– Lakewood nearly pulled off the upset of the tournament but was held off by the defending 5A state champs Eaglecrest in a 45-44 loss in the second round of the state tournament Saturday at Eaglecrest High School.

Despite having nine losses on the year going into the game the Tigers played as if they were the reigning champs, raining just enough jump shots to keep Eaglecrest close.

Evan O’Dorsio led Lakewood with 15 points but with a chance tie the game in the closing second the Tigers were not able to get a shot off.

Instead, thinking they had more time left in the game, Lakewood went for a layup that cut Eaglecrest lead to a single point.

However, despite having all of the momentum late in the contest, the Tigers had no time left and no timeouts to draw a foul.

And just like that Lakewood went from giant potential shocker, to shocked they lost a game that could have been won.

But that is also why Eaglecrest is the reigning state champions. Jaisen Jackson had 15 points for the Raptors, and while no other Eaglecrest player scored over six points, their size, physicality and strength were enough to hold Lakewood off.

The Tigers actually set the tone for the game that turned into a nail-biter leading 12-10 after the first quarter. And they never let Eaglecrest open up a double digit lead.

The championship experience came into play for the Coyotes who have now won six straight playoff games dating back to next season.

Lakewood (15-10, 9-7 in 5A Jeffco) was streaky this season at times looking very average. But they also had six game win streak.

In addition, they played up to their competition all season long, playing well against elite teams.

The Tigers also beat Fountain-Fort Carson 43-24 in the first round of the playoffs Wednesday at Lakewood High School.