While most of the smaller school teams wait until later in the week to begin the 2018 basketball season, a few programs in Classes 3A, 4A and 5A have already seen court time. Others wait to get started on Thursday or Friday and many are involved in tournament play. We look at the top games in each class.
We start in Class 4A at the annual Golden/D’Evelyn Preview Classic which routinely features one of the top fields for a December tournament. This year is no different. Top ranked and defending state runner-up Lewis Palmer is in the bracket along with #4 Holy Family and #10 Golden. Other tradition-rich programs such as Pueblo East, Sierra and D’Evelyn are in the field along with Centaurus and Steamboat Springs. Action starts on Thursday with games between Lewis Palmer-D’Evelyn, Centaurus-Steamboat, Sierra-Holy Family and Golden-Pueblo East.
Lewis Palmer is favored as they return two all-state standouts in Josh Scott (19.5) and Matthew Ragsdale (16.5). Together they average 36 points a game along with 10 rebounds and four assists. Ragsdale also knocked down 58 three-pointers last year which was twice the number from any other Ranger. Ethan Forrester (6.8) and Noah Baca (5.2) will also contribute again this year.
D’Evelyn won 13 games last year but could be pushed to reach that number this year. That’s because they lost nearly 40 points a game with the graduation of Charles Dinegar (23.6) and Cole Clifton (16.0). Dan Brady is the top returning scorer (7.1) and rebounder (3.1).
Golden won 21 games last year but was upset by Ponderosa in the Sweet Sixteen. The Demons need many new faces to step up this season as the top four scorers from last years club graduated including Adam Thistlewood. He’s now at Colorado State after averaging 22 points and eight rebounds a game a year ago. Ilya Bubukin (5.9) and Ben McLaughlin (5.8) are the top returnees and will need their scoring numbers to increase this season.
Sierra has already posted a win this season; outlasting Thomas Jefferson in overtime on Monday night. Imani Grigsby led the Stallions with 17 points and nine rebounds while Isaiah Wilburn added 15 points, Demetrius Long 12 and Dailen Terry 11. Grigsby averaged 13 and six last year and Wilburn averaged nine points per game.
Holy Family hopes to move past their 16-win season from a year ago as double-digit scorers Tanner Baird (16.3) and Kyle Helbig (12.3) both return for senior seasons. Adam Jolly is also back after averaging nearly eight points and five rebounds last season.
Longmont is the defending 4A state champs and the Trojans have a very busy opening week with games at Erie (Wednesday), at Mead (Friday) and home to Broomfield (Saturday). The Trojans, 26-2 last season, lost leading scorer Luke Johnson (19.5) to graduation but almost every other key player returns. Dallas Dye, Brady Renck, Beck Page, and Calvin Seamons all averaged between 6-7 points last year and will likely add 2-4 points to that total to replace the departed Johnson.
Of the three matchups, Mead may be the most difficult as the Mavericks are coming off a 15-10 campaign. They return five of their top scorers. Topping that list is Jax Wilke who averaged team highs of 15 points and eight rebounds as a junior. Nick Jacobs averaged nine points and added 25 treys. He was second in that category to Will Maher. He dropped in 30 and also returns.
Broomfield finished 16-8 last year as three Eagles averaged double figures in points. Steve Croell (13) is the only returnee from that bunch. The senior also averaged four rebounds and four assists last season. Erie was one game below five hundred (12-13) and lost three players who averaged at least 10 points per game. Ethyn Tyson (7.7) is the top returning scorer.
Another good matchup in 4A this week pits #7 Cheyenne Mountain against #9 Pueblo South. They collide on Thursday in the Fountain Fort Carson Tournament and both teams will also face the Trojans and a top club from Kansas in Sunrise Academy.
South is coming off a 24-win season where they lost to Longmont (71-60 in the state semifinals. Getting back there may be difficult as the top five scorers from the club were all seniors. But the Colts have great tradition and will challenge again for the conference title. Heath McLaughlin (4.1) though is the only returning Colt who averaged more than one point per game last season.
The Indians enter the showdown with plenty of momentum after blasting Widefield 79-42 on Tuesday night. Cheyenne Mountain’s defense limited the Gladiators to just 31 percent shooting from the field (15-49) overall and 27 percent from the arc (4-15). Javonte Johnson (16.0) is the top returning scorer for Cheyenne Mountain but he went well beyond that in the opener; finishing with 42 points and 20 rebounds.
On Monday night, Pueblo West won the coaching debut of Ty Trahern. They outlasted Sand Creek 78-73 and scored at least 20 points in three of the four quarters played. Trahern is very familiar with the steel city having played college ball at CSU-Pueblo. The Cyclones are back on the court three more times this week as they take part in the Pueblo County Tournament. Up first is a date with Palmer on Thursday.
Returning 3A State Finalists Face Road Challenges
Lutheran reached the 3A state championship game last March but lost to Bayfield in the finals. The Lions are ranked third to open this season and could have the most difficult week one schedule of teams in that division. They open at DSST-Stapleton on Wednesday and then head to the Brenda Patch Tournament in Roaring Fork where they open with #6 Coal Ridge on Friday. All three teams have state tournament aspirations again this year.
Matt Thompson is the top returnee for Lutheran as he averaged nine points and six rebounds per game but he’s one player back from the top six scorers a year ago. So, they will need new faces to play important minutes right from the start. Getting more time could be the tandem of Jeet Pathak (4 pts) and Hayes Faulkenberry (3 pts).
DSST-Stapleton faces a similar hill as four of their top five scorers from last year graduated. Andray Thomas JR is the key returnee from their 19-win ballclub and he averaged 13 points and nine rebounds per game.
Coal Ridge (21-3) is favored to land another Western Slope title this year. The Titans missed the Great 8 by just one game last year as they lost to Manual at home (80-77) in the regional finals. Point guard Brandon Herrera’s (16 pts / 5 assists) graduation leaves a huge hole on the perimeter but the Titans are in great shape inside with the presence of Kevin DiMarco. Among the best big men in Class 3A and the entire state, the senior totaled 16 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks a year ago. Two others who may have to score more this year include Payton White (9) and Jan Hernandez (7).
Defending state champion Bayfield begins the season at the Herman Schayes Memorial Tournament where they meet host Kent Denver on Friday. The #8 Wolverines have a new coach in Klint Chandler and he will spend the early part of the season looking for points and rebounds lost with the graduation of Ryan Phelps. The four-year starter finished his great career by averaging 17 points and 13 boards last year. Helping with that transition will be the duo of Hayden Farmer and Keyon Prior. Farmer averaged 11 points, five rebounds and five assists as a junior while Prior is back to run the point after totaling eight points and two assists per game.
Kent Denver is not among the pre-season top 10 clubs in Class 3A but easily could be as both James Doyle and Coby Gold return for senior seasons. Those two combined for 31 points a game while pushing the Sun Devils to 19 wins. Doyle chips in eight rebounds a game and Gold netted 67 three’s last season.
Academy (17-7) challenges both Platte Valley and Eaton as part of the Northern Colorado Tournament in Kersey this weekend. The Wildcats feature two players who scored at least 15 points per game as Isaac Gallegos (16) and Dane Olson (15) both return. Olson also averaged seven rebounds while Gallegos offered four assists and nearly six steals from the backcourt.
Platte Valley is ranked 9th and should challenge the likes of Sterling and Resurrection Christian inside the Patriot. The Broncos (18-5) are led by Bryson Becker who averaged a double-double last season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. He’s the lone returnee though among the top six scorers from last year’s club.
Eaton won just eight games last year but their top five scorers were all underclassmen. Nic Inda (12), Scott Grable (9), Coby Heaton (8) and Harrison Zeller (8) top that list with Zeller adding five rebounds.
A couple of other games to watch in 3A this weekend include Manitou Springs at Faith Christian and pre-season number one Colorado Academy at Denver Christian (2A). Resurrection Christian also faces three 4A schools at a tournament in Pueblo and Sterling will try to win the Western Nebraska tournament for a third straight year.
Overland and ThunderRidge Top Big School Slate
In Class 5A, we have three games left on the opening week schedule that collect our attention. Overland and ThunderRidge are both involved in two of them including their head-to-head meeting on Thursday.
ThunderRidge (25-2) made it to the semifinals last year where their season ended with a 42-39 loss to Grandview. It was the Grizzlies lowest scoring total of the season. Three double-digit scorers are gone from last year’s club leaving Austin Holt (8.1) and Bailey Verk (7.6) as the top returnees. They both averaged over five rebounds a game a year ago.
Overland opened last season 0-5 and 1-7 but won 15 of their 18 games to reach the state quarterfinals. They fell short to Rock Canyon (54-47) there. The top four scorers were seniors so the Blazers are in the same boat with ThunderRidge in finding new players to step into major roles. Jalone Rice (5.8) is the highest scoring returnee.
Both teams face strong challenges with a second game this weekend. Overland entertains Rangeview on Friday and then ThunderRidge goes to Doherty on Saturday.
Rangeview beat Overland 52-41 last year and finished 18-7 overall. They had 10 players average between 3-10 points per game and six are back on the floor this season. Jodaun Dotson (9.6), Christian Speller (7.8) and Christopher Speller (6.0) are the top three.
Doherty lost to ThunderRidge 45-43 in the state quarterfinals last year so they will seek a bit of revenge on Saturday. Seniors scored all but six points for the Spartans so they may be hard pressed to get the win. Those six points went to Alijah Bates and he returns after averaging nearly 12 points and seven rebounds per game as a junior.
A couple of games from Monday saw #4 Smoky Hill move past #9 George Washington 78-62 and Boulder topple Chatfield 78-69.  It was a big night for Boulder as they won the coaching debut of Riley Grabeau who watched Giles Schmid drop in six three-pointers on his way to a game high 22 points. Alex Rucker added 18 and two others reached double figures.
