It doesn’t take long for the January basketball schedule to heat up as several attractive games are on the list this week. Topping the charts is the Thursday battle between Chaparral and Lewis Palmer as the top teams in 5A and 4A get together in Monument. We preview that game and others this week in Classes 3A, 4A and 5A.
CLASS 3A
La Junta at Manitou Springs (Friday)
Five Tri Peaks teams made it through December without a league loss and these are two of the them. La Junta (5-3 overall) moved past Ellicott 57-25 in their only conference game while Manitou Springs (3-4) bested both James Irwin (63-26) and Atlas Prep (56-41). The Mustangs feature good balance offensively with five players averaging between six and eight points per game. Zach Perry-Perkins (8.4) tops the list followed by Joey Allen (7.1), Isaiah Thomas (6.9), Joah Armour (6.6) and Rashaun Booker (5.9). Chance Oquist (13.3) is the lone double-digit scorer for La Junta and he also averages a team best eight rebounds. Jay Paolucci provides 9.7 points and Jon Nuschy adds seven rebounds.
St Mary’s at Vanguard (Friday)
The Pirates and Coursers also won conference openers before Christmas so this game and the outcome between La Junta-Manitou Springs will loosen up the early standings a bit. St Mary’s (6-2) handled Atlas Prep 87-55 in their league contest and has won four of their last five. Losses have come against Kent Denver and Resurrection Christian. The Pirates average 82 points per game with freshman Sam Howery leading the charge at 16 points per game. He also dishes out five assists. Vanguard (4-2) went 1-2 at a tournament in Florida right before Christmas but also picked up an 81-32 win over Atlas Prep in their initial league contest. Seth Fuqua (25.3) and Dominique Clifford (18.7) could be the best guard duo in Class 3A.
Kent Denver at Alamosa (Friday)
This is the third straight year the two state tournament challengers meet right after the Christmas break. Alamosa grabbed five-point wins in the previous two; beating Kent Denver on the road 49-44 last year and 55-50 at home two years ago. The Sun Devils though are likely favored in this one as they sit 5-0 with wins over Bayfield, St Mary’s, Manitou Springs, Eaton and La Junta. James Doyle (26.6) and Colby Gold (23.0) are off to red hot starts. Doyle poured in 41 points with 11 rebounds in a win over Eaton and also dropped in 34 early against St Mary’s. Gold also went for 41 points with seven treys in the season opening win over Bayfield and has been over 20 points in four of five games overall. Alamosa (4-2) has losses to Sanford and Coal Ridge but closed up December by beating Moffat County and Delta. Ian Jackson (17.6), Chad Jackson (15.0) and Brendan Crowther (13.3) are the top offensive threats. The three also combine for nearly 19 rebounds a game.
Sanford at Pagosa Springs (Saturday)
Pagosa Springs (5-3) has played a strong schedule with losses to Gunnison, Roaring Fork and Colorado Springs Christian by a combined 15 points. They also have wins over University and Eaton so they’ll be a tough out for each opponent here in the second half. They’re also young with sophomore Mitch Lewis (12.9) and junior Mason Snarr (12.8) leading the team in scoring and together they also average 15 rebounds. A win this week gives them a third straight win over Sanford as they’ve beaten the Indians in tight games each of the last three years. Sanford’s record (3-3) is a bit misleading as they’ve played five 3A teams this year. They opened with three straight wins but closed December with losses in their last three.
Colorado Springs Christian at Lamar (Saturday)
Lamar is the fifth league team entering January without a league loss while CS Christian opens Tri Peaks action with this one. The Lions are 6-1 on the season with a nine-point loss to Roaring Fork their only blemish. Quality wins include Lutheran and Pagosa Springs. Kolby Walker, with 16 pts per game, paces the offense but Brandon Pitt (15.7) and Caleb Stockton (13.7) also score double figures. Pitt leads the team with six rebounds while Stockton doles out almost five assists. The Lions have 40 three-pointers through seven games including 19 from Stockton. Lamar enters January riding a four-game winning streak and could make it five-in-a-row as they also meet Bennett this week. Dylan Vallejos (16.3) is the top scorer followed by Austin Sneller (10.6) and Juan Canales (9.7). Sneller also leads the Savages with 8.7 rebounds.
CLASS 4A
Chaparral at Lewis Palmer (Thursday)
Easily the most anticipated game of the week as Chaparral is ranked #1 in Class 5A and the Rangers hold down the top spot in the most recent 4A poll. As a result, Colorado Preps will have a video recap from Marty Cesario as he takes in the game Thursday night. Lewis Palmer (7-0) has outscored opponents by 137 points this year and Chaparral (9-1) is unbeaten against Colorado teams (6-0) including wins over Smoky Hill, ThunderRidge, Cherry Creek and Overland over an eight day stretch. The Wolverines are led by Kobe Sanders (23-0) with support coming from Bryce Matthews (12.0) and Tanner Giles (10.0). Joel Scott tops the Rangers in scoring (19.0) and rebounding (8.4) plus they get a boost with the return of Matthew Ragsdale. Limited to just two games in December due to injury, he should be back at full strength as the Rangers seek another state title. He scored 21 points in a 59-41 win over Vista Peak before the break.
Holy Family at Frederick (Thursday)
Ranked third in the division, Holy Family (5-2) played a tremendous schedule in December which involved losses to top ranked Lewis Palmer (60-43) and #6 Pueblo West (44-42). Spread out through those losses were quality wins over Sierra, Golden, Evergreen, Centaurus and 5A Broomfield. Seniors Tanner Baird (14.1) and Kyle Helbig (12.7) lead a veteran ballclub that has state championship aspirations. A third senior, Adam Jolly is third in scoring (9.7) and second in rebounds (6.0). Frederick (5-2) has the same record but has not played the same schedule so this is a chance for the Warriors to make a statement. Juniors Jake Green (17.0), Davis Richard (13.7), Joe Cartelli (13.0) and sophomore Izayah Elize (12.1) carry most of the offensive burden for an offense averaging nearly 69 points per game. The Warriors have hit 53 three-pointers in seven games including 17 from Richard, 14 from Cartelli and 12 from Elize.
Montezuma Cortez at Durango (Saturday)
This will be the second rivalry game in two days for the Southwest teams as they take part in a two day classic that also involves Bayfield and Ignacio from the region. Cortez finished 12-11 last year but they’re off to a 6-0 start this season thanks in part to high scoring Teagan Whiteskunk (22.2). He dropped in 43 points in a 94-38 win over 2A Ridgway on December 8th. He was 5-10 from the arc in the win and has 19 treys for the season. Plenty of help comes from Cordell Baer with 13 points and 12 rebounds per game. He’s recorded a double-double in four games this year including 14 points and 18 boards in solid win over Moffat County. Durango (7-4) has been hot and cold. They opened with two wins, then dropped four straight before winning their last five. Seniors Al Hurworth and Cullen Robinette both average nearly 12 points per game.
CLASS 5A
Cherry Creek at Mullen (Thursday)
Overland at Eaglecrest (Thursday)
Grandview at Overland (Saturday)
Cherry Creek at Smoky Hill (Saturday)
It’s a busy first week of conference play in the Centennial where seven of the eight teams are at least one game above five hundred for the season. Smoky Hill (8-1) and Mullen (7-1) have the best overall record but several other clubs such as Overland (7-2), Grandview (5-4), Cherokee Trail (5-4), Eaglecrest (5-4) and Cherry Creek (5-4) all have enough firepower to make deep post-season runs. Smoky Hill’s Kenny Foster (28.4) and Julian Hammond (21.6) of Cherry Creek average over 20 points per game and Mullen’s Christian Davis (19.9) is virtually there. Davis exploded for 55 points on 15-19 shooting from the three-point line in Mullen’s December closing 91-58 win over Chatfield. He had not scored more than 20 points in any previous game and totaled 104 points in the first seven games overall.
Columbine at Rangeview (Thursday)
The Raiders continue their recent trend of playing a strong non-conference schedule with a key game against Columbine. Rangeview opened the season 4-1 and then went 3-1 at the Tarkanian Classic in Vegas. Their lone loss there came against local rival Overland (64-57) on the final day. The Raiders best win of the young season is against Regis (79-56) where they won the first quarter 23-8 and fourth 26-16. Christopher Speller (19) and Christian Speller (18) combined for 37 points in the win. Columbine (5-3) looks to bounce back from two losses to finish December. They fell to Legend (74-69) and Highlands Ranch (57-43). Luke O’Brien remains their top threat with 18 points and 7.9 rebounds a game. Cody Ramming adds nine points and eight boards.
Regis at Columbine (Saturday)
A second difficult test in three days for Columbine as they try to prove they belong among the top ten teams in Class 5A. They were ninth in last CHSAA poll before Christmas and likely need to win at least one of their two games this week to stay in the rankings. Regis (4-6) has played one of the most difficult early schedules in the division with losses to Overland, Rangeview, Cherry Creek, Smoky Hill and Eaglecrest. They also need a win for confidence after dropping their final three games last month. Six-nine Daniel Carr will draw plenty of attention from the Rebels defense after averaging 20 points and 11 rebounds a game in December.
Chatfield at Highlands Ranch (Saturday)
Both teams were very busy in December with Chatfield splitting 12 games and Highlands Ranch winning eight of 11 teams. The Falcons have high-level wins over George Washington and Columbine and a quality loss to Smoky Hill. Chatfield moved past Denver South and Broomfield but fell short to the likes of Mountain Vista, Fairview and Mullen.
Greeley West at Mountain Vista (Saturday)
Nine wins without a loss in December has Mountain Vista ranked #2 behind Chaparral to start January. The Golden Eagles outscored opponents by 147 points and posted strong wins over Chatfield, Eaglecrest and Fairview during the month. The game is a final tune-up before the Continental race starts as they meet Highlands Ranch on the 11th. Seniors Ben Grusing (17.9) and Simon May (12.0) are double-figure scorers. Greeley West (7-2) suffered tough losses to Greeley Central and Castle View in their final two games before Christmas. Andre Sepeda (17.2), Jarod Clark (12.6) and Tommy Gonzales (10.0) are responsible for about 67 percent of the Spartans offense.
Brighton at Rangeview (Saturday)
The Bulldogs and Raiders both won seven games in December and this is a preview of a later conference game that should help determine the top three spots in the EMAC. Aurora Central (9-1) could also contend for the crown. Brighton also plays Fossil Ridge on Thursday so they have two chances to earn a statement win this week. Brayden Schlitt leads the Bulldogs in points (15.6) and rebounds (7.5).
Denver East at Chaparral (Saturday)
A tough opening week for the top ranked Wolverines continues as they meet traditional power Denver East just two days after facing Lewis Palmer. East (6-5) is 3-2 against Colorado teams with their most recent contest resulting in a 72-40 loss to Overland at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. Kwane Marble scored a team best 14 points in the loss but hit just 7 of 25 from the field. The Angels overall were just 14-57 (25 percent)
