Palisade High School Basketball Playoff Game at Denver Coliseum | Colorado Sports Photography

As a Colorado event, portrait, and sports photographer, I always enjoy the opportunity to photograph competitive sporting events. Over the years I’ve had the chance to cover games for organizations like the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rapids, the University of Colorado Buffaloes, and many other universities and high schools across Colorado. Each event brings a different type of energy, and high school playoff basketball is always especially exciting to photograph.

For my most recent assignment, I photographed a Colorado high school basketball playoff game at the Denver Coliseum, featuring Palisade High School from Palisade, Colorado and Lewis-Palmer High School from Colorado Springs. Palisade High School is part of the Mesa County Valley School District, and the team entered the game as the No. 1 seed in the 5A boys basketball state tournament.

As a sports photographer covering high school basketball, I always try to arrive early. Getting to the arena before the game starts allows me to capture the moments that help tell the full story of the event — the warmups, team huddles, and interactions between coaches and players. Before tipoff, I was able to photograph the Palisade head coach going down the line and giving each player encouragement and advice. These behind-the-scenes moments often capture the emotion and anticipation that define championship-level high school sports.

Despite being more than three hours away from Denver, Palisade brought an impressive group of fans to the Denver Coliseum. The stands were filled with supporters who made the long trip from Western Colorado to cheer on their team during the Colorado high school basketball playoffs. The energy in the arena was high as the game tipped off.

However, by halftime, Lewis-Palmer had built a significant lead, putting Palisade down by nearly twenty points. In situations like this, my focus as a sports and event photographer shifts slightly. While the action on the court is still important, I also look for the emotional moments that unfold during games like these — the determination on players’ faces, the reactions from coaches, and the tension on the sidelines.

When a No. 1 seeded team faces a difficult game, you can feel the emotion throughout the gym. Capturing those moments is an important part of documenting high school athletics and the story of a playoff run.

Despite their effort in the second half, Palisade High School ultimately fell to Lewis-Palmer with a final score of 63–46, ending their run in the Colorado 5A boys basketball state tournament.

After the final buzzer, I captured the emotional contrast that often defines high school playoff sports — the celebration from Lewis-Palmer players and the disappointment from Palisade athletes who had worked so hard to reach this stage.

Photographing Colorado high school basketball playoff games is always rewarding because the passion from the players, coaches, and fans is so genuine. Moments like these highlight why I love working as a sports photographer covering high school athletics, college sports, and professional teams across Colorado.