Boys Basketball Class 2A Weekly Preview Week 11
We have arrived at the end of the regular season. It’s the final chance before the District Tournament to improve your seed. I am planning on highlighting a maximum of 4 games on each day then at the end I will dive into the teams sitting on the bubble. Once district brackets are released, I will make sure to update. Remember the CHSAA Seeding, and Selection Index runs thru the District Tournament. (Rankings used are MileHigh Prep Reports Rankings)
Jump to Bubble Teams Click Here
Tuesday
Tuesday had a few big games that will impact District seeding and Regional Seeding as well. A few games to quickly mention are Holly over Las Animas 71 to 58, Hoehne over John Mall 58 to 45, Byers over CS School 49 to 41, Simla over Evangelical Christian 51 to 44, 1A Otis over Merino 70 to 64, and Mancos over Montezuma-Cortez 61 to 56.
Thursday
Thursday features 9 games in Class 2A. A few mix 2A vs 1A games Deer Trail at Burlington and Sedgwick County at Fleming. Some of those games will be featured in Kerry Sherman 1A preview coming out later today or tomorrow.
We kick things off Thursday with a great game! Wiggins travels to face #3 Wray. This is a big matchup for seeding inside District 2. This will also have implications on regional seeding as well. Wiggins enters the matchups at 12-6 and sitting at #10 in the seeding index. Wiggins enters the matchup on a 3-game winning streak including key wins over Holyoke and Akron. Wiggins continues to be led by Cole Kerr (20.2 ppg) and Omar Perez (11.2 ppg). The worst Wiggins can finish in terms of seeding for the District Tournament is 3rd. I also believe Wiggins is a lock for Regionals. Wray also enters at 12-6 and sit at #5 in the Seeding Index. Wray enters the matchup on a 4-game winnings streak with a key win over Heritage Christian and Haxtun. Wray is led by 4 players all scoring over 10 ppg. Rafael Trejo (13.6 ppg), Ab Ruiz (13.4 ppg), Chris Arambula (13.4 ppg), and Joey Uyemura (12.2 ppg). Wray with a win over Wiggins will be the #1 seed in the district tournament. If Wray loses it would fall to the #3 seed. Wray is also a lock for regionals.
The next game to mention is a Class 3A vs Class 2A game with both teams sitting on the outside looking in. Fountain Valley will make the trip to face CS School. Fountain Valley enters with a 9-6 record and sitting at #38 in the Class 3A Seeding Index. Fountain Valley will face Calhan tomorrow and both games are considered must wins for Fountain Valley to push for a top 32 spot. Fountain Valley is led by Max Wu (8.0 ppg) and Ke Shen (6.5 ppg). CS School enters with an 8-8 record and will be looking to break their 2-game losing streak. CS School sits at #33 in the seeding Index and would be the first team out. The do have one final game against Elbert on Saturday and with both teams sitting outside the top 25 that will be a big game.
For are final game we jump down into the San Luis Valley were the Monte Vista Pirates make the 7-mile trip up to face the Sargent Farmers. Sargent is 7-9 and they have made a tremendous turnaround from going 1-29 the past two years to their current record of 7-9. Sargent sits at #42 in the seeding index and would need to win out plus have a good run in the district tournament to get to regionals. Still, great turnaround for Sargent thus far. Monte Vista enters with a 9-7 record and come off a hard-fought loss to 4A Pagosa Springs 41 to 32. Monte Vista sits at #28 in the seeding index and winning their final two games is a must if they want to even have a shot at regionals. Monte Vista will look for Memphis Garcia (10.0 ppg), Andrew Chavez (8.6 ppg), and Azariah Hurtado (8.6 ppg) to be leaders in their final two games.
Three other games to mention for Thursday night are Nederland (11-4) at Windsor Charter (15-2), Loveland Classical (10-8) at Golden View Classical (12-5)
Friday
Friday features 18 games and there are some big matchups for Friday. There are some 1A vs 2A key games some of those are Sierra Grande at Hoehne, Caprock Academy at Hayden, Vail Mountain at De Beque, and Limon at Stratton. Some of those games will be featured in Kerry Sherman 1A preview.
We kick things off Friday in the Lower Platte League. Merino makes the trip east to face Haxtun. This game will have big implications not just on regional seeding but for the District Tournament. Haxtun enters at 10-8 overall and 3-5 in league play. Haxtun snapped their two-game losing streak Monday defeating Peetz 64 to 42. Haxtun will now look to pick up a quality win heading into regionals. Haxtun has been led by Michael Gerk (16.4 ppg) and Maclin Tempel (14.2 ppg) but also getting solid production from Ryland Wolff (8.6 ppg) and Kyle Fryrear (4.6 ppg). Haxtun is a near lock for regionals sitting at #22 in the seeding index. Merino enters the contest at 12-6 overall and 6-1 in the Lower Platte League. Merino will be looking to bounce back from a tough 70 to 64 loss to Otis on Tuesday. Merino is hoping to lock up a top 2 seed in the district tournament and a win over Haxtun does that. Merino will look for Tyler Miller (18.9 ppg) and Kaden Piel (11.3 ppg) to be the scoring leaders but also look for Jaxson Samber (8.0 ppg) and Slayter Gross (7.7 ppg) to impact the game. Merino is a lock for regionals sitting at #6 in the seeding index.
We stay inside the Lower Platte League for are next game. Akron will make the trip up north to face Holyoke. This is another key matchup for seeding in the District Tournament plus will have regional impacts. Akron enters the contest at 8-10 overall and 3-4 in league play. They are on a two game winnings streak including an upset win over Haxtun on Friday. Akron has been playing well down the stretch falling in close games to the top teams in the league. Akron has been led by Ryan McCaffrey (12.8 ppg) and Anderson Filla (11.7 ppg). Akron sits at #26 in the seeding index and are on the bubble. Holyoke enters the contest at 9-9 overall and 3-4 in league play. Holyoke is on a 3-game losing streak and they will look to snap that streak on Friday night. Holyoke will look for Wyatt Sprague (15.6 ppg), Cash Weber (12.8 ppg) and Reid Sprague (12.0 ppg) to break the streak. Holyoke sits at #25 in the seeding index and are on the edge of the bubble. The winner of Holyoke and Akron will be the #4 seed with the loser being the #5 seed in the District Tournament.
We move down south into the San Luis Valley for are next contest. 4A Pagosa Springs makes its way over Wolf Creek pass to take on Del Norte. Pagosa Springs is 17-4 on the season with 2 of their losses coming to top 10 Alamosa. Pagosa Springs will look to push their 3-game wining streak and gain momentum as they head into the Class 4A State Tournament. Pagosa Springs is a lock for the State Tournament but seeding still must be decided and a win over Del Norte should help. Pagosa Springs will look for Blake Laner (13.7 ppg) and Kayson Shahan (11.1 ppg) to be leaders against Del Norte. Del Norte enters the contest at 11-6 overall and they end the season with a bang facing Pagosa Springs and then rival Sanford on Saturday. Del Norte will be looking to bounce back from a tough loss to Hoehne 43 to 40. Del Norte continues to be led by Ben Parra (20.8 ppg) but have continued to get good minutes from Michael Laymon (7.2 ppg), Tytus Atencio (6.4 ppg) and TJ Sanchez (4.6 ppg). Del Norte is a lock for regionals sitting at #18 in the seeding index.
We move back north to Denver for are next matchup. Heritage Christian makes the trip down I25 to face Denver Christian. This is a league matchup but not a district matchup as both teams will go into different Districts. Heritage Christian enters the contest at 13-5 and they had their 6-game winning streak snapped last Saturday by Wray 59 to 53. Heritage Christian will look to bounce back and enter the District Tournament with some momentum. Raul Bertinatio (13.6 ppg) and Levi Hermsen (11.5 ppg) will look to be leaders and help get Heritage Christian back on track. Heritage Christian is a lock for regionals at #14 in the seeding index. Denver Christian enters the contest at 11-7 overall and they have found their groove winning 8 straight games. Denver Christian will look to push that to 9 and keep the momentum they have into the District Tournament. Denver Christian will look for Derrin Quinn (11.8 ppg) and Micah Kortenhoeven (11.0 ppg) to be leaders as Denver Christian tries to upset Heritage Christian. Denver Christian is a near lock for regionals sitting at #19 in the seeding index.
The final game to mention on Friday is another non-league matchup between a 3A and 2A School. Byers makes the trip east to face Yuma. This is a key game for regional seeding in each team’s respective class. Byers enters the matchup at 11-7 and they have had a up and down February/End of January. Byers went 3-3 in their final 6 games but fought hard in their losses to #1 Limon, #5 ECA, and 1A Stratton. Byers will look to end the season on a 2-game winning streak and need their key players of Wyatt Harris (12.6 ppg), Zach Cary (10.3 ppg), Quincy Eacret (10.1 ppg), and Chase Long (9.8 ppg) to step up. Byers is a near lock for regionals sitting at #17 in the seeding index. Yuma enters the contest at 13-4 and they bounce back from their last loss defeating Caliche 77 to 35. Yuma will look to gain some momentum before heading into their 3A District which will be extremely tough. Yuma will also face Peyton on Saturday which is another key matchup. Yuma will look for Forest Rutledge (12.9 ppg) and Jake Haruf (10.3 ppg) to be leaders against Byers. Yuma is a lock for regionals but will be looking to improve their seed.
A few other games to mention for Friday are Center (5-12) at Sanford (10-7), Custer County (13-4) at Crested Butte (8-9), Evangelical Christian (16-2) at James Irwin (5-15), Union Colony Prep (8-10) at Dayspring Christian (5-13).
Saturday
Saturday also features a jam-packed session with 20 games. Saturday also features some key 1A vs 2A games with Simla at Kit Carson, John Mall at Sangre De Cristo, Caliche at Briggsdale, and Caprock Academy at Telluride.
The main event for Saturday features a 2A vs 4A matchup and a key game for both teams. 4A Sterling makes the trip down south to face Limon. Sterling enters the contest at 16-6 overall and they have played a tough schedule and would like to gain key momentum as they head into the Class 4A State Tournament. Sterling has been lead by a trio of scorers in Ryder McConnell (17.8 ppg), Ben Browning (12.8 ppg), and Ethan Thyne (12.4 ppg). Sterling sits at #13 in the CHSAA Seeding Index and would be the #13 seed in the Class 4A State Tournament. Limon enters the contest at 16-1 overall and sit at #1 in the seeding index. Limon ends their season with a bang facing Stratton Friday Night before this matchup with Sterling. Limon has been battle tested to end their season and they look to enter the post season well prepared for a deep run. Limon has been led by Jordan Rockwell (15.5 ppg) and Kaden Becker (15.3 ppg) but to grab a win against Sterling they will need depth scoring to step up this week. Limon as mentioned sits at #1 in the seeding index and a lock for regionals.
We move back down south into the San Luis Valley for a huge rivalry game between the Sanford Mustangs and the Del Norte Tigers. This is a big game not just for seeding in the District 1 Tournament but also will have big implications on the regional seeding. Del Norte enters the contest at 11-6 overall and they will end their season with two very tough games against Pagosa Springs (Friday) and Sanford (Saturday). Del Norte still controls their own fate in terms of District Seeding. Right now, they would go in as the #3 seed but a win over Sanford and they could jump to #2 maybe even #1. Sanford enters the contest at 10-7 overall and they are starting to play their best basketball winning 7 straight games. Sanford will face Center Friday night before their clash with Del Norte Saturday. Sanford will look to continue to improve their Seeding Index and a win over Del Norte does that. Sanford will look for McCray Larsen (15.4ppg), Cash Caldon (12.0 ppg), and Ben Sittler (10.3 ppg) to be leaders. Sanford with a win over Del Norte will be the #1 seed in the District Tournament.
We move west to the Western Slope League for are final two matchups. The first matchup features Rangely at Vail Christian. Rangely enters the contest at 11-7 overall and Rangely has had a solid ending of their season winning 6 of their last 7 games. Rangely will be looking for a quality win if they can upset Vail Christian. Rangely will look for Kevin Wren (11.4 ppg), Marstan Wagner (10.8 ppg), and Fisher Winder (8.2 ppg) to have break out games to pull the upset. Rangely sits at #31 in the seeding index and are on the bubble. Vail Christian enters the contest at 14-2 overall and they are on a 11-game winning streak. Vail Christian last lost to Custer County back in January and now they look to lock up the #1 seed in the District Tournament. Vail Christian is closely followed in the Seeding Index by Plateau Valley so winning this game is key. Vail Christian will look for Quinn Downey (22.1 ppg), Theo Moritz (11.9 ppg), and Will Neumann (10.4 ppg) to be leaders against Rangely. Vail Christian is a lock for regionals.
The final game to mention is Plateau Valley at Vail Mountain. This game is key for both teams as they seek to improve their seeding index. Vail Mountain enters the contest at 9-7 overall and they will face De Beque on Friday before their Saturday contest with Plateau Valley. Vail Mountain will need a solid ending to the season and a win over Plateau Valley probably locks them into regionals. Vail Mountain will look for Spencer Hurd (15.5 ppg) and Tommy Steele (9.7 ppg) to be leaders. Vail Mountain sits at #29 in the seeding index and are on the bubble. Plateau Valley enters the contest at 13-3 overall and winner of their last four games. Plateau Valley will look to keep pace with Vail Christian for the #1 seed in the district seeding and defeating Vail Mountain is key. Plateau Valley is a young team so look for their scoring leaders to step up against Vail Mountain. Ethan Morse (12.6 ppg), Jack Vig (11.0 ppg), and Jackson Bevan (10.0 ppg) will all be key for Plateau Valley to beat Vail Mountain. Plateau Valley sits at #9 in the seeding index and are a lock for regionals.
Some other games to note for Saturday are Center (5-12) at Cotopaxi (13-5), Sargent (7-9) at Custer County (13-4), and CS School (8-8) at Elbert (11-6).
Bubble Teams
For bubble teams I consider anyone sitting at #24 and below in the Seeding Index as a bubble team. I do feel #24 and #25 are a bit closer to being locks but with most teams still having to play 1 or 2 regular season games plus at least 1 district tournament game anything can happen.
#24 Cotopaxi
Cotopaxi is in pretty good shape to reach regionals barring a loss to Center. If Cotopaxi loses to Center in their final game, they could see their Seeding Index tumble a few spots and put them closer to the edge. Cotopaxi RPI is boosted by their winning percentage so a win over Center is a must and then if they fall in the District Tournament, they should still be ok.
#25 Holyoke
Holyoke is also in pretty good shape and if they can beat Akron in their final game, I believe they are basically a lock for regionals. Holyoke with a loss to Akron could be in much hotter waters but Akron and Holyoke with face each other again in the District Tournament in the first round.
#26 Akron
Speaking of Akron, they sit at #26 and their OWP does give them a big boost especially if they can beat Holyoke at least once in their final two games. My worry is if Akron gets beat by Holyoke twice how far will they fall in the Seeding Index. As I said their OWP will be helpful down the stretch but for them to feel comfortable a win is needed against Holyoke once.
#27 Elbert
This is where things get much more interesting in terms of bubble teams. Elbert has two games remaining against Deer Trail and CS School. Elbert cannot lose to Deer Trail plain and simple if they plan on playing at regionals. Elbert vs CS School is also a very interesting matchup. CS School is #33 in the seeding index. CS School will be talked about more in a second. Elbert with a pair of wins to end the season will be crucial as they will enter the District Tournament as the #6 seed and face either Simla or ECA.
#28 Monte Vista
Monte Vista nearly locked up their regional berth playing Pagosa Springs very tight and at one point as a 5-point game. Monte Vista now must win out as they face South Park and Trinidad in their final games. Both games are must wins and they more than likely Monte Vista will be the #5 seed in the District Tournament and face #4 seed Cotopaxi. Monte Vista, I think is a lock if they reach the semifinals of districts but winning their final two regular season games and a loss to Cotopaxi may also be enough to get in.
#29 Vail Mountain
Vail Mountain will have a big game Saturday that with an upset probably locks them into regionals. Vail Mountain will face De Beque Friday and Plateau Valley Saturday. I think the De Beque is a must win for Vail Mountain. Vail Mountain if they lose to Plateau Valley probably does not hurt their seeding index much but just means they need to win at least 1 game in the district tournament. Vail Mountain more than likely goes into the District Tournament as the #3 seed maybe #4 depending on how Rangely does.
#30 Swink
Swink has completed their regular season schedule and now wait and see how the District Tournament is seeded. If the season ended right now Swink would go in as the #5 seed into the District Tournament and face #4 Fowler or Hoehne in the first round. Winning would basically lock Swink into the regional tournament but a loss and they will have to wait and see. Swink will probably need to make sure Las Animas does not upset #3 Hoehne or they could be jumped by them.
#31 Rangely
Rangely will play one final game against Vail Christian and if they can upset Vail Christian, they would be a near lock for regionals baring a huge upset in the District Tournament. If Rangely loses to Vail Christian, then defeating their first round District opponent is a must. Rangely more than likely enters districts as the #4 seed and will face #5 seed Hayden and that will be a must win game.
#32 Las Animas
Las Animas would be the last team into regionals right now. They have completed their regular season schedule and await District Tournament seeding. Las Animas I believe will go in as the #6 seed and face #3 seed Hoehne or Fowler. Las Animas might need an upset or will need teams sitting #33 thru #36 to lose. Las Animas with an upset could jump back into the top 30 but things will be interesting for them.
#33 Colorado Springs School
CS School would be the first team out of regionals, and they have two games remaining. CS School will face Fountain Valley and Elbert in their final two games. I believe CS School game tonight against Fountain Valley will tell us the story if they could jump into the top 32. CS School more than likely enters Districts as the #7 maybe #6 if they can beat Elbert. That just mean CS School wins a win or two in their final two games.
#34 Loveland Classical
Loveland Classical is in a tough spot at #34 but with Loveland Classical in one of the weaker Districts in Class 2A they have a shot at jumping into the top 32. Loveland Classical is playing in a Foothills League Tournament and face Golden View Classical. Loveland Classical will go into District 4 tournament play as the #2 seed and they must have a deep run.
#35 Telluride
Telluride has one final game against Caprock Academy Saturday and possibly a makeup game against Ouray, but we will see. Telluride will go into Districts as the #2 seed and getting to the finals is a must and possibly an upset of Mancos could be needed. If Telluride gets the make up game against Ouray then it probably needs to beat Ouray and Caprock to jump into the top 32 as well.
#36 Union Colony Prep
Union Colony Pre is the final team to go into depth as they sit 4 spots out. Things could change after this weekend, and I may dive into more depth next week as well. Union Colony Prep has a must win game against Dayspring Christian Friday and if they win that it will be huge. IF UCP loses to Dayspring Christian their hopes at regionals will be in danger. UCP would enter as the #3 seed into the district tournament and play Dayspring Christian again. Winning is key because if UCP loses to Dayspring Christian Nederland will jump into the #36 spot.
#37 Nederland, #38 John Mall, #39 Dayspring Christian, and #40 Hayden
All four of these teams are also in the hunt but will need a few more things to go their way. I will probably update my bubble teams next week.
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