CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL DAILY DIGEST – FEB. 23RD
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
While today is mostly about semifinal action, one auto qualifier to next weekend’s regional round will be awarded to the champion in District 3. Games got started early, with the first contest of the day tipping off before noon in District 5 at Brush High School.
DISTRICT ONE (ALL GAMES AT OLATHE HS)
North Park, seeded fifth in the bracket, upset #4 Ouray 55-38 yesterday to earn a spot in the semifinals against #1 De Beque. The Wildcats got balance in the attack against Ouray, with Gavin Pittington (16), Aiden Pittington (14), and Jace Cornelison (12) all scoring double figures.
The Wildcats will need that kind of production today as they take on a Dragons squad that won the regular season meeting 52-44 last month. That trio combined for 38 points in the loss. De Beque got 21 from Burke Largent and 18 more from Scottie Vines in the win.
On the other side of the bracket, #2 Nucla faces #3 Dove Creek. The Mustangs are safely inside the top-32 of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index to start the day, but Dove Creek is on the bubble, checking in at #31. Nucla won two meetings with the Bulldogs during the season, 51-42 last month, and 66-57 last week. Steele Arnold had 23 points for the Mustangs in the first victory, and Brycen Rummel led with 25 in round two. Sheldon Gardner had 15 in both contests for Dove Creek, and Liam Hassell matched him in game two.
DISTRICT TWO (ALL GAMES AT LAMAR COMMUNITY BUILDING)
Top-seeded McClave got pushed by #5 Granada in the semifinals yesterday, with the Cardinals eventually pulling out a 47-39 victory. Tuff Kelley went for 19 points and 15 rebounds for the Cards, while Maddox Coleman had 19 points for the Bobcats.
Cheyenne Wells avenged a regular season loss to #2 Eads with a 46-40 win in the semis. That sets up a championship contest against the Cardinals, and it has a lot to live up to after the Tigers claimed a 61-57 overtime victory over McClave in early-January. The third place contest will be between Eads and Granada.
DISTRICT THREE (ALL GAMES AT LA JUNTA HS)
Either Springfield, the top seed, or #3 Kim/Branson will be crowned champion of District 3 tonight. Both are in the top-20 of the Seeding Index, with the Longhorns coming in at #15 and the Mustangs at #20. Winning the title isn’t a guarantee that either hosts a regional next weekend, with the winner needing to finish in the top-16.
Springfield earned the Ark Valley title exactly one week ago by beating the Mustangs 59-50. Cooper Stolebarger’s monster double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds led the way for the Longhorns, who also got 16 points apiece from Colby Batterton and Leland Gable. Brock Doherty paced Kim/Branson with 16 points, while David Gamez and Kolter Cranson added 12 and 10, respectively.
In the third place game, #2 Primero takes on #4 South Baca. There looks to be more on the line for South Baca, who sits just inside the bubble at 28th. The Bulldogs are 21st. South Baca picked up a 62-58 win on the road three weeks ago, getting 19 and nine from Landen Stegman, and a double-double from Hayden Brooks (14 points, 18 rebounds). The Bulldogs were paced by 23 points from Brett Kendall.
DISTRICT FOUR (ALL GAMES AT NORTHEASTERN JUNIOR COLLEGE)
The top seed in the bracket, Peetz, took care of business against #4 Fleming in the semifinals last night, picking up a 64-32 victory to reach tomorrow’s championship contest. The big blow in the contest was a 29-8 third quarter by the Bulldogs, allowing them to pull away from a tight contest at the half.
Briggsdale, seeded third, made it two wins over #2 Prairie in less than a week, as the Falcons grabbed a 38-30 victory in the other semifinal. They led by one going into the fourth.
DISTRICT FIVE (ALL GAMES AT BRUSH HS)
Chalk held in the top half of the bracket, with #1 Stratton and #4 Otis both advancing to today’s semifinal. Stratton has owned the Bulldogs recently, with two wins in December pushing its winning streak to 10. The Eagles came from behind in the fourth quarter to beat Otis 55-52 in the Akron Holiday Tournament, with Cyler Notter recording 15 points and nine rebounds. Sawyer Packer led the Bulldogs with 16 and 11.
Round two came a week later and the Eagles rode a 13-1 first quarter to a 58-42 victory. Jose Gallardo and Brody Webb both scored 11 to lead Stratton, and Notter missed a double-double by one point, finishing with nine points and 10 rebounds. With Packer held in check, Mitchell Stivers led Otis, scoring 14 points.
Third-seeded Idalia being in the semifinals comes as no shock, as the Wolves dismantled #6 Flagler in the quarterfinals. Lone Star, the #7 seed is a different story. The Longhorns, who had only scored more than 50 points one time prior to the quarterfinals, beat #2 Arickaree 63-61.
Idalia beat the Longhorns in January, 68-31, outscoring Lone Star 50-19 after a tight first quarter. The senior trio of Tarek Glanz (20), Kale Morris (19), and Fernando Herrera (15) combined for 54 points for the Wolves. Grant Kuntz had 11 to lead Lone Star, and Anderson Weathers added nine.
DISTRICT SIX (ALL GAMES AT CENTAURI HS)
One semifinal in District 6 has #1 Sierra Grande meeting #4 Moffat, with the Panthers looking to make it two wins over the Cowboys this month. Sierra Grande won 71-43 three weeks ago, with Jadyn Martinez (20) and Aron Ojeda (19) combining for 39 points. Ziah Pesqueira had 23 points and nine steals for Moffat.
The other semi will have #2 Sangre de Cristo hooking up with #3 Centennial. The T-birds rolled Centennial 55-20 just about a month ago, with Deagon Rogers (22), Kaiden Smit (18), and Kolby Shellabarger (11) doing most of the damage. Devon Vigil led the Rams with six points and 22 rebounds.
Three of the four teams look to be safely into next weekend’s regional bracket, with only Moffat having some concerns. The Cowboys were 29th to start the day.
DISTRICT SEVEN (ALL GAMES AT LIMON HS)
No one in the semifinals is a lock to host a regional bracket by winning the tournament, but the best shot lies with #1 Pikes Peak Christian, who began the day at 18th in the Seeding Index. The Eagles will face #4 Hanover, who at 45th in the Seeding Index, must win the district championship to advance to next week’s regionals.
The Eagles won a pair of lopsided contests this season over the Hornets, 68-44 last month and 67-43 last week. Eddie Harmon tallied 19 points and nine boards for the Eagles in the first contest, and he topped that last week with 26 points and 21 rebounds. Junior Diaz scored 22 for Hanover the first time around, and Tyler Decker topped the team with 17 points and nine boards last week.
In the other semifinal, #2 Genoa-Hugo takes on the challenge from #6 Cripple Creek-Victor. It will be the first meeting between the programs in the MaxPreps era, dating back to 2005. The Pirates, led by Trey Smith at close to 20 points a night, are solidly in the regional field, sitting 22nd to start the day. It’s a different story for the Pioneers, who start 46th. Myles Durham leads them at just under 15 points a game.
DISTRICT EIGHT (ALL GAMES AT ENGLEWOOD HS)
Tomorrow night will have #1 Denver Jewish Day meeting #2 Belleview Christian for the championship, and both teams could host a regional, regardless of who wins. With the potential of two district champions finishing outside of the top-16, an at large could go to the loser of the title game, as the teams sit third (BC) and fourth (DJDS) in the Seeding Index as of Friday morning.
Both teams in the third place game are safely in the regional bracket, with #3 Flatirons Academy starting today eighth in the Seeding Index, and #4 Front Range Baptist sitting 10th. Denver Waldorf (17th) gives the district five teams that will advance.
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