Saturday is a very important day across boys basketball with top spots in conference races and higher seeds for the district tournaments on the line.  We wanted to provide a quick rundown of such games with details on how they impact league standings and post-season pairings.
 

CLASS 1A

Kit Carson at Haxtun
Springfield at Cheraw
McClave at Walsh
Primero at Creede
Plateau Valley at De Beque
NOTES:  Good list of games and we start with the last one on our list as it could decide the Western Slope title.  DeBeque is unbeaten and sits alone in first while Plateau Valley is tied with Vail Christian one game back in second place.  Since DeBeque has beaten Vail Christian, a win today puts them in very good shape for the conference crown.  Sangre De Cristo seems to be the league champion in the Southern Peaks but spots 2-4 remain up for grabs and the outcome of Creede-Primero will help determine those positions.  They’re battling with Sierra Grande.  McClave-Walsh and Springfield-Cheraw are non-conference games but all four teams could advance to regionals and meet again there.  Results will influence the pairings if they all qualify.  Kit Carson and Haxtun is a top 10 battle with Haxtun trying to end a three-game slide and Kit Carson looking to bounce back from a loss to Cheraw on Friday.
 

CLASS 2A

Byers at Denver Christian
Merino at Yuma
Sedgwick County at Wray
Mancos at Ridgway
Telluride at Ignacio
NOTES:  The first game on our list could be a preview of a district semifinal or championship game.  The Bulldogs and Thunder are battling for seeding in those pairings along with Limon.  All three teams are in top seven of the rankings this week.  Yuma needs a win over Merino to stay alone atop the Lower Platte standings while the Sedgwick County-Wray winner could land the #2 district seed and runner-up spot in the conference.  The San Juan conference has been a bit crazy this year as no clear-cut favorite has emerged.  Mancos opens the day tied with Ouray in first place with Telluride and Ignacio a game back in third.
 

CLASS 3A

KIPP Collegiate at Middle Park
Bayfield at Centauri
Montezuma Cortez at Alamosa
Kent Denver at Colorado Academy
Lamar at St Mary’s
NOTES:  Middle Park is 6-1 in the Frontier and tied with Academy in second place with both teams one game back of first place DSST-Stapleton.  The Panthers thus need a win to stay within range of the leaders.  KIPP College is alone in fourth.  Bayfield and Centauri meet for the second time this week.  The Falcons picked up a 64-53 win on Tuesday and go for the sweep today.  Since Bayfield was upset by Montezuma Cortez on Friday, the winner will take over sole possession of the Intermountain lead.  The loser falls into a second place tie with the Alamosa-Montezuma Cortez winner.  Kent Denver and Colorado Academy are both ranked in the top 10 but neither is in the top three of the Metro conference.  Today’s winner will stand alone in fourth.  Lamar needs a win over St Mary’s to remain alone in second behind Vanguard in the Tri Peaks chase.  A St Mary’s win could create a four-way tie for second with CSCS and James Irwin.