F-FC boys fall to Aurora Central in round of 16

FOUNTAIN • In a fierce battle between two athletic and scrappy teams, Aurora Central held off a late, furious rally to top Fountain-Fort Carson 69-65 in the round of 16 of the Class 5A state tournament.

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Aurora Central big man DeSe Lee scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, including making one clutch free-throw late after missing five in a row.

“I was so nervous. This is a big game for us because we haven’t been to the Elite 8 in three years,” said the 6-foot-7 center, who went just 3-for-14 from the free-throw line. “We’re the underdogs, but now we’re turning some heads around the state.”

F-FC battled back from double-digit deficits in both halves, but not even Chris Davis’ hot outside shooting was enough in the end.

“It seemed like we ran out of gas,” said Davis, who scored a game-high 23 points for top-seeded F-FC. “We didn’t execute early in the game and we were a little sluggish at the end. “It came down to free throws and rebounds, and they dominated us on the offensive glass.”

The loss is a tough pill to swallow for the 5A Metro co-champions, who had plenty of chances down the stretch to take the lead but couldn’t capitalize.

Adding to the frustration was the fact that F-FC’s leading rebounder and second-leading scorer Martin Thomas played a total of about 5 minutes in the game because of foul trouble.

“It was a huge deal. We didn’t have his leadership out there,” F-FC coach Anthony Ribaudo said. “We had to exert too much effort to keep coming back, and we didn’t have enough left in the tank late.”

As disappointed as F-FC was, fourth-seeded Aurora Central (19-6) was equally jubilant. The stunning upset was something the Aurora Central coaching staff believed was possible all along.

“They’re a very good team, and they shot the ball well,” coach Ian Calvert said. “We have a really good team and coming into this game I thought we had a good shot to win.”

Aurora Central, also nicknamed the Trojans, shot a poor 19-of-38 from the free-throw line, but made enough plays late in the game to hold on.

For F-FC (21-4), it was a bitter and abrupt ending to a successful season.

“I can’t tell you what these seniors mean to me,” Ribaudo said. “They’re a special group, and they will always have a place in my heart and life for years to come.”