Fort Lewis headed to RMAC Shootout final after 89-78 win against Metro State

The RMAC Shootout semifinal between Fort Lewis and Metro State was billed to be a fabulous matchup of two dynamic point guards, and they didn’t disappoint.

Joshua Blaylock and Tony Dobbinson went toe-to-toe and combined to play 78 of 80 minutes and score 40 points, but it was the Skyhawks and their guard that were a little bit better, as FLC won its 14th consecutive game 89-78 to set up a date with Colorado Mines at 7 p.m. Saturday for the championship.

Blaylock and senior guard Cade Kloster each had 24 points to lead Fort Lewis. Rasmus Bach was huge off the bench with 17 points and led an interior Skyhawks’ attack that outscored the much larger Metro State front line, 38-18.

“It was a great Division II basketball game with two great guards,” Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack said. “Our guard was just a bit better in the end. Two great programs played hard for the whole game, and we did just enough to win.”

Two very different teams met Jan. 2, and Fort Lewis came away with a 77-63 win in a defensive battle. Friday’s semifinal was a much different type of game.

The point guard matchup between All-RMAC first teamers Blaylock and Dobbinson was as good as advertised. The two went back-and-forth and combined for 22 points in a great first half of basketball.

“He’s a great player and he played tough defense on me all night,” Dobbinson said of Blaylock.

The two powerhouses exchanged runs and buckets in a tight first half. Kloster had 15 points in the opening 20 minutes, including a layup at the buzzer that gave the Skyhawks (26-3) a 44-43 lead heading into the locker room.

Like Mines did in the first game of the evening, Fort Lewis came out with a spark to start the second half. The Skyhawks exploded for a 16-4 run and amassed a double-digit lead behind another sparkling second half from Kody Salcido off the FLC bench. Salcido had 12 points and, behind his interior dominance, the FLC lead swelled to 16.

With the game slipping away, the Roadrunners fought back.

Metro State (20-11) went on a 11-2 run to cut the deficit to five.

Kloster and the Skyhawks took advantage of Roadrunners’ foul trouble and went to work at the line. Metro State center Andre Harris fouled out with five minutes left to play and it was an uphill climb for the visitors from that moment forward.

“It’s no coincidence that Fort Lewis is the host and the regular season champs in this league,” Metro State head coach Derrick Clark said. “They make shots, they play good defense and they were just a bit better than us. I was proud of our effort, and it had nothing to do with our work ethic this time.”

After seeing the Roadrunners work back into the game, Blaylock and company wouldn’t budge. Metro State never got back to within a possession of tying the game after the FLC run that started the half.

Eric Rayer led the Roadrunners with 22 points and was a perfect 6-for-6 from 3-point range. Dobbinson had 16 in his last game. His counterpart, Blaylock, finished 9-for-12 from the field as FLC pushed its perfect home record to 16-0.

Fort Lewis and Colorado Mines will meet at 7 p.m. Saturday for the championship. The Skyhawks won both regular season meetings.

“They are the classiest program in this league,” Pietrack said. “They’re a championship program through and through and it’ll take our best effort to win.”

jfries@durangoherald.com