CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The final few days of the regular season will not be lacking for drama, as a number of games will have major impacts on the postseason seeding. We are keeping a close eye on several of those top match-ups. All rankings come from Thursday morning’s release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.
THURSDAY
#7 IDALIA @ #3 STRATTON
#8 ARICKAREE @ #46 KIOWA
Stratton’s lead over Idalia for the #1 seed in District 5 is fairly significant, but a win by the Wolves could tighten things up considerably. Idalia takes a 13-game winning streak into the road contest, boasting double digit scorers Kale Morris (17.8 ppg) and Tarek Glanz (15.5 ppg), with Fernando Herrera (9.8 ppg) right on the door step. Stratton has Cyler Notter (12.9) and Von Isenbart (11.0) in double figures, and Jose Gallardo (7.8) completes the big three for the Eagles.
Arickaree is right on the heels of Idalia for the #2 seed in the tournament bracket, and there’s a chance the Bison could vault the Wolves with a pair of wins in their final two, if Idalia splits its last two. Arickaree picked up a huge 56-52 win at home on Monday over #17 Denver Waldorf, bolstering its chances of gaining that improved seeding. The Bison have four double figure scorers, led by Jake King (14.5). Dillon Noletubby (10.4), Nic Hermes (10.4), and Austin Wright (10.2) round out the group. Despite all of their struggles, the Indians could grab a top-four seed in District 7 with an upset. They are right behind #45 Hanover for the #4 seed. The quarterfinal match-up would be the same.
GREEN RIVER (UT) @ #6 DE BEQUE
De Beque has the top seed in District 1 locked up, but a win over a highly-ranked out of state opponent could position the Dragons for a run at a top-four regional spot. The Dragons have won four straight, while Green River has won nine of its last 10. Burke Largent (18.8), Scottie Vines (15.4), and Jace Graham (13.3) combine for more than 47 of De Beque’s 53.5 scoring average.
#9 EADS @ #20 GENOA-HUGO
#19 PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN @ #45 HANOVER
Eads is locked in as the #3 seed for District 2, but the Eagles need to keep collecting wins to keep putting pressure on the teams directly in front of them in the Seeding Index. They pulled off a huge win over #1 Cheyenne Wells last week, creating a three-way tie atop the High Plains standings. Porter Spady surpassed the 1000 career point mark in that victory. Genoa-Hugo is still in play for the top seed in District 7. The Pirates have won three straight as they try to overtake #19 Pikes Peak Christian for that #1 seed.
Pikes Peak Christian has won four of its last five overall, with the only blemish coming against #4 Belleview Christian last week. The Eagles have only lost twice since the calendar flipped to 2024. Eddie Harmon is among the leading scorers in the classification at 18.6 points a game. Hanover has dropped its last two and six of eight overall.
FRIDAY
#1 CHEYENNE WELLS @ #42 KIT CARSON
#27 WILEY @ #2 MCCLAVE
Despite a head-to-head victory over McClave, Cheyenne Wells could lose the top spot in the Seeding Index and in District 2, even with a win on Friday. The Tigers’ loss to Eads last week tightened up the race, and with two higher caliber opponents left on the schedule, McClave has more RPI points available. Looking at their respective match-ups, Cheyenne Wells has won four straight against Kit Carson, while the Cards have had the same recent success against their neighbors from Wiley.
#3 STRATTON @ 2A #7 LIMON
The Union Pacific title will be up for grabs, as the co-leaders meet. Limon has owned the series recently, taking 16 consecutive wins over the Eagles, and winning 17 of the last 18 in the MaxPreps era.
#7 IDALIA @ #38 FLEMING
#30 MIAMI-YODER @ #8 ARICKAREE
Again, these two games could determine the #2 seed in District 5. Fleming has lost three straight heading into Thursday’s game at 2A Sedgwick County, while Miami-Yoder snapped a two-game slide with a win over Hanover on Tuesday.
2A #33 HOEHNE @ #14 SIERRA GRANDE
It’s a big final weekend for Sierra Grande, as the Panthers start off with a solid 2A squad. The Panthers have won two straight and five of their last six. None of their four losses have been by more than 10 points this season. They finished second in the Southern Peaks to #18 Sangre de Cristo.
#22 KIM/BRANSON @ #15 SPRINGFIELD
Kim/Branson can finish off an Arkansas Valley title run with a win at Springfield, but the Mustangs are still likely to only be the #2 seed in District 3. Kim/Branson has three freshmen in its top-five scorers, and have had six different players lead them in scoring in a game. Springfield snapped a four-game losing streak against the Mustangs last year, and the two teams have a habit of playing nail-biters, with the last four being decided by single digits, and nine of the last 10 overall being decided by fewer than 10 points. Thanks to a Wiley victory over South Baca, the Longhorns can win the league title by making it two straight over the Mustangs.
#28 BRIGGSDALE @ #25 PRAIRIE
Briggsdale wins the North Central league title with a victory, simple as that. The Falcons have won eight straight in the series, and own a victory over #11 Peetz earlier in the season. Prairie had lost four straight ahead of Tuesday’s game at #41 Lone Star. If the Mustangs can right the ship and get the win over the Falcons, it creates a three-way tie for the league crown, bringing Peetz into the mix.
SATURDAY
#14 SIERRA GRANDE @ #2 MCCLAVE
As mentioned earlier, this is a huge weekend for both of these squads. The Panthers need a win to solidify themselves in the top-16 of the Seeding Index. That would be important should they go on to win the District 6 championship, as only district champs at least that high in the metric can host a regional bracket. McClave likely catapults to the #1 spot in the metric with two wins on the weekend.
#20 GENOA-HUGO @ #13 OTIS
With Genoa-Hugo trying to grab the top seed in District 7, an upset on Saturday would go a long way. The Pirates will be facing a tough challenge, as the Bulldogs have been playing very well the last month. They are 8-2 in their last 10, with the losses coming by four points to Arickaree and by two on Tuesday to 2A #2 Merino. Charlie Kendrick has scored double figures in 12 straight contests.
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