Highland boys basketball makes the best out of a jam-packed first week back

Note: For more photos from Alan Versaw, click here.

The Highland Huskies had a busy week.

It was also a good week, the first one back from the winter break. Highland’s boys basketball team returned with a fury, winning four games in a span of 10 days. That included two victories over ranked opponents, and wins over teams from three different classifications.

The Huskies (8-2, 1-0 in the Class 3A Patriot League) capped it off Tuesday night with an 86-65 victory over Strasburg in the league opener for both teams. That came on the heels of triumphs over Class 1A’s second-ranked Denver Jewish Day, 4A’s Sterling and 3A’s No. 8 Yuma.

Highland move up a spot to fourth overall in the most recent CHSAANow.com Coaches Poll. Faith Christian, Salida and Centauri continue to hold down the top three spots, while Highland swapped spots with Prospect Ridge Academy – which defeated the Huskies before the break – after the Miners fell to Brush by two points Jan. 4.

In 2A, Limon and Crowley County remain 1-2, but Evangelical Christian jumped up to No. 3. Sanford fell from No. 4 to out of the poll after dropping its third game in a row.

There was no movement in the 1A poll among the top four teams, though that could change this week. No. 4 Flatirons Academy hosts 2A’s third-ranked Evangelical Christian on Saturday. Sixth-ranked Genoa-Hugo/Karval, which fell to 2A’s top-ranked Limon last Friday – continues its run through the top 2A teams with visits to No. 7 Byers and No. 9 Merino.

Here is a quick look at the week that was, and the upcoming weeks, for the 3A, 2A and 1A classifications:

Class 3A

The afore-mentioned Huskies have rebounded nicely from the loss to PRA. After defeating Denver Jewish Day, Highland rallied from a slow start to top Sterling 78-73. Jacob Wares had a team-high 21 points, and the Huskies overcame 31 points from Ben Browning. Sophomore Sawyer Morgan and Colton Steinke each scored 21 points in a 65-62 victory over Yuma, with Morgan adding 14 rebounds. Against Strasburg, Hyatt Tolle scored 27 and Morgan again finished with a double-double, this time at 19 points and 11 boards.

Brush scored a big upset with its 59-57 victory over Prospect Ridge, as Josh Lancaster led the way with 16 points. The Beetdiggers couldn’t keep that momentum going though, falling to 4A University and then 52-45 to Yuma on Tuesday night.

Two big games are looming later this week. First, top-ranked and undefeated Faith Christian (7-0) hosts No. 7 Platte Valley, which is coming off a 63-55 victory over University on Tuesday. The Broncos (5-2) only lost by two points to 4A’s No. 3 Eaton, 72-70, last Saturday. Senior Max Zenk went off for 36 points on 13-of-19 shooting, with 11 rebounds. Zach Uyemura added 22 points.

On Friday night, No. 3 Centauri (8-1) opens 4A/3A Intermountain League play against 4A’s No. 6 Pagosa Springs (8-1). The Pirates already own a victory over No. 2 Salida, and junior Blake Laner is averaging more than 14 points a game and nearly eight rebounds.

Class 2A

In a span of just five days, Limon has already played more games than it did the entire month of December. The Badgers (4-0, 1-0 in 2A/1A Union Pacific going into last Tuesday night’s late game with Calhan) upended Genoa-Hugo/Karval 54-39 last Friday in the league opener, and followed that up with a 70-29 rout of Dolores Huerta Prep. Limon has three more games in the coming week, including a non-league clash with Yuma next Tuesday.

No. 2 Crowley County upped its record to 9-0 on Tuesday night, taking down 1A’s No. 8 Cheraw 71-38. The Chargers (9-0, 3-0 in 3A/2A Santa Fe) have a loaded week, with four games in five days. The biggest one comes Saturday when eighth-ranked Holly (7-1, 3-0) pays a visit to Ordway.

Simla kicked off 2023 in a big way as well. The fourth-ranked Cubs (7-2) handed 1A’s No. 3 McClave a 53-45 setback last Saturday, and took down No. 7 Byers 63-48 on Tuesday night.

Evangelical Christian (6-0) puts its unbeaten record on the line this weekend, first against Colorado Springs School on Friday and then against 1A power Flatirons Academy on Saturday.

Class 1A

Belleview Christian continues to show why it’s going to be tough to stop this winter. The Bruins returned to action last Friday with a 67-47 victory over 2A’s Golden View Classical Academy. Belleview Christian (8-0, 1-0 in 5280) hauled in 45 rebounds in the victory, with both Brandon Ewing (23 points, 12 rebounds) and Nathaniel Owen (17 points, 10 rebounds) notching double-doubles. Owen poured in 34 points Tuesday in the 5280 League opener against Mile High Academy.

Briggsdale’s Tanner Fiscus and John Krise put the Falcons on their back in the 2023 opener against Stratton. The Falcons (4-0) earned a 75-68 victory last Saturday, with Fiscus going for 25 points and 13 assists, and Krise adding 21 points and 11 rebounds.

Fleming has a chance to crack into the top 10 next week after defeating Flagler, Arickaree and Lone Star over the previous week. The Wildcats (4-2) play No. 10 Stratton on Friday and open league play Saturday with Prairie. Stratton (3-3) fell to Cheyenne Wells on Tuesday night.