BROOMFIELD >> A quick look at the records this season for Broomfield and Holy Family boys basketball can be deceptive, but they tell a story of a Granite Peaks League that would be difficult to wade through for just about anybody.

Their matchup at Broomfield on Friday night didn’t disappoint.

Whether it was Eagles senior Will Lapham lobbing up shots from all over the floor or Tigers senior Roman Elliott punishing Broomfield from both sides of the arc, each squad had plenty to offer. Both have had their fair share of bruises after Broomfield improved to 13-8 (8-2 in the GPL) and Holy Family fell to 10-8 (5-5) in the 71-63 win for the Eagles.

The Tigers will drop down to 4A for the state tournament, while the Eagles will stay elevated in 6A.

“The ball pressure, being able to play in an environment like this, that will help us a lot — always being able to just connect with the five guys out here, no matter who we play,” Elliott said. “The competition here is better than a lot of the teams that we’ll face going on, so I think just playing better teams helps us.”

That was evident from the tipoff.

The two squads matched each other’s speed and athleticism, even as the Eagles held the edge save for the first few baskets. They led 41-31 at the half but could never quite shake the Tigers. No lead was truly safe until the final buzzer.

Lapham led all scorers with 19 points, but three more Eagles got in on the double-digit action thanks to seniors Grant Schmidt (12 points), Joey Cook (11) and Blaes Kane (10). Elliott took the lead for Holy Family with 16, but junior Caleb Schott and senior Rocco Howes didn’t trail too far behind with 14 and 11 of their own.

“We haven’t played since Tuesday, so I was ready to just get going,” Lapham said. “It was a rivalry game too, so it made it even more special to score and get all my teammates open too. This league is tough. I mean, there’s tough 5A teams, tough 6A teams, and every night we’re going to have to come out and play and give it our best.”

The Eagles entered the contest ranked No. 14 in CHSAA’s Selection & Seeding Index and should comfortably fit into the expanded 40-team playoff no matter what happens through their last three regular season games. They’ll begin that final ride on Friday against Legacy.

Holy Family trends a bit higher in the 4A system at No. 12, which is no doubt a testament to its strength of schedule, and will host Skyline on the same night. The Tigers’ growth has been evident since the start of the season.

“I feel like we’ve improved a lot coming from the Colorado Academy game, our first game of the season,” Elliott said. “We’ve gotten a lot better, connected a lot more. We dealt with injuries early in the season, sickness and stuff, but now I feel like going into playoffs, we’re in good shape. We’re probably moving the ball better. We’ve been playing better defense. Tonight was tough, but defense rotation, communication, we’ve gotten a lot better.”