We’re fully back into the swing of things in 4A, with a week and a half of games done as we near the midpoint of January. Going forward, we’ll preview the Top 3 matchups of the week, and have some stats and storylines to follow for the rest of the Top 10 games.
Mead traveled to Frederick for the first of the top 3 games of the week, and the #2 Mavericks pulled away from the Warriors to win 69-60. Frederick had the lead for times throughout the first half, but Mead went on a late first half-run, and held around a 10 point lead for the rest of the game. The Mavericks’ scoring was balanced, as Elijah Knudsen and JP Shiers put up 15 apiece, and Jacob Bartholomew, Trey Ward, and Nick Jacobs all scored in double digits. The Warriors were led by Joe Cartelli, who had 21 to lead all players, and Izayah Elize had 12.
We stay in Longmont for our next game of the week, when the Centaurus Warriors (9-3) travel to take on the #7 Longmont Trojans (9-2) on Friday. It’s a very important matchup in Northern League play. Longmont has won 31 straight games in the Northern and will take control of the title race with a win. If Centaurus can pull off an upset, the Warriors will jump into a 3, 4, or 5-way tie for first with Longmont, Silver Creek, Niwot, and/or Mountain View and catapult the Northern race into chaos.
The two teams have an odd split of common opponents. Centaurus beat Erie but lost to Silver Creek, and Longmont lost to Erie, but beat Silver Creek. Both teams will play Silver Creek again before the season ends, though.
Centaurus is led in nearly every statistical category by reigning BoCoPreps Player of the Year Owen Koonce. Koonce is the only player scoring in double digits, averaging just under 18 per game. He also averages 7.4 rebounds and 2 steals a game.
Longmont is led by the 1-2 punch of Dallas Dye and Eddie Kurjak. The pair score almost identically per game – 13.8 and 13.7 respectively. They also lead the team in rebounds – with 7 and 5.5 a contest. Dye, the last player remaining who played in their state championship win two years ago, lead the Trojans in assists, with 3.4 a night, and shoots 47% from three.
Our final game of the week is in the JeffCo League when #5 Golden (9-4, 3-0) travels to #10 Green Mountain (8-4, 1-2) to take on the Rams on Saturday afternoon.
With a win, Golden would take control of the 4A JeffCo and put Green Mountain in a hole that would be difficult to dig out of by season’s end. The Rams were just upset on the road by D’Evelyn on Tuesday, and have dropped two games in a row. Golden is 3-1 since falling to 5A Ralston Valley. Freshman star Alan Acevedo left the game with a leg injury, but returned the next game and scored 10 in a win over Littleton. Acevedo leads the Demons with 12.1 points a night. Kevin Mulligan leads them in most other categories, with 5.5 rebounds per game, 3.2 assists per game, and 2.5 steals per game.
Blake Schell and Austin Peterson are tops on the Rams in scoring – both the senior and junior average around 11 points a game. Jason Luzayadio leads the team in rebounds, with 7.2 per game. Multi-sport star Trey Towndrow is the best passer for the Rams, notching about 3 assists a night.
Golden has historically controlled the series between the two teams. The Demons are 15-4 all time against the Rams, and Green Mountain hasn’t won since 2012, raising the stakes for a Ram team that likely needs a win to stay in the JeffCo title hunt.
The Rest
Widefield – Harrison (Thurs)
Stat to Know: Widefield had 3 of Colorado’s 5 McDonald’s American Nominees – Randall Days, Tim Mewborn, and Donte Scott. Harrison will counter with junior Donta Dawson, who could very well be a nominee himself in a year, and senior CJ Harris.
Pine Creek – Pueblo West (Thurs)
Stat to Know: Peyton Westfall (14.6 PPG) and Pine Creek will go up against Taylor Harris (16.6 PPG) and Pueblo West in the opener of what should be an excellent Rampart tournament.
Windsor – Erie (Thurs)
Stat to Know: Erie has 3 wins in the MaxPreps era against Windsor. Two of those, though, are in Erie, and one came just a year ago.
Lewis Palmer – Sand Creek (Fri)
Stat to Know: Lewis Palmer has won the last five matchups, scoring over 75 in each game and holding Sand Creek to 65 or fewer points during that streak.
Glenwood Springs – Rifle (Fri)
Stat to Know: It could be a shootout from beyond the arc in the mountains, as Glenwood Springs’ Mitchell Burt shoots 57% from three, while Rifle’s Tido Ruiz shoots 42% from deep.