CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBAL REGIONAL PREVIEW
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Regionals begin this Thursday and will continue through Saturday, after which, the field of 32 will be down to the Great 8. All of last year’s Final 4 are in the mix, with three playing host. All regional, except for Region Six, are set for Friday and Saturday, with plans in place for Region Seven, should Denver Jewish Day advance to the regional final. Region Six plays on Thursday and Friday, due to religious restrictions for Denver Academy of Torah
REGION ONE (AT MCCLAVE HIGH SCHOOL)
#1 MCCLAVE (20-3) VS #32 SANGRE DE CRISTO (12-10)
McClave has spend most of the season ranked #1 in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index, and the Cardinals secured that spot with a 44-40 win over #3 Cheyenne Wells two weeks ago. They are currently on a four-game winning streak, and have won 10 of their last 11. Tuff Kelley is a double-double machine, averaging 17 points and a little over 12 rebounds a night. He also leads the classification with 3.8 blocks a game. Mason Barr adds just short of 10 points a contest. Sangre de Cristo struggled down the stretch, losing five of its last seven games. Three were decided by single digits. The Thunderbirds were the runners-up in the Southern Peaks.
#16 DE BEQUE (14-8) VS #17 COTOPAXI (17-5)
Runner-up in the Western Slope, De Beque alternated wins and losses over its final six regular season games. Two of the three losses were by a combined nine points. Burke Largent (22.7) and Jace Graham (20.2) are two of the top scorers in the class, and both topped 1000 career points during the season. Graham also leads 1A with 15.5 rebounds per game. Cotopaxi won the West Central title, but like its opponent, has struggled with consistency down the stretch, going 2-2 in the last four. Both losses were by one point. Terrance Evans (16.7) and Joel Tezak (13.1) give the Pirates two double figure scorers.
REGION EIGHT (AT SIERRA GRANDE HIGH SCHOOL)
#8 SIERRA GRANDE (18-5) VS #25 WILEY (12-10)
Sierra Grande spent a good portion of the season in the top 5 of the Index, but the Panthers lost three of their last seven to slide down the rankings. The champions of the Southern Peaks are led in scoring by Jadyn Martinez (19.0), Aron Ojeda (16.5) and Rolando Najera (10.5). Najera is top 10 in assists, while Martinez is top 5 in steals. Wiley got hot late, winning four of its last five contests to secure third place in the Ark Valley, and a postseason spot in the process. Rhett McDonald scores at a 17.3 point clip, while Milton Hernandez and Grant Mauch each give the Panthers just over nine points a night.
#9 ELBERT (17-6) VS #24 KIT CARSON (11-12)
Elbert had a late four-game winning streak snapped in a two-point loss to Cheyenne Wells in its last outing. Still, the Bulldogs won 15 of their last 17 games in the regular season. They have a trio of double digit scorers, led by Ethan Tesman at 15.8 ppg. Caleb Cornell (14.8) and Eli Cornell (11.8) follow. The Wildcats picked a great time to get hot, winning five of their last six. That followed a six-game losing streak. Josiah Irwin is the lone player in double figures for Kit Carson, averaging 11.3 points a game. Brennan Framel leads the team in rebounds and assists.
REGION FIVE (AT PRIMERO HIGH SCHOOL)
#5 PRIMERO (21-2) VS #28 EADS (8-14)
After an early loss to Cotopaxi, Primero went on a tear, winning 18 straight ball games. They spent a large portion of the season in the top 5, finishing as the Fishers Peak champion. Brett Kendall and Mat Pachorek lead the Bulldogs in scoring at 19.1 and 17.1 points per game, respectively. Eads stumbled down the stretch, losing its final three, and nine of the last 11. Five of the losses were by single digits. Stockton Mitchek (12.1 ppg) and Case Nelson (11.0 ppg) are the top scorers for the Eagles, who also get a little more than nine points from Adyn Hough.
#12 PEETZ (17-6) VS #21 CHERAW (13-9)
Peetz dropped two of three games in the NCL/YWKC tournament last weekend, sending the Bulldogs to a 4-4 mark in their last eight games. They won the regular season title in the North Central with a perfect record. Connor Schumacher leads the team at 17.1 ppg, and Rhyder Bayne, who topped 1000 career points in February, adds 16.7 a night. Cheraw finished the regular season by winning four straight. That came on the heels of a three-game skid. Tim Provost averages a double-double, scoring 14.1 points and 10 rebounds a game.
REGION FOUR (AT STRATTON HIGH SCHOOL)
#4 STRATTON (18-5) VS #29 IDALIA (9-14)
Stratton won the title in the Union Pacific, going undefeated in league play. The Eagles are one of the hottest teams entering regional play on a 15-game winning streak. One of the recent games in that streak came against Idalia, with the Eagles claiming a 60-37 on the road. Von Isenbart, who averages just a hair under 19 points per game, scored 16 in the win. Ricky Schillig had 17. He averages 12.6. Idalia needed an upset of Peetz, and a triple overtime victory over Prairie in the NCL/YWKC tourney to grab a regional spot. The Wolves got 12 points from leading scorer (10.3 ppg) Kolby Morris in the loss. Broderick Kite is averaging just over nine points as a freshman.
#13 HOLLY (14-8) VS PIKES PEAK CHRISTIAN (15-6)
Runner-up in the Ark Valley, Holly won its last two regular season games, but overall, finished just 3-3. Devin Eaton leads the Wildcats in scoring (19.2), rebounding, and assists, while Truman King chips in 16 points a night. Drayden Williams is just a point shy of joining them in double figures. Pikes Peak Christian rolls into the regional match-up with six straight wins under its belt. Only one of those victories came by fewer than 30 points. Eddie Harmon ranks fourth in the classification at 21.4 points per game for the Eagles. Matthew Crocfer adds 10.1 a night.
REGION TWO (AT OTIS HIGH SCHOOL)
#2 OTIS (19-2) VS #31 HANOVER (12-9)
With a pair of early losses to regional qualifiers (Flatirons Academy, Heritage Christian), Otis ended 2024 at 2-2. The Bulldogs haven’t lost since. They won the YWKC title and followed that by winning last week’s NCL/YWKC championship. In averaging a little over 17 points a night, Charlie Kendrick surpassed 1000 career points earlier in the year. Grady Bechtle is a rebound a night away from averaging a double-double, scoring a tad over 11 points. Hanover had a three-game winning streak snapped in the final week of the regular season, and finished its last 10 with a 5-5 mark. Tyler Decker leads the Hornets in scoring (14.4) and rebounding (7.7). Junior Diaz adds 13.3 points and a team-high 3.4 assists.
#15 DENVER WALDORF (13-8) VS #18 ARICKAREE/WOODLIN (14-9)
Six losses in the final seven games removed any possibility of hosting for Denver Waldorf. They’re meeting a familiar opponent, as the Spartans beat Arickaree/Woodlin 51-48 in late January. Cayden Quinn (15) and Henry Lottridge (13) were both in double figures for the Spartans. They average 16 and 21 points, respectively. The Bison won five of their last seven, with both losses coming to regional qualifiers. In the earlier meeting with Denver Waldorf, Zarron Skubal (16) and Dillon Noletubby (15) were in double figures. Austin Wright leads in average at 12.1 ppg, followed by Jake King (11.0) and Noletubby (9.6);
REGION SEVEN (AT FLATIRONS ACADEMY)
#7 FLATIRONS ACADEMY (20-3) VS #26 CALICHE (10-13)
Six straight wins to close out the regular season helped the Bison earn a hosting spot. They are 10-2 down the stretch. Brandon Ewing (17.3) and Parker Wilson (12.3) combine for more than 29 points a game, and Flatirons gets more than nine from Jackson Schulz. Following a four-game winning streak, which included a heartbreaking loss to Arickaree/Woodlin in the NCL/YWKC tourney, the Buffs won their final two games in the event. All three of their games in that were decided by single digits. Avery Bell averages a double-double of 13.2 points and 113 rebounds to lead the Buffs. Mason Hernandez adds 12.1 points.
#10 GRANADA (16-6) VS #23 DENVER JEWISH DAY (8-10)
Granada had a four-game winning streak snapped by Stratton last Friday (62-59), but the Bobcats bounced back with a three-point win over Primero to close out the regular season. Maddox Coleman leads in scoring (20.2), rebounding (8.0), and assists (3.5). Fernando Cadena scores nine points a contest. The Tigers enter the match-up having lost five of the last six, but like Granada, they won their last game of the regular season. Solly Bielsky leads 1A in scoring at 23.4 points per game. No one else averages more than eight points. Jackson Brooks grabs a team-high 8.1 rebounds a night.
REGION SIX (AT KIM HIGH SCHOOL)
#6 KIM/BRANSON (16-4) VS #27 DENVER ACADEMY OF TORAH (10-8)
Earning the automatic qualifying spot for winning the Ark Valley wasn’t enough for the Mustangs, who stacked up enough victories to claim a hosting spot in the bracket. They scored at least 72 points five times in their current nine-game winning streak. Five players average double figures, led by Will Doherty, Kolter Cranson, and David Gamez at 12.4 ppg apiece. Cameron Rosas (11.1) and Trotter Watkins (10.9) complete the group. Rosas is second in 1A in steals, and fifth in assists. Denver Academy of Torah had lost five of six prior to picking up a win in the regular season finale. Avi Askenazi leads the Wolves in almost every category, including scoring at 11.1 points a night.
#11 FRONT RANGE BAPTIST (16-7) VS #22 PRAIRIE (12-11)
Front Range Baptist is 6-1 in its last seven, including a 3-0 record in the 5280 league tournament last week. The Falcons beat Denver Jewish Day in the title game. Benjamin VanDenBerghe scores just over 13 points a game, while Mark Sutton averages a double-double at 11.6 points and 13.1 rebounds. Prairie finished the season with close losses to Otis (40-34) and Idalia (40-37 3OT) in the NCL/YWKC tournament last week, but the Mustangs had won six straight, half of their win total, prior to that. Hunter Johnson is the only Mustang averaging double figures at 11.6, nearly matching the output of the next two scorers on the roster.
REGION THREE (AT CHEYENNE WELLS HIGH SCHOOL)
#3 CHEYENNE WELLS (18-4) VS #30 OURAY (12-11)
The defending champ, Cheyenne Wells only had two losses to in-state opponents, and both are seeded in the top-four (Stratton, McClave). The Tigers won their last two games following the four-point loss to McClave Corey Hill, who recently passed 1000 points for his career, is second in the classification in both scoring (23.0) and rebounding (14.4). The junior has racked up 19 double-doubles on the season. Zach Dickey, the team’s second-leading scorer, leads the squad in assists and steals. Ouray reeled off five wins in its last seven games to finish the regular season over .500. Cavan Pasek averages a double-double of 17.7 points and 13.7 rebounds to pace the Trojans, Conner Hill and Wesley Rhoades are both just under 10 points a game.
#14 NUCLA (16-7) VS #19 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (12-10) Nucla did a good job of avoiding back-to-back losses until late in the season, when the Mustangs lost single digit affairs to Dove Creek and Ridgway, who both made the 2A bracket. Brycen Rummel (16.6 ppg, 10.2 rpg) and Slade Gillen (10.4 ppg, 11.0 rpg) both average a double-double for the Mustangs. Two wins in its own tournament helped ECA guarantee itself a winning record on the season. The struggled down the stretch to the tune of a 3-5 mark. Brock Jones is among the classification’s leading scorers at 20 points a game, and Boaz Galliart adds close to 16
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