The Doherty boys’ basketball team fell apart on offense in the second half, and Monarch took advantage for a 58-53 win in the semifinals of the Pikes Peak Tip Off Classic on Thursday night.

“It was a good defensive game,” Doherty coach Dan McKiernan said. “We just stunk it up offensively.”

Doherty held a 29-27 lead at halftime, but Monarch scored to open the second half and the Spartans couldn’t keep up. Monarch outscored Doherty 15-7 in the third quarter.

A Tyler Velasquez 3-pointer brought the Spartans within one in the fourth quarter, but Monarch answered seconds later with a 3 of its own.

Another 3-pointer by Mark Jones with 14 seconds remaining gave Doherty fans some hope. But Monarch sealed the game from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, the Spartans couldn’t get any of their late attempts from behind the arc to fall.

Velasquez led the Spartans with 14 points, while senior Andrew Hill had 11.

“We played hard, we just were not all there on offense,” Doherty senior Matt Oesterle said. “When we do, we’ll be a great team.”

The Spartans kept a steady lead throughout the first half as Velasquez sank two 3-pointers to help his team start the game.

But Monarch slowly crept up on the Spartans, setting the stage for its second-half rally. Doherty will play Palmer at 8 tonight at Palmer High School for third place.

Photo by joeuveges.com