Saturday’s matchup between Fort Lewis and Metro State University-Denver was for solo possession of first place in the hotly contested Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, and the Skyhawks played like it was personal.
In a battle of the RMAC’s top two defenses, No. 20 Fort Lewis was the team to break the trend, as the Skyhawks pushed their way to the top of the conference with a 77-63 win.
Fort Lewis senior Cade Kloster was feeling the rhythm from the opening tip and led the game with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting and 4-for-7 behind the 3-point stripe.
“We’re only seven games into a 22-game conference schedule, but it’s good to keep getting wins,” said Fort Lewis head coach Bob Pietrack. “We have a lot of respect for Metro State, and it’s nice to get a win against tradition-rich programs like they have over there.”
Skyhawks point guard Joshua Blaylock had another solid performance with 13 points and four assists.
From the opening tip, Fort Lewis (11-1, 6-1 RMAC) looked like they were the fresher, more determined team, and Kloster got the Skyhawks off to a hot start.
The senior from Longmont had 12 points in the first five minutes on 3-for-3 from long range. Behind his hot start from the field and a gritty stretch of defense, FLC used a 16-0 run to jump out to 22-7 first-half lead.
Metro State (7-6, 5-2 RMAC) fought back and cut the deficit to three points before the Skyhawks padded the lead once again.
In the first half’s final possession, Blaylock drove the lane and drew a slew of defenders only to find Rasmus Bach cutting to the basket for a two-handed dunk as the buzzer sounded. When the officials reviewed the play and confirmed the initial result, the Skyhawks went to the locker room with a 37-28 lead. It was a lone bright spot on a tough night for Bach, FLC’s leading scorer.
“Rasmus struggled, but that’s the mark of a good team,” Pietrack said. “We have the ability to throw guys in there that can get the job done.”
After FLC defeated Metro State’s early zone defense with ease, the Roadrunners went to a half-court trap on defense in the second half, and it gave Fort Lewis trouble.
“They pressed almost the whole game,” Blaylock said. “All I was trying to do was to get out of those traps.”
Metro State chipped away behind the inside-out-game of Tony Dobbinson and the interior play of Andre Harris, who presented a tough task for the undersized Skyhawks.
Dobbinson finished with 15 points, but Harris kept the Roadrunners in the game with dominant play in the paint in the second half. The Roadrunners’ big man finished the night with 18 points and 13 rebounds, 11 of which came at the offensive end.
Harris couldn’t do it all by himself, though, as a variety of Skyhawks were filling up the stat sheet.
“Andre played himself to exhaustion,” said Metro State head coach Derrick Clark. “That’s the type of effort we needed out of all our guys, and Fort Lewis played with more urgency. They shoot the ball as well as anyone in the country, and they were knocking down shots from everywhere.”
In what’s becoming a nightly occurrence, Will Morse and company provided offensive firepower off the FLC bench. The Roadrunners couldn’t figure out who to focus on as shots were falling from all angles.
As time ticked away, another Kloster 3-pointer stretched the Skyhawks’ lead to 19, and both coaches emptied the benches conceding that the contest was over.
“This is a big win because they’re such a good team and so well coached,” Kloster said. “I felt good, but I have to give all the credit to my teammates for getting me the ball when in rhythm in places I like to shoot.”
Morse had eight points for the Skyhawks, and all eight of the FLC players to see the court scored at least one basket in another impressive win for the Skyhawks, who will travel to face Colorado Christian and Colorado Mines next weekend.
jfries@durangoherald.com
