BOYS BASKETBALL: How Friday Results Impact League Races
Friday was a very exciting night of basketball as a few top ten teams went down to defeat and in some cases conference leads changed hands. You can see an entire rundown of all the scores in a sister story on the website but below you can read what results from Friday mean to league races and the playoff picture. If you have a score we’re missing, you can also send to us through text at 970.380.7737 or by email to kevin@coloradopreps.com.
CLASS 5A
Cherokee Trail’s double overtime win over Eaglecrest gave the surprising Cougars sole possession of first place in the Centennial. They now lead the Raptors and Grandview by one game in the league chase. #2 Mountain Vista suffered their first loss in a 66-62 setback at Chaparral but despite the loss, the Golden Eagles still have the tiebreaker over Regis for the conference. The Raiders moved into a tie with Mountain View atop the standings by beating ThunderRidge 60-49. Fairview stayed alone atop the Front Range with their win over in-city rival Boulder. The Knights are one game ahead of Fossil Ridge and Monarch who both won on Friday. Monarch and Fairview play a huge game next week. In the SWL, Grand Junction remained alone in first with a victory at Cortez. They’re one up on Durango and they’ll face the Demons tomorrow. Grand Junction won the first game by 18 points. Rangeview moved into a first place tie with Aurora Central in the East Metro with a win over Prairie View but the Raiders lost to Aurora Central last week so the Trojans will likely win the championship.
CLASS 4A
Windsor clinched the Tri Valley title with their win over Berthoud. That moved the Windsor one game up on both Frederick and Roosevelt in the league chase. Windsor has their final game with Erie on Tuesday. Sand Creek finished off a season sweep of Cheyenne Mountain with their 49-37 win on Friday. That decision kept the Scorpions in a first place tie with Lewis Palmer who downed Falcon. The Scorpions beat the defending state champs in their first meeting with the rematch slated for Tuesday. That game will determine the outright league champion. Sand Creek first has a date with Pueblo West on Saturday. Wasson improved to 12-0 and wrapped up the CS Metro crown with their 77-66 win over Widefield. The Gladiators dropped into a second place tie with Sierra as the Stallions edged Harrison 46-43. Sierra and Widefield square off next Friday. Palisade clinched the Western Slope championship with their hard fought 43-38 win over Eagle Valley. The win created a two game cushion for the Bulldogs who close out the regular season against Delta on Saturday. Delta toppled Summit to tie Eagle Valley in second. The Devils host Steamboat Springs on Saturday. Broomfield clinched at least a tie for the Northern league championship with their win over Greeley Central. Central’s loss left Longmont and Thompson Valley tied for second 9-3. Thompson Valley rolled past Silver Creek on Friday. The Eagles challenge Longmont on Tuesday to likely determine second. Elizabeth took the first lead of the game with 2.8 seconds remaining to rally past Skyview and keep sole possession of the Colorado 7 lead.
CLASS 3A
#2 Kent Denver and #4 Holy Family secured Metro league wins over Colorado Academy and Jefferson Academy respectively on Friday so the Devils and Tigers will roll into their Wednesday night showdown with identical 7-0 marks. Both teams have already secured a top two finish so Tuesday’s winner will be crowned champion and earn the #1 seed for the district tournament. Pinnacle finished off their first ever league basketball championship by downing Middle Park 60-41. It allowed the Timberwolves to also post their first ever perfect conference as they claimed the Frontier crown. Roaring Fork stayed a game up on both Moffat County and Aspen on the Western Slope. The Rams meet Moffat County on Saturday and if Moffat County grabs the win, the two will be tied with red hot Aspen who clubbed Olathe on Friday. The Skiers may also have the advantage if the race ends in a three way tie. Pagosa Springs downed Bayfield by 25 points to keep their one game lead on Alamosa and Centauri in the Intermountain League. The Pirates lone loss came on the road to Alamosa a couple of weeks ago and the rematch is set for Saturday. Centauri meets Bayfield on Saturday as well. Dolores Huerta’s two point win over James Irwin causes some chaos in the Tri Peaks East. The result leaves the two teams tied with La Junta for the conference lead. LaJunta and DH Prep have concluded their regular season with James Irwin set to wrap up on Saturday against Ellicott. We’re unsure of the tiebreakers but it’s critical as only the top two teams earn byes to the district tournament quarterfinals. Colorado Springs Christian made official another Tri Peaks West crown with their 61 point win voer Fountain Valley. Classical Academy knocked off Manitou Springs so it appears those two teams may share the runner-up spot after splitting two regular season battles. Brush and Sterling posted Patriot league wins and they continue to sit atop the conference standings. They’ve clinched a top two finish and will square off for the championship in Sterling on Tuesday.
CLASS 2A
#1 Limon finished off a perfect run through the Union Pacific by climbing past Byers on Friday. #2 Peyton did not play but will look for a tenth straight win against Vanguard on Saturday. 3rd ranked Yuma also had Friday off but will play a non-league date at 4A Weld Central on Saturday. #4 Sanford finished off a season sweep of Sierra Grande (44-34) and with it landed the Southern Peaks title. #5 Lutheran collected another district win by blowing past Front Range Christian. #5 Resurrection Christian is off until next week when they close with Nederland and 3A Colorado Academy. #7 Ignacio did not play on Friday but gets their first chance at winning the San Juan championship on Saturday when they meet Telluride. A win there gets the goal obtained. #8 Hayden clinched the Western Slope title by beating Plateau Valley and #9 Heritage Christian gets back on the court Saturday in visiting 1A Briggsdale. #10 Rocky Ford closed out a 13-1 run through the Santa Fe by downing Rye. Now they prep for their final game of the regular season against top ranked Limon next week.
CLASS 1A
#3 McClave was the highest ranked team in action and they posted a nice 14 point win at Granada. It improved the Cardinals to 15-1 but they will have to settle for second in the High Plains race because of last week’s loss to Cheyenne Wells. The 5th ranked Tigers suffered a frustrating loss at #6 Hi Plains on Friday. The game was a non-conference affair and since both teams are headed to different districts, it won’t impact seeding there either. It could come into play if both teams reach the state tournament in mid-March. #7 KHollly picked up their 12th win of the season by beating Kim 63-48. They’ve now won nine of ten. #9 Otis was no match for 2A power Haxtun. The Fightin’ Bulldogs collected an easy 65-25 decision but the loss won’t affect Otis in the league standings or for district seed. Their most important remaining game is next Friday when they battle Hi Plains for the YWKC championship.
Comments
I listened to the end,of the hi plains Cheyenne wells game on the radio. Hi plains shot 28 free throws to Cheyenne wells 1. Sounds like that was the difference in that game. Did Cheyenne,wells just shot threes all night.
Wow, that is a huge difference in the free throws from the comment above... Heard Otis played without their leading scorer who opens up a lot for others, not saying Otis would have won at all, but most likely a much better game with him on the court... I can't wait to see how the post season turns out for every team, still have to play every game and several teams have the ability to get HOT!