Entering the final week of the regular season, Colorado Preps takes a look at each conference race in 1A boys basketball and lays out the most important games left on the schedule.
 
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Denver Waldorf leads Mile High Academy by one game and each has two conference games remaining.  The two leaders meet on Wednesday with the winner clinching the crown provided both capture wins the night before as well.  Mile High Academy meets Shining Mountain and Denver Waldorf goes to Front Range Baptist.
BLACK FOREST
Edison and Pikes Peak Christian sit at 4-0 with Evangelical Christian in third and still alive for the championship at 3-1.  Two games of importance remain and both involve Pikes Peak Christian.  They go to Evangelical Christian on Thursday and a Pikes Peak Christian win eliminates ECA and sets up a league championship bout between Edison and Pikes Christian on Saturday.  If ECA wins on Thursday, then Pikes Peak Christian creates a three-way tie by beating Edison or Edison wins the championship outright.
HIGH PLAINS
Kit Carson (4-0) has clinched the league championship and Cheyenne Wells is second (3-1) but still needing a win over Eads on Friday to secure second.  Cheraw also plays Granada and needing a win to remain in the top four.  If Cheyenne Wells and Cheraw win then the Tigers are second with Cheraw third and Eads fourth.  If Eads and Cheraw both win, then the two and Cheyenne Wells all finish 3-2.  Wins by Eads and Granada push Eads to second and Cheyenne Wells settles for third.  Granada also bumps to fourth with Cheraw dropping to fifth.
NORTH CENTRAL
Briggsdale (6-1) is alone in first by one game over Fleming (5-2) and by two over Prairie but the race has not been decided.  Fleming hosts Peetz on Tuesday and if the Wildcats win there, Briggsdale must beat Prairie on the road on Friday to claim the championship outright.  If Fleming loses on Tuesday, Briggsdale clinches first and then Prairie can grab a piece of second place by upsetting the Falcons.
SOUTHERN PEAKS
The top two spots are settled as Sangre De Cristo and Primero have locked up first and second.  Cotopaxi (6-2) and Manzanola (5-3) are third and fourth but they collide in Cotopaxi on Thursday to officially decide those positions.  Sangre De Cristo hosts Moffat on Thursday and then wraps up the regular season against Kim/Branson on Friday.  Primero goes to Centennial on Thursday.
ARK VALLEY
Walsh grabbed the championship in a big way on Saturday as they rolled Kim/Branson 74-46.  Both teams were unbeaten in league play going in so the Eagles are the champions with the Mustangs finishing second.  South Baca must beat Springfield on Thursday to secure third place and if that happens then Wiley is fourth and Springfield fifth.  An opposite result leaves all three teams sharing third place.
1A CLUBS IN MIXED CONFERENCES

  • Caliche and Merino both finished in the lower division of the Lower Platte division and will move into District 4 to join the North Central for districts.  That bracket is mainly set up by RPI standings.  As of Sunday, Merino is 19th and Caliche 25th so they would be seeded third and sixth respectively.
  • Ouray played well in a narrow loss to Ignacio on Saturday and despite the loss, will still earn the top 1A position in the San Juan.  They’re 4-4 and lead Nucla and Dove Creek by one game in the loss column.  Ouray is 18th in RPI and will likely end up as the #2 seed behind DeBeque in the District 1 bracket
  • DeBeque trails Vail Christian by one game in the conference standings.  The Dragons beat the Saints head-to-head but a recent two-game league slide dropped them into second.  Vail Christian can clinch the league title by winning at Soroco on Friday.  A loss opens the door for DeBeque to claim the crown by beating Rangely on the road.  As mentioned, the Dragons will be the #1 seed for the district tournament.  North Park has not won a league game and will be the #6 seed for that bracket.
  • As the lone 1A club in a very good Mile High conference, Longmont Christian is well down the pack in the standings but the tough schedule has pushed them to #23 in RPI as of Sunday.  They head to the Northeast for the District 4 tourney and would likely be seeded fifth and possibly face Prairie in the quarterfinals.
  • Genoa Hugo and Stratton/Liberty both finished 3-3 in the Union Pacific but the Pirates won the head-to-head meeting to earn the top 1A finish.  The teams though head to different regionals as Genoa Hugo goes to District 7 and Stratton/Liberty District 5.  Both brackets are determined by RPI and both clubs sit at number two right now; Genoa Hugo behind Evangelical Christian and Stratton/Liberty trailing Idalia.