A whopping 27 contests made our list of games to watch for boys’ basketball. Virtually all of them will help decide a league championship or second place within a conference.
CLASS 1A
Idalia at Arickaree/Woodlin (Tuesday)
Kiowa at Elbert (Friday)
Cheraw at Granada (Friday)
McClave at Kit Carson (Friday)
NOTES: Evangelical Christian has clinched the Black Forest league title but the winner between Kiowa and Elbert will end up second. Both teams have one league loss to ECA. The next two games on the list will help determine the top four spots in the High Plains conference. Cheraw is tied with McClave and Kit Carson for the top spot but the Wolverines have control since they’ve beaten the other two. They win the championship by beating Granada and if that happens, then the McClave-Kit Carson winner is second and the loser third. A three-way tie for the top spot is the result if Cheraw loses. Arickaree/Woodlin needs a win over Idalia to nail down the YWKC title. They lead the Wolves and Otis by one game in the overall standings.
CLASS 2A
Hoehne at John Mall (Tuesday)
Mancos at Ignacio (Tuesday)
Soroco at Vail Christian (Friday)
Ouray at Mancos (Saturday)
NOTES: John Mall, Swallows Charter and Hoehne continue to battle it out for spots two through four behind Fowler in the Santa Fe West. Going into the final week, John Mall is second (7-5) with Swallows Charter and Hoehne (6-6) one game back. The key game is Tuesday between John Mall and Hoehne. The Panthers won the first game 51-49 and another win gives them second. A loss leaves the two teams tied for second. In that scenario, Swallows Charter would need to upset Fowler to make it a three-team tie. Mancos has an important week as they lead both Ignacio and Ouray by one game in the San Juan standings. The Bluejays can clinch the top 2A District seed by beating Ignacio on Tuesday and then the overall league title with a win over Ouray later in the week. Ignacio creates a three-way tie for the conference lead with a win on Tuesday and both the Bobcats and Bluejays have clinched a top two district tournament seed. Paonia’s win over Vail Christian last week brought the Western Slope standings quite a bit closer. 1A DeBeque has clinched the league title but Vail Christian (9-2) is trying to hold off Paonia and Plateau Valley (both 8-3) for the top 2A district seed. A win over Soroco gives them that spot. A loss drops them into a tie with Plateau Valley and Paonia. The Cowboys play Caprock Academy on Friday and Paonia meets Hotchkiss the night before.
CLASS 3A
DSST-Byers at DSST-Green Valley (Monday)
Kent Denver at Faith Christian (Tuesday)
Lutheran at Manual (Wednesday)
Ridgeview Academy at DSST-Byers (Wednesday)
Pagosa Springs at Bayfield (Thursday)
Gunnison at Delta (Thursday)
Sterling at Lutheran (Friday)
NOTES: DSST-Byers (5-0) leads the Confluence standings by one game over DSST-Green Valley and Ridgeview Academy but since they face both this week, many scenarios are still possible. They can win the title outright with two wins, likely finish second by splitting two games or drop to third with two losses. Manual clinches the Metro title by beating Lutheran on Wednesday. That outcome likely leaves Faith Christian in second place. A Lutheran win though creates a three-way for the lead if Faith Christian also beats Kent Denver on Tuesday. Lutheran gets to the championship with a win and Faith Christian loss. The Lions also have a tough regular season finale with top ranked Sterling on Friday. Bayfield needs a win over Pagosa Springs on Thursday to lock down second in the Intermountain league. A loss leaves the Wolverines tied for second with Alamosa and Montezuma Cortez who are finished with conference play. Delta leads Gunnison and Roaring Fork by one game in the Western Slope.  A win over Gunnison gives the Panthers the championship regardless of how they fare against Olathe on Tuesday. Roaring Fork has a tough week as they go to Coal Ridge on Tuesday and host Grand Valley on Thursday.  Two losses could drop them to fifth in the league standings.
CLASS 4A
Pueblo East at Pueblo Central (Tuesday)
Golden at Wheat Ridge (Thursday)
Lewis Palmer at Cheyenne Mountain (Thursday)
Holy Family at Mead (Thursday)
Glenwood Springs at Palisade (Friday)
Fruita Monument at Montrose (Friday)
NOTES: Pueblo East and Pueblo Central are both 5-3 in the South Central and the winner will end up second behind Pueblo West. West has already clinched the league crown. Wheat Ridge has three games this week but a win over Golden on Thursday gives them the Jeffco crown regardless of how the other two games end up. They also meet Evergreen Tuesday and Standley Lake Saturday. Lewis Palmer has clinched the Pikes Peak title but their game with Cheyenne Mountain is always a great rivalry. Cheyenne Mountain also hosts Falcon on Monday and a victory there wraps up second.  Mead beat Holy Family in their first meeting so they lead the Tigers by one in the Tri Valley.  Glenwood Springs and Steamboat Springs (9-1) share the Western Slope lead. Both have two league games remaining this week and the most difficult has Glenwood meeting third place Palisade (7-3). Fruita Monument topped Montrose in their first meeting and a second win this week earns the Wildcats the Southwestern crown. A Montrose win will let the two teams share the top trophy.
CLASS 5A
Boulder at Greeley West (Tuesday)
Grandview at Eaglecrest (Wednesday)
Arvada West at Columbine (Wednesday)
Fairview at Boulder (Thursday)
Eaglecrest at Smoky Hill (Friday)
Ralston Valley at Arvada West (Friday)
Mountain Vista at ThunderRidge (Friday)
George Washington at Denver East (Friday)
NOTES: Fairview (10-0) tops Boulder and Greeley West (both 8-2) by two games in the Front Range. The Knights play Fossil Ridge on Tuesday and a win there makes the game with Boulder meaningless to the title chase. If that happens, the winner between Boulder and Greeley West on Tuesday should end up second. Grandview regained the Centennial lead last week by one game over Eaglecrest and Smoky Hill but the Wolves have three games remain on the schedule including the Wednesday battle with the Raptors. Columbine leads Arvada West and Ralston Valley by one game in the Jeffco. The Rebels have already beaten Valor Christian and win over the Wildcats should give them the championship. In that scenario, Ralston and A-West would then battle for second late in the week. Mountain Vista and ThunderRidge (both 6-2) share third place in the rugged Continental. The game is for third place outright if both teams win on Tuesday as expected. The Grizzlies host Legend and the Golden Eagles Rock Canyon. Denver East looks to nail down another DPL title with a win over George Washington. The Patriots trail the Angels by just one game.
COLORADO 8 LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
The eight teams in the Colorado 8 get together for a season closing league tournament this week.
MONDAY – QUARTERFINALS
- 7:00pm:Â #1 Conifer vs #8 Arvada
- 7:00pm:Â #4 Fort Lupton vs #5 Riverdale Ridge
- 5:30pm:Â #3 Skyview vs #6 Englewood
- 7:00pm:Â #2 Alameda vs #7 Weld Central
REMAINING SCHEDULE
- Consolation Semifinals – Wednesday
- Championship Semifinals – Wednesday
- League Championship – Friday
- 3rd Place – Friday
- 5th Place – Friday
- 7th Place – Friday
