CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A BOYS BASKETBALL REPORT

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

There’s been quite a bit of shuffling among the top teams in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index over the past week, but the top-two remain the same. Nucla is still #1, and Cheyenne Wells is hot on the heels of the Mustangs at #2. Here is our quick look at the top-16 of the Seeding Index, as of Thursday morning.

#1 NUCLA (14-0)

Nucla keeps stampeding along, as the Mustangs added two more lopsided victories to their tally in the last week. Austin Garvey led five players in double figures with 28 points in an 80-36 win at De Beque last Thursday. Brycen Rummel (13), Holten McCluer (11), Ryker Collins (11), and Daniel Zunich (10) joined him. Rummel led the way with 23 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists in a 69-34 win over Dove Creek on Tuesday. The Mustangs travel to Mancos on Thursday.

#2 CHEYENNE WELLS (11-1)

The Tigers made it four straight wins with decisions over Cheraw (52-23), Genoa-Hugo/Karval (58-33), and Greeley County, KS (59-50) in the past week. Corey Hill posted double-doubles in each of the three wins, going for 18 points and 20 rebounds against Cheraw, 26 and 13 against the Pirates, and 32 and 12 on Tuesday. He surpassed 1000 career rebounds in that win against the Kansas opponent. The Tigers will travel to South Baca on Friday, host Hi-Plains on Saturday, and make up their date at Holyoke on Tuesday.

#3 STRATTON (10-2)

Stratton has been playing some incredible ball this month, as eight of the games in its current nine-game winning streak have come in January. The Eagles took care of Eads 85-46 last Friday, with six players scoring at least 10 points. Von Isenbart led with 16. The Eagles turned around and pulled out a 70-65 win at #4 McClave the following night, with Isenbart going for 28 more points. Stratton hosted #7 Elbert on Tuesday, and used a strong second half to pull away for a 58-35 victory. Isenbart topped the team with 27 points, and Judson Isenbart tallied 14. Stratton hosts Fleming on Thursday, goes to Kit Carson on Friday, and will host Deer Trail on Tuesday.

#4 MCCLAVE (10-2)

The Cardinals ran their winning streak to eight by dominating a top-20 2A Limon squad 64-41 last Thursday in the team’s home-opener. Tuff Kelley racked up 21 points and 12 rebounds in the win. The streak came to an end just two days later, when the Cards were outscored 22-15 in the decisive fourth quarter by Stratton in the 70-65 loss to the Eagles. Kelley finished with 29 points and 13 boards, and Drew Howe scored 16 points. McClave got back on track on Tuesday, as the Cards bounced Kim/Branson 69-44. The Cardinals have a huge showdown in the High Plains on Friday, as they host #14 Granada. They will also visit Holly on Saturday.

#5 PRAIRIE (10-3)

A pair of wins in the last week pushed Prairie’s streak to three consecutive. The Mustangs got a big 54-39 win at #13 Evangel Christian Academy on Friday, and followed that with a 63-40 decision over Potter-Dix (NE) on Tuesday. It’s a top-10 clash on Friday, when Prairie hosts #10 Otis. The Mustangs also have North Central rival Briggsdale at home next Tuesday.

#6 FLATIRONS ACADEMY (9-2)

Flatirons Academy rebounded from a tough loss to a highly-ranked 2A Heritage Christian squad to beat Estes Park 65-51 on Monday. The Bison trailed at the half, but outscored Estes Park 41-23 in the second half. Jackson Schultz exploded for 30 points, while Caleb Doughty added 15. Gunnar Ast had a double-double of 14 points and 17 boards. The Bison host #16 Denver Jewish Day on Thursday, and Gilpin County on Friday. They are at Dayspring Christian next Tuesday.

#7 ELBERT (8-4)

Elbert went 2-1 in the last week, taking wins over Calhan (57-31) and Hanover (63-29), before suffering the 58-35 loss at Stratton on Tuesday. Ethan Tesman erupted for 30 points in the win over Calhan, pushing him over 1000 points for his career. Eli Cornell added 19 points in the victory. Tesman struck for 27 points against Hanover. The Bulldogs have a big showdown with ECA on Friday in Black Forest play, and they will travel to Flagler on Saturday.

#8 SANGRE DE CRISTO (11-1)

The winning streak for Sangre reached nine games with drubbings of Primero (66-30) and Centennial (68-44) last weekend. The Thunderbirds have scored at least 60 points in six straight, and have done it eight times during their winning streak. They are at home on Friday to host Creede, and will visit Cotopaxi on Saturday.

#9 DENVER WALDORF (9-4)

The Spartans made a trip east on Saturday to face Arickaree/Woodlin, and they escaped with a 59-57 victory. The big difference was a 23-15 third quarter. Sarab Baidwan paced the Spartans with 18 points, while Cayden Quinn and Henry Lottridge scored 15 and 11 points, respectively. Denver Waldorf takes a two-game winning streak to Rocky Mountain Lutheran on Thursday.

#10 OTIS (8-3)

Speaking a short winning streaks, Otis has one that covers three games, after the Bulldogs beat Briggsdale and Weldon Valley in the last week. They got 14 points from Cambric Klinzmann, and 11 apiece from Gavin Price and Austin Hornung in the 68-31 win over Briggsdale. Three different Bulldogs reached double figures in Tuesday’s 73-33 win over Weldon Valley, as Dalton DeMers went for 14 points, while Mitchell Stivers and Gracen Bechtle each added a dozen. Otis puts its three-game run on the line on Friday at Prairie.

#11 PEETZ (9-4)

Following a two-game slide, Peetz won two games in the last week, starting with a 53-37 decision over Fleming in NCL play last Friday. The Bulldogs stepped out of league play on Tuesday and handled Caliche 54-41. They will travel to Belleview Christian on Saturday, and then head to Banner County (NE) on Tuesday.

#12 DE BEQUE (10-5)

The Dragons went through a rough stretch, losing five of seven, including the 80-36 contest against top-ranked Nucla last Thursday. Trenton Sandidge led De Beque with 18 points in that loss. They are hoping they turned the corner with Saturday’s 54-39 win over West Grand. Burke Largent led all scorers with 22 points in that contest. The Dragons host Rangely on Saturday.

#13 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (8-3)

ECA could not build upon a five-game winning streak when it hosted Prairie last Friday. Despite 13 points from Anderson Schultz, and 12 from Nate Lucia, the Eagles fell by a 54-39 tally. They would get back on track the following night with a 55-26 win at Hi-Plains. That same duo combined for 28 points, 15 by Schultz. The Eagles go to Elbert on Friday, and host Kit Carson on Saturday.

#14 GRANADA (9-1)

Granada pushed its winning streak to five with victories over Kit Carson and South Baca over the last week. Angelo Martinez posted a double-double of 18 points and 15 rebounds for the Bobcats in a 47-36 decision over Kit Carson in High Plains action last Friday, and Edgurr Morales struck for 16 points in the win. Morales went for 24 points in the 61-21 win against South Baca on Tuesday. Sebastian Pizarro, who grabbed 16 rebounds on Friday, snagged 13 on Tuesday, and also scored 21 points. The Bobcats go to McClave on Friday, and will host #15 Wiley on Saturday.

#15 WILEY (10-3)

The last few weeks have had some ups and downs for the Panthers, including a tough 56-52 loss to Kim/Branson last Thursday. Grant Mauch led the way with 23 points. They bounced back with lopsided wins against Walsh (64-34), and Deer Trail (74-18). Mauch scored 16 in the first of those, and Kendale Mauch added 14. K. Mauch and Mason Grasmick had 13 apiece against Deer Trail. Before Saturday’s big match-up with Granada, the Panthers first have to travel to a very tough Stanton County (KS) squad on Thursday.

#16 DENVER JEWISH DAY (7-5)

Denver Jewish Day began the last week with a 60-53 loss to 2A #5 Golden View Classical Academy on Thursday, the second straight defeat for the Tigers. Solly Bielsky led everyone in the game with 28 points. The Tigers have already snapped that skid, picking up wins of 66-46 over Union Colony Prep on Monday, and 58-51 against Front Range Baptist on Tuesday. Bielsky had 26 points in the first, and 27 in the second. He’s averaging 27 a game. After visiting Flatirons Academy on Thursday, the Tigers will host Loveland Classical next Tuesday.