CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL DISTRICT PREVIEW – FRIDAY
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
District tournament week has reached Friday, and the first automatic qualifying spot for regionals will be awarded.
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DISTRICT 1 (GRAND VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL)
After ending the third quarter tied at 33, #4 Ouray quickly built a 45-38 lead over North Park on Thursday. However, the Wildcats stormed back with six straight points to make it a one-point game late. Cavan Pasek iced the game for the Trojans with a pair of free throws, advancing Ouray to today’s semifinal against #1 Dove Creek. The Bulldogs, who had a bye in the quarterfinals, went 3-2 down the stretch, alternating wins and losses. That stretch began with a 59-38 win over Ouray. Kade Hankins had 25 points and 13 rebounds for Dove Creek, while Pasek and DC Miller each scored 11 for the Trojans. Ouray handed the Bulldogs a 57-56 defeat early in the season, but Dove Creek avenged that loss with a 74-53 win in late January.
There was even more drama in the other quarterfinal on Thursday, with De Beque pulling out a 54-53 overtime victory over Caprock Academy. The Dragons trailed 23-21 at the half, but squared things up by outscoring Caprock 25-23 in the second half. They would eke out the win with an 8-7 edge in the extra session, giving them three wins over the Eagles this season, and moving them into a semifinal clash with #2 Nucla. The Mustangs won two of three against De Beque during the season, sandwiching victories of 50-49 and 47-42 around a 55-53 win by the Dragons.
As of Friday morning, only Dove Creek would be guaranteed to host a regional with a district title. The Bulldogs were 11th in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, while Nucla (24th), De Beque (25th), and Ouray (30th) were all outside of the top-16. Only district champs inside the top-16 can host regionals.
DISTRICT 3 (LA JUNTA HIGH SCHOOL)
The first regional berth will go to either #1 La Veta or #2 Springfield, as both advanced through the semifinals on Wednesday. The Redhawks had the tougher match-up, as they outlasted Primero 44-39. La Veta led 31-14 going into the fourth quarter, but was nearly doubled up by the Bulldogs in that frame. Race Lessar (16) and Joe Autry (12) both reached double figures for La Veta.
Springfield overcame a 9-2 first quarter deficit against Walsh with a 20-13 advantage in the second period. The Longhorns dominated the second half, 38-17 to run away with the 60-39 victory.
The Longhorns held a 27-24 halftime lead over La Veta in their Jan. 27th meeting, but it was a strong second half (43-32) by the Redhawks that gave them a 67-59 victory. Each team had three players in double figures, with Colby Batterton pacing Springfield with 15. Trey Medina’s 25 led the Redhawks. La Veta began Friday sitting 17th in the Seeding Index, and should crack the top-16 with a win. Springfield was 22nd, so the Longhorns would need quite a bit of help to earn the right to host a regional, if they win the title.
DISTRICT 4 (NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE)
Top-seeded Briggsdale had to wait an extra day to find out who its semifinal opponent would be, after snow and wind created unsafe travel conditions on Wednesday. The Falcons watched as Rhyder Bayne powered Peetz to a 50-43 win over Longmont Christian on Thursday. Noah Naegele added 11 points and 12 rebounds for the Bulldogs, who nearly upset Briggsdale three weeks ago. The Falcons led 22-9 after one quarter, but escaped a furious rally by Peetz, 61-60. Bayne had 18 in that game for the Bulldogs, who were led by Chance Segelke with 19. Tanner Fiscus led Briggsdale with 22. Peetz hit 13 of 31 threes in that contest, with Segelke drilling five.
Fleming also got to sit and watch as its two potential challengers slugged it out on Thursday. Third-seeded Prairie had its hands full with #6 Weldon Valley, well into the third quarter. However, the Mustangs got hot in the final 12 minutes and pulled away for a 60-35 victory. It was their second win over the Warriors in less than a week. Fleming had to hold on for a 43-41 victory over Prairie in mid-January, with Kolten Houser scoring 18 points to guide the Wildcats, who won their final three regular season games.
DISTRICT 5 (BRUSH HIGH SCHOOL)
Chalk held in the top half of the bracket in the quarterfinals, with #1 Stratton running all over #8 Bethune 75-23, and #4 Idalia moving past Hi-Plains 61-46. That sets up a rematch of last Saturday’s regular season finale, which Stratton won by a 67-57 count. Cyler Notter (17) and Austin Webb (16) combined for 33 points to lead the Eagles. Kale Morris was the lone Idalia player in double figures, leading all players with 22.
Second-seeded Otis had a rematch with Flagler in the opening round, and had similar results as in their 71-22 win last Friday. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 46-4 halftime lead on Wednesday, and cruised to a 62-27 victory. Charlie Kendrick led Otis with 15 points, as the starters only played around one quarter on the night. Flagler’s Camden Bledsoe went over the 1000-point mark for his career in the fourth quarter.
The Bulldogs will face the lone lower seed to spring an upset in the quarterfinals, #6 Lone Star. The Longhorns controlled their game with Arickaree from the start, as they held the lead at the end of every frame in a 50-48 upset. The Bison had won the regular season meeting 54-44 a month earlier. Otis had no trouble with the Longhorns in the regular season, taking a 77-32 win behind 21 points from Kendrick. Jack Willeke added 19 and Sawyer Packer contributed 18. Grant Kuntz had 14 for Lone Star.
DISTRICT 7 (LIMON HIGH SCHOOL)
Genoa-Hugo finally gets to take the court in the postseason, after the top-seeded Pirates received a bye into the semis. They will square off against #5 Miami-Yoder, who upset #4 Kiowa 39-34 on Wednesday. The Buffs were seemingly in control through three quarters, leading 31-13. However, Kiowa put together a strong rally in the final frame, only to fall five points short of forcing OT. The Buffs and Pirates did not play during the regular season.
There was very little drama in the bottom half of the bracket, as #2 Pikes Peak Christian overwhelmed Cripple Creek-Victor 66-24, and #3 Hanover handled Deer Trail 63-17. Eddie Harmon led Pikes Peak Christian with 17 points and Noah Sachsenmaier add 15 on five three-point buckets. Ben Kyne and Ronquez Ackerson each scored 20 for Hanover in its win. Pikes Peak Christian beat the Hornets twice in the last four weeks, 67-42 and 72-32.
CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL DISTRICT PREVIEW – FRIDAY
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
One team will punch its ticket to regionals with a win today, while the other seven districts will have their title game pairings set by the end of the night.
DISTRICT 1 (GRAND VALLEY HIGH SCHOOL)
North Park jumped out to a 27-4 first quarter lead in its quarterfinal game with #5 Caprock Academy and the Lady Wildcats were all over their foe the rest of the way. North Park led 69-23 going into the fourth, where they were outscored 9-0, creating the final tally of 69-32. They will now challenge the top seed in the bracket, Dove Creek, who got a bye into the round. The Lady Bulldogs took a 60-28 win over North Park back in December, behind 19 points and 10 rebounds from Lexi Gray and 17 points from Rylee Hickman. Dezirae Gonzales was the lone Lady Wildcat in double figures, scoring 16 points to go with 11 boards.
Neither team in the other semifinal has seen postseason play, yet, as both #3 Nucla and #2 De Beque received byes in the five-team bracket. They played twice in January, with Nucla taking a 44-30 win at home and the Lady Dragons earning a 37-35 home victory three weeks later. Candis Staats was in double digits in both games, scoring 10 in the first meeting and 13 in the second. Ally Sandidge led the Lady Dragons with 20 in the first game, while Avery Rigsby was tops the second time around with 13.
DISTRICT 3 (LA JUNTA HIGH SCHOOL)
Both finalists in District 3 are locks for regionals, but only #1 Springfield can host with a win on Friday. The Lady Longhorns began Friday sitting 10th in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index. They handled #4 South Baca 42-20 in the semifinals on Wednesday, as they built a 28-12 halftime advantage. The Lady Patriots still cling to slim hopes of a regional wild card, as they were sitting in the final spot above the cut line at 32nd.
Third-seeded La Veta made things interesting with a 34-33 win over #2 Kim/Branson, earning the victory with a 7-6 edge in the fourth quarter. Kendyl Eddleman posted a double-double of 20 points and 12 rebounds to pace the Lady Redhawks, while Ysabel Gonzalez had 10 points for the Lady Mustangs. With La Veta sitting 22nd in the Seeding Index, the Lady Redhawks would need a win and a lot of help to host a regional, but they should still make the next round regardless of tonight’s outcome. Kim/Branson was also safe, as the Lady Mustangs were 16th.
DISTRICT 4 (NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE)
Only one game has been played so far in District 4, as #5 Weldon Valley knocked out #4 Longmont Christian in a play-in game on Thursday, 41-30. Weldon Valley won the clash of Lady Warriors with a 15-3 fourth quarter. It was just the second time this season that they scored at least 40 points in a game, establishing a new season-high. Their reward is a semifinal against top-seeded Briggsdale, who owns a 75-15 win over them this season. Jenna Krise and Claire Brown each had 22 points for the Lady Falcons in that win, while Trysta Kriska led the Lady Warriors with six.
The other semifinal has #2 Fleming meeting #3 Prairie. Both began the day safely in the regional field, and Fleming can even absorb a loss and still be in good shape as the Lady Wildcats were sixth. Prairie might have some white knuckle moments on Sunday if it can’t spring an upset. The Lady Mustangs were 27th in the metric on Friday morning. Fleming dominated the regular season meeting, 46-11, with Madi Serrato and Kally Kirkwood each scoring 10. Kayla Kugler had five for Prairie.
DISTRICT 5 (BRUSH HIGH SCHOOL)
All four semifinalists in this district should make the regional field, as should two of the teams that were knocked out in the quarterfinals. The top half of the bracket has #1 Stratton (9th) squaring off against #5 Otis (19th). Stratton gave up the first two points to Bethune in the quarters and then dropped the hammer to lead 28-2 at the end of the quarter. The Lady Eagles rolled to a 70-15 win. Eleven of 12 players scored in the game, with Sedonia Isenbart’s 13 points leading the way. Otis used an 18-9 fourth quarter to put away Flagler 49-37 for a second win over the Lady Panthers in less than a week. Aedyn Tribelhorn led four Lady Bulldogs in double figures with 14 points. Stratton beat Otis twice during the regular season, 42-37 and 56-34.
The bottom of the draw has #2 Idalia (12th) meeting #6 Arickaree (21st). Idalia pulled away from Lone Star in the second half of their quarterfinal game, as the Lady Wolves outscored Lone Star 24-6 after the intermission for a 47-24 victory. Jaylyn Kechter led everyone with 20 points. Janiya Smith nearly matched her career-high of 23 for Arickaree, as the sophomore finished with 22 points in a 40-37 upset of #3 Hi-Plains (15th). Idalia had few issues with the Lady Bison in the regular season, taking a 50-23 victory after leading 50-14 going to the fourth.
Hi-Plains and Flagler (24th) should join the four semifinalists in regionals.
DISTRICT 7 (LIMON HIGH SCHOOL)
Number five Pikes Peak Christian held off a late push by #4 Deer Trail in the quarterfinals to claim a 40-39 victory, earning a shot at #1 Kiowa in the semis. Sarah Harris led the way with 17 points, while Millie Harmon was a bucket away from a double-double. Kiowa had a bye into the semifinals. The Lady Indians will be looking for a second win over PPC this season, after having taken a 61-32 decision earlier this month. Kiowa only led 16-13 after one and 35-25 at the break, but the Lady Indians held the Lady Eagles to just seven points in the second half. Paola Vidales was one of three Kiowa players in double figures with 16, while Rebecca Thomas led Pikes Peak Christian with a game-high 17.
At the start of the day on Friday, only Genoa-Hugo (26th) was in a position to join Kiowa in regionals on a wild card. The #2 Lady Pirates jumped out to a 30-7 halftime lead over Miami-Yoder in the quarters and then cruised to the 49-24 victory. They will meet #3 Hanover (33rd) who outscored Cripple Creek-Victor 25-15 in the second half its 43-28 quarterfinal victory. The Lady Hornets, who dropped a 33-15 decision to Genoa-Hugo in the season-opener, could climb into the top-32 with a win on Friday, giving them a shot at a wild card, if they can’t win the district title.
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