CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL DAILY DIGEST – FEB. 20TH
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Two districts knocked out their quarterfinals last night and four more will take care of that round tonight. Chalk has held so far, with every higher seed winning.
DISTRICT TWO (ALL GAMES AT LAMAR COMMUNITY BUILDING)
McClave earned the top seed in the bracket and with it, a bye into the semifinals. The Cardinals will face either #4 Cheraw or #5 Granada in that upcoming contest.
Cheraw took a 52-32 win over the Bobcats earlier this month, with Seth Reece turning in a monster double-double of 18 points and 17 rebounds. Maddox Coleman pumped in 14 points for Granada.
Eads leads the bottom half of the bracket as the #2 seed. The Eagles open the tournament against #7 Kit Carson. They played twice during the season, with the Eagles winning both contests. Eads took a 33-15 win during the Lamar Holiday Tournament, as the Wildcats were held to just four points through the first three quarters. Brentley Lening led everyone with 12 points and eight rebounds. Brennan Framel had four points for Kit Carson.
The two sides hooked up again right after returning from the Christmas break, and Eads dominated that meeting 66-26. Lening connected on six three-pointers and scored a game-high 28 points. Porter Spady added 19. Josiah Irwin had 13 to lead the Wildcats.
Cheyenne Wells had been atop the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index until the end of the regular season, when the Tigers were jumped by McClave. The Tigers ended up being seeded third in the district tournament and drew #6 Wiley in the quarterfinals. Cheyenne Wells beat Wiley 43-22 just about three weeks ago, with Corey Hill posting a double-double of 14 points and 12 boards. Carson Noe matched him with 14 points for the Tigers. Rhett McDonald had seven for the Panthers.
DISTRICT THREE
Top-seeded Springfield learned that it will face #4 South Baca in the semifinals tomorrow, after the Patriots eked out a 49-48 quarterfinal victory over #5 Walsh on Monday. Hayden Brooks had 15 points and 16 rebounds in the win.
The other semifinal on Wednesday at La Junta High School will have #2 Primero facing #3 Kim/Branson. The Bulldogs beat #7 Manzanola 64-28 on Monday, while the Mustangs moved past #6 La Veta 57-48. Kolter Cranson (14), Cameron Rosas (13), Brock Doherty (12), and Trotter Watkins (10) all scored double figures for Kim/Branson.
DISTRICT FOUR (ALL GAMES AT NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE)
There is only one quarterfinal on the docket in District 4, as #4 Fleming fights #5 Weldon Valley for the right to face #1 Peetz in the semifinals on Thursday. The Wildcats notched a 40-32 victory over Weldon Valley just short of three weeks ago. David Betley led Fleming with 11 points, a total matched by August Filter for the Warriors.
DISTRICT SIX (QUARTERFINALS AT HOME SITES)
The top two seeds, #1 Sierra Grande and #2 Sangre de Cristo, both received byes into the semifinals. That round, and the finals, will take place over the weekend at Centauri High School.
Sierra Grande will get either #4 Moffat or #5 Creede, who play Tuesday night at Moffat. Ziah Pesqueira powered the Cowboys to a 62-29 victory over the Miners in early-January, posting a line of 28 points, five rebounds, five assists, and seven steals. Jaxson Fazio and Will Rhoden finished with 12 and 11, respectively, for Creede.
Those two squads met again about three weeks later, and the Cowboys again came out victorious, taking that round by a 62-35 count. Pesqueira again had a big night, tallying 17 points, five assists, and eight steals, and Moffat got double-doubles from Robert Morley (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Noble Cole (14 points, 10 rebounds). Rhoden exploded for 24 points to pace the Miners.
Sangre de Cristo awaits the winner of #3 Centennial and #6 Antonito. The Rams rolled to an 83-38 victory over Antonito a month ago, with Zach Jacques recording a double-double of 13 points and 11 assists. Devon Vigil (19 points, nine assists), Martin Navarro (16 points, nine rebounds), and Samuel Aguilera (nine points, 12 rebounds) all narrowly missed their own double-doubles. Jasiah Jiron had one of his own for the Trojans, collecting 12 points and 14 rebounds.
DISTRICT SEVEN (QUARTERFINALS AT HOME SITES)
Pikes Peak Christian grabbed the top seed for District 7 and will take a bye into the semifinals. Once the tournament reaches that stage, the games will shift to Limon High School. The Eagles will get either #4 Hanover or #5 Kiowa in that round.
Hanover won a low-scoring 27-25 contest against Kiowa a month ago, with the Hornets needing an 11-5 edge in the fourth quarter to claim the win. Tyler Decker led the way with 10 points, seven rebounds, and six steals.
Genoa-Hugo snagged the second seed and will host #7 Deer Trail. Trey Smith scored a game-high 19 points for the Pirates in a 53-23 victory less than two weeks ago. Logan Sitzman added 10 points for the Pirates. Kooper Eldringhoff had seven for the Eagles.
The last quarterfinal in the bracket has #3 Miami-Yoder hosting #6 Cripple Creek-Victor. Jel Wallerstedt had 20 for the Buffs in a 58-31 win late last month, but he suffered an injury prior to the end of the regular season. James Orozco (17) and Gavin Howard (13) were also in double figures that night. Luciano Varas led the Pioneers with 12 points.
DISTRICT EIGHT
District 8 got its quarterfinals out of the way last night, with the top four seeds all moving on. One semifinal that will be played on Thursday will have #1 Denver Jewish Day hosting #4 Front Range Baptist. The Tigers got 19 points and 10 rebounds from Keenan Winnerman in a 67-21 victory over Rocky Mountain Lutheran, while Front Range Baptist had Ethan Granthan go for 19 points in its 59-50 win over Denver Waldorf.
The other semifinal will feature #2 Belleview Christian hosting #3 Flatirons Academy. The Bruins used a balanced attack to beat Mile High Academy 60-25, getting 16 points from Brandon Ewing, 14 from Garrett Owen, and a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds from Collin Polson. Flatirons Academy advanced with a 70-30 victory over Denver Academy of Torah.
MileHigh Prep Report 