Feature Photo By: Samir Mohamed- Junior captain Jodaun Dotson stares down the Arapahoe Warriors point guard. The Raiders took the game into overtime where they won 63-52.
After a 73 day regular season and an 8 day postseason run, the Raiders boy’s hoops concluded the 2017-2018 basketball season with an undefeated 10-0 league record and 18-7 overall record. Although the Raiders were knocked out of playoffs in the “sweet 16” round, many fans say they are grateful for the drive and tenacity showcased by the players throughout the season, and look forward to a promising future for the Rangeview High School boys basketball team.
With the last game of the season behind us, the Raiders entered the Colorado high school 5A basketball state tournament ranked 27th in the state and first in the EMAC conference. The Raiders’ playoff basketball game on February 24th ended with a 67-54 loss to the Eaglecrest Raptors for the third consecutive playoff.
“The game was a thriller and had me cycling through emotions like excitement and defeat,” stated senior manager Rachel Nsubuga, “but the boys gave it their all and life is all about transitions, the boys have to start hopefully transitioning towards college basketball and the upcoming spring league season.”
The Raiders’ last game came to its concluding minutes. The Raiders led the Raptors throughout the entire first half 38-29. The Raiders’ lead began slowly decreasing after the Raptors took a hot streak of 18-0 points to lead by the fourth and defeated the Raiders for the third consecutive year: Eaglecrest defeated Rangeview in the final four game 2015-2016, the sweet 16 game 2016-2017, and this year’s sweet 16 game. Although the Raiders did not achieve the goal they aspired to reach, fans and coaches have high hopes for the upcoming season.
Basketball coach Brad Emmer said, “I think we have some young kids with talent and if they’re willing to put the work in we should look forward to having a successful 2018-2019 season.”
Fans say they are confident and also nervous for the upcoming season. Many say they are confident in big play makers like sophomore twins Christopher and Christian Speller, junior cap
tain Jodaun Dotson, and sophomore shooting guard Isaiah Hayes to bring the Raider basketball team to another playoff berth, but they are also very sceptical. The Raiders will graduate four seniors come May: center Ryan Ongola, guard Ayden Clayton, point guard Eric Jackson, and Devin Collins. Although fans may be sceptical, senior Eric Jackson believes the Raiders will be able to overcome adversity, through hard work and dedication.
“As a team we had good chemistry and talent, but we came short against Eaglecrest,” stated Jackson. “If the boys are able to put in hours of hard work, up their basketball IQ, and increase their team chemistry, Colorado high schools will have to watch out for the Raiders next year forsure.”
With the near departure of 4 seniors come May 21st, the future for Rangeview basketball is quite uncertain. The thing Raider fans, players, and coaches say they can continue to enjoy together is the winter nights, cotton candy, and the spirit packed Raider gymnasium regardless of how many wins the team accumulates or number of fans at the game next year.
