The second-ranked mens varsity basketball team traveled to the Denver Coliseum to take on seventh-ranked Buffaloes from Smoky Hill High School. Both teams looked to punch a ticket to the Final Four in the CHSAA 5A Boys Basketball State Championship.

Both teams played a fast-paced offense for the majority of the game, but it would be the Golden Eagles who would keep the lead for majority of the game. At the end of the first half, Vista led the Buffaloes, 37-31.

It wouldn’t be until the last couple minutes of the third quarter where Smoky Hill would try to take the lead with two three-pointers beyond the arc and a tip-in buzzer beater. At the end of the third quarter, Vista’s lead shrank to 50-48 after the Buffaloes eight-point run, but it wasn’t over for the Golden Eagles.

Vista drew several fouls during the fourth quarter. The team dominated at the free throw line and went on to defeat Smoky Hill, 77-72.

“I remember as eighth graders we watched [the 2013-14 varsity team] get to the Final Four, but not since we’ve been in high school,” senior point guard Luke Boeyink said. “It’s pretty surreal to be the guys in the Final Four that we looked up to earlier in our lives,” senior point guard Eric Kimmell added.

Vista heads back to the Denver Coliseum on Friday night to take on Rangeview High School.

“We scrimmaged Rangeview a couple of weeks ago, so we’ll try to match up with them the best we can against them,” Kimmell said.

Tip-off is 7:30 p.m. The winner of the Final Four match will play the winner of the ThunderRidge/Chaparral game in the championship on Saturday night.

Photos by Cami Fowler, Greyson Koinzan and Michael Place