CHSAANow

Category: Boys Basketball

  • Core of seniors and a special junior lead Fossil Ridge boys hoops

    (Thomas Trotman/CHSAANow.com)

    It’s easy to see why there’s a bit of excitement and can even see the smile through the mask of Coach Matt Johannsen when he speaks about his current group of Fossil Ridge Sabercats, who have four senior starters and one junior who is off to an extremely hot start in our condensed basketball season.

    Wednesday night was a special assignment for our Ball Fever column — Fossil Ridge vs. Fort Collins — and we were anxious to see what the “feel” was like in a rivalry game between a ton of young men who know each other well on both sides of the court.

    Fort Collins came into the crosstown rivalry boasting six seniors of their own for Coach Curtis Glesmann and 1-1 in the early season.

    As expected, with so many young men familiar with one another this game was a “feeling out” session early and we were tied at 17 early second quarter.

    “I felt that we needed an energy boost and switched to the full court pressure”, said Coach Johannsen, and that decision turned into a 11-0 run for the Sabercats, who were stealing momentum 28-17 midway through the second quarter.

    The Lambkins answered with back-to-back 3-point shots from seniors Dante Smith, who finished with team high 13 points, and Jackson Bigge, who finished the night with 10 points of his own.

    The Sabercats took a 33-28 lead into the half after Smith and Bigge answered the run and an energized Fossil Ridge crew took over the second half dominating early and using their depth to wear down the Lambkins a bit.

    A big part of that second half was 6-foot-4 senior Oklahoma Baptist commit Tyce Baldwin, who was quiet in the first half with three points, but got aggressive in the second half attacking the rim. He got in the paint and finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals.

    Fellow senior big man Braiden Dishman was getting it done inside as well with 12 points, and 6 rebounds.

    Coach Johannsen also has a “run-through-a-wall” floor general in Luke Yoder, along with tough Owen Commesser who seem to us as “glue guy” seniors willing to do all the little things for team success.

    “Commitment” was the word Coach Johannsen used when describing this special group of seniors and the entire team who have pivoted during these pandemic times and keeping their circle small — on and off the court — in order to make this season a reality.

    Senior leader Tyce Baldwin spoke highly of his team and fellow seniors: “Many of us have played together since fifth grade and we’re just excited to have the opportunity to play.”

    Baldwin was able to commit to Oklahoma Baptist prior to the season starting, knowing it is the right athletic and academic fit for him, and takes all the pressure off the senior season he can now enjoy with his crew.

    Speaking of that senior crew, there’s also a pretty special junior in the Sabercat starting line up in 6-foot-2 guard Brock Mishak. First opportunity seeing this young man play tonight and his 19 points (9-10 free throws), 8 rebounds, 4 assist, and 2 steals were “stat-stuffin” pacing the Sabercats to this 70-54 win over rival Fort Collins.

    When our CHSAANow.com preseason rankings were released, I quickly noticed that Fossil Ridge received 40 votes but were left just outside of the top 15. Something told us right away that would change quickly and Coach Johannsen would soon have this crew earning attention.

    They are now 3-0 in the condensed season, No. 14 in our poll and they have the depth, senior leadership, and athleticism to make some serious 5A noise before things are said and done in this unprecedented season!

  • Chatfield boys hoops stampede into 5A Jeffco League play

    LITTLETON — Chatfield’s boys basketball continued its impressive surge out of the gates to start the 2021 season.

    The Chargers (3-0 record, 1-0 in league) opened up Class 5A Jeffco conference play Monday night with a 79-69 victory over area rival Dakota Ridge. The game was originally scheduled to be played at Dakota Ridge High School, but because of a deep cleaning at DRHS, the game was moved hours before tipoff to Chatfield High School.

    Chatfield senior Nathan Jacobson (5) drives on Dakota Ridge senior Jonathan Junker during the Class 5A Jeffco League opener Monday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    A bit of an earlier start and location change could have spelled doom for the Eagles, who suffered defeats of 35 and 56 points last week to Legend and George Washington. However, Dakota Ridge was in the game the whole way against the Chargers.

    “It was really close. It was tough,” said Chatfield senior Dylan Carter of the South Jeffco rivalry game that was a one-possession game until late in the fourth quarter. “We let them (Dakota Ridge) stay in it. We gave up a lot of open 3-pointers. Our defense was kind of lacking, but our offense was going well for us.”

    Carter and junior Chase Miller led the Chargers with 18 points each. Senior Nate Jacobson pitched in 13 points and senior Ethan Johnson had 10 points. Chatfield’ fifth starter Ethan Goroski was just short of hitting double-figures with 9 points.

    “Any of our guys can score 20 points on any night,” Carter said. “I think we have a lot of good scorers and shooters on this team.”

    Carter and Johnson closed out the game going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute to prevent Dakota Ridge getting the upset victory.

    “We knew it was going to be a fight. Rivalry games always are,” Chatfield coach Erik Buehler said. “Dakota Ridge has some really skilled players and are very similar to us. We knew it was going to be a battle the whole time.”

    Dakota Ridge seniors Gino Corridori and Hunter Hickman combined for 43 points in the loss. Eagles’ coach Sean Kovar was pleased to see the likes of sophomores Carson Evans and Alex Rodriguez knock down some shots.

    Dakota Ridge senior Hunter Hickman pulls up for a jumper Monday night. Hickman had 16 points on the night for the Eagles. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    The Eagles were able to make 11 3-pointers to stay within reach of the Chargers for the entire game.

    “We are going to keep fighting and respond to adversity,” Kovar said after the loss. “We are going to continue to get better every single day.”

    Dakota Ridge (0-3, 0-1) will have a bit of practice time this week before trying to capture its first win of the season. The Eagles are scheduled to return to their home court to face Arvada West on Friday, Feb. 5.

    “The growth already from game one to game three has been tremendous,” Kovar said.

    Chatfield is scheduled to face Bear Creek on the road Wednesday night. The Chargers have been impressive offensively averaging over 80 points per game.

    “Offense was kind of our bugaboo at times last year,” Buehler said. “We would go on these o-fer stretches. We focused a lot in the offseason on that.”

    The 8-game losing streak Chatfield suffered through to end its regular season last year might be a distant memory, but Carter still wants the Chargers to finish as strong as they have started this season.

    “We don’t want what happened last year to repeat this season,” Carter said. “We are giving it our all with all these seniors.”

    Dakota Ridge senior Gino Gorridori (32) challenges the shot of Chatfield senior Ethan Goroski (2) during the first half Monday night at Chatfield High School. Corridori scored a game-high 27 points, but it wasn’t enough as Chatfield came away with a 79-69 victory. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: No. 3 Rangeview boys basketball escapes Rock Canyon upset bid

    Every one of Cade Palmer’s 13 points were needed as Class 5A No. 3 Rangeview boys basketball edged Rock Canyon 46-44.

  • Boys basketball rankings: De Beque up to No. 1 in 1A; polls add 14 teams

    (David Harvey/ImageProPhotography.com)

    De Beque has taken over at this week’s Class 1A boys basketball rankings, and the polls as a whole added 14 new teams.

    The rankings, voted upon by coaches, are the official polls of the Association. They are a factor in the postseason. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.

    Complete rankings are below.

    [divider]

    CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

    Voted upon by coaches around the state.

    First-place votes are in parentheses.

    Coaches looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

    Class 5A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Cherry Creek (11) 2-0 298 1 2-0
    2 ThunderRidge (4) 1-0 261 2 1-0
    3 Rangeview (3) 2-0 252 3 2-0
    4 Regis Jesuit (1) 1-0 234 5 1-0
    5 Mountain Vista (2) 2-0 228 8 2-0
    6 George Washington 2-0 196 8 2-0
    7 Smoky Hill 2-0 147 10 2-0
    8 Chaparral 2-0 135 11 2-0
    9 Valor Christian 1-1 121 6 1-1
    10 Eaglecrest 0-0 99 7 0-0
    11 Overland 2-0 98 15 2-0
    12 Denver East (1) 1-2 97 4 1-2
    13 Doherty 3-0 74 – 3-0
    14 Fossil Ridge 2-0 61 – 2-0
    15 Ralston Valley 1-1 46 – 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Fairview 45, Douglas County 36, Chatfield 26, Vista PEAK 22, Rampart 21, Legend 18, Heritage 16, Silver Creek 14, Fountain-Fort Carson 14, Rock Canyon 13, Mullen 13, Grandview 13, Highlands Ranch 10, Pomona 7, Denver South 6, Columbine 4, Arapahoe 4, Poudre 4, Legacy 3, Boulder 2, Horizon 1, Skyline 1
    Dropped out
    Fairview (12), Grandview (13), Legend (14)
    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Mead (22) 1-0 402 1 1-0
    2 Lewis-Palmer 2-0 345 2 2-0
    3 Longmont (1) 2-0 303 3 2-0
    4 Golden 2-0 293 5 2-0
    5 Windsor (3) 1-0 261 4 1-0
    6 Erie 1-0 207 8 1-0
    7 Pueblo Central (1) 2-0 204 10 2-0
    8 Evergreen 1-1 165 6 1-1
    9 Montrose 1-0 133 7 1-0
    10 Pueblo East 1-0 123 11 1-0
    11 Centaurus 1-1 117 12 1-1
    12 Frederick 2-0 115 – 2-0
    13 Pueblo South 2-0 95 – 2-0
    14 Harrison 1-1 73 8 1-1
    15 Aurora Central (1) 3-0 72 – 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Palmer Ridge 69, Sand Creek 57, D’Evelyn 50, Green Mountain 47, Cheyenne Mountain 44, Palisade 39, Roosevelt 35, Mountain View 35, Coronado 20, Holy Family 16, Widefield 15, Denver North 15, Canon City 13, Thomas Jefferson 12, Eagle Valley 11, Steamboat Springs 11, Lincoln 10, Thompson Valley 10, The Classical Academy 9, Mitchell 8, Discovery Canyon 8, Northfield 7, Glenwood Springs 5, Riverdale Ridge 5, Grand Junction Central 4, Weld Central 4, Severance 4, Pueblo Centennial 3, Wheat Ridge 3, Berthoud 1, Falcon 1, Pueblo County 1
    Dropped out
    Cheyenne Mountain (13), Holy Family (14), Green Mountain (15)
    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Lutheran (20) 2-0 381 1 2-0
    2 St. Mary’s (4) 2-0 313 7 2-0
    3 Faith Christian (2) 1-1 304 2 1-1
    4 Manitou Springs 2-0 263 4 2-0
    5 Centauri 1-0 228 8 1-0
    6 Resurrection Christian 1-1 187 5 1-1
    7 Eaton 1-1 171 8 1-1
    8 Sterling 0-1 169 3 0-1
    9 Coal Ridge 1-0 159 10 1-0
    10 Colorado Academy 2-0 141 – 2-0
    11 Manual 0-1 110 6 0-1
    12 Highland 2-1 84 – 2-1
    13 University 0-2 63 11 0-2
    14 Englewood 2-1 61 – 2-1
    15 Bishop Machebeuf 2-0 49 – 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Alamosa 46, Colorado Springs Christian 45, DSST: Byers 37, The Vanguard School 37, Strasburg 35, Kent Denver 32, Estes Park 24, Platte Valley 22, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 22, Gunnison 19, Salida 17, Bennett 14, DSST: College View 13, Roaring Fork 9, Brush 9, Lamar 8, Liberty Common 8, Moffat County 7, Woodland Park 7, Buena Vista 5, Aspen 4, Basalt 3, DSST: Montview 3, Grand Valley 3, DSST: Conservatory Green 2, Pagosa Springs 2, Fort Lupton 2, Montezuma-Cortez 2
    Dropped out
    Alamosa (12), Gunnison (13), DSST: Byers (14), The Vanguard School (15)
    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Limon (20) 2-0 326 1 2-0
    2 Wray (1) 2-0 280 4 2-0
    3 Fowler 1-1 230 3 1-1
    4 Yuma (1) 0-2 226 2 0-2
    5 Mancos 2-0 202 11 2-0
    6 Sanford 2-1 174 5 2-1
    7 Sedgwick County 2-0 166 10 2-0
    8 Denver Christian 1-1 140 6 1-1
    9 Holly 1-0 122 8 1-0
    10 Ignacio 0-1 117 8 0-1
    11 Meeker 2-0 95 13 2-0
    12 Crested Butte 1-0 91 12 1-0
    13 Peyton 0-1 90 7 0-1
    14 Holyoke 2-1 84 14 2-1
    15 Monte Vista 1-1 44 – 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Vail Mountain 33, Vail Christian 28, Wiggins 25, Clear Creek 22, West Grand 14, Dayspring Christian Academy 13, Sargent 12, Center 10, Soroco 10, Gilpin County 10, Golden View Classical 8, Del Norte 8, Cedaredge 7, Lotus School for Excellence 6, Thomas MacLaren 6, Swink 6, Olathe 6, Telluride 5, Akron 4, Byers 4, Dolores 3, Front Range Christian 3, Rye 2, Calhan 2, Heritage Christian 2, Crowley County 1, John Mall 1, Dawson School 1, Lyons 1
    Dropped out
    Vail Mountain (15)
    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 De Beque (10) 2-0 280 2 2-0
    2 Mile High Academy (6) 0-0 258 1 0-0
    3 Belleview Christian (3) 3-0 206 8 3-0
    4 Kit Carson 2-0 189 4 2-0
    5 Briggsdale 2-0 185 5 2-0
    6 Merino (1) 1-0 184 3 1-0
    7 Primero 2-0 159 6 2-0
    8 Haxtun 2-0 122 10 2-0
    9 Sangre de Cristo 1-0 100 8 1-0
    10 Cheraw 2-0 87 – 2-0
    11 Granada 2-0 75 13 2-0
    12 Evangelical Christian 1-1 71 12 1-1
    13 Denver Jewish Day 1-1 60 – 1-1
    14 Flatirons Academy 2-0 58 – 2-0
    15 Genoa-Hugo 1-1 54 7 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Rocky Mountain Lutheran 40, Cheyenne Wells 32, McClave 32, Denver Waldorf 31, Kim/Branson 23, Longmont Christian 23, Pikes Peak Christian 22, Eads 21, Fleming 20, Springfield 11, Sierra Grande 8, Cotopaxi 8, Walsh 8, Arickaree/Woodlin 7, Caliche 6, Flagler 3, Prairie 2, Ouray 2, Caprock Academy 1, Simla 1
    Dropped out
    Walsh (11), Kim/Branson (14), Ouray (15)

  • Different lessons learned from early showdown between Manitou Springs and Peyton boys basketball

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    MANITOU SPRINGS — Every game serves a different purpose for a season. Manitou Springs and Peyton both advanced in last year’s postseason, but neither team finished exactly where they wanted.

    They clashed Friday night in Manitou in a makeup game of what was supposed to be each team’s season opener. The Class 3A No. 4 Mustangs rolled to a 51-26 but each team took a different lesson from the outcome.

    Manitou (2-0 overall) is coming off its first outright Tri-Peaks League championship in program history. After losing two significant seniors, the team feels prime to repeat that feat from last year and try to accomplish something special in 2021.

    “Last year we built a lot of really good momentum,” senior Isaiah Thomas said. “We’re coming into this season off a really heartbreaking loss and we’re coming back hungry. We lost some great seniors, but we have a lot of young kids coming up and stepping into really important roles.”

    Thomas led the Manitou scoring effort with 13 in the win, but the real story is what the team did defensively. The team allowed just one field goal in the first half and gave a glimpse of their ability to limit baskets just as much as they can score them.

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    “I thought they did a good job of being patient,” coach Brian Vecchio. “They didn’t try to force things on the offensive end, they stuck to just defense and rebounding which is where we want our backbone to be.”

    It wasn’t an ideal start to the season for the 2A No. 7 Panthers (0-1), but coach Jedd Sims knows the value an early game against the Mustangs will bring as they try and make their way back to the Class 2A Great 8.

    Sims hoped the Panthers could slow the pace and keep the game close. He felt that plan gave his guys an opportunity to make a move late.

    “Our plan was to take the air out of the ball, chew up their legs if we could,” Sims said. “We were confident that if we could keep it close, we could make a run late in the game. Unfortunately, some turnovers led to some easy buckets. They’re just good. It’s hard to stall when they’re just on you defensively like that.”

    Gavin Miller and Brennen Meyers each scored seven points to lead the team, all of which came in the second half for both players.

    As Manitou chases its second regular season league title in as many years, it showed a versatile offensive attack when needed. Thomas’ points came from mid-range jumpers and attacking the basket while the Mustangs got plenty of points in the paint as sophomore John Maynard scored 12 and senior Lars Marquardt added six.

    “Offensively, we’re a great threat,” Thomas said. “We have some big guys and some shooters, but our defense is where we want to shine. Stopping teams from being comfortable is going to be what gets us to the next level.”

    Manitou begins league play on Monday with a trip to Florence.

    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

  • Photos: No. 1 Mead boys basketball edges Horizon

    James Shiers scored 20 points to lead Class 4A No. 1 Mead to a tough 72-67 win over Horizon on Friday night.

  • Photos: No. 13 Grandview boys basketball beats Cherokee Trail

    No. 13 Grandview boys basketball beat Cherokee Trail 56-38 on Friday, and is now 1-1 this season.

  • Photos: No. 2 ThunderRidge boys basketball rolls to win over No. 12 Fairview

    Nolan Marold scored a team-high 13 points to lift Class 5A No. 2 ThunderRidge boys basketball to a 66-43 win over No. 12 Fairview.

  • Photos: No. 8 Mountain Vista boys basketball upsets No. 4 Denver East

    The boys basketball season started in style for Class 5A Mountain Vista as it upset No. 4 Denver East 58-57 on Thursday.

  • Lakewood boys basketball impressive in season opener

    Lakewood senior Michael Bennett (3) drives the lane Wednesday night against Wheat Ridge. Bennett scored a game-high 22 points in the Tigers’ 20-point victory over the Farmers. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    LAKEWOOD — Lakewood’s boys basketball team is focused on opening up some eyes this season.

    “I think we have seriously been slept on this year,” Lakewood senior Michael Bennett said after the Tigers took a 65-45 season-opening victory Wednesday night against Wheat Ridge. “We’ve got 10 seniors and we are super motivated. We all know this is our last run. We are all super dedicated to this. I’ve never be around a group of guys who are so focused on one goal to win.”

    Lakewood coach Daryl Johnson returns nearly his entire varsity squad from last season. Bennett (17.6 points per game) and Kyle Wisniewski (11.3 points per game) lead a strong senior group that hopes to improve on its 10-14 record from last season.

    The Tigers made the state tournament last season, but were bounced in the opening round by ThunderRidge by a score of 71-23.

    The tough loss to end last season, along with not getting a single vote in the CHSAANow.com Class 5A boys basketball preseason poll clearly has the Tigers motivated.

    “They have a little chip on their shoulder,” Johnson said. “They weren’t recognized in the preseason (rankings). That doesn’t mean anything, but every kids wants some love and they got none. Maybe they deserved it for what happened at the end of the season in the playoffs.”

    Lakewood led most of the way Wednesday night on its home court. The Tigers slowly grew its lead to double-figures early in the second half on the way to the 20-point victory.

    Wheat Ridge senior Westin Miller (3) scored 19 points for the Farmers, including five 3-pointers. However, it wasn’t enough as Wheat Ridge fell to Lakewood in both teams’ season opener. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    “It couldn’t have gone really any better,” said Bennett, who led all scorers with 22 points. “Obviously we had a lot of turnovers and mistakes, but that is what you expect. A lot of us haven’t played in real basketball game for seven or eight months.”

    Wisniewski contributed 14 points and Lakewood big-man John Rugh poured in a cool dozen as the Tigers showed off its versatility to play good defense, control the boards, run the court and shoot the 3-pointer.

    “We’ll make some noise,” Bennett said. “I know we’ll make some noise. I can’t wait.”

    Lakewood won’t have to wait long for its next game. The Tigers host Green Mountain on Friday night.

    Wheat Ridge coach Tommy Dowd also has a senior-laden squad this season. The Farmers will lean heavily on seniors Westin Miller, Dominic Cross and Scotty Kingman. Miller proved to be one of the best 3-point shooters in 4A Jeffco last season shooting 62-for-132 (47 percent) from behind the arc last year.

    Miller finished with a team-high 19 points, including five 3-pointers in the loss.

    “I thought we did some good stuff,” Dowd said. “We just couldn’t cover them. If you can’t play defense it’s going to be hard. We’ve got to play better defense.”

    Wheat Ridge is scheduled to have its home opener Friday against Pomona.

    “That is what the first game is going to give you. Sometimes you look good but you aren’t a good team. Sometimes you look bad and you’ll be a good team,” Dowd said. “Hopefully it is the latter. I’m optimist. We’ve got some good kids. We just have to find out what we are good at.”

    Wheat Ridge senior Scott Kingman (20) and Lakewood senior John Rugh (13) jump on the opening tip Wednesday night at Lakewood High School. The Tigers took a 65-45 victory on their home court. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)