Standley Lake & Wheat Ridge boys basketball teams get a jump on Jeffco League play

WHEAT RIDGE — Before a trip to Kansas later this week, Standley Lake’s boys basketball team opened up Class 5A/4A Jeffco League play Tuesday night.

The Gators never trailed in an eventual 55-31 road victory over Wheat Ridge.

“It is good to be atop, I guess,” Standley Lake coach Tyson Schrecengost said of the Gators taking an early lead in conference play with everyone else starting league play tomorrow (Jan. 21). “I’m just proud of the guys getting that first league win. We needed to do that before heading to Kansas. Wheat Ridge is a good program and works hard.”

Standley Lake actually heads to Colby, Kansas for the 3-day Orange/Black Classic Tournament that runs Jan. 22-24. The Gators are back in conference action Jan. 28 at Dakota Ridge.

While several Colorado basketball teams head to the likes of Arizona or California during the holidays for tournaments, it is clearly to business trip for Standley Lake’s girls and boys basketball teams in Kansas.

“We are excited for this new experience for us to go out-of-state,” Coach Schrecengost said of the tournament in Colby where it is predicted to be a high of 7 degrees on Friday, Jan. 23. “One of these guys’ goals the past few years was to win a tournament. We are really focused on it. We realize this is going to be a business trip, with a little bit of fun. We want to go there and represent Colorado well and come out on the other side with hopefully a tournament championship.”

Standley Lake (6-5 record, 1-0 in league) opens the tournament against Concordia, KS on Thursday.

“We’ve always wanted to win a tournament,” Standley Lake senior Vaughn Locke said of heading to the Orange/Black Classic Tournament. “We have always finished as the runner-up. We are hoping to get one out there.”

The Gators would also like to make history on winning the school’s first boys basketball league title. Standley Lake came close last season finishing second to Dakota Ridge. The lone league defeat was to the 3-time defending league champion last year.

“We were one (win) short last year,” Coach Schrecengost said of the Gators finishing runner-up to Dakota Ridge. “It has been at the heart of what we want to accomplish these past few years to get to the top. Do something like hanging a (league) banner that we haven’t done yet, ever in school history. The pathway is going to be difficult.”

The pathway to the basket for Locke wasn’t difficult Tuesday. The senior poured in a career-high 20 points. Standley Lake players actually put together the scouting reports preparing for Wheat Ridge.

Using a high-low double-post was something the Gators saw on film would be useful against Wheat Ridge, who are shorthanded with some injuries.

“It was all about find open space and post up,” Locke said of him scoring all of his game-high 20 points underneath the basket. “Just had to finish strong at the rim.”

Standley Lake’s 6-foot-8 junior Asher Serlen attracted much of the defensive attention to allow Locke to feast down low on the baseline. Serlen finished with 13 points himself.

“They are a good tandem,” Coach Schrecengost said of Locke and Serlen down low. “They work well together and share the ball very well.”

Junior Titus Schrecengost finished with 8 points, 6 assists and 6 steals for the Gators. Senior guard Matthew Hill dished out 8 assists as Standley Lake won back-to-back games for the first time since starting the season 3-0.

The young Farmers were led by sophomore Leif Wilson, who finished with 10 points.

Wheat Ridge (2-11, 0-1) will have a 3-game road swing starting Friday, Jan. 23, at Pomona. The Farmers have a non-league road game Saturday at Greeley West before facing Green Mountain on the road to continue league play Monday, Jan. 26.