DENVER >> A group of exceptional seniors helped mold the dream team for Prospect Ridge Academy boys basketball, but on Friday at the Denver Coliseum, the No. 4 seed Miners woke up from a season that saw them sprinting much farther ahead than they ever had before. Top-seeded Kent Denver handed them an 84-70 loss in the Class 4A final four.

Prior to their appearance in the semifinals, the Miners had never made it out of regionals. It’s their first year up in 4A.

“This team that we had was something spectacular,” sophomore Jackson Brandt said. “We made history so much this year, and I wouldn’t want to do it without anyone but my teammates. We were all so connected and we just continued it throughout the whole year. It was just something special that we created. It sets the expectation for next year.”

He’s just one shining light for the future of a team whose potential was blinding this year.

Leading into their final game, seniors Travis Agbosse (13.9 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game), Liam Schilling (13.7 PPG) and Zeke Bote (11.4) were the beating heart of the offense alongside Brandt (13.7 PPG).

On Friday, Schilling led the charge with 18 points, but freshman Josiah Bote and Brandt provided plenty of backup with 15 points apiece.

“It’s like having sons. That’s why we do this,” head coach Scott Iten said. “Those guys are amazing. They give everything all the time. Anything we ask, they’re willing to do. The seniors are just what’s turned this program around. They are dedicated to being not only good basketball players, but they’re great humans.

“We have really good solid underclassmen coming in. We want to be here again. That’s the goal. This is an amazing experience for everybody in our community. It’s just amazing just to be on this ride from where we were seven years ago to be here. It’s pretty crazy.”

Schilling was just a small cog in the senior wheel that had been turning since their freshman season on C team. He said those boys could never have imagined how far they’d come in just four short years.

“It’s just crazy to think we’re in the Coliseum senior year, competing to go to the championship,” he said. “As sad as it is, as much as it hurts, this team truly was special. This group of seniors was special. I think this team’s going to be special for the next years to come.”

The Miners shot a cool 46.6% from the field (27 of 58), but they didn’t lag too far behind the Sun Devils’ 36-of-64 effort (56.3%) in that respect.

The crafty Sun Devils did, however, far outpace the Miners in the stealing category with 17 to PRA’s five, and forced the Miners to commit 23 turnovers while keeping a strong handle on the ball themselves.

The Miners managed to keep it close through a 23-15 first quarter, but Kent Denver blew it open after that. They ended their year with a 20-7 record, while the Sun Devils will move into the championship matchup against either No. 6 Coal Ridge or No. 10 Colorado Academy on Saturday.

Athletic director Ellie Kempfe said that PRA gave its high school students a half-day to allow them to make the drive into Denver, and nearly 300 students showed up to cheer on their Miners. They far outnumbered the Sun Devils fans.

“They gave us so much energy,” Iten said. “They are so connected, and that’s the heart of this school and who we are. We’re a community first, and they’re going to do whatever they can to support each other. We have a musical tonight that they’re all talking about going to. That’s who these kids are. They support each other. It doesn’t really matter whether we’re bowling or whatever, the senior class — my guys, I guess, in particular — just really buy into the PRA way.”