CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT – WEEK NINE by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT – WEEK NINE

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

With the regular season quickly winding to a close, the final few weeks are filled with big contests that will impact the upcoming district tournaments. All rankings come from Thursday’s release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

Before breaking down the top match-ups this weekend in each district, a congratulations goes out to a pair of coaches who reached important milestones in their careers. First, McClave’s Jeremy Mallard bagged win #100 when the Cardinals handed South Baca a 75-37 loss last Thursday. The following evening, Sierra Grande’s Matt Lucero collected his 300^th win last Friday, when his Panthers defeated Creede 82-56 on the road.

Lucero could see one of his players, Brian Ontiveros, reach the 1000-point plateau this weekend, as he enters needing 40 points. Ontiveros is averaging 17.2 ppg, with games at Moffat and McClave this weekend, so he may have to wait until next Friday to get there. Stratton’s Cyler Notter also went into play with 960 career points. The Eagles host Genoa-Hugo on Thursday and visit 2A Byers on Friday. If he does not get his 40 points between those two contests, next Tuesday at home against Flagler is the most likely date.

De Beque (7^th) currently shares the lead in the Western Slope with 2A Plateau Valley. They meet on Friday with the Dragons holding the home court advantage. A win would practically lock up the top seed in the District 1 tournament Nucla (19th), part of a three-way tie for second in the San Juan Basin, takes a two-game slide into Thursday’s match-up with 2A Mancos. The second of those was 58-55 defeat last Saturday at De Beque. Ouray (27^th) and Dove Creek (30^th) are holding down regional spots, but that could change in the next few weeks.

District 2 has a pair of heavyweights fighting for the top seed, with #1 Cheyenne Wells and #2 McClave leading the pack. Cheyenne Wells owns a 61-56 OT win over the Cards, which has the Tigers tied with #11 Eads for the lead in the High Plains. They won’t meet until next Friday, but the Tigers have their hands full this weekend with #32 Wiley and #25 Granada. McClave can make things interesting on Friday, when the Cards travel to Eads.

South Baca (22^nd) beat #12 Springfield 61-59 on Tuesday to maintain a share of the Ark Valley lead with Kim/Branson. The co-leaders play next Saturday. Kim/Branson (29^th) may need to get to at least the semifinals of the District 3 tournament to secure a regional spot. Of the Fishers Peak teams that come in for districts, only Primero (24^th) looks to be safely in the regional field. Those Bulldogs have both of the Ark Valley leaders in their next three, starting with South Baca on Friday. They visit the Mustangs next Tuesday.

If the regional field was set as of Thursday, only Peetz (6^th) and Prairie (21^st) would advance from District 4. Briggsdale (33^rd) and Fleming (37^th) can bolster their chances over the final three weeks. For the Falcons, they have Peetz on Thursday and #9 Flatirons Academy on Friday. Four of Fleming’s final five games are against teams inside the top-25. The fifth is against 2A #27 Sedgwick County. A Peetz win on Friday gives the Bulldogs the North Central title.

Idalia (8^th) secured the YWKC championship last Friday when the Wolves outscored #13 Arickaree 72-64. The Wolves are in a scrap with #5 Stratton for the top seed in District 5, as the Eagles and Flagler (43^rd) join the field, coming out of the Union Pacific. Idalia and Stratton meet in the final weekend of regular season play. Otis (16^th) could help its chances of moving up in the bracket when the Bulldogs visit Arickaree on Friday.

In the Southern Peaks, Moffat (20^th) owns a slight lead over #14 Sierra Grande and #18 Sangre de Cristo, but the Cowboys have not played either of their closest challengers. That changes on Friday, when they host Sierra Grande. Next Saturday, a trip to Sangre is on tap. The Thunderbirds visit Sierra Grande next Friday. Centennial (26^th) is looking to make it four teams from the league in regionals. The Rams will still have a say in how the league shakes out, as they play two of the three leaders down the stretch.

Three teams from District 7 currently own regional spots, including two from the Black Forest. Pikes Peak Christian (17^th) and Miami-Yoder (31^st) would represent the league as of Thursday, and the only Union Pacific team in the field that would advance is #23 Genoa-Hugo. Hanover (45^th) could do itself a big favor this weekend, as the Hornets have non-league clashes with Kim/Branson and Primero.

With four of the top-10, and five of the top-15, District 8 could be an absolute slugfest. Denver Jewish Day (3^rd) and Belleview Christian (4^th) stand atop the 5280, with Flatirons Academy being the lone league team with only one loss. The Bison host Belleview Christian on Thursday, while the Tigers step up to face 3A #4 Bishop Machebeuf on the road. Denver Waldorf (15^th) hits the road on Saturday for a non-league affair at Arickaree. Denver Jewish Day also has a tough one next Wednesday against Loveland Classical. Front Range Baptist (10^th) has played the top three teams in the league tough, losing to Flatirons Academy by two, Belleview Christian by 12 and Denver Jewish Day by 10. The Falcons also own a 12-point win over Denver Waldorf.