Gilpin boys drop 80-point road decision

By Scott Fuller

1/20/05 - The Gilpin County boys’ basketball team took just a combined 12 shots and managed to grab a meager four team rebounds in what easily proved its most devastating loss of the season; a 100-20 defeat at the hands of league rival Jefferson Academy Friday night.

  Truth be told, the Eagles never stood a chance in their conference opener; falling behind to a 35-3, and then 43-5 deficit in the game’s opening quarter and a half.

  Gilpin senior Neal Gillivan shone as the offensive bright spot for the Eagles, doing nearly all of his damage from the free throw line. Gillivan hit 7-of-8 from the foul stripe, and shot 1-of-3 from the field for a team-high 10 point performance. Junior Jared Kennedy shot 2-of-3 on the night, while splitting one of two three-pointers, to add five of his own.

  As a team, the Eagles made just four shots from the floor, while grabbing four team rebounds, four assists, two steals, and no blocks. On the bright side, though, the team shot a respectable 10-of-15 from the line; a key indication that a team is generally well-coached and disciplined to a certain extent, regardless of the score.

  Something to be taken away from the loss for the Eagles was the game’s second quarter, when the Jaguars outscored Gilpin by just a single point; 13-12. In what proved to be its only stretch of real offensive production, the Eagles posted a brief 8-3 run after the Jefferson starters had been benched. During this time, four different Eagles scored, including three-pointers from Gillivan and Kennedy.

  Jefferson Academy is now 7-1 overall and has played well enough to this point the early season to merit serious state championship consideration. The Jaguars’ sole loss came in a high-scoring decision on the road; an 86-71 decision to Evangelical Christian on Dec. 11.

  The Eagles have some time to put this most recent loss aside, as they will not play again until they host longtime arch rival Denver Academy on Jan. 21.

  Gilpin remains winless on the season.