No. 6 Coal Ridge dominated its first home playoff games since the 2020-21 season, securing a spot in the Elite Eight of the Class 4A CHSAA state tournament.

The Titans opened their postseason run Friday with a commanding 76-40 victory over No. 27 Stargate. They followed that with a hard-fought 46-43 win Saturday over No. 11 DSST: Green Valley Ranch in a game of two halves.

The weekend ended with the Titans cutting down the nets in celebration of their tournament advancement.

“It was a very cool moment to be able to share with the boys,” Titans head coach Paul Harvey said.

Fast start fuels Friday’s rout

Coal Ridge controlled Friday’s game from start to finish, jumping out to a 14-2 lead in the first five minutes.

“Our pregame message was just to channel that excited energy into defense,” Harvey said. “Going into the game, they are nervous, and we are nervous, so we just have to channel that energy into playing defense.”

The Titans’ offense kept rolling, putting up 23 points in the second quarter and 21 in the third.

“We were just playing for one another,” senior forward Ben Simons said. “Playing in other big games over our high school careers really helped us channel the energy.”

Simons dominated on the boards, finishing with 23 points and 20 rebounds, evenly splitting offensive and defensive boards, according to MaxPreps.

“It honestly felt like we were clicking great,” Simons said. “Tonight was just so awesome. Running the court, everything felt great. It was so fun playing with everyone.”

Coal Ridge led by 36 when the final horn sounded, but its focus was already on the next game.

“No matter the score, we’re never satisfied,” Simons said. “We know there is still greener grass, and the job isn’t close to finished. We still have a lot to do to get it done. We need to clean up our turnovers and just calm down overall a bit more, but tonight was huge for our confidence.”

Surviving DSST: Green Valley Ranch

Saturday’s matchup with DSST: Green Valley Ranch was a tale of two halves. Coal Ridge once again started fast, taking an 11-2 lead after the first quarter and going into halftime up 27-14.

But with just over 90 seconds left in regulation, DSST held a slim lead.

The Titans dug in, and junior Alex Cornejo drove through traffic for a crucial basket to seal the win.

“They stepped up their defense, and we went cold,” Harvey said. “We kept turning the ball over, and they kept chipping away until they had the lead. We just went back down to basics and played some nice basketball. I was reminding the boys that we have been down like this before. We have put in the work and we can do this, because we already have.”

Coal Ridge struggled offensively in the second half, scoring just 19 points while DSST put up 29.

“It was a very emotional game,” Simons said. “It was a team effort to keep everyone level-headed and focused on the bigger goal. Carrying the energy from the first to second half relies on a strong mentality, and as a team, we need to tune out all other distractions.”

When DSST took its first lead, Harvey called a timeout to refocus his team.

“We’ve won a lot of close games, and we’ve made comebacks before,” he said. “It was just reminding them that they were fully capable of doing it, and they executed beautifully. Alex made a nice drive and finished at the rim. They made plays, got the rebounds, played timely defense, and we needed it.”

Looking ahead to the Elite Eight

The Titans now prepare for No. 19 Timnath in Wednesday’s Elite Eight matchup at a neutral site.

Timnath pulled off an upset over No. 3 Aspen, dashing Coal Ridge’s hopes of a rematch with its 4A Western Slope League rival.

“My preliminary scouting report is stating that Timnath is really big,” Harvey said. “It always comes back to our basics — tight defense and playing for each other on offense. Every game matters, and you want to earn a chance to play. The message is play for each other, play for another day.”