Class 2A Boys Basketball Weekly Update Week 8
We make a small change to the way we are doing the 2A Weekly Preview this week. We will look at the top 10 teams according to the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. We will then look three teams who are on the rise and wrap things up with 6 teams on the bubble. Remember all rankings are the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. We have one month left of the regular season and its crunch time. To quality for regionals, you must win your District or be ranked in the top 32 of the seeding index.
#1 Simla (12-0)
Simla continues to play well to start the season. Simla played just one game last week bouncing Dolores Huerta 69 to 41. Simla had a huge game last night against Limon. Simla captured the win over Limon 56 to 41 for their second win over the Badgers. Simla with that win should help them be the #1 seed in the District Tournament, as district 8 is seeded by head-to-head matchups. Simla will wrap up the week with a non-league game against Akron (4-6) on Saturday.
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#2 Merino (10-1)
Merino pushed their win streak to 9 last week picking up a pair of wins. Merino took care of business against league opponent Caliche 56 to 30. Merino then grabbed a big non-league game against 1A #3 Stratton 63 to 42. Merino sits in the driver’s seat of the 2A Platte Valley and a shot at being the high seed in the District Tournament. Merino will have a pair of games this weekend facing Fleming (3-7) on Friday then a huge non-league game against Limon (9-2) on Saturday. This will be a big matchup for seeding purposes.
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#3 Crowley County (11-0)
Crowley County continues their push through the Santa Fe League. Crowley County snagged three big wins last week. They kicked things off with a 56 to 35 win over Las Animas on Tuesday. They followed that up with a 66 to 36 win over Hoehne. Things then got interesting for the Chargers capturing a hard fought win over Holly on Saturday 68 to 67. Crowley County will look to lock up the league title this weekend and the #1 seed in the District Tournament. Crowley County will face Fowler (9-4) on Friday then Holly (8-3) on Saturday. With two wins Crowley County is in control of the league title and the #1 seed in the District Tournament.
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#4 Plateau Valley (9-1)
Plateau Valley added onto their long winning streak pushing it to 9 wins last week. Plateau Valley defeated Hayden 59 to 17 to push their record to 9-1. Plateau Valley grabbed their 10th in a row last night defeating Caprock Academy 64 to 35. Plateau Valley has just one game remaining this week against Vail Christian (5-5) on Saturday. We have a long way to figuring out the Western Slope League title.
Players to Watch: Jack Vig Jr. (16.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg), Jackson Bevan Jr. (11.4 ppg, 8.1 rpg), Parker Ralston Sr. (9.8 ppg, 2.3 apg)
#5 Denver Christian (8-3)
Denver Christian saw their 7-game winning streak snapped last week falling to 3A Machebeuf 70 to 48. That is a quality loss for Denver Christian, and they bounced back nicely defeating Denver Academy last night 88 to 31. Denver Christian has just one game this weekend against 3A SkyView Academy (7-2). This will be another big test for the Thunder as they hope to stay in the top 5 of the seeding index.
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#6 Sanford (7-4)
Sanford improved to 7-4 on the season and picked up a very important league win over Monte Vista last week. Sanford played tough defense in the win over Monte Vista. Sanford will have a pair of games this weekend both will affect the District Standings of District 1. Sanford will face Custer County (4-5) on Friday and close the weekend against South Park (2-7) on Saturday.
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#7 Wray (7-5)
Wray saw their 3-game winning streak snapped by Denver Christian two weekends ago. Wray bounced back nicely defeating Caliche 75 to 41 and Holyoke 49 to 41. Both wins helped improve Wray to 3-1 in league. Wray will stay in league this week when they face 3A Yuma (10-1) on Friday. Wray will then step out of league and up two classes when they travel to face 4A Berthoud (8-4) on Saturday. Both games will be solid tests for Eagles.
Players to Watch: Rafael Trejo Sr. (16.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg), AB Ruiz Sr. (10.2 ppg, 7.9 rpg), and Adonay Gonzalez Jr. (8.4 ppg & 2.2 apg), Aaron Tena So. (7.9 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#8 Heritage Christian (9-1)
Heritage Christian continues to play tough basketball and pushed their winning streak out to 8 with a pair of wins last week. Heritage Christian defeated Front Range Christian 77 to 28 and followed that up with a quality win over Wiggins 77 to 37. Heritage Christian saw their 9 game winning streak snapped last night falling to 3A Machebeuf 63 to 62. Heritage Christian has just one game remaining for the week when they travel to face Denver Academy (5-4) on Thursday.
Players to Watch: Raul Bertinato Sr. (13.2 ppg, 10.7 rpg), Alex Lundy So. (9.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg), Levi Hermsen Jr. (12.2 ppg, 1.8 apg)
#9 Byers (7-4)
Byers has played solidly to start 2024 winning 3 of their 5 games. Both losses for Byers were to quality opponents in Simla and 3A Strasburg. Byers will look to continue their run of solid play when they host Calhan (4-5) tonight. Byers will end the week against Burlington (5-6) on Saturday. Byers has a tough schedule upcoming, and they will look to stay inside the top 15 of the seeding index.
Players to Watch: Quincy Eacret So. (13.2 ppg, 5.3 rpg), Chase Long Jr. (10.6 ppg, 2.8 apg), Zach Cary Sr. (8.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
#10 Limon (9-3)
Limon last week pushed their record to 9-2 overall with wins over Evangelical Christian 75 to 40 and Deer Trail 81 to 12. Limon saw their 8-game winning streak snapped last night by Simla 56 to 41. Limon with that loss moved back into the top 10. Limon will host CS School (4-6) on Friday and then have a huge matchup with Merino (10-1) on Saturday. Limon could easily be in the top 10 if they grab a win over Merino on Saturday.
Players to Watch: Jordan Rockwell Sr. (21.7 ppg, 2.8 apg), Mason Jaques Sr. (8.8 ppg, 4.2 rpg), Treyton Marx Sr. (7.8 ppg, 11.5 rpg)
Three Teams on the Rise
We dive into three teams who are currently on the rise.
#10 Holly (8-3)
Holly wraps up the top 10 of the CHSAA Seeding Index. Holly had a solid week last picking up a key win over Las Animas and pushing Crowley County to the limit falling 68 to 67. Holly will look to bounce back from that defeat when they travel to face 1A Primero (5-6) on Thursday. Holly will then close the week out with a huge battle against Crowley County (11-0) on Saturday. That matchup could determine the league title.
Players to Watch: Truman King Jr. (16.8 ppg, 5.8 rpg), Devin Eaton Jr. (14.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg), Andre Salgado Sr. (12.4 ppg, 4.0 apg)
#15 Walsenburg (8-4)
Walsenburg has been one of the bigger surprises in the past two weeks. Walsenburg lost to Dolores Huerta on 1/10 59 to 54 and since that loss have played outstanding and make you wonder what happened in that game. Walsenburg since that loss defeated Primero, Hoehne, Fowler, and Swink. All four are quality wins and the win over Fowler puts them right behind Crowley County for the league title. Walsenburg continued their 5-game winning streak last night defeating 1A #7 Sierra Grande 53 to 48. Walsenburg has one game against La Veta (3-7) on Thursday. Walsenburg would need some help to win the league but are trending towards regional as they have moved up from #38 to #17 in just two weeks.
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#17 Telluride (7-4)
Telluride has been very consistent this season hanging around the 20th spot on the CHSAA Seeding Index since the beginning of the year. Telluride just picked up their biggest win over the season defeating Mancos 53 to 49 at home. Telluride is now in the driver’s seat to be the #1 seed in the District Tournament. Telluride must still face Mancos again on 2/3. This week Mancos has just one game on Thursday against 1A Nucla (7-3) which is another quality opponent for Telluride.
Players to Watch: Grayson Berry Sr. (14.7 ppg), Townes Merritt Sr. (13.3 ppg), Cash Livermore Sr. (6.9 ppg)
Teams on the Bubble
We look at 6 teams who are on the bubble and fighting for a spot at regionals.
#29 Loveland Classical (7-5)
Loveland Classical went from 10-1 to 6-5 over night. Loveland Classical had to forfeit their first four games of the season and that has dropped them from a top 10 seeding index to #32. Loveland Classical will need a big run to end the season. Last night Loveland Classical got things going defeating Front Range Baptist 68 to 57. Loveland Classical will look for another big win tonight against Twin Peaks Charter (4-7). All the remaining games for Loveland Classical will be important as they hope to hold onto the #29 spot.
Players to Watch: Caedon Meyer Sr. (18.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg), Luke Sainz Sr. (13.6 ppg, 2.2 apg), Trevan Coberly Jr. (12.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg)
#30 Monte Vista (5-5)
Monte Vista currently sits at #29 in the CHSAA Seeding Index and is on the bubble. Monte Vista fell last week to Sanford 54 to 40. Monte Vista at one point had cut the lead to 6 but were not able to cut the lead more down the stretch. Monte Vista fell for the second straight game falling to Crested Butte 54 to 42. This was a much closer game than the score indicated as it was a 6-point game before the pirates started fouling. Monte Vista has just one other game this week against Cotopaxi (8-3) on Saturday. This will be a huge game for seeding in the District Tournament and the Seeding Index.
Players to Watch: Alex Marquez (14.3 ppg, 4.1 rpg), Azariah Hurtado (12.5 ppg, 9.7 rpg), Kaden Madrid (6.0 ppg, 6.8 rpg)
#31 Hoehne (4-7)
Hoehne sits at #30 in the Seeding Index and has hit a rough patch recently. Hoehne is on a four-game losing streak and has seen their record fall below .500 on the season. Hoehne will hope to snap the four game slide this week. Hoehne will face Swallows Charter (1-9) on Thursday and then Del Norte (3-7) on Friday. Both games are going to be key for Hoehne to hold a top 32 spot.
Players to Watch: Levon Bachicha Jr. (9.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg), Nathan Zamora Jr. (6.6 ppg, 3.0 apg), Jacob Magninat So. (6.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg)
#32 Denver Academy (5-5)
Denver Academy sits at #31 in the Seeding Index and has seen their Seeding Index rating drop from #16 to #32 in the past two weeks. Denver Academy is on a three-game slide falling to Dayspring Christian 72 to 39, Dawson School 58 to 41, and last night fell to Denver Christian 88 to 31. Denver Academy will hope to get back on track this weekend when they host Heritage Christian (9-1) on Thursday and Rocky Mountain Lutheran (1-8) on Friday.
Players to Watch: Nolan Monasch Sr. (23.8 ppg, 4.3 rpg), Riley Allen Fr. (12.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg), Luc Stanley Fr. (11.0 ppg, 2.1 rpg)
#33 Addenbrooke Classical (4-7)
Addenbrooke Classical has had a rough stretch of games recently losing 7 of their past 8 games with their lone winning coming over a non-CHSAA sanctioned school. Addenbrooke Classical will look to end the season on a strong note and they have just 7 games remaining. Addenbrooke Classical will face Aurora West Prep (2-10) tonight and is a must win game. Addenbrooke Classical won’t play against till next week but face STEM-Highland Ranch and DSST-Green Valley Ranch. A big stretch of games upcoming for the Mustangs.
Players to Watch: Calum Michelsen So. (12.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg), Diego Jaramillo Jr. (8.3 ppg, 2.0 apg), Joseph Wingrove Jr. (8.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg)
#34 Evangelical Christian (4-7)
Evangelical Christian sist at #34 in the Seeding Index and would be just outside of the regional cutoff. ECA is on a 3-game slide currently and has lost 4 of their last 5 games. ECA will hope to break the streak this weekend and these are must win games for ECA. ECA will travel to Pueblo to face Dolores Huerta (1-8) on Friday and then wrap things up at home against Kit Carson (2-8). As mentioned, this are must win games before they end the season with 5 tough games.
(No Stats)
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