After a strong first half by the Standley Lake boys basketball team against Columbine Jan. 4, the Gators lost momentum in the second half and last the game 66-56 at Standley Lake High School.

The Gators (6-3) lost to the Rebels (3-6) following three consecutive victories against Bear Creek, Legacy and Golden. Before playing Standley Lake, Columbine had only two wins against Littleton and Fruita Monument.

“I think we played really undisciplined and selfish at times,” head coach Mike Puccio said. “I credit coach Thielking and Columbine for disrupting our flow.”

Standley Lake was either ahead or tied with the Rebels the entire game until the fourth quarter. Columbine took their first lead of the game at 40-38 with seven minutes left in the fourth.

Sophomore Eric Turner made a 3-pointer to make the score to 52-50 with two and a half minutes left in the game. The Gators stayed within two points of Columbine, but the Rebels started to break away and the Gators couldn’t keep up.

Standley Lake tried getting the ball back by fouling the Rebels, however the Gators missed important shots, losing the game 66-56. Columbine scored 31 points in the fourth quarter alone. The Gators only made six 3-pointers out of 24 attempts in the game.

“The fourth quarter was tough for us offensively,” Puccio said. “Columbine executed and hit free throws down the stretch.”

The Gators led the game 10-7 at the end of the first quarter. A slam dunk by senior Marcus Asmus gave Standley Lake its biggest lead of the game at 17-10 in the middle of the second quarter. The score was tied at halftime 22-22. The Gators led at the end of the third quarter 38-35.

Asmus led Standley Lake in scoring with 26 points, while Turner scored 10 points. Senior Dylan Critchfield scored eight points.

“[Marcus] played his heart out and just fell a little short,” Puccio said of Asmus.

The Gators will play Arvada West Jan. 10 at home and then will travel Jan. 14 for a game against Chatfield.

“This team has tremendous potential,” Puccio said. “We just need to continue to play together and play high percentage basketball.”