BOYS BASKETBALL: Schedule/Results 1-31-13

First place is up for grabs on several fronts tonight especially in Class 4A where the top two teams in the Colorado Springs Metro and Western Slope leagues square off.  In the CS Metro, Wasson can actually create a two game cushion by beating long-time rival Sierra while the winner of tonight’s battle between Palisade and Eagle Valley will stand alone in first.  Top ranked Denver East (5A) is also in action this evening seeking a fourth straight double digit win in league play.

CLASS 5A

FINAL:  #1 Denver East beat Lincoln 63-51

FINAL:  Fountain Fort Carson beat Doherty 49-40

FINAL:  Pine Creek beat Palmer 56-44

FINAL:  Rangeview beat Adams City 87-35

Through the first league games, Denver East has been outstanding and really not pushed in rolling past Denver North (89-45), Thomas Jefferson (75-57) and Denver West (96-53).  They expect Lincoln to be a more difficult out especially on the road.  The Lancers played a strong non-conference schedule to prep them for the rugged City league slate but the strategy has not worked well thus far.  Lincoln has suffered league losses to Thomas Jefferson (75-64) and Denver South (58-56) so they must upset the state championship favorites to stay in the title chase.  To get the upset, the Lancers must find a way to slow down Dominique Collier (20.4) and the high scoring Eagles (75.4).  No conference team has been able to do that as Collier has bumped his scoring average inside the conference with 73 points in three wins (24.3).  Fountain Fort Carson’s win over Rampart on Tuesday puts the Trojans in great shape in the Colorado Springs Metro.  Should they get a win this evening and Pine Creek also beats Palmer, then the Trojans will have created a two game on every other league team. 

CLASS 4A

FINAL:  #6 Broomfield beat Mountain View 86-53

FINAL:  #9 Wasson beat Sierra 69-30

FINAL:  Palisade beat Eagle Valley 59-52

FINAL:  Durango beat Montezuma Cortez 56-44

FINAL:  Coronado beat Woodland Park 64-48

FINAL:  Widefield beat Harrison 58-50

FINAL:  Berthoud beat Skyline 56-41

While Broomfield should be able to get by Mountain View and stay atop the Northern league standings, the other two games listed will determine first place in their respective conferences.  Wasson and Sierra are one-two in the Colorado Springs Metro league and are separated by just one game while Palisade and Eagle Valley are tied for the top spot in the Western Slope.  Wasson has won nine straight including a solid 81-50 win over Widefield nine days ago.  Averaging 66 points as a team this season, the T-Birds also feature one of the top individual scorers in the state in DJ Hanes (23.1).  The 6-1 senior also contributes 7 rebounds and 4 steals per game.  He’s scored at least 20 points in 9 games this season but has totaled just 30 points over his last two.  His season high of 31 points came against Harrison January 18^th.  Sierra, which suffered their only league loss to Widefield (45-36) just last week, must score the road win to stay within range of the league leaders.  Last week’s loss snapped the Stallions eight game winning streak.  Palisade and Eagle Valley are both 7-1 in league play.  Each has suffered their only league loss to third place Delta which sits one game back in third (6-2).  Tonight’s game is the first of two battles as the Bulldogs and Devils reconvene on February 15^th.  Palisade recovered from their three point loss to Delta by downing Summit (66-51) in Frisco last Saturday.  Jesus Aguirre (16), Luke McLean (14) and Skyler Miller (14) paced the offense combining for 44 of the team’s 66 points.  That trio averages only 21 points a game through the season.  Eagle Valley lost by 21 points to Delta but has won their last four including a narrow 37-36 decision at Steamboat Springs.  The Devils also host Delta on Saturday so this week will greatly affect their league championship hopes.  Broomfield beat Mountain View 67-52 in the first meeting.  That win was part of the Eagles 7-0 first place mark through the first half of the Northern league slate.  They face second place Thompson Valley for a second time on February 12^th.  Those two are separated by one game atop the standings.

CLASS 3A

FINAL:  Valley beat Frontier Academy 42-33

CLASS 2A

FINAL:  Denver Christian beat #4 Resurrection Christian 58-49 (OT)

FINAL:  Alexander Dawson beat Fountain Valley 56-51

FINAL:  Sangre De Cristo beat Center 43-37

Even though have several conference games remaining after tonight, Resurrection Christian can basically wrap up the Mile High crown with a win.  The Cougars have already downed both Heritage Christian and Alexander Dawson so a win over Denver Christian would give them victories over their top three challengers.  It would leave Resurrection Christian basically a win over Liberty Common away from claiming the league’s top prize.  Resurrection Christian has won eight straight since a loss to Shining Mountain very early in the season.  That loss looks even better this week after Shining Mountain beat 3A #1 Kent Denver in overtime two nights ago.  Balance is a strength of the Cougars with four players scoring between 10 and 15 points a game with Wyatt Simon (14.5) and Billy Buxman (12.9) leading the charge.  Luke Mondt (10.5) and Thomas Ervin (10.0) can also lead the offense at times.  Denver Christian has not played since falling to Heritage Christian (59-50) on the 25^th.  Stats for that game are not available but the Crusaders are led by senior Alex Terpstra (21.5) who netted a season high 30 points in a two point loss to Byers on January 12^th.   The Crusaders can create some havoc in the league standings with a win as that result could create a five way tie for the top spot.

CLASS 1A

FINAL:  #7 Hi Plains beat Bethune 61-38

#8 Elbert at Colorado D&B (PPD)

FINAL:  Wiley beat Eads 51-45

FINAL:  Vail Christian beat DeBeque 76-25

FINAL:  Genoa Hugo beat Edison 53-36

The loser between Hi Plains and Bethune will drop out of first place in the YWKC as they enter the game tied with Otis for the early conference lead.  Since Hi Plains beat the Bobcats 44-31 in non-league play earlier this season, they’ll be favored at home this evening but a win won’t come easy.  In the first meeting, Avery Marzoff (17) and Justin Miltenberger (13) scored all but 14 of the team’s points and that’s about three points above their combined season average (27.2).  Point guard Clayton Cordell (10.9) is a third double digit scorer for the Patriots on the season.  Bethune has won six of eight since the first meeting with Hi Plains including a hard fought four point loss (47-43) to 6^th ranked Otis.  That game was also a non-league affair as the Bobcats and Bulldogs face off again on February 9^th.  Elbert was slated to play Colorado D&B tonight and Edison on Saturday but both games have already been postponed because of severe illness within the Elbert school district.  Those games will eventually be made up but no official dates have been announced.