BOYS BASKETBALL: Schedule/Results 1-8-13

Conference play begins in earnest in many regions of the state tonight as the January schedule retunrs to full speed.  A top ten team in each class is in action but the only matchup involving two ranked teams take place in Class 5A as traditional powers Denver East and ThunderRidge collide.  Here’s a look at the top matchups in each division for this evening.  Final scores can be reported by text to 970.380.7737 or by email to kevin@coloradopreps.com.

CLASS 1A

#2 Shining Mountain vs Longmont Christian

FINAL:  Peetz beat Creek Valley NE 77-48

FINAL:  St Francis KS beat Idalia 63-15

FINAL:  Community Christian beat Arrupe Jesuit 48-33

Winning their first six games by an average of 25 points, Shining Mountain has cruised to a perfect 6- record thus far and they’ll be favored for a seventh straight win this evening.  The game is second in January for the Lions who downed Holyoke 49-37 on Saturday.  The Lions also have an important date with Vail Christian tomorrow night.  Longmont Christian is coming off a 58-24 loss to Denver Christian in their first game of the New Year.

CLASS 2A

FINAL:  #2 Lutheran beat Lyons 46-43

FINAL:  #7 Ignacio beat Dolores 69-55

FINAL:  #9 Resurrection Christian beat Highland 59-43

FINAL:  Heritage Christian beat Estes Park 111-109 (OT)

FINAL:  Holyoke beat Wiggins 72-64

After playing only four games in December, Lutheran begins a very busy January and February slate that will include 15 games overall.  The Lions opened the season with a nice one point win over Peyton but then stumbled in game two dropping an eight point decision to athletic Denver Science (3A).  Since that loss, the Lions have posted two straight wins blowing past Clear Creek (61-45) and Platte Valley (81-44).  Sophomore James Willis paces Lutheran with 15 points including 21 in the quality win over Peyton.  Ignacio (4-1) is playing just their second game against a Colorado team after falling to Pagosa Springs (53-50) in their final game before Christmas.  After the game with Dolores, the Bobcats again head out of state to take part in the Aztec Tournament in New Mexico Thursday, Friday and Saturday.  Ignacio is very balanced this year with three players averaging 10 to 11 points per game and two more at nine points per contest.  Resurrection Christian snapped a three game skid by blasting Platte Canyon 75-51 on December 15^th.  Tonight marks their first game since that lopsided win.  It’s also the first of three games for a busy first week back as the Cougars also meet Longmont Christian (Friday) and Wray (Saturday) this weekend.  Heritage Christian (6-0) will challenge Resurrection Christian later this month but up first is a date with a good Estes Park club in a very difficult place to play.  Matthew McGinley paces three double digit scorers for Heritage Christian with nearly 17 points a game.  Estes Park edged Resurrection Christian (88-84) in mid-December but also dropped a hard fought 74-68 game to Peak to Peak in their final contest of last year.  Isaak Cironce averages 23 points a night for the Bobcats who are scoring nearly 70 points as a team.  The sophomore has scored at least 20 points in every game with a season high of 28 coming against Machebeuf and Peak to Peak.

CLASS 3A

FINAL:  University beat #4 Holy Family 75-62

FINAL:  #6 Colorado Springs Christian beat Manitou Springs 52-38

FINAL:  #7 Faith Christian beat Platte Valley 56-34

FINAL:  Machebeuf beat #9 Eaton 64-60

FINAL:  Pinnacle beat Sheridan 55-40

FINAL:  Bruce Randolph beat Bennett 67-43

FINAL:  Clear Creek beat KIPP Collegiate 64-56

FINAL:  Kennedy beat Jefferson Academy 58-48

University nearly upset top ranked Kent Denver last month, now they have their sights set on a very good Holy Family club that has won six of seven thus far.  Holy Family opened January with a high quality 56-47 win at Eaton and tonight’s contest is their final tune-up before the rugged Metro league schedule gets underway.  They host Machebeuf on Friday followed by dates with Lutheran, Faith Christian and Peak to Peak.  University lost to Weld Central in their final game before Christmas and this is their first game back.  The last time Colorado Springs Christian ventured to Manitou Springs, the two teams battled for four quarters and two overtimes before the Lions escaped with a crazy 76-69 win that was among the best games of the year.  The top scorers from each team are gone from that game but each squad is expected to contend for the Tri Peaks West title.  The Lions are playing their conference opener while Manitou Springs (3-5 overall) handled Buena Vista easily (73-29) in their opening league game last Friday.  Faith Christian-Platte Valley and Eaton-Machebeuf continue the great non-conference tradition of teams from the Metro and Patriot squaring off.  Faith Christian is heavily favored against a rebuilding Platte Valley squad while the Eaton-Machebeuf contest probably will be decided in the fourth quarter.  Machebeuf is 0-2 thus far against the Patriot falling to Estes Park (78-73) and Brush (56-41).  Eaton is 2-2 against the Metro beating Peak to Peak and Jefferson Academy but dropping decisions to Kent Denver and Holy Family.  Jefferson Academy (4-2) seeks consistency from a talented roster.  They’re in action for the first time since falling to Pagosa Springs (53-42) at the Buena Vista Tournament.  The Jags have three games this week as they also tangle with Estes Park (Thursday) and Brush (Saturday) before battling Colorado Academy in the league opener next Tuesday.

CLASS 4A

FINAL:  #1 Valor Christian beat Aurora Central 74-64

FINAL:  #4 Lewis Palmer beat Discovery Canyon 66-37

FINAL:  #6 Cheyenne Mountain beat Vista Ridge 46-33

#7 Sand Creek at Palmer Ridge

FINAL:  Greeley Central beat #8 Longmont 61-49

FINAL:  #9 Broomfield beat Mountain View 67-52

FINAL:  #10 Denver South beat Hinkley 74-59

FINAL:  Windsor beat Roosevelt 62-57

FINAL:  Frederick beat Mead 54-53

FINAL:  Erie beat Northridge 51-41

FINAL:  Thompson Valley beat Niwot 73-52

FINAL:  Silver Creek beat Centaurus 70-62

FINAL:  Canon City beat Mesa Ridge 50-46

FINAL:  Air Academy beat Falcon 67-55

FINAL:  Fort Morgan beat Englewood 56-38

FINAL:  Fort Lupton beat Vista Peak 65-60 (OT)

FINAL:  Elizabeth beat Mitchell 81-62

FINAL:  Skyline beat Berthoud 50-33

FINAL:  Glnewood Springs beat Battle Mountain 52-49

On paper, the best game pits Lewis Palmer at Discovery Canyon as the teams are a combined 15-2 on the season.  Discovery Canyon was left out of the top ten despite an undefeated record but a win over the defending state champions should easily earn them a ranking next week.  Lewis Palmer enters the game on a two game losing streak falling to both D’Evelyn and Chaparral in their final two December games.  Jordan Scott (18.0) and Justin Smith (15.6) provide a solid one-two punch for the Rangers.  Discovery Canyon’s best win to date is against Sierra (50-45).  Andy Stauffer had 20 points and ten rebounds in the win and is averaging 16 points and eight boards on the season for the Thunder.  Lewis Palmer remains the favorite in the newly created Pikes Peak Conference but Discovery Canyon is one of three unbeaten teams left in the division joining Cheyenne Mountain and Sand Creek.  Both the Indians and Scorpions are projected to pick up league wins against Vista Ridge and Palmer Ridge this evening.  Valor Christian must avoid a letdown after an emotional two point win over D’Evelyn on Saturday.  Playing a 5A opponent however is nothing new as the Eagles are already 7-2 against big school opponents.  Aurora Central (7-4) will be a tough out as they feature talented senior Carlton Hurst, a guard averaging 24 points a game while hauling in nearly ten rebounds as well.  Longmont and Broomfield play league openers in the Northern league tonight as they remain the favorites to battle for the crown.  Their two meetings are set for January 15^th (at Broomfield) and February 8^th (at Longmont) in games that could decide the championship.  Windsor collected a very important league win over Frederick (66-65) last Friday and another win over Roosevelt puts them in good early position within the Tri Valley.  Those two are among four early unbeaten teams in the league chase.  Mead and Erie join the two atop the standings. 

CLASS 5A

FINAL:  #1 Denver East beat #4 ThunderRidge 73-53

FINAL:  #2 Mountain Vista beat Montbello 70-56

FINAL:  Fort Collins beat Greeley West 73-39

FINAL:  Fairview beat Mountain Range 61-38

FINAL:  Monarch beat Boulder 51-49

FINAL:  Fossil Ridge beat Rocky Mountain 59-41

FINAL:  Horizon beat Legacy 64-58

FINAL:  Liberty beat Ponderosa 55-48

FINAL:  Thornton beat Denver North 43-28

FINAL:  Gateway beat Littleton 50-43

Tradition wise, it doesn’t get much better than Denver East facing ThunderRidge.  Both programs are routinely in the mix for the 5A state championship and this year is no different.  The Angels have been very busy this month going 3-1 at a tournament in Nevada last week so rust wise, they have worked through it.  ThunderRidge is on the court for the first time in 17 days so the advantage lies with the top ranked Angels.  Mountain Vista (10-0) scored a huge win over Arapahoe (69-54) last week in a battle of the last two class unbeaten.  They will face an athletic Montbello team that won’t go away easily.  The Golden Eagles average nearly 80 points a game and feature three double digit scorers led by Jake Pemberton with 18 points a night.  He netted 27 in the key win over Arapahoe.