The regular season is in the rearview mirror for all the boys basketball teams in Class 3A-1A in the state. District play is in full gear in these classes and district play has to be completed by Saturday, Feb. 24.
Regional play will take place March 1-2. Those regional tournaments will take the Top 32 teams in each of the classifications determined by the CHSAA selection & Seeding Index.
With that in mind, it is time to give a quick overview of some teams that are flat in the mix to make the 32-team field and others that are in need of wins this week to continue their respective seasons.
Class 3A
Frontier Districts
No. 32 Bennett (10-9) vs. KIPP Denver Collegiate (6-13), (6 p.m., Thursday): Bennett is in bad need of a win to stay in the mix of 32 teams. The Tigers finished the Frontier League with a 6-0 record, but Bennett finished the regular season with a 2-3 record. If the Tigers want to continue their season, they need this victory. Bennett is paced by a trio of double-figure scorers – Owen Stiers (16.2 ppg), Jayden Ivory (14.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Austin Stiers (10 ppg). If the Tigers can get this victory, they will play the winner of the No. 35 Lake County (11-8) and The Pinnacle (4-14) at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
No. 35 Lake County (12-8) vs. The Pinnacle (5-14), (7:30 p.m., Thursday): Lake County most likely needs two wins to get the 32-team field. The Panthers’ offense is powered by Isaiah Martinez, who is scoring 18.7 ppg and 7.9 rpg, and Canaan Hall is adding 8.9 ppg.
A win by the Panthers will pit them in the district championship game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
If Lake County gets past The Pinnacle, it will get a rematch with Bennett. The Tigers handed Lake County a 71-47 defeat. Martinez had 20 points in that loss and Owen Stiers had 20 points in the win for the Tigers.
Class 2A
District 1
No. 20 Monte Vista (12-6) vs. No. 21 Sargent (15-5), (7:30, Thursday): This is a key matchup between a pair of teams next to each other in the all-important rankings. Monte Vista has caught fire at the right time, winning three games in a row, including a 35-24 win over Sargent on Feb. 15. In that game, Azariah Hurtado, a sophomore, had a game-high 18 points. The Pirates are going to need another game like that from Hurtado and some offense from Alex Marquez (10.3 ppg) and Kaden Madrid (6.9 ppg). After losing to Monte Vista, Sargent bounced back with consecutive wins over Custer County. Sargent’s offense is paced by Fernando Venzor (9.9 ppg) and Hayden Lester (9.7 ppg).
The winner of the Monte Vista/Sargent game advances to play the victor between No. 8 Sanford (16-4) and Del Norte (7-13).
District 2
No. 7 Wray (12-8) vs. No. 9 Holyoke (12-6), (8:30 p.m., Friday): Wray is coming off a big 78-47 decision over Caliche on Tuesday. The Eagles are led by Rafael Trejo (16.9 ppg) and AB Ruiz (12.4 ppg). Holyoke is coming off a 69-44 victory over Sedgwick County and the Dragons offense is fueled by Wyatt Sprague (16.9 ppg), Reid Sprague (11.4 ppg) and Cash Weber (11.2 ppg).
Wray and Holyoke met once this season on Jan. 19 when the Eagles’ claimed a 49-41 win. In that contest, Trejo had a game-high 17 points. Holyoke didn’t have a player in double-figures.
Class 1A
District 4
No. 12 Peetz (15-4) vs. No. 38 Fleming (5-15), (5:30 p.m., Thursday): Peetz is fueled by Noah Naegele (14.9 ppg), Rhyder Bayne (13.3 ppg) and Chance Seglke (9.9 ppg). Peetz trounced Fleming 70-43 on Jan. 19 in the first meeting between the teams. Fleming’s top scorer is David Betley (10.7 ppg).
No. 24 Prairie (8-10) vs. No. 26 Briggsdale (7-12), (8:30 p.m., Thursday): Prairie’s scoring punch is provided by Brennan Bringelson (8.8 ppg) and Lane Schock (7.2 ppg). This game is match-up between two teams that met Feb. 16 with Briggsdale winning 46-40. In that game Briggsdale’s Tanner Fiscus stepped into the spotlight, scoring 30 points. The senior is averaging 29.2 ppg and 8.4 rebounds a game.
The winner of these District 4 games will face off at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
