High school boys basketball: Mesa Ridge tops Falcon

Jamal Dickerson lost a contact lens but not his shooting touch while scoring a game-high 22 points to lead senior-laden Mesa Ridge to a 68-49 home victory against Falcon on Friday.

Dickerson, a 6-foot-2 senior, netted 14 points before losing his contact lens. He tallied eight more points in the fourth quarter, including six in a row when his two baskets sandwiched two free throws.

“That was wild. I didn’t know it was possible,” Dickerson said. “When I shot the free throws, I was kind of squinting.”

With Pikes Peak No. 10 Mesa Ridge ahead 48-35, Dickerson scored on a fast-break layup and No. 7 Falcon was whistled for an intentional foul.

He made both free throws and later added a layup on the subsequent possession for a 54-35 lead.

“I finally put another contact in after the game,” said Dickerson, who added nine rebounds, three assists and three steals.

Emanuel Salas scored 19 points for Mesa Ridge (4-4, 2-0 4A Metro), while John Smalls added 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Gabriel Jackson had 11 points for Falcon (6-3, 1-2). Adam Link added 10 points and nine rebounds, while Onorio Franco had nine points.

It was 16-16 after a quarter, but Falcon trailed by five at halftime and 46-35 entering the final period.

“It came down to somebody else wanted it more than we did,” Falcon coach Roy Vieux said. “We didn’t get back in transition and they hurt us.”

Both teams like to run but only the Grizzlies did so effectively after the opening quarter.

“We turned our defense into offense and were able to speed up things our way,” said Mesa Ridge coach Monte Fetters, whose team has lost four games to Pueblo schools, three by four points or less.

Dickerson had six points in an 8-0 spurt that gave Mesa Ridge a 24-17 lead it never relinquished. He also fed Tomas Gipson for a two-on-one fast-break dunk.

“Everybody stepped up,” Dickerson said. “I just try to help by doing whatever it takes to win.”