DENVER — The Chatham Charter boys basketball team faced a daunting challenge last Tuesday in Denver.
The Knights entered the fourth round of the NCHSAA 1A State Playoffs with a road contest against No. 1 seed and ranked Lincoln Charter.
Mark that challenge passed with flying colors.
Sending shockwaves throughout the state, Chatham Charter knocked off the Eagles 74-72 to advance to the 1A West Regional Final in only their sixth season as a program.
“The boys came ready to play against the No. 1 ranked 1A team in the state,” a jubilant Chatham Charter coach Jason Messier said after the win. “The boys left everything on the court and never backed down, even when Lincoln Charter took tied the game at 64-all with 2:57 left. We were efficient on the offensive end all night, getting good looks and really taking care of the ball and working the extra passed for good shots.”
Chatham Charter shot a sizzling 65 percent from the floor in the contest going 28-for-43 sparked by Trevor Golden who was 7-for-7 from the field early including hitting a pair of treys.
Golden, who closed with 19 points and six rebounds, tallied nine points in the opening period to go with a trey from Ryan White and three more points from Cole Milholen to give the locals a 19-17 cushion after one. Axel Holm had a pair of treys for Lincoln Charter in the first quarter while Anthony Davis added four points and Troy Fulton a three-pointer.
In the second, Golden was back at it again, canning a pair of treys on the way to eight points while Jordan Hamilton added four more. Davids and Sam Cogari would counter with seven each for the homestanding Eagles, however, as the Knights were outscored 19-16 in the stanza to fall behind 38-37 at the half.
The two teams battled back and forth in the third as Hamilton took over down low for Chatham Charter, pounding the Lincoln Charter defense for 10 points including four field goals and 2-for-2 shooting from the charity stripe. Connor Murphy added a pair of driving hoops for four points in the period as the teams fought to a 17-all standstill to give the Eagles a 55-54 lead entering the final eight minutes of action. Cogari had 11 for Lincoln Charter in the third.
White would tally eight points in the fourth and Hamilton added eight more as Chatham Charter used a 22-19 advantage in the quarter to take the 74-72 victory. White sank 4-of-4 free throws in the closing minute and Hamilton added 4-of-6 as the Knights iced the game at the charity stripe.
Cogari, who closed with as game-high 27 points, had seven in the fourth while Davis add four of his 18 points, Holm a trey to finish with 11, and Elijah Burnett three of his five points.
Hamilton finished the contest with 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists while White added 13 points, Murphy 11 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and Milholen five points, seven assists and one steal.
“Just a great team effort and I think people are finally realizing in other areas that we have a really good team and that our kids play hard and well together,” said Messier. “Not many people gave our guys a chance, but they showed tonight that they belong and are a really special team.”