Windsor boys basketball's surprisingly successful season comes to abrupt end in playoffs
WINDSOR – David Hageman blocked a potential game-winning shot at the end of regulation to extend the Windsor High School boys basketball season for another five minutes.
But the Wizards couldn’t get the shots they needed to fall in the extra period Saturday and dropped a second-round Class 4A playoff game 71-62 to visiting Palmer Ridge.
“They hit their shots, and we didn’t,” Windsor senior Parker Seyboldt said.
It really was that simple.
Palmer Ridge (13-12), the No. 25 seed, used a couple early 3-pointers to spread out the Windsor defense, then took advantage of the extra space with some good screens to create mismatches and open paths to the basket.
Although Windsor (16-8), the No. 8 seed in the 48-team playoff bracket, got a layup from Zach Johnson at the buzzer to take a 32-27 halftime lead, the Wizards lost it quickly in the third quarter and were playing from behind for most of the second half.
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Sophomore guard James Weir scored 22 points for Palmer Ridge, which had to win a first-round game Wednesday over No. 40 seed Denver North to get to the second round. Point guard Tyler Babbitt, who took the shot on a drive into the paint that Hageman blocked at the end of regulation, added 17 points.
Senior guard Nolan Lightfoot, one of three Windsor seniors playing their final game, led his team with 17 points. Seyboldt, a forward, added 15, and Hageman, a junior guard, finished with 12.
“We just had an off night,” Hageman said. “They played great; you’ve got to give them that.”
It was a difficult end to a surprisingly successful season for Windsor, which graduated eight seniors off last year’s team and returned only one varsity regular in Hageman.
Yet, beginning with two early wins over Class 5A Poudre and another over Class 5A Fort Collins, the Wizards kept winning games they perhaps weren’t supposed to while going 16-7 during the regular season and 8-1 in the Northern Conference to finish second to Mead.
With Seyboldt (back) and junior guard Tanner Garcia (leg) nursing late-season injuries, the Wizards struggled in the end-of-season conference tournament, losing to both Frederick and Longmont.
“I think finishing the season not being at full strength kind of brought us down a bit,” Lightfoot said.
Still, the Wizards had done enough earlier in the year to earn that No. 8 seed and a bye in the first round of the playoffs.
And they did enough for more than 35 minutes Saturday to think they might still be playing next week in the Sweet 16, where they would have gotten another shot at Longmont – which won its second-round game Saturday over Thompson Valley 67-36. Longmont will host Palmer Ridge in a Sweet 16 game Tuesday.
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If only a couple shots that rimmed out had gone in or a block-charge foul call or two had gone the other way — including a potential layup by Hageman with about two minutes left in overtime that was ruled an offensive foul, negating the basket — the Wizards would be practicing Monday for another game.
After allowing Palmer Ridge to score the first two baskets in overtime, the Wizards recovered and tied it up again 60-60 on two free throws by Seyboldt with 2:38 remaining.
Palmer Ridge, though, responded with a 3-pointer by Caleb Reiman and then used a steal by Oliver Hayes to start a fast break that led to layup and five-point lead.
Windsor then had no choice but to foul, and the Bears were solid at the line, hitting 11 of 13 free throws in the extra period.
When the final buzzer sounded, Hageman and his teammates pulled their jerseys up to hide the disappointment on their faces before gathering themselves and congratulating Palmer Ridge in the post-game handshake line.
The level of success Windsor accomplished this season wasn’t what anyone, even those within the program, had expected.
That didn’t make the abrupt ending any easier, though.
“I think we surprised a lot of teams; I think we surprised ourselves a little bit,” coach Jon Rakiecki said. “Midway, three-quarters of the way through the season, we were a tough team, and again towards the end we struggled a little bit to get our confidence and get our flow back, and we never really got going again.
“We don’t know why, and it’s tough. There were a lot of tears in there (the locker room), but they overachieved. They had a successful season. Everyone’s going to lose at some point, it was just a little earlier than we anticipated.”
Colorado high school basketball playoff brackets: Windsor girls, Fossil Ridge boys earn high seeds
Poudre, Rocky Mountain fall on road
A couple of other local boys basketball teams' season also came to an end Saturday.
No. 22 Rocky Mountain dropped a tough 56-51 second-round game at No. 11 Smoky Hill.
The Lobos trailed for much of the game before making a strong push in the fourth quarter, taking the lead multiple times and holding a one-point edge with about two minutes left.
But a 9-0 Smoky Hill (16-7) run in the final minutes was too much for Rocky Mountain (14-11, 7-4 Front Range League), which struggled to the finish line this season with a 4-6 record since Jan. 29.
No. 22 Poudre also lost earlier in the day, falling 66-46 at No. 9 Rock Canyon (16-7) on Saturday afternoon in the Class 5A second round.
The Impalas (15-11, 7-4 FRL) hung in early, trailing by just seven at halftime.
But a 39-point second half overwhelmed a Poudre offense that struggled to get going. Perhaps it was tired legs from a dramatic double-overtime win over Arapahoe in the first round or a lack of reliable scoring options.
Either way, Poudre ended the regular season on a four-game winning streak and got a playoff win for the first time since 2019.
Kelly Lyell reports on CSU, high school and other local sports and topics of interest for the Coloradoan. Contact him at kellylyell@coloradoan.com, follow him on Twitter @KellyLyell and find him on Facebook at www.facebook.com/KellyLyell.news. If you 're a subscriber, thank you for your support. If not, please consider purchasing a digital subscription today.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Windsor boys basketball's season ends abruptly vs. Palmer Ridge
