Post-season basketball is approaching rapidly as a couple of Class 3A district tournaments get started late next week.  Our weekly report takes a look at each conference race and important games left on the schedule to determine league championships.
 

INTERMOUNTAIN

Pagosa Springs (8-0) has sole possession of first place and clinches the league championship by beating Alamosa on the road Friday.  The Pirates won the first meeting 45-30 and that game separates the two in the conference standings.  Alamosa leads Centauri by two games in the race for second and if the Moose fall short on Friday, their game with Centauri on Saturday will determine spots two and three.
Of course, Alamosa and Pagosa Springs will share the championship if Alamosa wins both games this weekend.  Then point totals will come into play to determine the top two district seeds.  The district tournament is set for Cortez.
 

METRO

Three teams sit in first place as Lutheran (8-1), Colorado Academy (7-1) and Skyview Academy (6-1) have one league loss.  All three league leaders have a game against another so there’s quite a bit to be decided but Lutheran can end the title suspense by beating Colorado Academy on Friday.  The Lions have an earlier win over Skyview Academy so a win on Friday gives Lutheran the championship.  It’s also their regular season finale.
If Colorado Academy scores the upset, then their game with Skyview Academy on February 12th should finalize the top three spots.  If both CA and Skyview win out until then, that game decides the league championship.  In that scenario, Lutheran is second with a Skyview win and third with a victory by Colorado Academy.
Skyview Academy remained in contention for the championship by beating Prospect Ridge on Monday night.  That left Faith Christian (7-2) alone in fourth.   Faith closes with Peak to Peak this week and Kent Denver next week.  Skyview has two conference games left this week but they’re favored against both St Mary’s Academy (Wednesday) and Manual (Friday).  Colorado Academy also meets Jefferson Academy on Wednesday and a loss there changes the picture quite a bit.
 

PATRIOT

League leading Eaton (8-0) started the week needing two more wins to wrap up the championship.  The first one came on Tuesday night as they moved past Strasburg.  They’ll look to gain the top trophy at Frontier Academy on Thursday.  IF they stumble there, which is not likely, the Reds have another chance to clinch next week against Liberty Common.
Platte Valley moved very close to gaining second place as they topped Sterling on Tuesday.  The Broncos host Valley on Thursday and a win lands them the number two district tournament seed.
Resurrection Christian is the same position for third place as a win over Liberty Common on Friday locks it down.  They also meet Estes Park in the final week.
 

TRI PEAKS

Colorado Springs Christian leads St Mary’s by one game in the league standings and have a quality win over the Pirates from last month but the Lions still need two more wins to officially claim the championship.  That should not be a problem as the Lions meet Ellicott (Friday) and then La Junta and Florence (next week) to finish up the league schedule.  Combined, those three clubs have just four conference wins.
St Mary’s wrapped up second place by rolling past La Junta on Tuesday.  It was their final conference game of the season as they finish up regular season action against 4A Palmer Ridge and 5A Chatfield.
Third place remains undetermined.  Manitou Springs (6-2) leads Vanguard (5-3), Salida (4-3) and Lamar (4-3) by one game in the loss column.  Manitou Springs goes to Vanguard on the 12th in the most important left in that chase.  Manitou has head-to-head wins and the tiebreaker over Lamar and Salida already.
Salida and Lamar also collide on Saturday so the loser will fall out of contention for a top three seed.
 

WESTERN SLOPE

Delta (6-0) is alone atop the standings and we like their chances of staying there.  The Panthers have three conference games left and all are against lower division opponents.  They meet Aspen (1-5) on Saturday and then next week face Olathe (0-6) on Tuesday and Gunnison (3-4) on the 14th.  They need wins in just two of those games to lock down the league championship.  The Panthers have also jumped to the top overall spot in the RPI so a district championship should also give them a very high state tournament seed.
Moffat County (6-1) is in second place; one game up on Cedaredge, Grand Valley and Roaring Fork.  The Bulldogs basically wrap up second by beating Roaring Fork on Friday as they’ve already posted wins over the Bruins and Cardinals.
Other important games to determine third and fourth include Cedaredge at Roaring Fork on Friday and Grand Valley at Cedaredge on Saturday.  Should Cedaredge win both games, they’ll wrap up third.
 

FRONTIER

Academy leads Middle Park by one game in the league standings with Lake County in third another game off the pace.  The Wildcats clinch the league championship by beating either Jefferson on Thursday or Arrupe Jesuit on Saturday.  Middle Park has already wrapped up second place with Lake County needing two more wins to secure third place ahead of Arrupe Jesuit and Bennett.
Lake County is slated to meet KIPP Collegiate on Wednesday night and then Bruce Randolph on Saturday.  They also host Platte Canyon on the 12th.
 

CONFLUENCE

It’s down to a two-team race as Eagle Ridge Academy and Strive Prep are both 4-0.  All other league teams have at least two losses.  The top two spots should be determined on Thursday as the two league leaders collide.
Concerning RPI, Strive Prep is 32nd in the standings this week with Eagle Ridge 38th so the league champion will not host a regional tournament.  A conference winner must finish in the top 16 to earn the right to play at home.  Riverdale Ridge may actually be the district favorite.  The Ravens compete in the 4A Colorado 8 but drop into this district for the post-season.  They’re 25th in RPI this week.
 
 

RPI STANDINGS — FEBRUARY 6TH

  1. Delta
  2. Colorado Springs Christian
  3. Pagosa Springs
  4. Eaton
  5. St Mary’s
  6. Centauri
  7. Platte Valley
  8. Academy
  9. Alamosa
  10. Skyview Academy
  11. Lutheran
  12. Cedaredge
  13. Grand Valley
  14. Moffat County
  15. Vanguard
  16. Manitou Springs
  17. Resurrection Christian
  18. Roaring Fork
  19. University
  20. Lamar
  21. Salida
  22. Middle Park
  23. Faith Christian
  24. Colorado Academy
  25. Riverdale Ridge
  26. Prospect Ridge
  27. Coal Ridge
  28. Kent Denver
  29. Lake County
  30. Brush
  31. Estes Park
  32. Strive Prep
  33. Montezuma Cortez
  34. Strasburg
  35. Trinidad
  36. Sterling
  37. Jefferson Academy
  38. Eagle Ridge Academy
  39. Liberty Common
  40. Florence

 
Projected State Tournament Brackets