Even though there are two weeks remaining in the boys’ basketball regular season, the past week was very important to shaping conference races. We get you caught up with those results and look at the scenarios remaining over the last two weeks.
CLASS 1A
5280: It’s a very important week for the conference as they try to break up a four-team logjam atop the standings. Belleview Christian suffered their first league loss as they fell to Denver Waldorf last week and that left those two clubs tied with Denver Jewish Day and Flatirons Academy in first place. Three more games between the leaders are set for this week and two are on Tuesday as Belleview Christian goes to Flatirons Academy and Denver Waldorf visits Denver Jewish Day. Then on Thursday, Denver Waldorf stays home to host Flatirons Academy. For good measure, Waldorf also has a great non-league test with Evangelical Christian on Saturday. Both are again ranked in the top 10 this week.
BLACK FOREST: Hanover’s overtime win against Simla last week kept the Hornets tied with Evangelical Christian in first place. Both are unbeaten with Elbert and Simla one game back in the loss column. Hanover also has a win over Elbert so if they get by ECA on Monday night, they should land the championship. ECA of course can take over sole possession of the lead by beating Hanover. They also meet Simla and Elbert in the final week. Elbert and Simla also play on Wednesday to help figure the top four pecking order.
FISHERS PEAK: Primero clinched the league championship by beating La Veta 57-51 last week.
HIGH PLAINS: No change from last week as Granada, McClave and Wiley all remain perfect against conference opponents. None of the three leaders meet until the final week and then the battles come in rapid succession. Wiley goes to Granada on the 15th and then visits McClave on the 17th. Granada plays at McClave to close the conference schedule on the 18th. The best matchup this week takes place on Friday as Granada heads north to face Cheyenne Wells.
NORTH CENTRAL: Briggsdale (3-0) sits in first place by one game over Fleming and Prairie (both 2-1). The Falcons have beaten Fleming but won’t face Prairie until the 18th. Fleming has the inside track to second as they knocked off Prairie in league activity.
SOUTHERN PEAKS: Centennial and Sierra Grande are 2-0 and share the early lead with Creede third at 4-1. Sierra Grande has beaten Creede so they can take a huge step to the expected title by downing Centennial on the road this Saturday. Creede and Centennial also collide on Tuesday and that outcome could determine second.
YWKC: Idalia has clinched the league championship and is unbeaten against conference rivals.
ARK VALLEY: Kim/Branson visits Springfield for the league championship game but that meeting won’t take place until February 18th.
NON-CONFERENCE: Several games of note in Class 1A this week
- TUESDAY: Wiley at Kim/Branson
- THURSDAY: Granada at Kim/Branson
- SATURDAY: Fleming at Flatirons Academy
- SATURDAY: Simla at Stratton
- SATURDAY: Evangelical Christian at Denver Waldorf
- SATURDAY: Cheyenne Wells at Holly (2A)
- SATURDAY: Ouray at Caprock Academy
CLASS 2A
BLACK FOREST: Co-leaders Peyton (1-0) and Thomas MacLaren (3-0) were scheduled to meet last week but weather has pushed that game all the way back to February 17th. No other league team has more than five wins overall so that game should decide the top two spots in the conference standings.
SANTA FE: Rye beat Fowler last week and that loss dropped the Grizzlies into a first place tie with Holly. Both have one league loss but Fowler maintains the tiebreaker since they won the conference meeting with Holly. All other league teams have at least three league losses so it remains a two-team race. Both teams have two conference games on the schedule this week; Holly meets Las Animas and Rocky Ford on Tuesday and Thursday while Fowler battles Crowley County and Hoehne over the same two days.
SOUTHERN PEAKS: Sanford gained the outright lead with their 43-37 win over Crested Butte on Saturday. The Titans dropped into a second place tie with Del Norte and Monte Vista but they remain in control of the runner-up spot. They beat Del Norte last week and will go to Monte Vista on Saturday. Monte Vista and Del Norte also face off on Tuesday. Sanford already has wins over Crested Butte and Monte Vista with the Del Norte battle set for the final week.
LOWER PLATTE: Yuma (5-0) and Merino (4-0) both collected two league wins over the weekend to remain in a first-place tie. They will break that tie in a head-to-head meeting on Thursday in Merino. Wray (4-1) and Wiggins (3-1) share third place and they meet on Saturday. Wiggins also has a tough date with Holyoke as they have the most arduous remaining schedule among conference teams. Another fun one on Friday pits Haxtun at Merino in a possible district tournament preview.
SAN JUAN: Mancos has clinched the league championship. They have two conference games left but already leads second place Ignacio (2-2) by two games and they’ve beaten the Bobcats twice already. Mancos goes to Ridgway this week and then wraps up the regular season against Montezuma Cortez and Dolores in the final week. Ouray and Dove Creek continue to battle for the top 1A seed for districts and Dove Creek balanced that race by scoring a 75-73 overtime win over the Mustangs last week. Nucla had won the first meeting 57-52.
UNION PACIFIC: Limon survived a tough trip to Burlington by beating the Cougars in overtime last Saturday. That win kept the Badgers tied with Byers atop the standings. They’re a combined 9-0 with all other league teams suffering at least three league losses. That means the Friday clash between Byers and Limon will decide the top two spots.
WEST CENTRAL: Cotopaxi and Custer County remain unbeaten in league play and share the top spot. They collide on Thursday in Westcliffe with the winner claiming the championship.
WESTERN SLOPE: Still a logjam at the top with Meeker (6-1) in first place by one game over Vail Mountain, Vail Christian, Caprock Academy and Cedaredge. There is only head-to-head matchup of those five teams on tap this week and it occurs on Friday between Meeker and Cedaredge. The first-place Cowboys have beaten Caprock and Vail Mountain but lost to Vail Christian. Thus a win over Cedaredge moves them very close to the championship. Concerning district seeding, Cedaredge heads south to join the likes of Mancos and Ignacio in the District 3 bracket.
MILE HIGH: Denver Christian (7-0) scored the big win over Highland earlier this month but the Thunder have not yet clinched. They lead the Huskies and Heritage Christian by one game in the loss column and must still face the Eagles on February 17th. Highland has beaten Heritage Christian so if DC beats the Eagles that night, then the Huskies should end up second.
NON-LEAGUE: Sanford is involved in two of the four top non-league games on the 2A schedule this week.
- TUESDAY: Centauri at Sanford
- FRIDAY: Sanford at Ignacio
- SATURDAY: Limon at Fowler
- SATURDAY: Cheyenne Wells at Holly
CLASS 3A
INTERMOUNTAIN: Centauri’s win over Alamosa on Saturday tightened up the race as the Falcons and Moose now share the top spot. Pagosa Springs is one game back in third and very much in contention for the league title. The Pirates have two losses to Alamosa but have a win over Centauri. They face the Falcons for a second time on Friday in La Jara. Then Alamosa and Centauri rematch on the 15th.
METRO: Colorado Academy (5-0) sits alone in first with Faith Christian (7-1) in second. Prospect Ridge, Manual and Kent Denver are all 4-2 and share third but Prospect RIdge has the tiebreaker since they’ve beaten both Manual and Kent. They may also get an advantage in scheduling as their game with first place CA was postponed because of weather last week and may not be made up. The Miners get a tough test in with Lutheran on Wednesday. Colorado Academy also goes to Kent Denver that day while Faith Christian heads to Manual on Thursday.
PATRIOT: Resurrection Christian’s 56-53 win over Sterling on Friday pushed the Cougars into the conference lead. Both teams were unbeaten in league play going in. Sterling (5-1) is now alone in second. Platte Valley and Eaton share third with two losses apiece but one will lose ground when they collide in Kersey on Tuesday.
TRI PEAKS: St Mary’s (8-0) leads the division by two games over Colorado Springs Christian and Salida (both 7-2). The Pirates have beaten both second place teams so they can clinch the league championship with two more wins. That could come this week as the Pirates host James Irwin on Monday and Vanguard on Thursday before venturing to Ellicott on Saturday. Colorado Springs Christian has the edge for second as they have a head-to-head win over Salida.
WESTERN SLOPE: Aspen (4-0) continues to lead the division with Moffat County (4-1) a game back. The Skiers go to Craig on Saturday and the expected win will help them very close to the league championship. Delta (4-2) is in third but has a win over Moffat County. Overall, Aspen and Moffat County are the only two teams with winning records overall and that will hurt the Skiers in postseason bracketing. A late added game at Highland this Thursday will give their schedule some added strength.
CONFLUENCE: DSST-Green Valley (5-0) has the lead by one game over DSST-Conservatory Green, Aurora West Prep and DSST-Byers. Green Valley hosts Aurora West Prep on Tuesday and can basically clinch since they’ve already beaten the other two second place teams and fifth place Lotus Academy.
FRONTIER: Middle Park (8-0) is in first with DSST-Montview (7-1) and those spots could stay the same or flip when the two leaders meet on Saturday in Denver. Pinnacle and Academy are tied for third at 6-2.
NON-LEAGUE: Just two games caught our eye but both games will help first place teams with strength of schedule.
- TUESDAY: Coal Ridge at Middle Park
- THURSDAY: Aspen at Highland
