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Rangeview tops Chaparral to win 5A boys basketball crown

The Raiders captured their first state title in 34 years by knocking off the top-seeded Wolverines in the championship Saturday night.

Time to party like it's 1985.

Rangeview is wearing a state championship crown for the first time in 34 years after the Raiders knocked off top-seeded Chaparral 61-47 at the Denver Coliseum in Saturday night's Class 5A grand finale.

"I'm just happy that we got the job done. We've been waiting for this moment ever since I was a freshman," junior guard Christopher Speller said. "I'm just glad that we finally got the win for Aurora and our school."

Credit: Quentin Sickafoose/KUSA
The Rangeview High School boys basketball team defeated Chaparral 61-47 in the Class 5A boys basketball state championship at Denver Coliseum on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

The Raiders led for the majority of the championship game, building a cushion as large as 14 points by going on a 14-2 run.

But Chaparral came alive late in the high-scoring fourth quarter (50 combined points) and cut its deficit to as little as three points thanks to the help of Kobe Sanders' hot hand. He hit four 3-pointers to spark the Wolverines' comeback bid.

"Every timeout, we said to ourselves that we can't give up," junior guard Obi Agbim said. "We can't let it go now because we came this far in the season and can't stop now."

Rangeview would fend off Chaparral and made its free throws coming down the stretch. Speller led the Raiders with 17 points, while Agbim scored 13. They finish with a 26-2 overall record.

Chaparral (23-5) was led by Sanders' game-high 20 points, and also had 11 points from Tanner Giles.

"This is a life-changer," Agbim said. "We like to push forward for our school and out city, and they never gave up on us."

Credit: Quentin Sickafoose/KUSA
The Rangeview boys basketball team won the Class 5A state championship with a 61-47 victory over Chaparral at the Denver Coliseum on Saturday, March 9, 2019.

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