While most of the top match-ups this week don’t take place until the weekend, there are several scattered throughout. The 5280 already had two very important contests decided on Monday. Denver Waldorf retained a share of the league lead, while Mile High Academy stayed within striking distance of the lead with a victory of its own.
Denver Waldorf (7-3, 17th RPI) used a 14-6 fourth quarter to hand Denver Jewish Day (9-3, 13th RPI) its first league loss, 45-42. The contest featured two of the top scorers in Class 1A, Jon Kochavi (18.7) of DJD and Aly Sakho (18.3) of the Spartans. Neither quite reached his average, with Kochavi leading all scorers at 18 points in the loss. Sakho led the Spartans with 15. That win kept Denver Waldorf unbeaten in the 5280, tied with #4 Flatirons Academy (12-2, 5th RPI), who took a six-game winning streak into Tuesday’s game with Belleview Christian (7-4, 18th RPI).
Flatirons was pushed hard by the Bruins in that contest, but eventually pulled away late to grab a 45-37 victory. Logan Owen turned in a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bruins in the defeat. Assane Diop added a double-double of his own, recording 12 points and 17 rebounds. The freshman also blocked four shots. The Bison will ride a seven-game winning streak into next Thursday’s game with Denver Waldorf, who beat Shining Mountain 61-45 on Wednesday.
Top-ranked De Beque (13-0, 2nd RPI) stayed unbeaten ahead of Saturday’s big clash with 2A #10 Vail Christian (9-1, 6th RPI) by beating Paonia 45-31 on Wednesday. The Dragons built a 34-10 lead through three quarters before allowing 21 fourth quarter points. That was the 18th straight win for the Dragons inside the Western Slope, and 38th overall. Vail Christian takes a five-game streak into its game with West Grand on Friday.
Cheraw (9-4, 22nd RPI) is unbeaten in its lone High Plains contest to date, leaving the Wolverines tied with #2 Kit Carson (10-1, 1st RPI) atop the league standings. The Wolverines visit Cheyenne Wells (6-4, 23rd RPI) on Friday, needing a win to keep pace, while the host Tigers are already a game back after last week’s 49-32 defeat at Kit Carson.
The last three games for Cheraw have been decided by a total of seven points, and they are just 1-2 in those games. The Wolverines picked up a 41-40 win over Wiley (4-8, 33rd RPI) last Thursday, but then dropped their next two in overtime. First, it was a 59-55 loss to #7 Kim/Branson (10-2, 8th RPI) last Friday, and then Cheraw fell at home on Tuesday to Manzanola (7-5, 35th RPI) 56-54. Davere Herman, Gabriel Montoya, Kaiden Holland, and Trey Pearce all average right around 10 points a game for the Wolverines, with Pearce adding a team-leading 8.8 rebounds and 5.2 blocks per night.
After jumping out of the gates with four straight wins, victories have been hard to come by for Cheyenne Wells. The loss to Kit Carson last Friday was the third straight for the Tigers, and the fourth in a five game stretch. They were able to get off the schneid with a 53-33 victory over Kiowa (0-11, 61st RPI) last Saturday.
Walsh (9-2, 4th RPI) has three wins in as many games inside the Ark Valley, and the Eagles are tied with Kim/Branson atop the league. The Mustangs have only played one league contest heading into Friday’s tilt with Wiley. Kim/Branson needs a victory to keep pace with Walsh, and to get back on track after having its eight-game winning streak snapped by Felt (OK) on Monday. No one averages double figures for the Mustangs, but Elijah Aragon and Joe Buhrle are both just under 10 points a night.
Wiley had lost its last four games before upsetting Genoa-Hugo (7-6, 27th RPI) 62-54 on Tuesday. Only one game in that losing streak had been decided by more than nine points, a 66-56 defeat by #6 Walsh. Lawrence Lucero leads the Panthers with more than 26 points and just under 10 rebounds a game. With two league losses already on the ledger, Wiley needs a win to have a shot at a top two finish.
Fifth-ranked Briggsdale (10-1, 3rd RPI) can nearly wrap up the North Central crown with a win over Fleming (8-4, 11th RPI) at home on Saturday. The Falcons own a two-game lead over Fleming, Prairie (6-6, 15th RPI), and Peetz (7-5, 25th RPI) as they begin their second trip through the league. It will be the third game in as many days for the Falcons, who take a nine-game winning streak into Thursday’s game at Front Range Baptist (3-7, 36th RPI). Briggsdale will also visit Otis (0-10, 58th RPI) on Friday. Wyatt Patton pumps in just over 17 points a game for the Falcons, and he tallied a career-high 35 points in last week’s win over Prairie. It was his fourth career 30-point effort, and the second this season. The Falcons are looking for their first NCL title since the 2013-14 season.
Fleming had won its last three before falling at Prairie last Saturday by a 64-56 count. The Wildcats squeaked past YWKC leader Idalia (6-6, 24th RPI) in a non-league clash the night before. Brandon Williams and Dylan Nolde lead the team with 12.3 and 10.6 points a night, respectively, and they’re also the top two rebounders for the Wildcats. Nolde rips down close to 10 boards a game, and Williams is just under eight a contest.
