Should be an exciting set of eight games in the 3A boys’ basketball division as teams work through the round of 16. Plenty of offense can be found across the board so don’t be surprised if we see quite a few high scoring results.
Games are set for Thursday night and we preview each in bracket order below. You can send in-game updates and final scores to Colorado Preps by text at 970.380.7737.
Photo provided by Englewood Athletics.
#1 St Mary’s vs #16 Kent Denver
Personally, this is a game Colorado Preps wanted to see at some point of the playoffs at it features the two highest scoring teams in the state; regardless of class. St Mary’s averages 90.8 points per game and has totaled 1,181 points in 13 games. Kent Denver scores at a 85.3 per game clip with 1,279 points over their 15 games. The Pirates went over 100 points in four games; scored at least 90 in four others with a season low of 63 coming in a win over Colorado Springs Christian. Kent Denver scored at least 68 points in each of their four losses but also gave up a whopping 381 in those games against Faith Christian, Manual, Lutheran and Englewood. The clubs get points in different fashion however. Kent Denver has launched 567 three-point attempts; making 187. Adrian Doerr has a team high 60. St Mary’s has attempted 349 threes but gets plenty of points off transition and turnovers. Leading scorer Sam Howery (22.7) has just 73 attempts from beyond the arc. He adds 10 assists and nearly 8 rebounds per game. Luke Stockelman (20.7), Max Howery (12.6), Cyrus Hernandez (11.6), Andon Mindrup (10.4) and John Klein (9.6) provide plenty of firepower as well. Kent Denver outscored Brush 85-82 in the first round with five players in double figures. Ethan Levin had 17, Duke Benson 16, Doerr and Jay Royal 15 and RJ Kennah 13. They took control with a 27-11 run in the second quarter and held on despite being outscored 47-37 in the second half.
#8 Englewood vs #9 Resurrection Christian
The Pirates carry an 11-game winning streak into the playoffs. They haven’t dropped a game since falling to top ranked St Mary’s 77-49. Included in the streak are wins over Colorado Academy, Aurora Central and Fort Lupton. The Pirates also moved past Kent Denver very early. A win in this one advances them to the Great 8 for the first time since 1993. Nate Gravagno is the top scorer (15.9) and rebounder (7.4). Gunner Johnson (15.6), Hunter Johnson (13.6) and Joshua Jones (12.7) also score in double figures. Resurrection Christian was the likely state champ a year ago. They had moved past Lutheran in the quarterfinals and pushed their record to 25-0 just before the whole season was cancelled. They offer up plenty of new faces this year but easily handled DSST-Conservatory Green (65-35) in the first round. They totaled those points on just 44 shots and hit 19 of 22 free throws. Wade Shields topped the offense with 13 points; Will Schrotenboer & Jacob Buckendorf added 12 and Zach Cook finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
#5 Centauri vs #12 Colorado Academy
Despite the distance in the two schools, they have a common opponent in Alamosa. Centauri split two games with the Moose but still captured the Intermountain league championship. Colorado Academy rolled Alamosa 57-24 in the opening round Tuesday night. For the Mustangs, this season has been filled with missed games due to COVID as they did not get to face Faith Christian, Manual, Kent Denver or Lutheran in conference play. Win or lose, not playing those games hurt their schedule strength and likely dropped them farther down the seeding ladder. Elliott Cravitz (16.5) is the top scorer but six others get between five and 13 points a game. Centauri closed the season with double digit wins over Sanford, Pagosa Springs and Bayfield. They make between 4-5 three pointers a game but get a good share of points off turnovers as they recorded 188 steals this year. Trey Crowther (12.5), Brady Holman (12.2) and Mason Claunch (10.9) are offensive leaders.
#4 Manitou Springs vs #13 Coal Ridge
Coal Ridge escaped from the first round with a narrow 44-42 win over Buena Vista Tuesday night. Their reward is a long drive to Manitou Springs to meet a very good bunch of Mustangs (13-1). Manitou won their first 13 games but missed a perfect season and a conference crown in a season-ending loss to St Mary’s (83-62). They won all 13 games by at least 10 points so they haven’t had a tight game throughout the campaign. Isaiah Thomas (13.9) and Joah Armour (12.9) combine for 27 points a game while Caleb Allen (9.6) is just shy of double figures per game. He has 23 treys; trailing only Thomas (27) for the team lead. Moises Contreras scored 12 points and Andrew Herrera 11 in Tuesday’s win. The Titans were just 6-14 from the foul line and hauled in 18 rebounds but managed the win. Their only 3A loss came on the road to Gunnison (65-45) with others coming against 4A unbeatens Steamboat Springs and Montrose by a combined nine points.
#2 Lutheran vs #15 Gunnison
St Mary’s is worthy but a case could also be made for Lutheran to be the top overall seed. They were unbeaten against 3A teams with their only loss suffered against 5A #2 Regis (83-46). Before that loss, the Lions had battled past University (51-50) and Faith Christian (59-50 in OT) for their most difficult stretch of the season. Since those games, the Lions have run off nine straight wins; all by at least 20 points. They feature great size in Baye Fall and Mamadou Sow. They combine for 34 points and nearly 16 rebounds. Outside points come from the tandem of Brendan Kooienga (12.5) and Sam Hoops (10.3). Gunnison handled Salida 69-59 in their playoff opener; a game that wasn’t as close as the final indicates. They’ve played a good schedule with quality wins over Alamosa and Coal Ridge along with narrow losses to Aspen and Centauri. Braden Wood (21.6) and Aidan Hulburt (16.9) are the main offensive threats as only one other Cowboy averages more than four points a game. Those two also pull down a combined 16 rebounds a night.
#7 Manual vs #10 Highland
We mentioned the high scoring offenses of St Mary’s and Kent Denver to lead off the 3A report but these two teams are the same ballpark. The Huskies (80.6) are fourth in the state in scoring regardless of class with Manual (76.2) checking in ninth. Both teams feature four players averaging double figure points. Jace Bessire (20.5) and Bowen Tolle (17.3) pace Highland with Holden Morgan (11.4) and Jessa Vasa (10.7) also providing solid numbers. Bessire chips in 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 6.3 steals while Towle tops the team with 8.2 rebounds followed by Morgan with 7.1. Jordan Reed (19.3) is Manual’s top scorer followed by Abe Maes (17.2), Jaylin Jaynes (13.4) and Lovelle Marble (13.3). Reed averages 7.4 in both rebounds and assists with Jaynes collecting a Thunderbolt best 9.1 ‘boards. Schedule wise, Manual has had the tougher run. They’ve moved past Kent Denver and Faith Christian by at least 18 points apiece with losses coming to Lutheran (70-50) and Sterling (54-52). For Highland, Thursday’s game will mark just their fourth game against a 3A school. Despite the jump in class, they were kept in the 2A Mile High conference for regular season play. The Huskies did move past University 81-58 in the first round; turning a four-point halftime into a 23-point win.
#6 Aspen vs #11 Faith Christian
Take away the mid-season conference loss to Coal Ridge and the Skiers may be a top four playoff seed. That game was their only blemish on a 13-2 regular season that earned them a first-round bye. Six of their games were against playoff teams but just two against 3A clubs (Coal Ridge & Gunnison). They swept two games from 2A Vail Mountain and also beat Meeker and Grand Junction (4A). Five Skiers average between seven and 10 points per game and all are underclassmen; making this game very important to their program overall. Braden Korpela (10.2) and Porter Lee (9.6) are the top two scorers. Faith Christian won 8 of 12 regular season with losses coming against St Mary’s, Lutheran, Manual and Sterling; all top seven seeds in the bracket. A win here sets up a possible rematch with Manual in the Great 8. The Eagles topped Strasburg 66-43 in the first round; holding the Indians to just three of 20 from beyond the arc and 16 of 51 field goal attempts overall. Caleb Clark is the main attraction offensively with 20.5 points to go along with 9.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Geo Velarde (15.9) is a second double-digit scorer.
#3 Sterling vs #14 Colorado Springs Christian
Sterling opened the season with a road loss to Resurrection Christian but has not lost since; reeling off 13 straight including wins over playoff teams Strasburg, University, Manual, Brush and Faith Christian. They also avenged the loss to Resurrection Christian by a scoring a win in the conference matchup. In their last game March 6th, Sterling trailed Faith Christian 35-31 after three but then outscored the Eagles 24-8 in the fourth. Jackson Keil went for 18 in the win; right at his season average (17.8). Tucker Myers had 17 in the victory. He averages 9.6 points and 8.1 rebounds. Dylan Diorio added 10. Owen Szabo did not score against Faith Christian but averages 10 points a game overall with 38 treys to lead the team. Colorado Springs Christian topped Pinnacle 64-42 in Tuesday’s first round. They’re strong defensively as they held high scoring St Mary’s to a season low 63 points. Other losses are against Manitou Springs and Buena Vista. Caleb Stockton is the QB for the football program and holds down the same role for the hoops squad. He averages 16.8 points and 5.9 assists. Nate Davies, with 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds, is the second part of the Lions 1-2 punch.
