Another good week of games is on tap as the boys’ basketball schedule turns into February. Many conference races may be decided this week as league leaders collide on many fronts.
CLASS 1A
Cornerstone Christian at Front Range Baptist (Tuesday)
Sangre De Cristo at Primero (Wednesday)
Walsh at Springfield (Thursday)
Elbert at Evangelical Christian (Thursday)
Cheraw at Kit Carson (Friday)
Briggsdale at Peetz (Friday)
Arickaree/Woodlin at Otis (Friday)
Primero at Creede (Saturday)
Plateau Valley at DeBeque (Saturday)
NOTES: Big week in the small school ranks with important games across almost every division. Cornerstone Christian leads Front Range Baptist by one game so a win moves them very close to clinching the league title. Sangre De Cristo leads Primero and Sierra Grande by one game in the Southern Peaks so the T-Birds look to gain a bit of separation with a win on Wednesday. Creede also looks to move up the district seeding ladder as they face Primero on Saturday. Walsh and Springfield could be favored in the Ark Valley so the winner gets the inside track. Springfield has already dropped a game to Kim/Branson so a second loss eliminates them. Walsh enters the week as the lone league unbeaten (1-0) and alone in first. Elbert and Evangelical Christian are two of the three leaders in the Black Forest. Both teams are unbeaten and tied with Kiowa. Kit Carson can clinch a top two finish in the High Plains by beating Cheraw. Cheraw, which was upset by Cheyenne Wells, must win to keep their league championship hopes alive. Arickaree/Woodlin and Otis square off inside the YWKC and the winner gains the inside track to the crown. Peetz is coming off a loss to Prairie which left the two teams tied for the North Central lead. Briggsdale is alone in third and needs a win to stay in the discussion. DeBeque took over sole possession of the West Slope lead by beating Vail Christian last week. Plateau Valley is tied with Vail Christian in second and just one game back.
CLASS 2A
Simla at Peyton (Friday)
Hoehne at Rocky Ford (Friday)
Byers at Yuma (Friday)
Center at Del Norte (Saturday)
Sedgwick County at Wray (Saturday)
Telluride at Ignacio (Saturday)
Byers at Denver Christian (Saturday)
NOTES: Simla and Peyton both enter the week without a Black Forest loss so the winner stands alone atop the standings. Since Simla has already beaten third-place Dolores Huerta a win on Friday puts them in control of the championship chase. Rocky Ford has basically clinched second place in the Santa Fe East behind Holly but Hoehne is fighting Swallows Charter and John Mall for spots 2-3-4 in the Sant Fe West. All three teams trail division leading Fowler by three games. Del Norte and Center are expected to be in the race for a top four finish in the Southern Peaks. Sedgwick County and Wray are tied with Haxtun (all 3-1) in second place behind Yuma in the Lower Platte. Sedgwick County has yet to play Yuma so the Cougars stay in the title chase with a win. The San Juan race remains wide open as Mancos, Telluride, Ignacio and Ridgway continue to beat up on each other. Byers has a difficult back-to-back against Yuma and Denver Christian. Game two is important for the district seeding and game two could impact state tournament bracketing if both teams advance that far.
CLASS 3A
Lutheran at Kent Denver (Tuesday)
Colorado Springs Christian at Vanguard (Tuesday)
Sterling at Strasburg (Wednesday)
KIPP Collegiate at DSST-Stapleton (Wednesday)
Middle Park at Academy (Wednesday)
Resurrection Christian at Strasburg (Friday)
Centauri at Pagosa Springs (Friday)
Montezuma Cortez at Alamosa (Saturday)
NOTES: Manual (6-0) is alone in the Metro lead but Kent Denver and Lutheran are tied with Faith Christian one game back in second. The loser falls two games off the pace and likely out of the championship discussion. Vanguard leads Colorado Springs Christian and Lamar by one game in the Tri Peaks race. The Coursers have a previous win over Lamar so another victory virtually clinches the conference crown. Strasburg starts an important week tied with Resurrection Christian in second place with both teams one game back of Sterling. The Indians face the other two over a three-day stretch. DSST-Stapleton and Middle Park can make the Frontier a two-team race with wins on Wednesday. Opposite results leave the two tied with KIPP and Academy in first place. Bayfield has a whopping three-game edge in the Intermountain but second through five remains up for grabs. Alamosa, Pagosa Springs and Montezuma Cortez are all 3-3 with Centauri at 2-2. Centauri has the difficult week with two games against Bayfield including a Monday make-up contest. They also face Pagosa Springs in-between.
CLASS 4A
Lincoln at Denver East (Tuesday)
Classical Academy at Sierra (Wednesday)
Skyline at Mead (Thursday)
Pueblo East at Pueblo West (Friday)
Alameda at Conifer (Friday)
Palisade at Steamboat Springs (Saturday)
NOTES: Lincoln and Denver East (5A) are the last two unbeatens in the City League so the winner should nab the championship at years end. Classical Academy and Sierra are two games back of CS Metro leading Harrison but Wednesday’s winner moves into sole possession of second place. Mead is unbeaten and atop the Tri Valley. They lead Holy Family by one game and Skyline by two. Mead beat Skyline 71-51 in their first meeting. Pueblo West can open a two-game advantage in the South Central with a second win over Pueblo East. The Cyclones took the first meeting 73-63 and that result separates the two atop the conference. Alameda is alone in first inside the Colorado 8 but Conifer is one of three teams just one game off the pace. The Lobos share second with Fort Lupton and Riverdale Ridge. Steamboat Springs must beat Palisade to stay one game back of first place Glenwood Springs in the Western Slope. Glenwood Springs beat Steamboat Springs 54-51 earlier this year with the rematch slated for February 9th.
CLASS 5A
Chaparral at Regis (Tuesday)
Columbine at Ralston Valley (Wednesday)
Regis at Legend (Thursday)
Grandview at Smoky Hill (Friday)
Broomfield at Fairview (Friday)
Fountain Fort Carson at Palmer (Friday)
Brighton at Gateway (Friday)
NOTES: The first game on the list is likely the most important of the week as the winner stands alone atop the Continental. Both teams are unbeaten in conference play. Regis also has a tough test with Legend on Thursday. The Titans open the week at 3-1 and tied with ThunderRidge and Mountain Vista in third place one game back. Columbine and Ralston Valley share the Jeffco lead with Arvada West so the loser drops into third. Grandview has a two-game edge on Smoky Hill in the Centennial. The Wolves basically clinch the championship with a second win over the Buffs. Broomfield is one game back of Fairview in the Front Range. The Knights share the top spot with Greeley West. Broomfield is tied with Boulder in third. Fountain Fort Carson can gain a three-game edge on Palmer in the CS Metro if they beat the Terrors a second time. Game one was tight with the Trojans grabbing the 76-72 decision. Gateway, Brighton and Rangeview open the week atop the East Metro. Friday’s winner becomes the top challenger to pre-season favorite Rangeview.
