Tiger boys stifle Senators to end regular season

If Douglas High boys basketball intends on making its third straight state tournament appearance, the Tigers at least know who stands in the way.

Friday night, the Tigers took care of business against Carson, besting the Senators, 73-44, to cap the regular season.

Douglas came into the contest already locked into the No. 6 seed.

However, the Tigers could’ve faced one of two opponents.

With Reed beating Spanish Springs, Douglas will open the Class 4A North regional postseason Wednesday at No. 3 Reed at 7 p.m.

Senior Night sendoff

It was Senior Night as well for the Douglas boys team, which will graduate eight seniors this spring.

Senior Jett Lehmann continued to find ways to put the ball in the basket, finishing the night with 18 points and eight steals.

Fellow senior Kyle Koontz, who ended the night with 10 points and eight rebounds, quickly got things rolling for the Tigers.

Koontz’s first bucket was a put back off the glass for the first points of the game.

On the Tigers’ next defensive possession, Koontz returned a shot to sender before coming up with a steal prior to Carson’s next field goal attempt.

On the break, Koontz hit Lehmann in stride for a breakaway dunk to energize the crowd early on.

An offensive rebound on the next possession turned into a Koontz mid-range jumper as Douglas went up 6-2. 

“It feels great, especially at home. Stands were packed. The environment was great. It means the world to add the win,” said Koontz.

Douglas led 16-13 after one and 37-26 at half, but the Tigers opened up the gap in the third quarter, outscoring the Senators 20-6 to take a 57-32 lead.

Senior Reed Ward was all over the glass whenever the opportunity arose, chasing down rebounds and avoiding box outs all night long.

Now, the Tigers turn their sights to the regional tournament where wins are the only way to keep their season alive.

“We have to come together. We have the pieces for sure. We just have to put it together,” said Ward.
“One hundred percent, that is the most important thing. We have the team to go and we’ve done it before,” said Koontz.

Departing from the team following the season will be Lehmann, Koontz, Ward, Reese Torres, Jeremiah Pitts, Trace Estes, Vincent Dame and Ishmi Enos.

(The 2024 Douglas High boys basketball senior class. Pictured from right to left are Jeremiah Pitts, Reese Torres, Kyle Koontz, Jett Lehmann, Reed Ward, Ishmi Enos, Vincent Dame and Trace Estes. / Ron Harpin)