Arbor View prolongs best season in school history with first-round victory

By Case Keefer (contact)

Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2013 | 9:44 p.m.

If Arbor View plans to compile a list of all the milestones it’s reached this season, the Aggies might need to budget for more than one page.

In a season full of firsts, the Aggies added three more in Tuesday night’s first round Sunset Regional playoffs. Arbor View both hosted and won a playoff game for the first time, beating Cimarron-Memorial 67-64.

That brought its overall record on the year to 20-7, making the 2012-2013 Aggies the first to ever reach the 20-win plateau.

“For us to have all this success has been huge,” Arbor View coach Kyle Hageness said. “We’ve played a lot of tight games. It’s very special when you can do all these firsts in school history.”

The Aggies had no jitters early, as they powered out to a nine-point lead in the second quarter. Chuck Porter, who had 21 points, and Navonte Hill, who finished with 18, set the tone early and continued to lead Arbor View all night.

But Hageness said Cimarron used its athleticism to stay close the entire game. Mixed with several missed free throws from Arbor View, Cimarron cut it to a one-possession game in the final minute.

But the Aggies persevered and now meet Centennial in the second round of the playoffs Thursday at Durango.

“Any win is a beautiful win at this point of the season,” Hageness said. “We just want to survive and advance. We’re happy to be playing another game.”

Case Keefer can be reached at 948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.