Category: Boys Basketball

Holy Family boys hoops wins No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with Colorado Academy

More photos. (Pam Wagner)

BROOMFIELD — Holy Family and Colorado Academy are Class 3A schools that play big school boys basketball.

In a packed gym at Holy Family with a raucous crowd, the host Tigers, ranked No. 1 in this week’s CHSAANow.com poll, avenged last season’s 51-49 loss to Colorado Academy in the semifinals by beating the No. 2 Mustangs 64-60 Wednesday night.

More photos. (Pam Wagner)

Holy Family took advantage of its superior depth and used balanced scoring and overall team play to beat the young, but highly talented Mustangs.

Both teams entered the game unbeaten and neither had been challenged yet this season. The fans were treated to a great Metropolitan League battle with tough defense, a fast-paced second half, and a few high-flying dunks.

In a slow-starting game, Holy Family held a 10-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Colorado Academy’s Justin Bassey, one of the premier sophomore players in Colorado, heated up in the second quarter and scored 13 points by halftime, but the rest of his team had 10 points combined and Holy Family took a 30-23 lead into the break.

The pace quickened to open the third and Colorado Academy started to get into a groove offensively as it opened with a 10-0 run to take its only lead of the game, 33-30. The Tigers responded with a commanding 16-0 run of their own and were up 47-37 entering the final quarter.

Just when it looked like Holy Family would run away and hide, the Mustangs’ trio of sophomores wowed the crowd with several big baskets.

Colorado Academy cut the lead to 60-55 with 1:04 to play on a Jack Buckmelter layup. After Holy Family’s Austin Brown hit one free throw, Christian Hyatt made it a one-possession game with 17.2 seconds left when he hit a triple.

With 13.4 seconds left, the Tigers’ Chris Helbig made one for two free throws to make it a 62-58 game. Buckmelter flew down the court and hit another layup, but the clock ran and the Mustangs fouled Helbig with 0.9 seconds remaining. He hit both free throws to clinch the win.

Holy Family coach Pete Villecco was pleased after the game with the way his team played.

“We competed,” he said. “I thought our kids were tough tonight. That’s a good team. We knew it would be a battle. Both teams showed a lot. The number one thing I say is compete.”

The Tigers dominated the glass all night and were the more aggressive team.

“We wanted our frontline to dominate tonight,” Villecco said. “I thought they did a good job. I thought Austin set the tone and got a few shots at the rim early. He got a few putbacks. That was a big emphasis for us.

“We feel like we have 10 guys that can play. I know we went a little shorter tonight, but our depth has been good to us the whole year,” Villecco added. “We feel like we have a little bit of everything as far as inside, outside, guys that can get to the rim. We knew they were a little thin as far as what they play. They play six, but we didn’t wear them down, because those guys wouldn’t go away. They kept battling and battling.”

Colorado Academy came into the game with a trio of highly touted sophomores in Bassey, Buckmelter, and coach Steve Hyatt’s son, Christian. Bassey (23 points), Buckmelter (18 points), and Hyatt (14 points) proved to be as advertised, but Holy Family’s own sophomore, Helbig, also stepped up in a big way with 17 points.

“Chris is tough as nails,” Villecco said. “He’s getting better every day. He hasn’t had a bad practice all year. We ask him to do a lot. The ball’s in his hands a lot and we feel really good with the ball in his hands. I thought he grew tonight.”

More photos. (Pam Wagner)

Helbig was a good floor general all game and was effective on jumpers and in transition. He played tough defense and used his lanky 6-foot-2 frame to swipe two steals and help disrupt the Mustangs’ offensive rhythm. Helbig was quick to credit his teammates after the game.

“Having the depth helps us come at them in different ways,” Helbig said. “Teams with fewer guys, you can tell they get winded later on in the game. We have so many weapons that it’s hard for teams to scout us and many people can make plays.

“We don’t have any of these guys that average 20 a game, but we have a lot of guys right around mid-range scoring.”

Ryan Willis (12 points), Austin Brown (10 points and nine rebounds), and Devlin Granberg (eight points) all played an aggressive style and consistently pushed the pace and looked to get to the rim for the Tigers.

Holy Family moved to 16-0 this season and 6-0 in the Metropolitan League. Colorado Academy dropped to 13-1, 5-1 in the competitive conference featuring the top three ranked 3A teams. Jefferson Academy is ranked third.

“Holy Family’s a really good team,” said one of Colorado Academy’s sophomore sensations, Bassey. “They came out and they knew what they wanted to do. They had us scouted well. Their physicality and rebounding and fastbreak, stopping them were our biggest lessons to take away from this game.

“Hopefully, we’ll get to see these guys again.”

February 6, 2014
Photo gallery: No. 1 Holy Family boys hoops beats No. 2 Colorado Academy

BROOMFIELD — Top-ranked Holy Family beat No. 2 Colorado Academy in a top 3A boys basketball game on Wednesday night.

February 6, 2014
Basketball committee recommends reducing 4A tournament fields to 32 teams
AURORA — The Class 4A basketball tournaments are likely soon headed for 32-team fields.

CHSAA’s basketball committee on Thursday recommended the change to the postseason format in 4A in hopes the early rounds will be more competitive. It would mean moving from 48 teams in the boys and girls state tournaments to 32.

“The information from the survey indicated that many administrators thought there were too many teams in the tournament,” said committee chair Paul Cain, the district athletic director at Mesa County Schools. “The diversity of 4A, with the travel across the state, and the competition levels of the games, I think were all factors in going from 48 to 32.”

To compile the field of 32, 27 slots will go to automatic qualifiers and five will be at-large berths picked by a selection and seeding committee. That committee will have representatives from each league for both boys and girls.

The change to 32 would leave 5A with the biggest state tournament field at 48 teams.

The Denver Coliseum. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

Additionally, the committee recommend moving the Great 8 from the Denver Coliseum to home sites. Those home site will need to seat at least 1,500 people.

The 4A has only held its Great 8s at the Coliseum since last season. The event will be there again this year. Prior to 2013, it was held at the Colorado School of Mines for eight seasons.

“We’re hoping for better attendance and a better atmosphere,” Cain said. “We’re hoping that it will generate some more revenue.”

Because of the need to play eight games (four boys, four girls) in one day at the Coliseum, early-morning tipoffs were a necessity. Those would go away.

“You’re not playing in the middle of the day where you wouldn’t have a crowd,” Cain said.

These changes need to be approved at April’s Legislative Council meeting.

Short stuff.
- The basketball committee gave the 5A seeding committee guidance in that it should use league finish above head-to-head results when determining the tournament field. Once the field is determined, however, head-to-head results may be considered ahead of league finish for seeding.
- 3A kept its postseason at 32 teams, but adjusted the number of qualifiers for each league based upon the new alignment. The classification also had a long discussion about the future of the consolation bracket the state tournament, but retained the format for the upcoming two-year cycle.
- The committee is recommending a format in 2A where boys and girls teams from the same school will be able to stay at the same regional site. It also paired up 2A’s eight districts for regionals. Those regionals will be true seeded by a seeding committee represented by the districts in that region.
- There were no changes the 1A’s postseason format.
February 6, 2014
No. 10 Chatfield downs Arvada West boys basketball, stays in control of Jeffco League

Chatfield senior Andrew St. Germain, left, keeps the ball out of reach of Arvada West senior Marcus Culhane during Tuesday night’s Class 5A Jeffco League game at Chatfield High School. The Chargers won their fifth straight conference game with a 65-57 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

LITTLETON — Arvada West’s boys basketball team had the opportunity Tuesday night to do a favor for the rest of the Class 5A Jeffco League.

The Wildcats’ mission: Reel in the Chatfield Chargers.

However, Chatfield didn’t want any part of giving up its two-game lead in the loss column to the rest of its pursuers in the balanced conference. The Chargers (14-3, 9-1 in league), ranked No. 10 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A boys hoops poll, came away with a 65-57 home victory over A-West.

Chatfield senior Thomas Walker, left, looks for a way around Arvada West senior Jacob Gillan on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

“(A-West) was fighting for a league championship tonight, too,” said Chatfield senior Andrew St. Germain, who led the Chargers in scoring with 17 points. “They are right there in the running. It was definitely a big game for both of us.”

The Wildcats (11-7, 7-4) were coming off a tough loss last Friday to Bear Creek. It didn’t look good early for A-West as the defending conference champions jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first few minutes.

Chatfield forced three early turnovers and senior Darius Reiter (14 points) scored the first six points of the game to get the Chargers going. It didn’t help matters that A-West was without guard Luke Neff. The sophomore suffered a hit to the head in the loss to Bear Creek and wasn’t in the lineup Tuesday.

“Our press is definitely our strength. Them not having one of their great players (Luke Neff) and top ball handlers was something we had to take advantage of,” St. Germain said.

Despite the early lead, Chatfield coach Stephen Schimpeler knew A-West’s shooting capabilities would keep the Wildcats a threat to bounce back.

“(A-West) is so dangerous. I think they are probably the best shooting team in the state,” said Schimpeler after Chatfield’s fifth-straight win. “I didn’t see the 8-0 run we had was a big deal.”

The Wildcats found their shooting touch from long range quickly. A-West poured in seven 3-pointers by halftime and finished with a cool dozen on the night. Junior’s Thomas Neff (21 points) and Jesse Porter (17 points) did most of the damage with five 3-pointers each.

A-West actually pulled even with Chatfield at 34-all early in the third quarter when Porter drained a 3-pointer with 6:23 left in the quarter.

Arvada West junior Thomas Neff, right, drives past Chatfield senior Darius Reiter on Tuesday night. Neff had a game-high 21 points, including five 3-pointers, in the Wildcats’ second straight league loss. (Dennis Pleuss)

“I told our guys it’s hard to beat a team when they hit 12 3-pointers on you,” Schimpeler said. “It says a lot about our guys. I was proud of how we played defensively.”

Chatfield senior Alec Wray was key in the fourth quarter. Wray poured in nine of his 14 points in the final quarter. The Chargers were 13-for-15 from the free-throw line in the final eight minutes to keep A-West at arm’s length.

Chatfield’s defense creating turnovers offset A-West 3-point bombardment.

“We just have to cut way back on turnovers. We had way too many,” Thomas Neff said. “We had 13 in the first half. That is really what hurt us the whole game.”

Ralston Valley (13-5, 8-3) and Dakota Ridge (12-5, 7-3) are the closest threat to catching Chatfield in the league standings with a handful of conference games remaining.

“Coach (Schimpeler) keeps saying we control our own fate,” St. Germain said. “That’s definitely a good position to be in, but we’ve got some big games coming up that we are all looking forward to.”

Chatfield will have a quick turnaround. The Chargers host Bear Creek at 7 p.m. Wednesday. A-West’s next conference game will also be at home. The Wildcats host Standley Lake at 7 p.m. Friday.

“Our league is about as good as it has been top to bottom in a long time, which is good,” Schimpeler said. “You’ve got to be ready to go every night.”

February 5, 2014
Top-ranked Valor Christian boys hoops rallies to beat No. 4 D’Evelyn

Valor Christian senior Garrett Baggett (23) take a charge on D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee in front of Valor’s student section Monday night in Highlands Ranch. The top-ranked Valor came away with an 80-70 victory against D’Evelyn in the non-league game. (Dennis Pleuss)

HIGHLANDS RANCH — Monday night might have been a preview to what a Class 4A boys basketball state semifinal or even title game might look like.

D’Evelyn, ranked No. 4 in this week’s CHSAANow.com poll, traveled to face top-ranked Valor Christian on the Eagles’ home court Monday night. Valor (15-3) faced a rare deficit in the first half, but used a huge spark off its bench for an 80-70 victory.

Valor Christian senior Chase Foster (22) goes up for a shot over D’Evelyn junior Christian Denton on Monday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

“D’Evelyn is a great team. It was great to see where we compare to them,” said Valor senior Chase Foster, who had 15 points in the Eagles’ seventh straight win. “They are definitely a team we’ll see further down the road in the 4A playoffs.”

The Jaguars (13-3, 8-0 in 4A Jeffco League) had their fill of seeing Valor senior Garrett Baggett make shot-after-shot in the non-league game. Coming off the bench, Baggett poured in 28 points to match a season high for the 6-foot guard.

“(Baggett) had a little slump Saturday night,” Foster said. “He came out with fire and passion in this game. He wasn’t going to let anyone stop him. That is what we needed.”

Baggett sealed the victory with 13 points in the fourth quarter, including going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.

“It wasn’t a demotion or anything to have (Baggett) come off the bench,” Valor coach Ronnie DeGray said. “I felt, as far as offensively, he could do more for us coming off the bench as the sixth-man. He proved it tonight.”

Along with Foster and Baggett, seniors Marcus Wilson (11 points) and Christian McCaffrey (10 points) were key down the stretch as D’Evelyn attempted to rally in the final quarter.

Defensively, the Eagles turned it up a notch after holding on to a slim 40-38 lead at halftime.

“I tell these kids we can score the basketball, but we’ve got to stop the other team from scoring,” DeGray said. “Defense wins games. We had to dig deep and we did in the second half.”

D’Evelyn senior Nate Flack (3) guards Valor Christian senior Brandon Pleiman (34) during the first half Monday. (Dennis Pleuss)

The first half was a scoring fest. Lead by D’Evelyn seniors Ty McGee (17 points), Brian Smith (17 points) and junior Grant Witherspoon (21 points), the Jaguars held a 27-23 lead after the first quarter.

D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner believed his team had a great shot at handing Valor its first lost to an in-state program, but a lack of defensive intensity was the Jaguars’ downfall. The 80 points given up by D’Evelyn was a season high.

“That was pretty exciting, but we decided we weren’t going to play any ‘D’ all night long,” said Pachner of the first half. “Valor is too good not to guard. I just didn’t like our second half at all. We certainly weren’t intimidated. We just weren’t up for the challenge.”

Valor pushed its second-half lead into double-digit points early in the fourth quarter. The Eagles’ largest lead of the game was 15 points.

Smith got hot for the Jaguars in the final quarter, draining a pair of 3-pointers on his way to a 10-point quarter, but it wasn’t enough. The Eagles made 14-of-16 free throws in the final eight minutes to keep D’Evelyn at bay.

Valor Christian senior Chase Foster, left, and D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee — two of the premier players in Class 4A — squared off Monday. Foster finished with 15 points, while McGee had 17 points as the Jaguars saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end. (Dennis Pleuss)

“(Valor) is the team to beat, but we know we are close. We are right there,” Pachner said. “I’d love another opportunity to face them.”

The three losses Valor has suffered this season came to out-of-state teams at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas.

The one downer for the Eagles on Monday was an ankle injury to senior Paden Mueller. The starting guard had to be helped off the court and didn’t return.

The Eagles won’t play until they travel to Colorado Springs to face Cheyenne Mountain at 7 p.m. Saturday.

D’Evelyn controls its own destiny in the 4A Jeffco League. The Jaguars hold a game lead over the Golden Demons (14-3, 7-1). D’Evelyn travels to Golden next week on Feb. 11 where the Jaguars could all but clinch the conference title.

D’Evelyn must first take care of business this week in league games against Conifer (7 p.m. Wednesday at D’Evelyn) and Evergreen (7 p.m. Friday at Evergreen).

Valor Christian senior Marcus Wilson attempt to hang on to the ball as D’Evelyn junior Christian Denton, left, tries to rip it away Monday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

D’Evelyn senior Cameron Brown (10) dribbles past Valor Christian senior Keegan Wynja on Monday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

February 4, 2014

Denver East widens gap on No. 1 spot in 5A boys basketball

Denver East Cherokee Trail boys basketball — Denver East received 13 of the 20 first-place votes this week. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Denver East’s grip on the No. 1 spot in Class 5A boys basketball continues to grow tighter.

In this week’s CHSAANow.com rankings, the Angels received 13 of the 20 first-place votes. Last week, Denver East received 12 of 20.

The Angels are now 11-0 in Colorado, and have an average margin of victory of 19.8 points in those games. That includes a 3-point win over Cherry Creek on Dec. 13 and a one-point win over Eaglecrest on Dec. 16.

Since January, Denver East is winning in-state games by an average of 24.6 points.

Still, Fossil Ridge remains ever present. The second-ranked SaberCats are now 17-0, and received the other seven first-place votes this week. They are the only other team to be ranked No. 1 this season, holding that spot for one week in mid-January.

Mountain Vista moved up one place to No. 3 after a big week that included a 60-58 win over No. 5 Regis Jesuit at the buzzer.

Eaglecrest is No. 4 this week, and Regis Jesuit remained at No. 5. Arapahoe bumped up two places to No. 6, as did Monarch, which is now No. 7.

Overland is No. 8, Highlands Ranch is No. 9 and Chatfield is the lone newcomer at No. 10.

Other new teams this week: No. 10 Denver South (4A), No. 10 Denver Science & Tech (3A), No. 9 Simla (2A) and No. 9 Primero (1A).

Valor Christian stayed atop its ranking in 4A, as did Holy Family (3A), Ignacio (2A) and Caliche (1A).

Complete polls for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Class 5A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Denver East (13)	15-3	193	1	3-0
2	Fossil Ridge (7)	17-0	186	2	2-0
3	Mountain Vista	16-1	145	4	2-0
4	Eaglecrest	14-3	140	3	2-0
5	Regis Jesuit	14-3	116	5	1-1
6	Arapahoe	13-3	81	8	3-0
7	Monarch	14-3	54	9	1-1
8	Overland	11-6	51	7	1-1
9	Highlands Ranch	12-5	43	10	2-0
10	Chatfield	13-3	31	–	1-0
Others receiving votes:
Rangeview 18, Grandview 11, Cherry Creek 9, Grand Junction 9, Legend 6, Chaparral 3.
Dropped out
Cherry Creek (6).

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Valor Christian (14)	14-3	175	1	1-0
2	Thompson Valley (3)	16-1	158	2	2-0
3	Pueblo South (1)	15-2	142	3	2-0
4	D’Evelyn	13-2	125	4	2-0
5	Air Academy	13-3	81	8	1-0
6	Pueblo East	14-4	76	6	2-1
7	Sand Creek	12-3	68	5	1-1
8	Longmont	13-3	47	9	2-0
9	Thomas Jefferson	11-6	43	7	1-1
10	Denver South	12-7	31	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Golden 26, Greeley Central 6, Cheyenne Mountain 4, Glenwood Springs 4, Vista Peak 4.
Dropped out
Golden (10).

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Holy Family (12)	15-0	120	1	2-0
2	Colorado Academy	13-0	108	2	2-0
3	Jefferson Academy	13-2	88	3	1-0
4	Faith Christian	10-5	78	4	1-1
5	Colorado Springs Christian	9-3	70	5	2-0
6	The Pinnacle	10-2	48	8	2-0
7	Aspen	10-2	44	7	2-0
8	Brush	9-4	39	6	1-0
9	Moffat County	9-2	17	9	1-0
10	Denver Science & Tech	9-4	12	–	1-1
Others receiving votes:
Bishop Machebeuf 11, Kent Denver 7, St. Mary’s 7, Platte Valley 5, Centauri 4, Alamosa 2.
Dropped out
St. Mary’s (10).

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Ignacio (10)	12-0	143	1	1-0
2	Sanford (3)	12-1	125	2	1-0
3	Akron	11-1	116	4	2-0
4	Lutheran (1)	8-5	105	3	1-1
5	Yuma	11-2	86	5	1-0
6	Resurrection Christian (1)	13-2	81	6	2-0
7	Peyton	11-2	49	7	1-0
8	Rye	13-2	48	8	2-0
9	Simla	11-2	23	–	3-0
10	Crowley County	12-2	16	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Denver Christian 10, Haxtun 7, Holyoke 6, Paonia 4, Meeker 2, Telluride 2, Sedgwick County 1, Swink 1.
Dropped out
Denver Christian (9), Haxtun (10).

Class 1A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Caliche (10)	12-0	100	1	1-0
2	Hi-Plains	11-1	89	2	1-0
3	McClave	11-2	74	3	1-0
4	Holly	10-3	63	4	1-0
5	Vail Christian	10-2	57	6	2-0
6	Cheyenne Wells	9-2	55	5	0-0
7	South Baca	9-4	29	7	0-0
8	Norwood	8-4	21	8	1-1
9	Primero	11-1	13	–	1-0
10	Briggsdale	7-4	12	10	1-1
Others receiving votes:
Shining Mountain 8, Arickaree 7, Denver Jewish Day 5, Stratton 5, Cheraw 4, Peetz 4, Walsh 3, Kit Carson 1.
Dropped out
Shining Mountain (9).

February 3, 2014

Top-10 boys basketball schedule for the week of Feb. 3

A complete schedule and scoreboard for boys basketball’s top-10 teams this week.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
[divider]

Class 5A
1	Denver East	15-3
1	Off this week.
2	Fossil Ridge	19-0
	Tues: W 80-33 vs. Boulder
	Fri: W 90-39 at Poudre
3	Mountain Vista	18-1
	Tues: W 92-63 vs. Ponderosa
	Fri: W 60-50 at ThunderRidge
4	Eaglecrest	14-4
4	Fri: L 60-73 at (6) Arapahoe
5	Regis Jesuit	16-3
	Tues: W 63-54 vs. (9) Highlands Ranch
	Fri: W 78-48 at Heritage
6	Arapahoe	14-4
	Wed: L 45-52 vs. Smoky Hill
	Fri: W 73-60 vs. (4) Eaglecrest
7	Monarch	15-4
	Tues: W 51-39 at Loveland
	Fri: L 50-55 at Mountain Range
8	Overland	13-6
	Wed: W 57-53 vs. Cherokee Trail
	Fri: W 63-57 at Smoky Hill
9	Highlands Ranch	13-6
	Tues: L 54-63 at (5) Regis Jesuit
	Fri: W 50-48 vs. Rock Canyon
10	Chatfield	15-3
	Tues: W 65-57 vs. Arvada West
	Wed: W 76-60 vs. Bear Creek

Class 4A
1	Valor Christian	16-3
	Mon: W 80-70 vs. (4) D’Evelyn
	Sat: W 79-67 at Cheyenne Mountain
2	Thompson Valley	18-1
	Tues: W 72-52 vs. Greeley Central
	Fri: W 62-43 at Centaurus
3	Pueblo South	17-2
	Tues: W 50-31 at Pueblo County
	Fri: W 72-40 vs. Canon City
4	D’Evelyn	15-3
	Mon: L 70-80 at (1) Valor Christian
	Wed: W 86-60 vs. Conifer
	Fri: W 70-49 at Evergreen
5	Air Academy	13-4
5	Fri: L 57-63 vs. (7) Sand Creek
6	Pueblo East	16-4
	Tues: W 51-44 at Pueblo West
	Fri: W 68-62 vs. Pueblo County
7	Sand Creek	14-3
	Tues: W 64-43 at Lewis-Palmer
	Fri: W 63-57 at (5) Air Academy
8	Longmont	16-3
	Tues: W 66-31 vs. Niwot
	Fri: W 54-42 at Broomfield
	Sat: W 65-31 at Skyline
9	Thomas Jefferson	11-8
	Tues: L 43-58 at Montbello
	Fri: L 48-63 vs. Denver West
10	Denver South	14-7
	Tues: W 66-28 at Kennedy
	Fri: W 96-31 vs. Denver North

Class 3A
1	Holy Family	16-0
1	Wed: W 64-60 vs. (2) Colorado Academy
2	Colorado Academy	14-1
	Wed: L 60-64 at (1) Holy Family
	Fri: W 69-67 at (2A 4) Lutheran
3	Jefferson Academy	14-3
	Wed: W 54-50 at Bishop Machebeuf
	Fri: L 45-46 vs. (4) Faith Christian
4	Faith Christian	11-5
4	Fri: W 46-45 at (3) Jefferson Academy
5	Colorado Springs Christian	11-3
	Thurs: W 53-36 vs. The Classical Academy
	Sat: W 78-48 vs. Widefield
6	The Pinnacle	12-3
	Tues: L 56-71 at Jefferson
	Wed: W 73-56 vs. KIPP Collegiate
	Fri: W 84-43 at Clear Creek
7	Aspen	13-2
	Tues: W 53-30 vs. Roaring Fork
	Wed: W 53-46 at Basalt
	Fri: W 60-42 at Coal Ridge
8	Brush	10-4
8	Fri: W 81-68 vs. Frontier Academy
9	Moffat County	11-2
	Mon: W 88-31 vs. Olathe
	Sat: W 83-61 vs. Basalt
10	Denver Science & Tech	11-4
	Tues: W 85-62 at KIPP Collegiate
	Fri: W 99-67 vs. The Academy

Class 2A
1	Ignacio	13-0
	Fri: W 82-25 at Nucla
	Sat: vs. Ouray
2	Sanford	14-1
	Fri: W 80-17 vs. Cripple Creek-Victor
	Sat: W 65-25 at South Park
3	Akron	13-1
	Fri: W 88-48 vs. Wray
	Sat: W 63-60 at (5) Yuma
4	Lutheran	9-6
	Wed: W 89-57 at Manual
	Fri: L 67-69 vs. (3A 2) Colorado Academy
5	Yuma	12-3
	Fri: W 59-27 vs. Haxtun
	Sat: L 60-63 vs. (3) Akron
6	Resurrection Christian	14-2
6	Tues: W 71-59 at Dayspring Christian
7	Peyton	13-2
	Fri: W 68-35 at Kiowa
	Sat: W 63-33 vs. Calhan
8	Rye	14-3
	Tues: L 56-58 at John Mall
	Fri: W 57-42 vs. (10) Crowley County
9	Simla	13-2
	Fri: W 66-40 at Vanguard Charter
	Sat: W 73-41 vs. Pikes Peak Christian
10	Crowley County	13-3
	Thurs: W 67-49 vs. Fowler
	Fri: L 42-57 at (8) Rye

Class 1A
1	Caliche	14-0
	Fri: W 63-56 at Sedgwick County
	Sat: W 75-60 at Merino
2	Hi-Plains	13-1
	Fri: W 79-29 at Idalia
	Sat: W 66-46 at Fleming
3	McClave	12-3
	Fri: L 48-49 at (6) Cheyenne Wells
	Sat: W 35-32 vs. Walsh
4	Holly	12-3
	Fri: W 49-45 vs. Wiley
	Sat: W 64-27 vs. Eads
5	Vail Christian	11-4
	Tues: W 56-55 at Hotchkiss
	Fri: L 51-62 vs. Meeker
	Sat: L 41-54 at Rangely
6	Cheyenne Wells	10-2
	Fri: W 49-48 vs. (3) McClave
	Sat: at Stratton
7	South Baca	10-4
7	Fri: W 73-26 at Bethune
8	Norwood	9-5
	Thurs: W 82-25 vs. Nucla
	Fri: L 48-56 at Mancos
9	Primero	11-1
9	Tues: at Maxwell (N.M.)
10	Briggsdale	9-5
	Mon: W 46-33 vs. Weldon Valley
	Fri: W 53-45 vs. Peetz
	Sat: L 52-58 vs. Liberty Common

February 3, 2014

Pueblo South’s Smith tops Pueblo East with OT buzzer-beater

Pueblo South’s Maleek Johnson (4) guards an inbounds pass while Pueblo East’s Ryan Armijo (11) and Pueblo South’s Bryson Smith (44) stand in the background. Smith was the hero for the Colts. (Tracy Renck)

PUEBLO – Bryson Smith wasn’t lost in the euphoria of the moment.

The Pueblo South High School post player was in shock over being an unlikely hero in this key South-Central League game.

Smith caught an airball from his teammate Maleek Johnson and banked in the ball as time expired vaulting the Colts to a dramatic 76-74 overtime victory over rival East at the Southwest Motors Events Center.

“Coach (D.J. Johnson) just tells us every game and every day to crash the boards,” said the 6-foot-2, 255-pound Smith. “The shot went up and I just crashed the boards and I was just in the right place at the right time. I almost missed it. That’s first time I have made a game-winning shot in my life.”

South, ranked No. 3 in the latest CHSAANow.com Class 4A poll, ran its record to 15-2 overall with its 15th win in a row and sits alone atop the S-CL at 5-0. No. 6 East dropped to 13-4 overall and to 4-1 in league.

“I was trying to make the shot,” said the 6-foot-1 Johnson, who had 20 points. “That was all him (Smith). I knew it was off, but I’m glad he was there to clean it up. It was crazy.”

Johnson praised Smith for his court presence.

“We were just trying to set a high pick and roll for Maleek and hopefully get him something going to the basket,” Johnson said. “Jimmy (Valdez of East) did a great job of switching out and Maleek threw up that desperation shot. If Bryson doesn’t go to the boards hard that shot doesn’t happen, so I’m really happy for him.”

Trailing 74-72, Valdez tied the game when he received a pass from Dylan Gavin and made a layup with 22.6 seconds left in overtime.

That set the stage for Smith’s game-winner.

“This was a great win for us,” said Smith, who had five points. “This was team effort.”

Veteran East coach Dave Ryder wasn’t making any excuses in defeat.

“They ball screened and we didn’t rotate off it,” Ryder said.

South appeared to be in control of the game, taking its largest lead at 53-40 on Smith’s 3-pointer with 2:36 left in the third quarter.

The Eagles, however, kept battling and when Gavin converted a 3-point play the game was even at 62-62 with 3:04 showing on the fourth-quarter clock.

Neither team pulled away down the stretch. The game went into overtime tied at 66-66.

“I like the way we competed,” Ryder said. “We played with energy and executed.”

Gavin fueled East’s comeback as he had a career-high 41 points.

“It is disheartening to lose like that and I love my team,” Gavin said. “Give credit to them. They stayed with it the whole game and it came down to the last shot and they hit it. We just have to learn from this game and get better.”

February 1, 2014
No. 4 D’Evelyn boys hoops passes tough test against Green Mountain

D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee (1) fights over a loose ball with Green Mountain senior Alex Erickson on Wednesday night at Green Mountain High School. (Dennis Pleuss)

LAKEWOOD — It was a playoff-like atmosphere Wednesday night at Green Mountain High School.

The student sections were loud and the Class 4A Jeffco League game between close rivals D’Evelyn and Green Mountain came down to the wire. The D’Evelyn Jaguars, ranked No. 4 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball rankings, survived the scare with a 66-60 win against the Rams.

“Everyone is going to be gunning for us. Everyone is going to give us their best,” D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee said after the Jaguars (12-2, 7-0 in league) remained alone on top of 4A Jeffco. “This is how the playoffs are going to be. It’s going to be loud. The crowds are going to be crazy. You have to be mentally focused to get the win.”

D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee has the ball knocked out of his hands during the first half Wednesday. McGee finished with 14 points to help the Jaguars to a 66-60 road victory against Green Mountain. (Dennis Pleuss)

McGee (14 points) and junior Grant Witherspoon stepped it up in the fourth quarter to prevent Green Mountain (8-7, 5-2) from pulling off the upset. The two leading scorers for D’Evelyn combined for 15 points in the final quarter.

Witherspoon has had the hot-shooting hand lately. The junior put up 30 and 31 points, respectfully, in the Jaguars’ wins over Wheat Ridge and Arvada last week. Foul trouble hampered Witherspoon, but he still managed a team-high 16 points.

Senior Brian Smith had a strong second half for D’Evelyn and sophomore Cameron Brown contributed a pair of big 3-pointers late in the first half that allowed the Jaguars to take a 30-27 lead at halftime. Brown buried a pair from downtown in the final minute of the second quarter.

“We needed someone to step up and Cameron gutted those two,” D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner said. “That’s what you want out of your sophomore. You want him to be a moment player and that is what he was.”

On the defensive side, D’Evelyn had some issues. Green Mountain’s 6-foot-6 senior Mitch Schafer had a season-high 18 points.

“This is one of my best games honestly,” Schafer said. “They really couldn’t keep up with me.”

Schafer was able to post up and didn’t have to face many double-teams with the Jaguars focused on not letting sophomore sharp shooter Austin Fritts get loose. Fritts finished with only five points, but the Rams had success on the inside with Schafer and senior Daniel Brughelli (13 points).

“We did not do a good job with either interior kids. They were outstanding and we kept on giving them a lot of looks,” Pachner said. “You thought playing Golden, and the like, we would have been prepared for that.”

Green Mountain senior Daniel Brughelli (21) attempts to split D’Evelyn defenders Christian Denton (21) and Cameron Brown (10) with a pass during the second half Wednesday at Green Mountain High School. (Dennis Pleuss)

D’Evelyn has split its first two games against Golden’s effective inside offensive attack.

Green Mountain senior Alex Erickson scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half. The Rams cut the Jaguars’ lead down to four points late, but couldn’t come up with the victory.

“My kids battled so hard. I’m so proud of them. They did a great job,” Green Mountain coach Derek Van Tassel said. “We just came up a little short tonight, but the good thing is we’ll get to play them again.”

The Rams will get another shot at D’Evelyn, but next time it will be in ‘The Jungle’ on Feb. 13.

“At D’Evelyn is going to be a tougher game, but I think we can handle it,” Schafer said. “It’s a smaller gym so it’s going to be way louder. It’s going to be great.”

Pachner believes the tough conference test will serve his squad well.

“Surviving close games in a hostile environment gets you ready for games down the line,” Pachner said.

D’Evelyn puts its nine-game winning streak on the line at home against Alameda at 7 p.m. Friday. Green Mountain looks to get back on the winning track when it hosts Wheat Ridge at 7 p.m. Friday.

D’Evelyn junior Grant Witherspoon, center, drives the lane while Green Mountain seniors Mitch Schafer, left, and Daniel Brughelli, right, try to make things difficult Wednesday night in the Class 4A Jeffco League game. D’Evelyn extended its winning streak to nine games with a 66-60 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

January 30, 2014
Legislative Council notebook: 4A basketball staying at 23 games
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — Ultimately, it never even went to a vote.

A proposal which sought to reduce the maximum number of allowed games in Class 4A basketball from 23 to 19 was withdrawn before any action even took place during Tuesday’s Legislative Council meeting. The Northern League, which originally submitted the proposal, moved to withdraw the proposal during the meeting and there were no objections.

“The basketball committee continues to look at maximum number of games, and sent out a survey to member schools,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgman, who oversees basketball. “By a 60-40 margin, the 4A schools indicated that 23 games is their preferred choice. But more than that, the current bylaw allows for the basketball committee to develop a format that would limit 4A schools to 19 games, if that is the will of the membership.”

Similarly, the Northern League’s proposal which would have reduced volleyball to 19 matches was withdrawn. The sport, too, will stay at a maximum of 23 contests.

“The volleyball committee has worked really hard and is very proud of the current format, including the length of the regular season,” said Bethany Brookens, a CHSAA assistant commissioner who oversees volleyball.

Additionally, the slight alteration to the match order at volleyball’s state championships was approved.

5A football seeding committee removed; 8-man gets rid of cross-divisionals

At December’s football committee meeting, Class 5A programs went away from using Wild Card points to determine playoff qualifiers. Instead, they installed a seeding committee made up seven administrators, one from each league.

However, that seeding committee was removed at the Legislative Council meeting Tuesday. A replacement solution to determine postseason qualification in 5A football could come at the next Legislative Council meeting in April. If it doesn’t, that would mean returning to Wild Card points and the process used in past years.

The 5A schools will meet prior to the April meeting to determine if another qualification format is better. That could be another seeding committee, or another format altogether.

While discussing the football committee Tuesday, 8-man football changed the way its playoff qualifiers are determined. Instead of using cross-over games, which matched the top four teams from each division against one another, qualifiers will be determined by a new criteria.

Included is automatic qualification for league champions, as well as a complex set of ways to fill out the rest of the 16-team field. For a full breakdown, see this amendment (.pdf), which was passed.

Elsewhere:
- The format for girls soccer’s Class 2A was approved. It will have a 12-team postseason, moving 3A from a 32-team bracket to 24 teams. 2A will begin play in the spring of 2015, meaning girls soccer will have classes 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A. This change does not affect boys soccer, which has 3A, 4A and 5A.
- File this away for later: A proposal passed which gives CHSAA discretion to add a classification “based on the growth of the CHSAA membership.” This paves the way for an additional class, such as 6A, to be added down the road. We wrote about the details of adding a sixth classification over the summer.
- There were two changes to the Classification and League Organizing Committee report: Alameda moved from the 4A Jeffco League to the Colorado 7 League and Valor Christian from the 5A Jeffco to the 4A Jeffco. Both of those moves pertain to non-football sports. In Valor’s case, the move was made because the Eagles are competing in the 4A postseason.
- An amendment to the constitution passed which will not allow schools that offer specialized sport training to become CHSAA member schools. However, students at those schools will be allowed to participate in athletics at other schools.
- Teams that play down a classification based upon a lack of success will still be allowed to compete for a state championship. A proposal sought to not allow that, but was shot down. This issue was originally raised in part because Coronado won the 3A football title while playing down last fall.
January 30, 2014

Category: Boys Basketball

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

5A football seeding committee removed; 8-man gets rid of cross-divisionals