basket.

Fairview, ranked third in 5A, had a much easier time, rolling Grandview 80-47.

The Knights were led by 6-7 senior Jonathan Morse and will meet ThunderRidge at 5:50 p.m. Thursday, while East will travel to Heritage for a 7:10 game. Heritage beat Chatfield on Monday in the tournament opener.

The championship game is set for 8 p.m. Friday at ThunderRidge.

Thomas Jefferson14 7 10 19 - 50

ThunderRidge19 14 8 13 - 54

TJ - Deontae Fair 1 0-0 2, Shane Oliver 1 2-4 4, Kyle Caruthers 2 0-0 5, Zach Jackson 1 0-0 2, Ray Riley 3 0-3 6, Billy Sprague 4 3-6 11, Chris Carter 5 3-4 17, Jamel Compton 0 3-3 3. Totals 17 11-20 50.

TR - Brandon Jimenez 3 1-1 9, Dave Day 3 0-0 6, Troy Noser 0 2-2 2, Jordan Grace 0 2-2 2, Dave Arnold 11 2-4 28, Zach Jones 2 1-1 5, Mike Ernst 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 8-10 54.

Three-point goals - TJ, Caruthers, Carter 4; TR, Jimenez 2, Arnold 4. Fouled out - Day, Ernst.

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