CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

As we near the midway point of the regular season, every contest starts to feel a little bigger. That’s the case this weekend, with a number of CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index top-15 teams having tough match-ups on the slate.

McClave hits the road for a tough contest at 2A Limon on Thursday. It’s the first of two straight games from the Union Pacific, with another road game at Stratton on Saturday. The Cardinals have won eight straight since an early season loss to 3A Yuma. Only two of those wins were by fewer than 20 points.

Flatirons Academy got 2025 off on a good note, winning its first three games of the month, but has since lost two straight. The Bison won’t play until next Tuesday, when they host Estes Park.

Third-ranked Primero has a busy stretch with games at Sangre de Cristo and Walsh this weekend, followed by a home clash with Walsenburg next Monday. The Bulldogs take a six-game winning streak into that portion of their schedule. Senior Brett Kendall recently went past 1000 points in his career for the Bulldogs.

Denver Waldorf is one of two teams that enter the weekend with 10-wins, joining #10 Peetz. McClave and Primero can also hit that mark, with each having nine to begin things. The Spartans have won five straight as they prepare to host Arickaree/Woodlin, who checks in just inside the top-20 of the Seeding Index. Henry Lottridge went off for 31 points in the win over Mile High Academy and is averaging 23.6 ppg for the Spartans.

It’s a top-10 showdown on Saturday when Sierra Grande hosts #9 Cotopaxi. But, the Panthers have to remain focused as they host Creede on Friday and avoid a potential trap game. The Panthers have outscored their last two opponents by a combined score of 172-35. Cotopaxi knows how tough the Miners can be, as the Pirates eked out a 45-36 victory in their match-up with Creede last week.

After suffering its first loss to an in-state opponent, Cheyenne Wells got back on track last Friday with a tight win over a tough 2A Holyoke last Friday. The Tigers were set for a showdown with #7 Otis the following day, but dangerous driving conditions caused that game to be postponed. Corey Hill recorded his eighth double-double in 10 games this year, racking up 20 points and 17 rebounds in the win over Holyoke. Cheraw gets the next shot at limiting the player of the year front-runner on Friday. Genoa-Hugo/Karval follows on Saturday, and a trip to Greeley County (KS) awaits on Tuesday.

Otis has been rolling, winning five straight ahead of a clash with Briggsdale on Friday. Only one of those wins has been by fewer than 20 points. The Bulldogs raced past Caliche on Tuesday, 75-39.

On paper, Evangel Christian Academy should have an easy go of things this weekend, with games against #32 Prairie and a winless Hi-Plains, but basketball isn’t played on paper, and Prairie has already shown the ability to jump up and spring upsets. The Mustangs handed Arickaree/Woodlin a loss two weeks back. Two of ECA’s three losses have been by a total of eight points.

Tenth-ranked Peetz nearly felt the bite of the upset bug against Prairie, surviving the Mustangs by a 49-48 tally. That was the third consecutive victory for the Bulldogs, who host Fleming on Friday in North Central play.

After taking a three-game slide into last weekend, De Beque is now on a two-game winning streak. The Dragons got a narrow 53-48 win over Vail Mountain last Friday, and followed that with a win over North Park by 22 points. They visit Nucla on Thursday in a top-15 clash with Nucla, and will go to West Grand on Saturday. Denver Academy of Torah doesn’t get a lot of attention around the state, with the Wolves playing as an independent. But at 7-1 going into Wednesday’s game at Lotus School for Excellence and a #12 position in the Seeding Index, it’s getting tougher for them to fly under the radar. No one averages even 10 points a game, but the Wolves haven’t needed a ton of points with their defense only allowing one opponent to top 42 in a contest. They are off until Tuesday when they visit 5A Sierra.