While there wasn’t a ton of drama in last weekend’s boys basketball district tournaments – the eight No. 1 seeds in Class 3A all claimed championships – that didn’t mean some lower seeds didn’t rise to the occasion.
In 1A, upsets and big performances were the standard rather than the exception. Denver Jewish Day handed Belleview Christian its first loss of the season, 57-49 in the District 8 title game. A pair of No. 4 seeds captured district crowns, as Granada topped both No. 1 McClave and No. 2 Cheyenne Wells for the championship. Peetz did the same in District 4, taking down No. 1 Briggsdale and No. 2 Fleming.
De Beque, the No. 3 seed in District 1, topped Dove Creek 67-44 thanks to 24 points from Scottie Vines and 20 points and 12 rebounds from freshman Jace Graham.
In 2A, fifth-seeded Monte Vista advanced to the District 1 title game, knocking off top-seeded Custer County along the way. The Pirates hung with Sanford in the district championship, but a rough second quarter allowed the Mustangs to take a 45-36 victory. In District 8, the third try was the charm for Simla as it finally upended Limon 50-48 despite shooting just 28 percent from the floor.
Now comes the final run. Starting Friday, teams in 3A, 2A and 1A will compete in four-team regionals, with Saturday’s eight winners advancing to next weekend’s Great 8. New champions are guaranteed to be crowned in 3A and 2A (Aspen and Yuma each moved up a classification), while McClave will attempt to defend its 1A title.
Here is a quick look at the 32-team brackets in all three classifications:
Class 3A
As mentioned before, the 3A district field played out much as expected. That allowed the classification’s top four teams for much of the season to earn the top four seeds: Faith Christian, Salida, Centauri and Highland.
Among the more competitive regionals, No. 7 Peyton could find itself matched up with No. 10 The Vanguard School in the second round should both higher seeds win Friday. The Coursers topped Peyton 64-55 back on Jan. 16, and two of the losses for The Vanguard (19-3) came to No. 2 overall seed Salida. The Coursers first need to top The Pinnacle, which boasts the state’s top scorer in Robert McClinton, who averages 30.9 points a game.
No. 6 Windsor Charter Academy doesn’t have an easy road, either. The Firebirds (18-3) needed overtime to survive Bishop Machebeuf in the district title game, and should they get past Florence on Friday, No. 11 Platte Valley could be waiting. The Broncos (16-6) lost three games to 4A playoff teams – two of which are in the Great 8 – along with one to No. 1 Faith Christian and two more to No. 4 Highland.
A Cedaredge team that has won 12 games in a row is the fifth seed, with schools have to travel to the Western Slope to face the Bruins on their home floor. A battle-tested Yuma squad is the No. 9 seed, playing in a regional hosted by No. 8 Lake County.
Class 2A
Only one team is currently undefeated in the 2A ranks, and it secured the No. 1 overall seed in the state tournament. Crowley County (22-0), after defeating Holly twice in the regular season by a combined four points, rolled past the Wildcats in the district title game.
Simla, fresh off its victory over Limon, earned the No. 2 overall seed and the right to host. The Cubs (19-3) have won 11 in a row. The Badgers (19-3) are still the No. 3 seed, but could be looking at a third matchup with Union Pacific rival Burlington in the second round. Limon’s two victories over the Cougars came by two points each, including a 47-45 thriller in the district semifinals.
Wray, which shared the Lower Platte crown with 3A Yuma, is the No. 4 seed. Of the Eagles’ six regular-season losses, two came to Yuma, and three more were to out-of-state teams. The other was to Limon. Wray has No. 13 Wiggins also of the Lower Platte, in its regional. The Tigers fell just short to the Eagles 67-63 back on Feb. 16.
In an odd twist, fifth-seeded Plateau Valley hosts a regional that includes Western Slope champion Vail Christian. The Saints (16-3) swept through league play, including a victory over Plateau Valley, only to fall to the Cowboys 42-40 in the district title game.
Golden View Classical is the No. 6 seed, hosting a regional that includes No. 11 Holly. Sanford’s district title gave the Mustangs the right to host as the No. 7 seed, but 10th-seeded Merino could be waiting in the wings in round two.
Heritage Christian is the eighth seed, with Evangelical Christian the No. 9 seed. The Eagles (18-3) lost to Simla twice and Limon.
Class 1A
Belleview Christian’s setback to Denver Jewish Day didn’t cost the Bruins the top overall seed. Belleview Christian (22-1), led by Nathaniel Owen’s 21.9 points and 9.6 rebounds a game, is on the opposite side of the bracket as the No. 2 Tigers (17-3).
Defending champion McClave (16-5) is seeded third. The Cardinals had dropped two in a row to Cheraw and then Granada in the district semis before bouncing back to take down Cheraw in the third-place game.
Stratton is the fourth seed. The Eagles overcame a late three-game skid in league play to 2A powers Simla, Limon and Burlington, winning their final four games. That included a 71-58 victory over No. 5 Otis in the district title game.
Granada had a five-game losing streak early in the season, but the Bobcats (13-8) are streaking with eight consecutive victories. That includes back-to-back district wins over McClave and Cheyenne Wells, which is seeded ninth. Briggsdale is the No. 11 seed, and had won nine in a row before its loss to Peetz.
Cheyenne Wells (14-8) lost five of its first six games to start the season, but the Tigers had won seven in a row before falling to Granada. They are in the same regional as No. 8 Sierra Grande, which draws upstart Peetz on Friday. The Bulldogs (10-12) were sitting at 6-12 on Feb. 13 before winning their final four games.
Genoa-Hugo/Karval, the No. 7 seed, has already advance to Saturday’s regional title game via forfeit. The Pirates (16-6) will face either Flatirons Academy or De Beque.
