The defending Class 1A state champions got off to a bit of a nondescript start to the 2022 season.
McClave’s boys basketball team, competing in the Border Wars tournament in Kansas, went 1-2 before returning to in-state competition last Thursday with the Holiday Basketball Tournament.
That appeared to be the recipe for success for the Cardinals, who swept past Wiley, Holly and Granada to close out 2022 on a high note.
Third-ranked McClave (4-2) returns to the court Jan. 5 against Cheyenne Wells. Such is the case for the rest of the state’s three smallest classifications, with December’s slate of games ending Thursday.
There wasn’t much movement in the CHSAANow.com Coaches Polls from a week ago, as undefeated Faith Christian (3A), Limon (2A) and Belleview Christian (1A) continue to hold down the top spots. A handful of teams in 2A and 1A are still unbeaten, while only Faith Christian and Colorado Springs Christian can make that claim in 3A.
With only two days of games remaining before winter break, here is a quick look at the 3A, 2A and 1A classifications:
Class 3A
The biggest game remaining on the schedule takes place Thursday, as 3A No. 3 Centauri (6-1) hosts 2A No. 4 Sanford (3-2). The Falcons added two more wins to their resume last week, including an 83-point outpouring against La Junta.
No. 2 Salida was handed its first loss of the season last Thursday, falling at home to Pagosa Springs 41-38. Gunner Dozier scored 17 points as the 4A ninth-ranked Pirates improved to 6-1.
No. 4 Prospect Ridge Academy found itself in a similar boat, as the team’s six-game winning streak to open the season was snapped last Saturday in a 72-57 loss to Pine Bluffs (Wyo.). Senior Max Vacco continues to light up the scoreboard though, averaging 23.6 points on the season while shooting 54 percent from the field.
Nathan Davies has been a steady presence for CSCS (5-0), averaging a tidy 17.4 points and 9.8 rebounds a game. In the team’s 62-33 victory over Lamar last Saturday, Davies poured in a season-high 23 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
Windsor Charter Academy has won six in a row to close out December after a season-opening loss to Highland. Ball Kellen is averaging 17.1 points a game for the Firebirds.
The Pinnacle (2-2) has 3A’s leading scorer in Robert McClinton. The senior is scoring more than 28 points a game in the team’s four contests, including going for 36 points, six assists and seven steals in a 73-67 loss to Stargate School last Thursday.
Class 2A
Limon hasn’t played a game since the opening week of the season, but the Badgers (2-0) are going to make up for it in a big way come next month. Limon will play five games in nine days, starting Jan. 6 against 1A’s fifth-ranked Genoa-Hugo/Karval.
On the other end of the spectrum is No. 2 Crowley County (7-0), which played three games in just the last week. The Chargers have relied on a balanced offensive attack, paced by Gunner Hughes’ nearly 15 points a game.
No. 3 Wray got back on the right side of things, closing out December with a 64-40 victory over Chase County. The Eagles (2-3) received 18 points from AB Ruiz, and six points, 14 assists and six steals from point guard Chris Arambula.
Simla (5-2) closed out a busy December with a 56-53 victory over Peyton on Tuesday night. The Cubs’ only losses have come to No. 1 Limon and No. 9 Merino.
Speaking of Merino, the Rams had a busy close to December. A 61-59 overtime thriller over No. 5 Haxtun in the NJC Holiday Tournament put Merino into the title game late Tuesday against Wiggins. Merino, the 1A state runner-up last March, had its only loss come in the season opener to current 1A No. 4 Flatirons Academy by one point.
Class 1A
Aiden Martinez has paced McClave this season with more than 16 points and nearly seven rebounds a game. Connor Forgue and Aydin Gomez though were the Cardinals who sparked the team though past Granada 55-47 in the tournament title game last Saturday. Forgue scored 15 points, and Gomez went for 11 points, nine rebounds and six assists.
Top-ranked Belleview Christian notched its biggest victory of the young season last Saturday as the Bruins took down previously unbeaten Flatirons Academy 58-44 to win the Denver Christian Tournament. Brandon Ewing led three players in double figures with 15 points, and Nathaniel Owen had a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds to go along with seven blocks. Josiah Durrill led Flatirons with 11 points.
Genoa-Hugo/Karval (5-0) closed out December by squeaking past Hi-Plains 47-46 last Saturday. The Pirates overcame a nine-point halftime deficit thanks to 28 points from Trey Smith.
Briggsdale has only played three games, but the No. 6 Falcons have won them all. Briggsdale took two games in the Idalia Tournament, including a 65-54 victory over a solid Cheyenne Wells team. The Falcons had three players account for all but one of the team’s points, led by Tanner Fiscus’s 24 points.
