Das and Buckbee lead Niwot boys basketball past Greeley West

The Niwot High School varsity boys basketball team closed its pre-holiday break schedule with a commanding win at Greeley West High School on Dec. 20.

Senior guards Rohit Das and Archer Buckbee shined in the Friday evening affair, combining for 30 points in the Cougars' 58-48 victory. Das scored a team-high 18 points while Buckbee buried three 3-pointers.

"Rohit's a very, very talented player," said Niwot Head Coach Walker Bounds. "He stepped up big for us today. He had some great takes at the rim and really led the way on offense. He's one of our guys where if he's going, I think we can be hard to beat. It was a great day for Rohit."

The Cougars improved to 4-5 following a grueling stretch to begin the season. Earlier in the week, Niwot beat Pomona High School on Dec. 17 before falling to Prairie View High School on Dec. 19.

"It's been a long three weeks for us," Bounds said. "Nine games in three weeks is not easy, especially coming off the back-to-back. I was pleased with how we finished the game with tired legs."

As Bounds observed, Niwot played its best basketball late in the game. After scoring 19 points in the third quarter to create separation, the Cougars' D put Greeley West away with a dominant fourth quarter.

"We really came into our own down the stretch and held Greeley West to five points in the fourth quarter," Bounds said. "It was huge and we ended up sneaking out with the win."

Senior Luke Demmel, a 6-foot-7 forward/center, agreed that Niwot grew stronger as the game progressed.

"We knew that we needed to win this game," Demmel said. "It was an important game for this season, and it was great. We started off rough, but we ended up finishing really good. We were confident, and that's what we needed for the rest of the game. It was good that we never gave up."

Offensively, Das and Buckbee weren't the only Cougars who contributed big minutes. Sebastian Stenz scored nine points on three 3-pointers, and Taylor Rodanski finished with eight. Junior Brooklyn Donohoe also contributed seven points.

Niwot will have over two weeks to regroup before hosting Granite Peaks League foe Horizon High School on Jan. 7. Bounds hopes his Cougars can use the time off to get healthy and remember some basketball basics.

"It's good for us to get some time away to tend to our injuries and that kind of stuff," Bounds said. "The break will be about getting back to the fundamentals. I think a lot of times throughout the high school season, some of those little things that are so important in the game can be forgotten about in the heat of a season."