BOYS HIGHLIGHTS FROM THURSDAY

Several important games were on the boys’ basketball schedule for Thursday and we look at the results to breakdown the effect on league races.

Evangelical Christian stayed in the Black Forest chase by beating Pikes Peak Christian 68-53. The win left the two teams tied for second behind league unbeaten Edison. Pikes Peak Christian and Edison play on Saturday so all three teams remain in the title chase.
South Baca wraps up third place in the Ark Valley with a 73-57 win over Springfield. The Longhorns tumble to fifth ahead of next week’s district tournament.
Cotopaxi grabs third place in the Southern Peaks with their narrow 66-64 win over Manzanola. The Bobcats settle for fourth with the loss.
A huge non-conference win for Merino as they prep for district tournament play as they roll #7 Briggsdale 77-37 on Thursday. The Falcons must recover quickly as they need a win over Prairie on Friday to clinch the North Central crown.

Union Colony surprised #5 Denver Christian inside the Mile High conference but the result did not change the top of the standings. The Thunder had already clinched second before the game. Union Colony Prep started the night in seventh and also stays there despite the upset.

Gunnison is the Western Slope champion. They entered the night tied with Coal Ridge atop the standings and the Cowboys beat Delta. That was enough for the Cowboys to land the title since they had the head-to-head tiebreaker but Coal Ridge was also upset at Moffat County.
Grand Valley takes home third in the Western Slope with their 57-44 home win over Roaring Fork. The Cardinals opened the game tied with Moffat County and Delta but with wins over both, just needed the win to clinch. Moffat County grabbed fourth with their win over Coal Ridge.
Brush topped Liberty Common in the Patriot district tournament and now advances to meet top seeded Resurrection Christian in the quarterfinals on Friday.
Platte Valley dumped Frontier Academy in the Patriot district tournament and will go to 3rd seeded Eaton in the Friday quarterfinals.
Estes Park outlasted Valley 64-58 in overtime to capture a Patriot district win. Now the Bobcats will visit 2nd seeded Sterling in the quarterfinals on Friday.

Harrison remained alone atop the CS Metro standings with their win over Mitchell. The Panthers improved to 12-2 but still have two league games left with Woodland Park on Friday and Elizabeth on Saturday. A win in one of them wraps up the title.
Pueblo West handed Pueblo East their first league loss and with the win finished second in the South Central. They stay one game up on Pueblo Central and also beat the Wildcats earlier this week. East had already clinched the league crown and they finish at 9-1.
Sand Creek moves to 9-5 in the Pikes Peak and stays tied with Lewis Palmer (8-5) by beating Falcon. The Rangers must now beat league champion Cheyenne Mountain on Friday to keep pace.
Northfield moved past Denver South to remain part of a second place with George Washington inside the DPL. GW and league leader Denver East play on Saturday and a win by the Patriots creates a three-way tie for the top spot.

Vista Peak wrapped up the season at 19-4 after beating Westminster on the road. The Bison (9-1) remain tied with Gateway in second one game back of Rangeview in the East Metro. The Raiders and Olys play on Saturday.
Broomfield officially wraps up third place in the Front Range with a 89-74 win over Monarch. Fairview is the league champion Boulder number two.