Feature Photo By: Vanessa Guereca- Senior Donyvan Jackson shoots the ball as the Mountain Range Mustangs attempt to defend their basket. Jackson and Johnson combined scored 44 points.
Watching the Rangeview boys basketball squad go up against Mountain Range last night was like watching a three-point contest. Last night, the Matthew Johnson-led Raiders won the battle from behind the arc and the first-round playoff matchup.
The Rangeview Raiders entered into the playoffs 16-8 after the regular season last night, and beat the Mustangs after shaking off a sloppy first half and will play at No. 1-ranked Eaglecrest at 2 p.m. Saturday.
Mountain Range held the same record as the Raiders going into the match-up, but it was Rangeview who held onto the lead throughout all four quarters, beating the Mustangs 72-64 after being tied at half.
It was a tight contest between the two boys teams up until the end of the third quarter, as Rangeview began to develop a near double-digit lead. Rangeview’s star players came out with intensity as the starting backcourt of Johnson and Donyvan Jackson combined for 44 points.
Johnson, a senior, led the way with a playoff career-high 33 points while draining six 3’s to top off his performance. Johnson’s impact upon the team has been evident throughout the season as he averaged 21.6 points.
The team’s next opponent will be Eaglecrest High School, who is currently ranked 1st overall in the state, 35th in the nation and beat the Raiders in the Final Four in Boulder last year.
Although some say the team may be facing a Goliath in the second round of the playoffs, that doesn’t mean the team is out indefinitely.
Rangeview averaged more points per game than Eaglecrest during the regular season, and their top scorer, Matthew Johnson, outscored Eaglecrest’s Colbey Ross this year as well.
When asked if he had confidence in his team going up against Eaglecrest, varsity guard Ayden Clayton stated, “Yeah I do because we can beat any team out there if we put our minds to it.”
The Raiders plan to not back down when game time rolls around.
“I am excited about the opportunity and we’re going to have to play at a high level,” Head Coach Palmer said. “But what a chance it will be to show how good we can really be.”
