It’s 7 p.m. on Jan. 26. 

Warm-up music plays in the tension-filled air of the ThunderRidge High School (TRHS) gym. 

Two basketball teams, facing off with one goal: to win. 

Entering the game, the Jags were ranked sixth in 6A, and ThunderRidge was ranked first, according to MaxPreps and @basketballcolorado on Instagram. 

As the game began, the gym became electric. The sold-out student sections began competing through screams and chants such as the Party Party and “Do it” chants, cheering on the Jags and the Grizzlies. The Jags were adorned in camouflage gear and face paint, while TRHS students dressed in white.

As the first quarter ended, the score was 14-11, Jags in the lead. 

By halftime, the score was 24-17, Jags holding onto their lead. 

“In the locker room, during halftime, we were excited. We knew we could easily beat these guys, just got to play one more half together and it’s ours,” varsity forward Nolan Kliewer ‘24 said. 

During the third quarter, the teams stayed close, but the Jags were still in the lead with a score of 35-34.

As the game ended, the final buzzer rang. The scoreboard read 48-44, with a win for the Jags.

The cheering of fans and families filled the gym. As players celebrated on the court, the Jags began waving goodbye to the Grizzly student section. 

The victory for the Jags brought them to a season win/loss record of 14-3. 

On Jan. 29, @basketballcolorado announced an updated list of team rankings on Instagram, with Rock Canyon ranked first and ThunderRidge ranked second. 

Depending on the results of the home game against Mountain Vista High School at 7 p.m. tonight, Feb. 2, the Jaguars ranking may continue to improve in MaxPreps’s 6A varsity boys basketball rankings.

“This helps pump us up for the rest of the season and playoffs because they were ranked one and beating them shows we can pretty much beat anyone,” varsity guard Jacob Davis ‘27 said. 

Gallery • 5 Photos

media by Quinn Barton

During the Jan. 26 basketball game at ThunderRidge, varsity point guard Hudson Ellwood ‘24 looks to score. Throughout this game, the Jags scored 48 points, while the Grizzlies only scored 44 points. “I think we’ve progressed a lot. There’s been a lot of ups and downs, but I think everything’s meshing together,” Ellwood said.