Three league championships still up for grabs on the final day of the boys’ basketball regular season. Edison faces Pikes Peak Christian in the 1A Black Forest, Gateway challenges Rangeview in the 5A East Metro and Denver East continues their great rivalry with George Washington in the 5A DPL. We look at those and a few others that have district and state bracket implications.
Photo is provided by Jean Meinzer.
Edison at Pikes Peak Christian: Edison needs a win to capture the outright championship in the 1A Black Forest as a loss leaves these two teams and Evangelical Christian sharing the top spot. All three teams are also battling for a better seed in the District 7 tournament as that bracket will lay out according to RPI. Evangelical Christian has that advantage right now as they’re #13 in the standings with Genoa Hugo next at #18. Pikes Peak Christian lost a share of the lead on Thursday in a 68-53 loss to ECA. They were down just six after three quarters but were outscored 17-8 over the final eight minutes. Edison meantime edged ECA 55-53 in early January behind 18 points from freshman Brett Green and 13 from sophomore Josh Yoder.
Walsh at Cheyenne Wells: A very good matchup to close up the regular season in the Southeast as it may serve as a regional tournament preview. Walsh is the Ark Valley champs thanks to their very impressive win over Kim/Branson last week while Cheyenne Wells placed second to Kit Carson in the High Plains after beating Eads on Friday. The Tigers have won nine straight games; Walsh their last 12.
Calhan vs Peyton: Peyton has already clinched second to Dolores Huerta in the 2A Black Forest but Calhan could use a win to secure fourth and stay out of a possible three-team mix with Simla and Colorado Springs School. The Bulldogs are 3-3 with the Cubs and Kodiaks finished with their conference games at 4-3. The teams played a non-league game on January 21st with Peyton picking up a 60-40 decision. Brennen Meyers tossed in 21 points and three others, AJ Lashley (12), Gavin Miller (11) and Gibson Gellerman (10), reaching double figures as well. Calhan was led by Brandon Eglinton with nine and Karson Parker with eight. Meyers also paced Peyton with 10 rebounds as the Panthers grabbed 30 rebounds to 25 for the Bulldogs.
Gateway at Rangeview: The defending state champion Raiders are the only unbeaten team left in Class 5A and they finish off a 23-0 record with a win. The game is also very important to the 5A East Metro standings as Rangeview needs a win to clinch the championship outright. Sitting at 9-0, they lead Gateway and Vista Peak by one game. A loss leaves all three teams sharing the crown. Gateway is below five hundred for the season (10-12) but played well in a tight 58-52 loss to Vista Peak. Antwaun Smith (13), Maliq Alford (11) and DJ Wilson (11) all reached double figures and combined for 35 points. The Olys also outrebounded the Bison 30-27 with Erick Covington grabbing 10. Rangeview has beaten Vista Peak twice this year including a 57-47 decision in conference play. Christopher Speller with 17 and Christian Speller with 13 paced Rangeview.
George Washington at Denver East: The traditional regular season finale inside the 5A DPL has a lot on the line again this year. Denver East sits alone atop the standings as the Angels are unbeaten in league action. The Patriots though have just one league to Northfield and share second with the Nighthawks. So the math is simple; East is the league champion with a win and GW falls to third or all three teams get a piece of the trophy if the Patriots grab the victory. The Angels have scored 744 points in eight league games which is 104 more than George Washington. The Patriots though have allowed 60 fewer points so pace may be the difference. East stayed perfect in the conference by beating Northfield 85-59 on Tuesday. Patrick Steed scored 22, Langston Reynolds 16, Boston Stanton 15 and Sander Squibb 12. GW lost to Northfield 70-67 despite 23 points from Eddie McPhee and 17 from Jarnell Johnson.
Playoffs: District tournaments continue in Class 3A and 1A today with teams trying to keep their seasons alive. Only the winners will get the chance to play another day while the losers close out the campaign. We list the games below and will update results on our Daily Scoreboard.
1A District 6
- Antonito at Creede
- Moffat at La Veta
3A Metro
- #8 Peak to Peak vs #9 Stargate
- #7 Kent Denver vs #10 Prospect Ridge
- #6 Jeff Academy vs #11 Skyview Academy
3A West Slope
- #8 Basalt vs #9 Olathe
- #7 Aspen vs #10 Cedaredge
3A Tri Peaks
- #8 Atlas Prep vs #9 James Irwin
- #5 CS Christian vs #12 Florence
- #7 La Junta vs #10 Ellicott
- #6 Salida vs #11 Buena Vista
3A Frontier
- #8 Sheridan vs #9 Arrupe Jesuit
- #6 Lake County vs #11 Pinnacle
- #7 Bennett vs #10 Bruce Randolph
