The boys basketball team from Bear Creek has done something of a perfect .500 tightrope this winter, balancing wins and losses in perfect harmony.
Now, can they stick the landing?
So far the Bears look like this: Eleven wins, 11 losses. Points for — 1,159. Points against — 1,159. They head into the final week ranked No. 32 on the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, vying for a place in the 32-team Class 6A postseason bracket. One game — at Ralston Valley Wednesday — will help decide which way the balance of their season will tip.
In this week’s look at the big classifications in the sport, we check in on a few teams teetering on the edge of a postseason berth with just days remaining in the 6A, 5A and 4A regular season.
Class 6A
No. 32 Bear Creek: If the Bears beat the Mustangs in their regular-season finale, they should love their chances at cracking into the postseason bracket. If they don’t, everything becomes a little less predictable.
In their favor, the Bears already have a win over the CHSAA Index’s 13th-ranked team, beating the Mustangs by six at the start of the month. Emilek Jallow had 15 points and 13 rebounds in the win.
The Bears also have top-32 wins this winter over No. 29 Evergreen and No. 32 Gateway in 5A as well as No. 20 Arvada West in 6A.
No. 33 Boulder: Following Boulder’s 18-point win over Erie last week, the Panthers (10-11) were all on the same page with three games remaining. Having any shot of making the postseason and they’ll need to win them all.
Kyle Blauch followed the win over the Tigers with 27 points, going 10 of 17 from the field in a 70-60 win over No. 52 Prairie View. Riley Stein went 7 of 11 from 3 and added 23 points.
The Panthers are at No. 43 Brighton Tuesday, then No. 42 Loveland Thursday.
No. 31 Denver South: The Ravens (11-10) have four wins over top-32 5A teams. None so far against the first 32 in the 6A.
How the numbers tilt with that remains to be seen.
Up top for the Ravens, senior Tyler Hunsinger is averaging 18.8 points per game and has scored at least 13 in 12 straight games.
Denver South’s top wins include 5A No. 12 Thomas Jefferson, No. 14 Ponderosa, No. 23 Denver North and No. 29 Evergreen. It also lost to No. 5 Frederick by just two points in December.
Class 5A
No. 29 Evergreen: The Cougars (12-9) have a solid record, plenty of quality wins — if their low seeding seems afoot, it may be because they are missing a top-32 win in the 5A classification.
They can change that in their league tournament in the final week, starting with No. 7 Dakota Ridge Wednesday.
It’ll look to guys like senior Luke Killian, who has been clutch in February. Scoring in the double figures in five of his six games, he is averaging 13.8 PPG this season.
No. 34 Adams City: Junior Jalen McKinnies has averaged 18.2 points per game over his last six games, leading the Eagles (12-10) to the 5A/4A Colorado League tournament final and a possible playoff berth.
McKinnies missed three games before returning in the league tournament opener Monday, where he scored 12 while shooting 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Before his absence, he had a season-high 28 in a win over Aurora Central, the team it faces in the tournament final Wednesday.
Class 4A
No. 32 Basalt: The Longhorns (10-11) are holding at No. 32 in the selection and seeding index after losing their past two games. And yet they still have a pretty strong resume heading into the final week.
Their top-32 wins include 5A No. 28 Eagle Valley, 4A No. 23 Coal Ridge, No. 29 Delta, 3A No. 16 Roaring Fork and 2A No. 26 Mancos.
Sophomore Elias Schendler is averaging 13.9 points per game and 7.8 boards this winter.
The Longhorns are home against 4A No. 25 Aspen Wednesday and Delta Friday.
No. 33 Skyview: The Wolverines (10-12) have lost three of their last four but are still very much in the postseason picture.
They face 5A No. 32 Gateway in the 5A/4A Colorado League tournament Wednesday.
Before the league tournament this week, Jorge Rodriguez had 27 points in an overtime win over Thornton. The game before that, he had 20 in a loss to the Olympians.
