The clock continues to click down on the boys’ basketball regular season as two days remain. But the Friday schedule is filled with important games as a few teams are still trying to win a conference championship and top district seed.
CLASS 1A
Kiowa at Elbert
Evangelical Christian has captured the Black Forest championship but the winner between Kiowa and Delbert ends up second. And the game could be a preview of a district quarterfinal as Elbert is third and Kiowa sixth in the bracketing right now. Another concern for Kiowa is staying in the pairings as only the top six teams from the district make the tournament. The Indians lead Colorado D&B by just four spots (41st and 45th) but the percentage gap is much wider (.029).
Cheraw at Granada
McClave at Kit Carson
We put these games together because results from both will finalize the top four seeds in the District 2 bracket next week. Cheraw, McClave and Kit Carson all sit at 3-1 with Granada in fourth at 2-2. Cheyenne Wells is locked into fifth and Eads is the sixth seed.
If Cheraw wins, they are the league champions and the winner between McClave-Kit Carson is second with the loser third. Granada then settles in at number four. If Granada upsets Cheraw, then the McClave-Kit Carson winner is the league champion and top district seed. The remaining three teams would all be 3-2 and tiebreakers would be needed to determine the district order.
If RPI is used to break the potential three team tie, standings before the game have Cheraw 7th, Kit Carson 12th, McClave 22nd and Granada 39th. Without a change in the standings, Cheraw would be #2, the Kit Carson-McClave loser would be third and Granada stays at number four.
Peetz at Weldon Valley
Prairie at Briggsdale
Two games will determine the top two spots in the North Central conference as Peetz and Prairie share the conference lead going in. Both are 6-1 in league play and wins by both will give the top district seed to Peetz based on the better overall record. Head-to-head is not a factor as the Mustangs and Bulldogs split their two conference matchups. Briggsdale has three league losses and cannot move from the third spot.
CLASS 2A
Soroco at Vail Christian
Plateau Valley at Caprock Academy
Class 1A DeBeque has clinched the outright league championship but results from these games will help determine places second through fifth and also lay out the top four seeds in the 2A district tournament. Vail Christian can clinch the top district seed with a win and Plateau Valley is then the number two seed by beating Caprock Academy. Paonia, which closed their regular season with a win at Hotchkiss on Thursday, would then serve as the number three seed.
If Soroco and Plateau Valley both win, then Plateau Valley, Vail Christian and Paonia all end the conference schedule at 9-3 and sharing the top spot. RPI standings before the games open have Paonia 23rd, Plateau Valley 25th and Vail Christian 27th so that race is also very tight.
Paonia still has very slim hopes of winning the top seed. That can only happen if Soroco and Caprock Academy pull off upsets. That leaves Paonia and Vail Christian at 9-3 with Paonia gaining the tiebreaker based on a head-to-head win earlier this month.
Dolores Huerta at Calhan
Peyton at Miami Yoder
Dolores Huerta and Peyton are favored to get wins and need them to keep pace with Simla atop the Black Forest conference. All three teams entered the week tied for first with one league loss apiece. The Cubs knocked off Colorado Springs School on Thursday to finish the conference run at 6-1. DH Prep and Peyton match that number with wins tonight.
In case of a three-way tie for the conference lead, RPI will be used to determine the seed order for districts. With their win over Colorado Springs School, Simla opened a small gap as they sit 10th with Peyton 13th. The rivals are now separated by .008 in the standings and that gap may be difficult for the Panthers to make up since their game with Miami Yoder will hurt their strength of schedule. Dolores Huerta is 22nd and likely ends up as the third seed if the teams end up tied.
Sanford at Sargent
The second of three games that will determine the top three spots in the Southern Peaks between Sanford, Sargent and Del Norte. Del Norte started the process by beating Sargent last week so the Farmers must win tonight or settle for third in the conference standings and district tournament. If Sanford wins, it also sets up a conference championship game with Del Norte on Saturday. Sargent stays alive for at least a share of the crown with a win this evening.
Telluride at Mancos
Following a loss to Ignacio on Tuesday, Mancos needs a win to keep pace atop the District standings. The Bluejays and Bobcats both have two league losses. Concerning the overall title, Mancos also needs a win to stay up with Ouray (1A) as the Trojans are also 7-2 in conference. Mancos and Ouray battle tomorrow night in another key matchup.
CLASS 3A
Sterling at Lutheran
Obviously not a conference game, but the regular season finale for both clubs could impact the top 10 in RPI and affect which teams could host regional tournaments. Sterling (18-0) is ranked #1 in RPI and a win plus a district championship next week should give them the top overall playoff seed. Lutheran is 9th in RPI after finishing third to Manual and Faith Christian in the Metro conference. The Lions of course will host a regional tournament if they win the Metro tournament next week but if not, a win this evening still keeps them in consideration for a home regional as at an-large team. Those spots are determined by RPI.
Patriot District
Three pigtail games are set for Friday in the Patriot district as they begin their post-season run. Winners advance to the quarterfinals on Tuesday with losers seeing an end to their season. Tonight #8 Frontier Academy is home to #9 Brush with the winner meeting #1 Sterling next week. #6 Strasburg plays host to #11 Liberty common with the winner advancing to meet #3 Platte Valley. The third game pits #7 Valley at home against #10 Estes Park. That winner challenges #2 Resurrection Christian on Tuesday. The fourth quarterfinal is set on Tuesday with #4 Eaton at home against #5 University.
CLASS 4A
Glenwood Springs at Palisade
Steamboat Springs beat Eagle Valley last night and is favored against Summit on Saturday. A win there gets the Sailors to 11-1 in league play so Glenwood Springs needs a win at Palisade to earn a share of the Western Slope championship. Glenwood and Steamboat Springs split two regular-season matchups. A win at Palisade though won’t be easy as the Demons survived for a 55-52 decision in the first matchup. Palisade is third in the league standings but can’t climb higher because they sit two games with just one contest remaining.
Fruita Monument at Montrose
Fruita Monument topped Montrose 50-43 on January 22nd and that outcome is the only separation between the two in the Southwestern League standings. The Wildcats are 7-0 in league play with Montrose 6-1. So a Wildcats win gives them the championship outright while Montrose forces a tie by avenging the earlier loss.
Regardless of outcome, the teams head in different directions for the post season as Fruita Monument will compete in Class 5A and Montrose in Class 4A. Brackets for those tournaments will be released on Sunday. Fruita Monument is 15th in RPI and if they stay in the top 16, the Wildcats should earn a first round bye. Montrose is 18th in Class 4A.
Colorado 8 Tournament
Conifer meets Skyview for the conference championship and the winner earns an automatic bid to the 4A state tournament. Regardless of the outcome, both teams are safely in the 48-team bracket as Conifer is 26th in RPI and Skyview 36th.  Conifer has beaten Arvada and Fort Lupton to reach the finals. Skyview topped Englewood in the opening round and then knocked #2 seed Alameda (43-41) in the semifinals.
CLASS 5A
Ponderosa at Regis
Chaparral at Legend
Mountain Vista at ThunderRidge
The three games above will finalize the top three spots in the Continental conference. Chaparral and Regis share the top spot at 7-1 and if both win, Regis earns the title based on their head-to-head win over the Wolverines earlier this year. Chaparral can only win the title with a win and Regis loss. The winner between Mountain Vista and ThunderRidge will end up third as both teams are 6-2 going in. Neither can climb higher than third since both lost to Chaparral and Regis.
