There are a few tournaments and games sprinkled in early next week but for the most part, the December portion of the 2021-22 basketball schedule concludes this weekend and there are several attractive matchups on tap.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY OT SPORTSCHECK
Maybe the headliner on the small school division is the annual Lamar Holiday Tournament this Thursday through Saturday. Lamar is not in the tournament but the field includes eight smaller schools from the region stretching from Springfield to the South and Kit Carson to the North. Current high school players have watched this event for many years growing up and are very excited about the chance to play and possibly be crowned tournament champions on Saturday night. For those of you that have not been, we highly recommend you do because the event routinely draws between 6-7,000 fans over three days and that number should be closer to the high end this year since the tournament was not held last year due to COVID.
It’s highly expected that Granada and Holly will meet in the championship game. They’re the only two ranked teams in the bracket and seem to be a step above the rest of the field this year.
Granada went 3-0 at the Border Classic last week; beating three Kansas schools with only one game decided by single digits. Senior Dominic Coleman has opened the season averaging 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and five steals but the Bobcats also feature two other double-figure scorers in Maddox Coleman (13.3) and Jon Hainer (12.7). Holly has wins over Swink, Kit Carson and Rocky Ford on the season with each win coming by at least 17 points.
Two other quality tournaments set for the weekend are found in Yuma and Fowler. The Yuma event is a new tournament but they open with a strong field which includes #1 Limon (2A) and #8 Eaton (3A). They collide on Friday with the winner most likely facing #2 Yuma as the Indians will be favored against Heritage Christian in their first rounder.
We got a chance to see Yuma in person on Monday as they blew past Brush 73-59. That game was not as close as the final indicates; the Indians tallied 51 first half points and led by as many as 30.
What we saw from Yuma is a strong contender for the 2A state championship. Size carried them to recent state crowns but this year they’ve turned to a full-court pressure defense that traps where it can and then pushes the ball on offense. Clay Robinson is the key. The senior is a four-year starter and has earned all-state honors his first three years in high school. Standing 6-3, Robinson still runs the point on offense but then turns over to the five spot on defense; playing the middle of the Indians aggressive 2-3 zone. He’s averaging 19 points and 7 rebounds through four games.
Another player that caught our eye was Javier Gamboa. Also a senior, Gamboa does well in getting to the rim but can also knock down the three. His quickness is also a major factor on the defensive end. Jesus Ross (10.5 pts) can also score and Beau Tate (6.3 pts / 4.3 rebs) is the scrapper on the inside that every quality team needs and wants.
Limon (3-0) is unbeaten including a quality win over Peyton (49-40) in week one. Due to an injury suffered in the state football championship, the Badgers will be without senior starter Trey Hines for a few more weeks. That brings more of the scoring responsibility to the likes of Brady Rockwell (11.5), Dontarius Arnold (7.5), Kaden Becker (6.0), Eli Weisensee (6.0) and Jordan Rockwell (5.0).
Eaton hasn’t played since outscoring Highland 86-83 in overtime last Friday. It was their third straight win to start the season. That game featured 75 three-point attempts including 30 from Eaton. They hit 10 including four from Mitch Hayhorn who finished with 25 points. Walker Martin added a team high 27.
At Fowler, the Grizzlies are always a tough out especially at home but they may not be favored to win their own tournament. They have a tough first-round game against 3A Colorado Springs Christian and even with a win, they still need to get by either Sanford or Peyton in the finals. The Indians and Panthers are both ranked again this week and they meet in the other semifinal.
We could see some rematches in the tournament. Peyton (3-3) already has a loss to Colorado Springs Christian while Sanford edged Fowler 31-28 in the finals of the La Junta Holiday Tournament last Saturday. For Peyton, this weekend continues a strong early season schedule that also includes losses to Limon and Denver Christian. We reviewed the Panthers and their effort in the narrow loss to Denver Christian in our notebook from Sunday.
Sanford has new leadership as Brice Crowther has succeeded Rhett Larsen as the coach of the tradition rich Indians. Their game was Fowler was fast paced out of the gate as they gained a 19-10 lead in the first quarter. The teams then combined for just 30 total points over the final three quarters with the Indians holding on for a 31-28 victory.
Out west, don’t be surprised if Aspen follows up their title at the Meeker Shootout by grabbing another championship at the Basalt Tournament this weekend. The field is a bit stronger but the 4th ranked Skiers (3A) remain the favorite. They meet Eagle Valley in the quarterfinals and a win puts them up against Rifle or Skyview Academy in the semifinals. Glenwood Springs, Basalt, Berthoud and an unbeaten Banning Lewis squad are on the other side of the bracket.
Shae Korpela (19.8) and Braden Korpela (15.8) combine for nearly 36 points a game through four outings. Porter Lee (12.0) is another double digit scorer for Aspen.
Up north, we could see a very good pairing of #2 Sterling (3A) and #5 Denver Christian (2A) in the semifinals of the Power to Play Winter Showcase. That matchup takes place if the Tigers get by Academy and the Thunder beat DSST-Conservatory Green in opening games on Thursday.
Denver Christian is another team we reviewed in our Sunday notebook as they posted the quality win over Peyton. Sterling (3-1) will be playing their first Colorado opponent as their first four games came against Nebraska teams. The Tigers have state championship tradition and are led this season by senior Jared Keil. He’s averaging 24 points and eight rebounds through the first two weeks of the season and has been contributing to Tiger wins since his freshman season. Ryder McConnell is next in scoring (15.7) and the junior has also been in the varsity rotation since his freshman campaign.
Defending 4A state champion Mead has a difficult but quality weekend in store. They opened the week by meeting 5A Horizon on Wednesday night but then the Mavericks head out to Las Vegas to compete at the Tarkanian Classic. It’s one of the more respected national tournaments and many Colorado teams have visited there over the years; but most have been from the 5A level. Win or lose, the experience will make the Mavericks an even better team and boost their chances of defending their state title from last Spring.
Mead has won their first three games by a combined 72 points with each win over a 5A opponent. Five players average at least 12 points a game led by returning player of the year Elijah Knudsen (15.0) and James Shiers (15.0).
2A Lower Platte rivals Wray and Holyoke battle on Thursday and they enter the game ranked fifth and sixth statewide. The game is not a league contest as they will meet against after Christmas to help decide the rugged Lower Platte title. Wray is the defending champion but has two losses as they fell to Yuma (68-58) in their opener and to 6A Dodge City (KS) in the finals of the Goodland Topside Classic.
Senior Bryant Schoenthal has taken his game to the next level so far this season. He’s averaging a double-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds per game. Chris Arambula adds 10 points and nearly four steals each night. Jadon Dodsworth (8.0) and Alex Trejo (7.5) are two other returning starters from the state title team.
Holyoke stayed perfect on Tuesday with a 62-53 win over #1 Haxtun (1A). They’ve scored at least 62 points in each of their past four games. They are deep but turn to the tandem of Wyatt Sprague (18.2) and Ethan Johnson (17.8) on the offensive end.
Friday also marks a nice top 10 battle in Class 1A between #6 Cheyenne Wells and #8 Genoa Hugo. The Tigers have carried over their state championship run in football to the hardwood; opening with wins over Idalia, Bethune and Kim/Branson. Former standout Kendall Pelton, who led the Tigers to a state championship game as a player, is now trying to do the same as the head coach. Ty Scheler (11.7), Blake Gilmore (11.3) and Cade Mitchek (11.0) lead a very balanced offense.
Genoa Hugo (3-0) jumped into the rankings this week on the strength of a 57-54 overtime win against Idalia. Cheyenne Wells also has a three point win over the Wolves. Trey Smith poured in 24 points for the Pirates and Wyatt Miller added 14. The Pirates attempted 31 three-pointers and made eight including three from Smith. Miller also collected 10 rebounds.
