First place battles can be found all across the Colorado boys basketball hardwood today and tonight as several conference leaders square off. Winners move closer to landing a league crown and getting the automatic playoff bid that goes with it.
Our daily report previews the top games in each class and we’ll complete the update by posting scores throughout the evening. Final scores can be reported by text to 970.380.7737 or email to [email protected].
Feature Photo by Van Hollis.
CLASS 1A
FINAL: #4 Merino beat #7 Haxtun 71-54
FINAL: #5 Primero beat La Veta 56-16
FINAL: #6 Cheraw beat #10 Cheyenne Wells 48-42
FINAL: #8 Granada beat Kit Carson 45-38
#9 Briggsdale vs Arickaree/Woodlin
FINAL: Kim/Branson beat Cotopaxi 69-33
Olathe at Caprock Academy
NOTES: More action inside what should be an exciting High Plains league race. Cheraw and Eads (both 1-0) have the early lead but both have several more challenges ahead of them before they start thinking about a championship. One of those challenges is tonight as the Wolverines welcome in a Cheyenne Wells club that is 4-0 and making their league debut. Cheraw beat Evangelical Christian by three points in their opener but has won their last four by at least 17 point apiece. The Tigers scored their best win over Simla (49-40) with three remaining wins by a total of 79 points. Granada and Kit Carson are both 0-1 and both need a win to stay in the championship race. With only five conference games, a second loss at this stage would be very damaging. Granada got 21 points from Dominic Coleman and 15 apiece from John Hainer and Brandon Gonzales but it wasn’t enough as the Bobcats lost at Eads (63-55) on Tuesday. It was their first loss the season. Kit Carson has seemingly not recovered from the lopsided loss to Limon (69-32) as they’ve dropped three more since. They’ve managed just 54 points in their last two games combined. Sullivan Farmers (13.2) leads in scoring and also has seven of the Wildcats 19 three-pointers. Probably good for Briggsdale to have a game tonight. That will allow them to quickly forget about last night’s 20-point loss to 2A Wiggins. It dropped them to 4-2 near the midway point of their schedule. Cotopaxi (3-2) and Kim/Branson (2-2) is an important one as each team likely finds itself on the bubble come playoff time. The Pirates were 16th in RPI and the Mustangs 27th to start the week. Primero is 5-0 and has outscored opponents 335-201. Each win is by double digits and that streak likely extends today. Merino and Haxtun are ranked in the top 10 this week and remain strong contenders for a state tournament berth. But both find themselves in the middle of the pack of the rugged 2A/1A Lower Platte. Merino’s loss to Yuma on Friday was their second in league play so they’re two games off the pace. Haxtun balanced their mark at 1-1 by beating Akron last night. Today’s winner though should land the top 1A spot in the conference as the two battle Caliche each year for that honor. The top 1A club will not earn an automatic bid to the playoffs unless they win the conference crown outright. Caprock Academy (3-1) and Olathe (2-1) face off for second place behind DeBeque (4-0) in the Western Slope south division. Caprock also faces DeBeque on Saturday so it’s a very important weekend for the Eagles who are enjoying the best season in school history.
CLASS 2A
FINAL: #1 Limon beat Byers 75-31
#2 Wray vs Chase County NE (PPD)
FINAL: #3 Mancos beat Telluride 67-39
FINAL: Peyton beat #4 Fowler 45-35 (Fowler Tournament)
FINAL: #6 Yuma beat Caliche 86-43
FINAL: #7 Sanford beat #8 Holly 49-31 (Fowler Tournament)
FINAL: #9 Sedgwick County beat Burlington 47-27
West Grand at Vail Mountain
NOTES: Wray and Yuma left little doubt on Thursday that they’re the teams to beat in the Lower Platte chase. Both beat top 10 opponents in grand style as the Eagles dumped Sedgwick County 70-41 and the Indians moved past Merino by 19 (73-54). Now both teams return to the court again today with Yuma facing another conference opponent in Caliche. The Indians, who opened 0-3, carries a three-game win streak into the contest. Wray’s opponent is 12-8 on the year with a victory over Yuma 57-48 just 10 days ago. With the setback to Wray, Sedgwick County extended their win streak to three but that should end on the road at Burlington today. Fowler lost in overtime to 3A Colorado Springs Christian in their opener but has won their last four by margins of 16, 35, 40 and 43. So Peyton is a welcome addition to the schedule as the Panthers check in at 2-1 and are a likely state playoff club. Seniors Gabe Proctor (15.8) and Val Leone (13.2) are the leaders for the Grizzlies who have received solid play from freshman post Scott Mobbley. Through five games, he’s averaging 12 points, seven rebounds, two steals and two blocks. Peyton (2-1) handled DH Prep 70-37 in their last outing with four players reaching double figures. AJ Lashley topped that list with 17. Limon can clinch a share of the Union Pacific title by beating Byers and grab the crown outright with a win if Genoa Hugo also beats Deer Trail. If those two events occur then the Badgers also wrap up an official playoff berth as a league champion. Byers (4-1) is always a tough out. A very young team, the Bulldogs have four underclassmen, Wyatt Harris (11.6), Zach Cary (11.4), Easton Eymann (11.2) and Dean Kerns (10.6), averaging double figures. Harris also tops the Bulldogs with 10 rebounds per game. West Grand (2-0) is in a first-place tie with Vail Christian and Soroco (both 1-0) in the Western Slope North. The Mustangs lost to Soroco 45-37 on Tuesday but it was a non-league game. For Vail Mountain, it’s the conference opener and the Gore Rangers have played just one game overall; beating Hayden 52-21. A late addition to the schedule puts together ranked opponents Sanford and Holly. Both teams are in contention for their respective league title and have a combined record of 10-1. The winner should gain a leg up in post-season bracketing next month.
CLASS 3A
FINAL: #1 Lutheran beat Skyview Academy 96-31
FINAL: #6 Resurrection Christian beat University 41-37
FINAL: #7 Sterling beat Platte Valley 46-26
FINAL: #9 Kent Denver beat Liberty Common 82-52
FINAL: #10 Eaton beat Frontier Academy 61-50
FINAL: DSST-Green Valley beat DSST-Byers 41-39
FINAL: Alamosa beat Bayfield 43-36
Aurora Central at Eagle Ridge Academy
NOTES: Resurrection Christian and Eaton both look to rebound from conference losses on Wednesday as the Cougars lost to Strasburg 58-56 and the Reds at Estes Park 62-60. Those results knocked the Cougars into a third-place tie with Strasburg in the Patriot while Eaton is suddenly two games back of league leaders Sterling and Brush. Eaton is favored against Frontier Academy but the Cougars could get pushed by a University team that is much better than their 0-4 record indicates. Losses are against top 10 opponents Lutheran, Faith Christian and Sterling and they also gave up a 10-point lead on the road in Brush. They’re well rested as their schedule game with Valley on Wednesday was postponed. Sterling has beaten Strasburg, University and Liberty Common in league play and also found time to edge Manual 54-52 over the weekend. Their defense held Liberty Common to just 10 second half points this week. Top ranked Lutheran should have little trouble keeping their share of the Metro lead. The Lions (2-0) have outscored their first two conference rivals 138-82 while Skyview has been outscored by 191 points in their four games. Kent Denver also owns part of the Metro lead and their game with Liberty Common is an addition to the schedule since Colorado Academy had to cancel earlier this week. That league game will not be made up. Green Valley and Byers are both 2-1 in Confluence play and both trail College View and Conservatory by one game (both 3-0). As a result, the loser could be kicked out of the league title talk. Byers has one double-digit scorer in Cash Garcia (16.3) and Green Valley has three; Derrick Wicks (15.0), Jaylen Johnson (11.8) and Giovanni Durst (10.3). Centauri (2-0) leads the IML but Alamosa (1-1) and Bayfield (0-1) are two of the top chasers. Bayfield dropped a league opener to Pagosa Springs but is playing better including two wins at the Southwest Classic against Durango and Ignacio over the weekend. Alamosa fell to Centauri (41-21) at the end of January and must keep winning league games to make the rematch on the 26th important to their championship hopes. Aurora Central and Eagle Ridge Academy is a non-league game but they’re a combined 7-2 and both can push for the Colorado crown. They meet again on the 18th.
CLASS 4A
FINAL: #1 Mead beat Silver Creek 66-48
FINAL: #2 Windsor beat #9 Centaurus 60-56
FINAL: #3 Longmont beat Greeley West 57-48
FINAL: #5 Erie beat Greeley Central 67-53
FINAL: #6 Pueblo Central beat #8 Pueblo South 56-50
FINAL: #7 Evergreen beat Littleton 53-39
FINAL: Sand Creek beat Elizabeth 64-59
FINAL: Canon City beat Harrison 61-47
FINAL: Palisade beat Summit 48-42
NOTES: First half lead in the South Central on the line as Pueblo Central hosts Pueblo South tonight. Both teams are 3-0 so the winner will be alone in first entering round two of league play. All teams play each other home and away there. South has not been challenged in conference play; winning each game by at least 19 points. They feature four double-digit scorers but the first option is always Trey Austin (23.5). He’s coming off a 25-point effort against Pueblo West and had a season high 37 early against Liberty. Central easily got past Pueblo County and Pueblo Centennial but had to fight past Pueblo East 52-50 to stay perfect in the conference. Adonis Reynolds (19.0) and Kade Betts (17.7) do most of the damage on the offensive end. They combined for 37 of the 52 points in the win over East. Standings in the rugged Northern league changed slightly after games earlier this week with the number of leaders reduced from five to three. That’s because Longmont edged Centaurus 43-40 and Silver Creek beat Erie 65-58. That leaves Longmont in a first place tie with Mead and Windsor. Centaurus will try their luck against Windsor. The Wizards are hot; outscoring Greeley West and Skyline by a combined 89 points. Ben Hageman (23.0) has scored at least 22 points in every game. Against Erie, Silver Creek used 22 points from Karson Hills and a dozen from Tanner Call for their first league win. The Raptors seek a straight top 10 upset as they face #1 Mead this evening. Mead topped Greeley West 73-56 two nights ago by outscoring the Spartans 49-22 over the first and third quarters. Canon City (South) and Elizabeth (North) seek to keep sole possession of their divisional leads in the Colorado Springs Metro. Canon City leads Harrison and Palmer by one game and faces the Panthers tonight. Elizabeth is up on Falcon and Sand Creek by a game. They beat Falcon 68-63 on Wednesday so another victory gives them an advantage heading into rematches later in the season. Tristan Smith went off for 30 points in the Cards win over Falcon. That pushed his average to nearly 23 per game. Josh Rall (13.8) and Seth Newton (11.2) lead Canon’s offense with support from Everett McCullough (9.5). Two of the top three teams in the West Slope collide tonight as Summit enters the game tied with Steamboat Springs in first with Palisade a game back in third. Palisade dropped a 42-49 decision to Steamboat last Saturday so a second loss could make the race a two-team battle between the Tigers and Sailors. Results from Wednesday left Evergreen (4-0) alone atop the Jeffco. They bounced Green Mountain 54-41 and now lead the Rams and D’Evelyn by one game. They held the Rams to just 24 points through three quarters.
CLASS 5A
FINAL: #1 Cherry Creek beat Cherokee Trail 77-50
FINAL: #6 ThunderRidge beat #3 Mountain Vista 80-71 (2 OT)
FINAL: #4 Regis beat Legend 60-36
FINAL: #7 Chaparral beat Rock Canyon 51-40
FINAL: #8 Overland beat Smoky Hill 80-69
FINAL: #9 Fossil Ridge beat Broomfield 81-42
FINAL: Eaglecrest beat Mullen 79-56
FINAL: Chatfield beat Arvada West 64-50
FINAL: Fairview beat Legacy 54-48
NOTES: Wins by Cherry Creek (5-0) and Eaglecrest (2-0) kept the Bruins and Raptors together atop the Centennial. The Bruins downed Overland 78-55 with Myles Purchase netting 20 points and Julian Hammond 19. Eaglecrest meantime stuffed Arapahoe 68-47 as Mostapha Elmoutaouakkil exploded for 32 points. Should both teams win tonight, they face off next Tuesday to determine the first half conference leader. Overland (3-1) is alone in third but must beat a good Smoky Hill club tonight to stay there. Couple of big battles in the Continental tonight. Mountain Vista, Rock Canyon, Chaparral and Regis are unbeaten in league play with ThunderRidge finally getting their league slate underway. The Grizzlies haven’t played since beating Fairview (66-42) on January 29th but against Mountain Vista, they won’t time to get through rust from inactivity. The Golden Eagles survived Heritage 58-54 on Tuesday but had won their first two conference games by 18 points apiece. Ben Bowen leads them in points (16.6), rebounds (5.2) and assists (5.2). Either Chaparral (2-0) or Rock Canyon (3-0) will suffer their first league loss tonight. The Wolverines have momentum from a non-conference win over Eaglecrest on Tuesday (66-47). In that win, Joel Speckman earned a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Luke Williams topped the scoresheet with 19. Rock Canyon is 4-2 overall with three straight wins to open league play over Douglas County, Heritage and Castle View. DeAngelo Horn is the Jags leading scorer (14.2) and rebounder (6.3). Fairview is one of three remaining unbeatens in the Front Range; joining Fossil Ridge and Horizon in first. The Knights have a tough one with Legacy as the Lightning are one of three teams at 2-1 and one game back. Fairview has won all three conference games by at least 11 points; Legacy has two double-digit wins and a two-point escape against Loveland (51-49). Four games into the Jeffco chase; Chatfield (4-0) is alone in first. The Chargers handled Ralston Valley 73-54 on Monday to gain the top spot and avoided a letdown in beating Lakewood two nights later. Dylan Carter had 16 and Chase Miller 14 against Ralston. Arvada West opened Jeffco play with two wins but has dropped three straight including a 82-51 setback to Valor Christian two nights ago.
