Category: Ball Fever

Multiple top-10 battles in 4A and 5A action as we get Week 3 started, folks! The cream is rising, let’s check it out:

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The Look Back

Monday, Dec. 10

• Thomas Jefferson was missing their leading scored D Hornbuckle but junior James Abbey stepped up with 17 points to help the Spartans beat Harrison 51-37.
• Castle View senior continues his hot streak with 28 points leading to a 20-point win over Northglenn.
• Seniors Josh Rogers and Joseph Call combined for 36 points to help Arvada West to a strong 18-point win over Boulder. Rogers added 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals!
• We’ve talked about Overland’s TOUGH non-conference schedule each year and this night Coach Fisher traveled with the crew to Boulder and took down Fairview by 16 behind big Ike Graham’s 19 point, 10 rebound double-double.
• Aurora Central came in 5-0 to the Ralston Round Up tourney but Pomona was game and got 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 steals from Trevor Baskin who was straight “Stat-stuffin” in the 16-point victory.
• Bear Creek rollin’ early at 7-0!

Tuesday, Dec. 11

In our Ball Fever game of the night, that may prove to be the game of the week, newly appointed No. 1 Chaparral went into the Bruins den and had to mount a second half comeback in order to over come super soph’s Julian Hammond’s 19 point, 4 rebound effort.

The Wolverines won the game on a last-second inside bucket by Tanner Giles from a sweet assist from Kobe Sanders, who led Chap with 24 points on the night.

Your Chap/Creek photos are here.

In other games:

• Discovery Canyon has joined our 4A top-10 and start the week off right beating Mesa Ridge by 16 with Daryn Whisman scoring 23 points and adding 7 rebounds!
• Not just the Joel Scott show over at No. 1 Lewis-Palmer and two other seniors Tre McCullough (11 points) and Ethan Forrester’s 13 points led the way in this 48-42 win over Liberty.
• Fountain-Fort Carson had a different senior, Rashon Barron, step up with a “stat-stuffin” double-double of 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals in lopsided win over Widefield by 30.
• Our Ball Fever buddy Coach Johannsen has Fossil Ridge sitting at 4-1 early in the season and they withstood J. Urynowicz’s 23 points in their 65-57 win over Rocky Mountain.
• Poudre is undefeated early on and received 5 votes in our Coaches Poll to join the 5A top-10! It took overtime this night to get a victory over rival Fort Collins 70-68.
• Seniors Brendan Temple and TJ Boykins combined for 31 points but not enough for Douglas County to take down No. 9 Eaglecrest on their home floor who won by 12.
• Cheyenne Mountain dropped a couple spots in our poll to No. 5 but that didn’t stop Javonte Johnson from another “monsta” double-double of of 24 points and 16 rebounds in the win over Pueblo South.
• T-Ridge remained at No. 2 despite their loss to No. 1 Chap in tourney play and they bounced back with 31 combined points from Garett Arnold and Austin Holt on the road at Cherokee Trail winning 60-44. Nice bounce back win for the lengthy Grizzlies.
• Mountain Vista, now in our 5A top-10 at No. 7, traveled 36 West to Boulder and pulled off a 16-point road win with Ben Grusing scoring 20 points, with 5 rebounds. The Eagles are so consistent year to year!
• Legend, 4-1, takes down the Arap Warriors.
• Ralston Valley already surpassing last seasons win total.
• The Fever Crew was anticipating this top-10 match between No. 4 Rangeview and No. 10 Regis. Success for both early and this game was going to tell us a little more of who belongs among the 5A best. Rangeview left little doubt!

Wednesday, Dec. 12

• 4A No. 3, Holy Family, worked to win a close one in top-10 action over No. 8 Centaurus by three, 46-43!
• In more 4A top-10 action Lincoln got double digit scoring from their big dogs Foster, Bamba, and Brown but it wasn’t enough to stop Valor from winning by 7, 65-58 at the compound!
• Ohhhh, we’ve been waiting for this top-5 match between Smoky and host T-Ridge. These two are similar early season and the MULTIPLE overtime sessions proved that as the Buffaloes outlasted the Grizz down south by 6!
• Grant Figueroa, 17 points, led BALANCED Rock Canyon to a big win over previously unbeaten Bear Creek and did it in convincingly fashion by 22 points.
• On the girls side, Regis Jesuit’s Fran Belibi threw down a dunk against Grandview!

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Mid-Week Thoughts

The Ball Fever group text with the homies is kind of surprised that the big school comp “seems” to be among only a few teams.

I asked patience from the CREW because it’s early…and believe there will be multiple contenders before it’s said and done. Coach “em up!!!”

Get out and enjoy, folks.

If the mid-week report brought us cross-classification and tourney action the end of week report theme may be CO teams competing well in local and out of state tournament competition! Let’s see how the end of week two played out.

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The Look Back

Thursday, Dec. 6

The Fever Crew made it out to Overland hosting Columbine on Thursday night and CU commit Luke O’Brien did not disappoint scoring 23 points, 5 rebounds, and taking 3 steals!

Only problem was he fouled out with two minutes to go and Overland was steady down the stretch taking care of the ball and hitting a few free throws to seal the 63-58 win at home. Senior Alex Pena-Avila led the Trailblazers with 19 points and juniors Hezekiah Swanson along with big Ike Graham both scored in double figures as well.

In other games:

• Keyshawn Maltbia starts our second part of the week with a 25 point, 11 rebound double-double for Fountain-Fort Carson but not enough as senior Nico Martin scored 18 for Pueblo Central in their 67-61 win. The Wildcats exploded for 28 fourth quarter points.
• A strong 21 points from senior Kwane Marble and 16 from sophomore Boston Stanton help Denver East earn their first win out of state at the Great Western Shootout 78-68 over British Columbia Academy. Way to “rep the 303” Angels!
• Poudre is 5-0 folks after another double-digit win. This time over Windsor 75-62.
• Longmont is rolling early and their balance was on display with three seniors in double figure scoring led by Calvin Seamons 18. That scorer for Thomas Jefferson, Darius Hornbuckle, scored 27 of TJ’s 49 but not enough as No. 2 Longmont invades Spartan territory winning by 18. Oh my! Just caught Brady Renck’s 16 point, 11 assist double-double…that has to get in the report!
• No. 1 Lewis-Palmer was led by Joel Scott with 21 points, 7 rebounds as the Rangers more than doubled Sierra 65-31!
• Rock Canyon has some new names to get familiar with but the same solid hoops being taught! Jalen Ashley led in a 61-54 win over Dakota Ridge.
• Another solid win for Highlands Ranch by four over Boulder. The Falcons started the first quarter 19-10 and held on late!
• In Texas the Bruins had four players score in double figures led by soph Julian Hammond’s 12 but not enough to keep up with the Steele Knights who beat Creek by 15.
• Our 5A No. 6 Regis Jesuit is also out of state competing and had a heart breaker one point loss to Serra of California. Daniel Carr, a senior, stepped up with 28 points and 9 rebounds in the loss.
• Dennis Pleuss covers coach Jeff Dolan’s first win for Evergreen.
• D’Agostino steps up for Warriors as Arap gets another early season win.
• Lakewood’s strong second half spurred their win over Vista Peak.

Friday, Dec. 7

• Denver East another squad out of state had Kwane Marble “stat-stuffin” once again with 31 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals! Unfortunately for the Angels that outstanding performance wasn’t nearly enough as Santa Margarita (CA) exploded for a 32-point quarter en route to 96-76 win.
• In the DeLa Salle California tournament Regis earned an out-of-state win with Peyton Eggloff, Matt Wheelock and Daniel Carr all scoring in double figures led by Carr’s second 28 point game! Eight point win over St Mary’s of California.
• Seniors Aaron Bokol and Thurbil Bile scored 16 and 15 points respectively but Eaglecrest suffered a 2-point loss at the CDM CA Beach Bash vs. Edison from Huntington Beach.
• Again, four upperclassmen displaying balanced double digit scoring can carry a team and Castle View got just that in the 9-point Fairview Festival win over Ralston Valley with senior Michael Poux leading with 19 points.
• Montbello (FNE) continues to play strong ball early sitting at 6-2 and we there was a different senior starring this night in Myron Hamilton’s 20 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, with 3 steals beating Legacy 62-56 in the T-Ridge/Chap Tip Off.
• This super soph at Cherry Creek, Julian Hammond, is becoming a regular name in Ball Fever and he did it again scoring 28 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists in the Bruins win over Floresville Texas!
• Senior Josh Rogers scores 16 and is helping Arvada West to a 3-1 start this season. This win was by 10 over Horizon.
• A low-scoring battle between Valor and T-Ridge to see who punched their ticket to the Tip Off Classic title game and Kevin Sax led the Grizzlies with 12 points holding off Valor by 5.
• Lincoln only had five players in the scoring column and that hurt in a 20-point home loss to Mullen.
• GW fell to No. 10 in our poll this week but earned a road win at Golden in overtime 78-71. “Super soph” Kendale Johnson led the way with 20 points and senior Jovon Nelson put up 18 to lead the Patriots.
• Chaparral was ready for a Top-10 match with visiting No. 3 Smoky Hill and won the semifinal game of the T-Ridge/Chap tip off in convincing fashion by 17 points. The rankings say upset but Chap is a veteran led squad with lots of big game experience!
• Bear Creek with another early-season W.
• Four players scoring in double figures is usually a good sign and it was for the Arapahoe Warriors taking down Lakewood.
• Falcon comes up short in come-back attempt vs. Grand Junction Central.
• If you like DE-FENSE take a look at Bear Creek allowing only 10-points in second half of win over Hinkley.

Saturday, Dec. 8

• Fountain-Fort Carson scored more than 21 points in three quarters on their way to a blow out victory of Mesa Ridge 89-51.
• Regis chalks up another out of state victory by 17 over Marin Catholic and the “big fella” Matt Wheelock just missed a double-double with 17 points, 9 rebounds.
• No. 9 Eaglecrest secures another CO out of state win by 20 points over Crean Lutheran from Irvine CA!
• FIVE players in double figures and four with at least 12 as No. 5 Rangeview continues to steam roll early this time putting up 86 total points in thrashing of Rampart.
• Silver Creek got 16 votes to join our 4A poll but still sit outside of the Top-10 beating Littleton by 16 points and still looking good early.
• “Mama there goes that man!” Super soph, Julian Hammond III, we’ve already discussed will be a REGULAR here on Ball Fever and in Cherry Creek’s final game in Texas he scored 30 points (30 piece for a soph!), 4 assists, and 3 steals straight “stat-stuffin”! Hammonds’ 2021 running mate and football “two sport stud” Myles Purchase added 12 points, 6 assists, and 2 steals in the Bruins last second comeback win over Central Catholic (San Antonio TX) 69-67 with this 30 FOOT “wet ball” by Hammond III

https://twitter.com/JulianHammond15/status/1071514951783723008

• Smoky Hill started off fast in the 3rd place game of the Chap/T-Ridge Tip Off Classic 26-10 and never looked back winning by 16 in a game that wasn’t really that close.
• UPSET ALERT! The Fever Crew felt it wouldn’t be long that Rock Canyon would join our Top-10 coming in at No. 8 this week and they were welcoming the No. 1 Grandview Wolves to their house for a low scoring slug fest on Saturday! Neither team scored more than 13 points in any quarter and this days standout was senior Jaylen Eikenberg who scored 22 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals in the Jags 1-point upset 37-36 win over the Wolves.
• Bear Creek shows up big in fourth quarter vs. Arapahoe.

Closing out this week’s coverage was Saturday’s Top-10 match between No. 2 T-Ridge and No. 7 Chaparral in the title game of their co-hosted Tip Off Classic tournament.

Chap traveled to T-Ridge Saturday afternoon and the “swag” they brought with them was clear from the outset of this one! The Wolverines lost top CO player Ronnie DeGray III to prep school and senior weapon Joseph Dalton is out with injury but these issues have Chap playing with a “chip” on their shoulder and a “show and prove” attitude in the early season.

Smooth lefty point guard Kobe Sanders and baseball big man Bryce Matthews are proving to be a STRONG “inside/out” tandem with a cast of other Wolverines contributing to their early undefeated record.

In the 58-44 win, Sanders was cookin’ with 18 points at the half, finishing with 23 while Matthews scored 16 with 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals! Look for Chap to rise in our Top-10 poll!

T-Ridge will learn from this early-season loss due to Coach Ortiz and the bright spots were Austin Holt and Nolan Marold both scoring 12 points for a Grizzlies team who’s size will be a beast to deal with late season. This one was a fun one to watch, folks!

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The Look Ahead

Monday, Dec. 10

• Castle View vs. Northglenn
• Harrison vs. Thomas Jefferson
• Boulder vs. Arvada West
• DSST GVR vs. Manual

Tuesday, Dec. 11

• 5-0 Aurora Central vs. Pomona
• Top-10! Rangeview’s 1st test vs. Regis!
• Fossil Ridge vs. Rocky Mountain
• 5-0 Poudre vs. Fort Collins
• 4-0 Mountain Vista vs. Boulder
• T-Ridge vs. C-Trail
• Eaglecrest back in town vs. Douglas County
• No. 1 Lewis-Palmer vs. Liberty!
• Game of the Night: Chap visits Cherry Creek!
• Overland vs. Fairview

Wednesday, Dec. 12

• Top-10! Smoky Hill vs. T-Ridge!
• Lincoln vs. Valor will be fun….
• Rock Canyon vs. 6-0 Bear Creek!
• Thomas Jefferson vs. Ponderosa

Thursday, Dec. 13

• Palmer vs. Discovery Canyon down south…
• Top-10 action! Grandview & Rangeview!
• More Top-10 Regis vs GW…classic public vs. private
• Poudre vs. Fountain-Fort Carson
• No. 2 Longmont vs. Glenwood Springs
• Golden vs. Fossil Ridge

Friday, Dec. 14

• Arapahoe/Heritage annual tilt!
• Poudre vs. Columbine
• Cheyenne Mountain vs. Pueblo East
• Top-10! Overland & Chaparral!
• Boulder vs. T-Ridge
• Eaglecrest vs. Mountain Vista, good stuff!
• Longmont vs. Littleton

Saturday, Dec. 15

• Pine Creek vs. Air Academy southern action!
• Poudre vs. Grand Junction
• Fountain-Fort Carson vs. Columbine
• Berthoud vs. Longmont
• Thomas Jefferson vs. Dakota Ridge
• Top-10! Cherry Creek vs. Regis!
• Grandview vs. Doherty

Our awesome athletes are getting it done in and out of state! Get out and enjoy some ball, folks!

Love the non-conference and cross-classification intrigue the early season brings us, hoop fans!

The first part of week 2 ball certainly didn’t let us down as thrilling finishes and teams from lower classifications took on some top big school squads … let’s check it out!

Monday, Dec. 3

• Didn’t see this one coming! Arvada West off of a good win over Arapahoe held a hot Chase Hettinger to 9 points while shutting the Sabercats down 64-38 led by Josh Rogers 25 points!
• Senior Alex Lawrence’s 17 points, 5 rebounds helped Horizon take down Denver South in tourney play 67-49.
• Vista Peak had three players score in double figures but it wasn’t enough to get one on the road as Brighton held on late to win by 4.
• Pueblo South came in 0-3 but started 21-10 in first quarter over Falcon and held on for their first victory 53-51.
• Malachi Owens led four Trojans in double figure scoring with 25 in Aurora Central’s blow out win over visiting Thornton.
• Fairview gave Chaparral all they could handle last week and followed that up with an 18-point victory over Ralston Valley Monday.
• Broomfield lost a TON of seniors and it’s showing early. Brad Cochi covered their lost to Manual at the Fairview Tourney.

Tuesday, Dec. 4

• How does senior Kwane Marble follow up a triple-double performance from last week? How about 35 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals with only 1 turnover…that’s straight Ball Fever “Stat-Stuffin”! The Angels beat Standley Lake by 21.
• Two teams in different directions as HOT Longmont, 4A No. 2, is now 4-0 and sends D’Evelyn to 0-4 with a 24-point road win.
• Fellow juniors Jeremiah Jordan and Isaac Tesfaye both had double-double performances combining for 27 points and 25 rebounds! That was just enough to get Cherokee Trail over the hump 64-62 over Douglas County.
• There’s one smooth sophomore over at Cherry Creek, Julian Hammond, who put up 20 points in Creek’s season opening win 73-49 over Boulder. The Fever Crew was blessed to spend spring/summer ball with this young man and there’s no surprise he put numbers like this in game 1! Fellow sophs Arden Walker (9 points) and Myles Purchase (3 points, 3 assists) also joined him on the court after coming up short in the football state championship. These young men will make their presence felt in both sports at Creek! Immediate impact as sophomores, both sports…gotta love the two sport athlete. Upper classmen for the Bruins? Look no further than leader Sebastian Cole who added 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists!
• Speaking of “super sophs” Ty Robinson scored 15 points and senior Aaron Bokol had 19 but it wasn’t enough for Eaglecrest while they’re on the road in California losing by 1-point to Pacifica Christian Academy at the CDM Beach Bash.
• Mountain Vista is quietly 4-0 and earned 9 votes to join our 5A top 10…they didn’t crack the top 10 yet but could be on their way after another 20-plus point win and ten players in the scoring column in this one over Dakota Ridge.
• Well, hello there Dayne Prim! State Champion and All Colorado performer Prim started this season with a 27-point, 10 rebound, 3 assist night vs. a game Lincoln squad who is now up to No. 3 in our 4A poll. The Lancers battled to a 1-point game at half time but Prim along with missed free throws and costly turnovers did Lincoln in second half. The Lancers lose this one by 15 but they will give teams FITS in 4A this season!
• When you’re 13-17 from the field there’s a good chance to end with a 29 point, 10 rebound double-double and that’s exactly what senior Quincy Jewett produced for Rangeview in their 30-point win over Prairie View.
• Back and forth down to the final second but Vista Ridge held on for the 1-point win over Rampart
• Dennis Pleuss has your FULL report of an overtime thriller between Pomona and Wheat Ridge where senior Julian Claussen led all with 27 points.

Wednesday, Dec. 5

• Castle View bounces back with a 19 point win over Broomfield in the Fairview Festival tourney.
• The Bellos (FNE) were coming in playing good ball but Valor was having NONE of it earning their season opener by 37 in the Chap/T-Ridge first night of tourney play.
• Smoky Hill, No. 3 in 5A, showed no mercy jumping on Grand Junction 60-16 at halftime and just coasted after that…the Buffaloes are tough, folks.
• The Fever Crew was impressed by Arvada West early wins over Arapahoe and Castle View but then 3A Manual says “hold up!” taking down A-West 66-54 in the Fairview Festival. Manual putting 3A on notice with their early play!
• Highlands Ranch 4-1 early after taking it to Westminster by 40! Nice follow up to the upset of GW last week Falcons…
• Another class of 2021 sophomore stepping up as “rough & rugged” Noland Marold scored 18 points for No. 2 ThunderRidge in their 77-42 win over Legacy.
• Chaparral’s well documented overtime thriller over Fairview was SWEET and there was no let down as they began tourney play with a 15-point win over Rocky Mountain starting the first quarter with a 21-4 advantage sure helps!

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Mid-Week Thoughts

Waaaaay too early for some of our Ball Fever Crew observations…BUT — that never stopped us before! Grandview looks poised for a repeat the way they came out strong Tuesday and many have them favored. Not so fast though! Smoky, T-Ridge, Chap looking like they can catch you on any given night in 5A.

4A? Lewis Palmer and Longmont just came out the gates getting after it! But don’t sleep on 4A No. 3 Lincoln who took on a tough early season tangle with Grandview and have the athletes to go very far!

It’s early, but already so fun to follow! Get out and enjoy, folks…

Welcome back, hoop fans. Discussed with the Digital Media Guru, Ryan Casey, that the Fever Crew hadn’t had this much fun in the first three days of the season in a while.

Great getting back in the gyms and feeling the energy of the crowds for our student athletes. If the mid-week report was fun, the end-of-week report won’t let us down with more early season top-10 match ups and one of our top coaches hitting the 800-win mark!

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The Look Back

Thursday, Nov. 29

• Preseason No. 3 Pueblo West was tested by Palmer but pulled off the 4 point win. Check out the highlights here.
• There’s a “super soph” over at GW to keep an eye on and the Fever Crew has been blessed to spend a lot of time with this charismatic young man, Kendale Johnson Jr.. Kendale had “moments” in GW’s loss to Smoky early in the week but bounced back with his usual complete game in the win over Legacy with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in the Patriots 13-point win.
• Another 4A top-10 match up and everyone was curious to see how Cheyenne Mountain’s Javonte Johnson would follow up his early 40-point performance and he didn’t disappoint scoring 22 points and 16 rebounds for another “monsta” double-double as CM raced away from the Pueblo South Colts.
• Montbello (FNE) continuing to play well in the Highlands Ranch Tournament earning another win over Meas Ridge 71-49. D Davis Jr. led 14 Warriors in the scoring column with 14 points on the night. Getting everyone involved!
• In another top-10 match, this time the 5A version, with No. 6 Overland hosting No. 3 ThunderRidge the Blazers displayed their usual balance with 3 players scoring in double figures but the new look Grizzlies Bailey Verk was the man of the night dropping 23 points in the tough road win!
• Player of the Year candidate from 4A No. 1 Lewis-Palmer, Joel Scott, came out swinging with 25 points as the Rangers jumped out 21-3 over D’Evelyn in the first quarter and never looked back wining by 20!
• Dennis Pleuss covered Thursday’s 4A top-10 match up which started slow but ended in Coach Lou Vullo’s first win as the head guy for Golden.
• Pine Creek big over Sand Creek and the photos are here.
• No. 4 Holy Family brings it in game 1 of season beating Sierra by 19.

Friday, Nov. 30

• Air Academy got its second tournament win with senior Austin Graham scoring 16 matched by junior Tim Marshall’s 16 in the 2-point win over Pueblo Centennial.
• Liberty’s Dailin Smith put up 25 points in the tourney win over Ralston Valley.
• Senior Zach Sanders helped Cherokee Trail get back on track with 15 points and 9 rebounds leading FIVE Cougars who scored in double figures vs. Rampart.
• Not a double-double this time but Javonte Johnson kept his hot play rolling and Cheyenne Mountain unbeaten early with 22 points and 6 rebounds in the 58-56 win over Sunrise Christian out of Kansas in the Trojan Tournament!
• Poudre follows their upset of Denver East up with another solid win over Vista Peak in the Fossil Ridge tourney 64-52.
• Sophomore Kendale Johnson Jr. again leading GW with 18 points while senior big man Malik Patton added a 15 point, 12 rebound double-double in lopsided win over Mesa Ridge.
• Longmont, No. 2 in 4A, was down at halftime but used a 29-11 third quarter to flip the script on a tough Mead squad winning 77-64.
• Our top 10 “theme” continues this week in No. 4 Holy Family taking down No. 10 Golden in tournament play 63-46…impressive early blowout for Holy Family.
• Highlands Ranch sends Legacy to 0-4 and improves to 2-1 winning by 8 at home!
• Pueblo South will not remain in our 4A top 10 after a tough start this week including this surprising 76-26 beat down by Fountain Fort Carson led by 6’3 Keyshawn Maltbia who had 16 points, 3 steals.
• 5A No. 5 Denver East started with a surprising loss in game 1 of season but Kwane Marble’s triple double of 21 points helped fix that. FRESHMAN ALERT: East has a solid “frosh” named Langston Reynolds who will be a well know name in CO hoops before it’s done kicking in 17 points, 3 rebounds, & 6 steals!
• When you come out ranked No. 2 in the state you will get everyone’s best shot and that’s exactly what Fairview gave host Chaparral before the Wolverines held on for a tight 2-point double-overtime victory. Player of the Year Candidate Kobe Sanders hit a HUGE (deep) 3 that put this game in OT and when mom captures it on twitter that automatically gets into Ball Fever!

https://twitter.com/conniesanders/status/1068758038754934785

• Joel Scott has 52 points in his first two games of senior year and has No. 1 Lewis-Palmer looking good early as he tallied 27 points this night in tourney win over Centaurus.
• We talked about Thomas Jefferson’s scoring guard Darius Hornbuckle in the mid-week report and he kept his scoring was going with 17 but not enough to stop Castle View in a DOUBLE OVERTIME Denver Tip Off Classic tourney semifinal game. The Sabercats explode in second OT session winning by 10.
• Mountain Vista is unbeaten early and riding Ben Grusing’s 20 points per game and throttled Chatfield by 25 points in tourney play!

Saturday, Dec. 1

• Only two men can claim 800 victories in the state of Colorado and Rudy “Bubba” Carey is one of them! Our guy Brock Laue on the historic game.
• Taylor Harris with 20 points as Pueblo West takes the Pueblo County tourney!
• Javonte Johnson with ANOTHER 23 point, 11 rebound double-double but Keyshawn Maltiba led four Trojans in double figure scoring for the tourney win 66-54 for Fountain Fort Carson.
• Senior Joseph Urynowicz with a 25 point, 9 rebound effort for Rocky Mountain who closed out the weekend with a win over Chatfield.
• Darius Hornbuckle scores 21 and Logan Cecil 17 as Thomas Jefferson finishes the Tip Off Classic with a win over Prairie View.
• Poudre finishes off a solid week 1 with a 4-point win over Dakota Ridge in the Fossil Ridge tourney.
• Darnell Kindred drops 20 points for Pueblo East in their 4-point tourney win over D’Evelyn.
• Zach Krane’s 20 points and Luke Yoder’s 15 pushed host Fossil Ridge to a win on final day of their tourney over Vista Ridge by 4.
• Seniors led the way for No. 3 T-Ridge with Austin Holt scoring 16 and Kevin Sax 15 in the 20-point win for the Grizzlies over visiting Doherty.
• Ben Grusing poured in 26 points for Mountain Vista who had a strong first week closing out with a 60-46 win over Rock Canyon.
• Dachaun Davis Jr. also scored 26 for my beloved Warriors (FNE)! Nice 4-0 start for the Bellos!
• Owen Koonce’s 24 points has Centaurus at 2-1 after a 15-point win over Golden in tourney play.
• Upset City! Tough week for Highlands Ranch ended nicely with a 9-point win over 5A No. 9 GW Patriots…GW may not be in our top 10 long, folks.
• Another top 10 match up and the Fever Crew is always impressed with Overland’s non-conference schedule, always the toughest in the state. That continued Saturday at Regis with an 8-point road win at Regis.
• Longmont, No. 2 4A, is on a tear early, folks. Outscoring their first three opponents by almost 100 points week 1 and now 3-0 after thrashing Broomfield.
• More? Yes, more 4A top 10 action in No. 1 Lewis Palmer taking down Holy Family behind 21 points from Joel Scott!
• Chase Hettinger exploded for 31 points and 3 assists to close out our Ball Fever coverage for this week in the title game of the Lincoln/TJ Denver Tip Off Classic but it wasn’t enough to stop a talent-laden Lincoln Lancers squad who won the title of the inaugural tourney and James Felton finished as tourney MVP.

Denver Tip Off Classic 🏔🏀

MVP: James Felton pic.twitter.com/waXaj9SDQ7

— Lincoln Lancer Hoops (@LincolnHoops_) December 2, 2018

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The Look Ahead

Monday, Dec. 3

• Hot Chase Hettinger leads Castle View vs. Arvada West
• Denver South vs. Horizon
• Pueblo South seeks a win vs. Falcon
• Hinkley/Gateway for Aurora “braggin rights”

Tuesday, Dec. 4

• Holy Family vs. Evergreen
• Fossil Ridge & Poudre both unbeaten!
• Pueblo West & Sierra down south
• Rangeview vs. Prairie View
• HOT Longmont vs. D’Evelyn
• Coach Carey lookin’ for 801 vs. Standley Lake
• Douglas County opens vs. C. Trail
• Cherry Creek starts vs. Boulder
• The Bellos (FNE) 4-0 vs. Chatfield
• Mountain Vista 3-0 vs. Dakota Ridge
• Eaglecrest in Cali vs. Pacifica Christian (CDM Beach Bash)
• GAME OF THE NIGHT: No. 1 Grandview vs. Lincoln!

Wednesday, Dec. 5

• Smoky Hill vs. Grand Junction
• Valor opens vs. The Bellos (FNE)
• Rocky Mountain vs. Chap
• Tough task for Legacy vs. T-Ridge

Thursday, Dec. 6

• Fruita Monument vs. Arap!
• Denver East on the road vs. British Columbia (Great West Shootout)
• Windsor vs. Poudre
• Cherry Creek vs. Steele Knights in Texas!
• Columbine vs. Overland
• No. 1 Lewis Palmer vs. Sierra
• No. 2 Longmont vs. Thomas Jefferson
• Regis vs. Serra in Cali! (De La Salle Tourney)

Friday, Dec. 7

• Fountain Fort Carson vs. Widefield
• GW vs. Golden
• Northglenn vs. Rangeview
• Mullen vs. Lincoln

Saturday, Dec. 8

• Rangeview vs. Rampart
• Grandview vs. Rock Canyon!
• Columbine vs. Mullen

Is that enough action for you, folks?!! Get out and enjoy the Ball Fever…

Welcome back, hoop fans! We are excited to get Season 10 of Ball Fever started with the expert assistance of the “Digital Media Guru” Ryan Casey!

Our state is once again loaded with talent, stand out teams, and some sure surprises on the way in our big school 5A/4A boys hoops. Wait, we have a 5A top-10 match up to start the season?!! Let’s get to it…

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The Look Back

Monday, Nov. 26

CHSAA’s No. 4 ranked Smoky Hill Buffaloes invaded No. 9 ranked George Washington on the Monday after Thanksgiving! Something to be thankful for, indeed. Speaking with Coach Hardin of the Buffaloes prior to game he knew the Patriots would come out strong in Game 1 for their school, community, and pride.

He was right as Kendale Johnson Jr. and Jovon Nelson helped keep the Patriots close early but it was no match for the Smoky veterans Kenny Foster (Wyoming commit) and floor leader Quentin Rock.

Foster had 16 points at the half, which was a first half battle of who could penetrate and figure out their foes zone defense. Foster and Rock penetrated, slashed the gaps. Veteran leadership was the key in this 14-point season opening road win for Smoky and it really wasn’t that close!

Look for both of these squads to improve as their young players on both sides become comfortable on the varsity floor.

Other games:

• A fourth quarter surge led to an impressive road win for Boulder at Chatfield and Dennis Pleuss was all over it.
• Monarch also started the season off right with three players in double figures: senior Jack Ramsey with 13 and juniors Joey Covington (13), John Grigsby (11) joining him.
• Thomas Jefferson has a junior, Darius Hornbuckle, who can flat out put the ball in the whole but on this night his 12 points was not enough to counter Sierra’s Imani Grigsby and Isaish Wilburn who scored 17 and 15 respectively. The junior Grigsby added 9 rebounds on the night…that close to the double-double!
• Our 4A No. 3 Pueblo West had an early season battle down south vs. Sand Creek. This one was close the entire way but the Cyclones never relinquished a lead in the 78-73 win.
• Love seeing 3A DSST: Green Valley Ranch schedule a “big boy” school in Pomona early non conference play! Quite a stat line for DSST’s Elias Williams who went for 11 points, 10 rebounds (Double-Double!!), and adding a crazy 6 steals. It wasn’t enough to stop host Pomona who won 63-39, but way to go take on a challenge DSST. Ball Fever Crew approves!

Tuesday, Nov. 27

• The Bulldogs come out swinging and led this one from beginning to end as Brighton defended home court 82-51 over visiting Legacy.
• The Fever Crew has sighted our first “monsta” Double-Double of the week 1 in junior Javonte Johnson’s 40 points (74% from the field) 16 rebound effort for 4A No. 7 Cheyenne Mountain in their 34 point route of Widefield. Johnson just happened to go a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line as well. Quite a coming out party for the season. Javonte Johnson will be a name to keep an eye on…

Wednesday, Nov. 28

The Fever Crew “gas’d up the pacer” and headed to Parker CO for Legend hosting Eaglecrest.

We were poised and ready to get a peek at Raptor’s super soph Ty Robinson but due to “whistles a plenty,” Robinson had to spend long stretches on the Raptors bench but senior Aaron Bokol stepped up well and pace the squad in Robinson’s absence.

Impressions of the Titans? They have a 5-foot-10 guard (not quite 5-foot-10 but his HEART is!) in junior Cam LeVan who hit big outside shots and key drives to give the Titans a chance late but not enough as Bokol hit a late 3-point shot to give Raptors the lead and despite the foul trouble Robinson elevates and swats away the Titans last shot at a tie game. Legend always a tough place to play and the Raptors are a different beast with Robinson on the floor!

Other games:

• The annual Fossil Ridge Tip Off Classic tips off with Vista Ridge pounding Mountain View by 31 points.
• Not to be out done Rocky Mountain comes out and shocks Cherokee Trail 50-43 in game 1 of the Rock Canyon/Mountain Vista tourney.
• Senior Dailin Smith poured in 24 points for Liberty but not enough to stop Chatfield from bouncing back from their first tourney loss 62-55.
• NOT a good start for No. 5 Denver East losing in tourney play to Poudre 51-43. The Angels got 11 points from senior PJ Steed and 7 from Kwane Marble. The senior leaders will have to produce more!
• A senior to keep an eye on, Chase Hettinger, got Castle View off to a blowout victory in tourney play over Gateway.
• Logan Dexter scored 21 and Anthony Romero 26 for Mountain Range but not enough to hold off “the Bellos” (Far North East) who won the season opener 87-80 on the road.
• Soph Luke Yoder led all scorers with 23 points in Fossil Ridge’s season opening win over Thompson Valley.
• Smoky Hill looking to maintain their HIGH FLYING ways in 81-50 romp over Highlands Ranch

Smoky hill 81, Highlands ranch 50 pic.twitter.com/7Kl6mck8rq

— Smoky Hill Hoops (@SmokyHillHoops) November 29, 2018

• Lancers make a statement almost putting up 90 points in Denver Tip Off Classic opening win over Falcon!
• 4A No. 2 Longmont again flexed it’s early season muscle 67-26 over Erie.
• Denver South starts season with a 51-49 win at Conifer.
• Fever Crew has a feeling Rock Canyon will play this season with a “chip” on the shoulder after not being ranked in our preseason 5A top-10. They only opened up with a 87-25 “whippin” of Rampart!
• 5A No. 7 Regis closed out our mid-week coverage with a 69-37 thrashing of Boulder on the road. A large part of that overall 69 points was point guard Jamil Saffiedine’s 16 points and running mates Daniel Carr’s 16 point, 10 rebound Double-Double. Regis looks stacked with four more upperclassmen on the roster making major contributions.

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The Look Ahead

One of our CHSAA Partners, Colorado Preps, has done an outstanding job of compiling the tournament brackets/action all over the state that you may want to check out this Week 1.

Other non-conference action around town!

Thursday, Nov. 29

• Our Ball Fever guys Coaches McCoy, Gibbs, and Simental meet in Adams City at Highlands Ranch.
• Pine Creek hosts Sand Creek 719!
• Top 10Alert! No. 3 T-Ridge visits No. 6 Overland!

Friday, Nov. 30

• Longmont and Mead tangle early…4A top 10 Match!
• Monarch looks to go 2-0 vs. Standley Lake.
• Legacy and Highlands Ranch both looking for first win.
• Overland with 5A top 10 test number 2 as Rangeview visits!
• Arap starts off at Arvada West.

Saturday, Dec. 1

• GW hits the road south to Highlands Ranch!
• Mullen gets the season started vs. Lakewood.
• Overland visits Regis for their 3RD TOP 10 of the week!
• Broomfield & Longmont bruise it up Saturday evening….
• Stay tuned…and following along on twitter for updates of all the early tourney action!

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Mid-Week Thoughts

Could easily say this every year, hoop fans, but the Fever Crew really feels a fun ride coming again this season. Ball Fever will follow all the big school 5A / 4A action, track our CHSAANow Top-10 ranking results, and always be on the hunt for that stand out “stat-stuffer” impressive night from our outstanding athletes!

Get out and enjoy the Ball!

Well, folks, now that we’ve all had a little time to catch our breath from the action-packed Friday/Saturday hours spent at the Denver Coliseum for the 5A and 4A Final 4 end to the season.

I hope your were a part of the more than 8,000 fans who took in all the action, but if not, we have you covered with a look back, and we’ll also do our “way too early” look at next year.

And since it was so popular on Twitter, let’s take a stab at a 5A and 4A “All Tourney Team” along with a MOP (most outstanding player) from each classification. And as our post-title games Saturday night “twitter fun” reminded us, “We’re not talking about the entire season, and not lifetime achievement!” We’re just talking about the five IMPACT guys that impressed our Fever Crew. No disrespect to anyone’s game or season.

Let’s get the to good stuff!

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The Look Back:

5A Final 4

• Timely “stuff” from Caleb McGill and a whole lot of Dayne Prim launched Grandview into the title game over T-Ridge, Dan Mohrmann all over it.
• Coach Hammons of GW predicted it would come down to free throws and Brian Miller has this overtime thriller for the Patriots over top seed Rock Canyon.

4A Final 4

• Controversial call at the end of this titanic 4A match up, Lewis-Palmer’s tight two-point survival of Pueblo West.
• The top seed Pueblo South goes down in 4A as well with Longmont shooting the “lights out” and Brian Miller recaps it.
• Check out our photo gallery from the 5A and 4A action.

5A Championship

The first one is the sweetest and Dayne Prim put in some “inside work” to propel Grandview to their first ever state title win over George Washington who couldn’t find the range from outside.

• Game recap

5A All-Tourney Team

Selected players reflect the views of Thomas Trotman and feedback from the Fever Crew, not CHSAA or CHSAANow.com.

• Dayne Prim, Grandview (MOP)
• Jon’il Fugett, George Washington
• Tyson Gilbert, Rock Canyon
• Kaison Hammonds, ThunderRidge
• Ronnie DeGray III, Chaparral

4A Championship

Joel Scott, of Lewis-Palmer, led a fierce comeback in the fourth quarter for the Rangers but not enough to take down Luke Johnson’s Longmont crew.

Doesn’t get much better than championship joy! Check the photos here

4A All-Tourney Team

Selected players reflect the views of Thomas Trotman and feedback from the Fever Crew, not CHSAA or CHSAANow.com.

• Luke Johnson, Longmont (MOP)
• Joel Scott, Lewis-Palmer
• Marcell Barbee, Pueblo South
• Nieyeme Smeyer-Williams, Pueblo West
• Matthew Ragsdale, Lewis-Palmer

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The Look Ahead

When you lose a state title game there’s something that obviously buts a “burning in your belly” to return as we’ve seen in recent years. Next year, we totally see Lewis-Palmer, who returns their two leaders in Joel Scott and Matt Ragsdale, having this year’s experience to lean on in getting back to the title game. Our Fever Crew looks for a return from them.

In 5A, Chaparral almost returns its full roster and does return its impact players led by Ronnie DeGray III, who will not only carry the torch for Chap’s run next year, he will literally be carrying the torch as he was recently selected to the Team USA U18 squad that will be traveling to Germany to compete next month!

I’m very excited to say I have been selected to play with the USA U18 Select Team and will be traveling to Germany at the end of this month!🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/BPU7easd5q

— Ronnie ”RD3” DeGray III❄️ (@Ronnie_DeGray23) March 13, 2018

With DeGray’s running mates Kobe Sanders, Joseph Dalton, and Bryce Matthews all returning we see them back at the Coliseum and for more than just the Great 8 this time.

Thank you players and coaches for treating us to another outstanding season of hoops! You make it so fun to follow. And none of this happens without the support of my “left” hand man, “Digitial Media Guru” Ryan Casey.

Enjoy the offseason, folks.

Dare we say, TOO MUCH action to keep up with in our 5A/4A big-school early rounds?

Our CHSAANow staff couldn’t get everywhere so our Ball Fever Crew took a look at some of the games not covered in the early rounds. Here’s your early playoff recap and preview of the Sweet 16!

Let’s get to it.

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The Look Back

Round 1

• Steamboat Springs got the 4A winning started behind 21 points from Mac Rinicker and held Skyline to single digit scoring in three separate quarters!
• Speaking of DEFENSE, Mead held Littleton to single digit scoring in two quarters leading to an 8-point win. Derek Edwards led three in double digit scoring with 15.
• Centaurus, with Owen Koonce averaging 16 per game, pull off the win over Elizabeth by 3!
• Mark Struder’s 16 points lifts Conifer over Pueblo County.
• Luke O’Brien is a future CO star for Columbine and was “stat-stuffin” 28 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals in the win over Castle View.
• Jackson Hayslip scored 21 for Greeley Central who raced away from Battle Mountian.
• Mike Polson scored a “30-piece” for Mountain Range who held off Fountain Fort Carson by 4.
• Fruita Monument is on a mission to prove they belong in the 5A mix and Trey Morrill and Darren Davison combined for 30 points in blow out of Prairie View.
• Vista Peak started strong at home 20-8 over Standley Lake and held on for an 8-point round one win.
• Young soph Darius Hornbuckle scored 13 for Thomas Jefferson but only scored 16 second half points as a team and that wasn’t enough vs. visiting Erie who stormed back winning by 4.
• A Warrior will always battle to the end and Arapahoe forced Rangeview to overtime on the road but the Raiders exploded for 15 OT points to advance!
• If you like the “3-ball” you would have loved Bear Creek hitting 23 of them and running up 90 points on Lincoln…on the road! Manuel Perez dropped 33 points and hit TEN of those 3’balls!
• CJ Schmanski led FIVE Coyotes in double figure scoring in the tight 70-67 win on the road at Legend.
• Montbello (FNE) got the home win by 22 points and Malik Fofana may have had the dunk of the year with this WINDMILL

https://twitter.com/ThatManMalik__/status/966687047275524097

• Everyone contributed in Cherry Creek’s 29-point victory over Horizon. The Bruins are Centennial Tough…don’t look past them.

Round 2

• Our Fever Crew was intrigued to check out this Fruita Monument squad from the western slope we rarely get to see. It was WELL WORTH the drive to Broomfield where the host Eagles battled back from down 8 with less than two minutes left to send the game to overtime but “tough as nails” 5’9 Blake Anderson nailed this three pointer with .5 left to give Fruita the win. Reilly Flinn scored 27 as well…this is a balanced and tough squad!

• Slow start for the host Buffaloes finding themselves down 20-9 in the first quarter to Fairview but they stormed back with a vengeance winning by 27!
• Windsor flexed their tough 4A muscle shutting out Steamboat Springs in the 4th quarter winning 46-31.
• Dawson Carper and Xavier Johnson combined for 28 points sending our beloved “Bellos” FNE home 64-40.
• Bryce Matthews scored 18 and soph point guard Kobe Sanders was “stat-stuffin” 12 points, 2 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals for Chap!
• Top 4A seed Pueblo South dismantled Conifer by more than 30 showing they are serious about this Coliseum return!
• OK, Mr. Kountz! Daylen enters the playoffs with a 32 point performance for East in 12 point win over Dakota Ridge.
• Palmer Ridge had just enough to advance past Holy Family.
• The Grizzlies have many who can step up and on this day it was senior Justin McCaw’s 23 points which help T-Ridge pull away from Greeley West easily.
• Columbine hung tough early but Rock Canyon pulled away heading to the Sweet 16 with a 29-point drubbing of Columbine.
• Whoa! Connor Staib with a huge 32 points for Mountain Vista in the win over Chatfield and the Eagles will need that next round vs. Chap!
• D’evelyn with the “thrilling” 1-point win over Mead.
• Longmont continues hot streak with 30-point win over Cheyenne Mountain.
• Tucson Redding with 19 for Overland vs. familiar foe Mullen in the Trailblazer win.
• Grandview beats C-Trail behind Dayne Prim’s 25
• Centennial squads are battle tested come tourney time and Eaglecrest showed that to Rangeview in 13-point win.
• George Washington continues the winning streak and cooled off Bear Creek in 76-54 home win.
• Jamil and Elijah “backcourt” combine for 28 for Regis
• Silver Creek put an end to Erie’s run by 10.
• Junior star Joel Scott continues to make a claim for 4A Player of the Year scoring 33 points in Lewis-Palmer’s home win over Sierra
• Big man Alijah Bates scored 12 points, pulled down 5 rebounds and had an impressive 8 assists for Doherty who took down Poudre by 12.
• Reece Warren poured in 21 points for Falcon in win over Fort Morgan.
• Football stud Dimitri Stanley controlled the game for Cherry Creek and scored 20 points as the Bruins went into Highlands Ranch for the light upset.

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The Look Ahead: Sweet 16 Preview

5A Sweet 16

Chuck Williams Region:

• Rock Canyon earned a tough road win at Eaglecrest by 6 back on Dec. 5. This is a much more mature Raptors squad this time around but the game is in the comfy Jags Den this time! Advantage RC!
• Two more teams in for a rematch as Regis won round one back on Dec. 1 at home vs. Overland. As we have documented this is a very different and “confident” Trailblazers squad this time around. This will come down to the wire, again.

Richard Tate Region:

• ThunderRidge absolutely rolled Greeley West and Fruita Monument had a tough overtime battle at Broomfield. Who does that benefit? After seeing Fruita Monument for first time they are balanced inside and out and actually similar to T-Ridge. A star will make the difference in this one!
• We can’t really call Cherry Creek beating Highlands Ranch an “upset” but the Bruins were impressive in controlling the game most of the way. Won’t be quite as easy as the Bruins head to Doherty and a team playing with extreme confidence and possibly peeking at the right time. Do the Bruins have an inside answer to match Doherty?

Chauncey Billups Region:

• Familiar foes, again. Mountain Vista let Chaparral jump out to a 24-6 first quarter lead in their house in round one. They will have no chance if they let Chap get off to that type of hot start at home. Don’t see Chap not advancing here, but Staib did just score 32!
• Another rematch? Yep! Grandview beat Rampart in their house by 9 in mid-December. We know Grandview is a more well oiled machine at this point and it’s yet to be seen if we can say the same about Rampart. And this time it’s in the Wolves’ den!

Maceo Broadnax Region:

• We were here this time a year ago. We felt like the Sweet 16 was a little too soon for two teams with the athletes of Smoky Hill and East to be playing. Well, forget that, it’s just time to get it on. There will be above-the-rim play, star players, seniors giving it their all … the best Sweet 16 match we have!
• Can George and East be in for a “city showdown” at the Coliseum? Well, obviously there’s a lot of work to be done before that but our Fever Crew feels it is just too tall of a task for Liberty to keep GW from getting there.

4A Sweet 16

Larry Brunson Region:

• Strong win for Montrose over Centaurus but top seed Pueblo South is a whole other story and they are on a mission!
• We LOVE a “rubber match” and Evergreen/Valor have split games so far by a total margin of 9 points…this will be an epic trilogy.

Mark Randall Region:

• Another? Another “rubber match”? Lewis-Palmer and Palmer Ridge have also split games this year but this one is for all the marbles, and it’s a rivalry matchup.
• Silver Creek and Widefield both 20-4 and averaging 68 points per game. Very similar! Do the stars Trent Dykema and Tre Pierre make the difference?

Guy Gibbs Region:

• Ponderosa has their Continental League vs. top 5A squads to lean on but now face hot, senior led Golden and 4A Player of Year Candidate Adam Thistlewood.
• This is a Ball Fever “upset alert.” Watch for Devin Nelson and Mesa Ridge in this one. Pueblo West has the experience but have struggled in the biggest games this year.

Ron Vlasin Region:

• Not many teams as hot as Longmont and Luke Johnson at this point of the season. Windsor is tough and also stakes the claim of “blue collar.” If you like a slug fest, this is your spot!
• Falcon has the big names in Reece Warren and Brendan LaRose but D’Evelyn is battled-tested through league play and finding ways to stay alive … something will have to give.

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Undoubtedly, the best time of year! And there’s nothing like the Great 8 at the Coliseum but we have some awesome Sweet 16 action before that arrives.

Get out and enjoy, folks!

Another fun and exciting season is in the books, hoops fans. Our final two weeks were full of overtime excitement, individual “monsta” performances, and leagues that came down to the wire, final games.

Let’s hope its a sign of whats to come over the next few weeks!

Our 5A final RPI standings were a bit controversial as many felt the great performances of George Washington beating Denver East for the DPL “city” title and ThunderRidge defeating Rock Canyon, becoming the unbeaten Continental league champion, were not rewarded in the final seeding. The Fever Crew sees GW as “slighted” the most in the scenario, as they were very deserving a top 4 seed.

The 4A RPI played out a little bit more as expected. Many down south are hopeful of an early season rematch of Pueblo South and Lewis-Palmer but other top 4A squads Golden and Longmont look poised to perhaps disrupt that plan!

Those who follow Ball Fever also know we don’t think this is a rare time for Colorado hoops, but a result of numerous factors leading to good basketball being played on our high school courts.

We saw numerous teams hold the No. 1 spot in 5A and 4A this season which speaks to the parity and high level ball being played.

The buzz about Colorado hoops is legit and we can thank a growing basketball community for that from our peewee rec leagues to competitive club ball, increasing individual personal training opportunities, and truly dedicated high school staffs.

The basketball product hitting the Colorado hardwood is improving and colleges of all levels are taking notice!

We have even started a little tracking of the college players with our Ball Fever “College Watch” on Twitter at @BallFever_CO_Tr.

Great time to be a part of Colorado hoops … let’s get to the madness!

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Class 5A

Chuck Williams Region

We traditionally start in the region of the top overall seed and that is Rock Canyon! The Jags made a tremendous early run holding the state’s No. 1 spot for many weeks and they hope they didn’t peak early as they want to repeat some of last year’s magical run but finish with the title this year.

We called their senior leadership of Gilbert, Masten, and Williams, “The Firm.” They were a large part of last season’s run and are poised to play a big role again. The Jags thrive when Sam Masten and Tyson Gilbert are slashing/play-making and Williams does all the dirty work down low.

Favorites:

Rock Canyon is the top seed here for a reason. Will be tough for anyone else to emerge but the Jags will likely see a “Centennial Tough,” battle-tested Eaglecrest squad early if the Raptors can advance past winner of Rangeview/Arap.

Watch out for:

Ken Shaw? Yes, anytime Coach Shaw’s Regis Raiders are on your side of the bracket one should take notice. Almost a shame that Overland and Regis could see each other so early because the Fever Crew felt coming in that Coach Danny Fisher’s Blazers (a squad that peaked after tough early comp!) is also capable of upsetting anyone on a given night.

Richard Tate Region

Checking the social media feed there were definitely those who felt the top seed in this region, ThunderRidge, were worthy of the overall No. 1 seed. Hard to argue that but after a closer look at the region, Grizzlies fans may not be so upset … the Grizz are in a nice spot with the Fever Crew seeing them roll to Sweet 16 match vs. Doherty.

Favorites:

T-Ridge stands out in what seems to be a very favorable spot. Honestly, on paper, it’s just hard to imagine the Sweet 16 match we spoke of above not happening in this region. If it doesn’t someone has pulled off a MAJOR upset.

Watch out for:

Highlands Ranch, in at the 10 seed, will get all they want from Centennial Cherry Creek if that matchup plays out. Our main “watch out” squad here, though, is Doherty, which has won 14 of its last 16 and those were to Regis in overtime and a 5-point loss to Denver East. They can play with anyone and would like nothing more than a shot at T-Ridge if they both take care of business along the way.

Chauncey Billups Region

The B-B-B-Billups Region will be represented well by top seed Chaparral. The Wolverines hope to get sharp-shooting wing Joseph Dalton back soon to join fellow junior stud Ronnie DeGray III, who has had a player-of-the-year type last couple months! But be careful Wolverines, there’s an early possible match with a familiar foe Mountain Vista, and as the saying goes, “It’s always hard to beat the same team twice.”

Favorites:

Chaparral is joined as a favorite in this region by Grandview, which is on a six-game winning streak and has the athletes to compete in any style game. A possible Continental/Centennial showdown? We shall see.

Watch out for:

It’s been a couple of years now that the Fever Crew has been advised of the “size” and improvement of this Rampart squad. Well, it’s time to make that run if you want to show you belong, Rams! Don’t look past the “Bellos” (FNE) either … they are a feisty squad who won’t go down easily.

Maceo Broadnax Region

Goodness! There must be a region that seems a little tougher than the other three and this year it’s the Broadnax Region. Our Fever Crew feels GW earned the right to the top spot here, but it’s Denver East who could be in for another Sweet 16 match with ultra-athletic Smoky Hill (they danced last year as well!).

Favorites:

George Washington isn’t off the hook at the bottom of the bracket, where a potential match with Liberty looms. Liberty has won eight of their last 10 games and those two losses are by a combined 5 points to Rampart/Doherty. If the Patriots and Angels want to settle things one more time, they have a lot of work to do before that happens.

Watch out for:

Smoky Hill’s athleticism and exciting play is unquestioned but there have been some head-scratching losses right when you thought they were ready for a run. They match player-for-player with any squad in the region … is this the time it all comes together?

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Class 4A

Larry Brunson Region

Can the 4A football player of the year help lead his squad to the 4A basketball championship? Marcell Barbee, a two-sport stud, has a great opportunity to do that for the Pueblo South Colts. The Colts ran through their 4A League whether home or away and our top dog, right now.

Favorites:

Pueblo South is joined by two teams that have remained in the 4A top 10 most of the season in Evergreen and Valor. But only one can advance for a chance at No. 1 P-South should they advance!

Watch out for:

Keep an eye on a tough Elizabeth squad that was in the top-10 more than once and currently on a four-game winning streak.

Mark Randall Region

Speaking of “stud” 4A players, Lewis-Palmer has a Player of the Year candidate in Joel Scott who is averaging 18 points, 7 rebounds per game for the Rangers, who spent a large chunk of the season as our No. 1.

Favorites:

It gets tough IMMEDIATELY for Lewis-Palmer with a potential Round 2 match-up vs. Mesa Ridge, which beat them 50-41 earlier this season. L-P is on a 8 game winning streak on our favorite here.

Watch out for:

Two teams to watch out for may face each other in bottom half of this bracket: Silver Creek and Widefield. Silver Creek has an undisputed lethal scorer who we have covered a lot in 6-foot-4 “do-it-all” senior Trent Dykema, who averages 24 points per game and fill ups the full stat sheet nightly. Widefield is 19-4 overall and a senior heavy squad that won’t want to lose.

Guy Gibbs Region

Need more 4A star power? How about 23 points, 8 rebounds per game from Golden’s Adam Thistlewood. The Demon’s off/on court early season turmoil is well documented and could be just the thing to unite the squad for a late season run.

Favorites:

Pueblo West joins Golden in this region as a familiar postseason squad but they split this year with Pueblo East and that matchup could happen again.

Watch out for:

Don’t automatically “pencil” in that Pueblo West/Pueblo East trilogy quite yet because Discovery Canyon, which is limping in to the playoffs, has been tested vs. 5A/4A competition. Eager, as well, to see Glenwood Springs, which only lost four games this season and went undefeated in league play. They’re out west so we confess they are an unknown who can make this interesting.

Ron Vlasin Region

RPI has Falcon and their four-game win streak coming in as the top squad in this region. However, if you’re looking for that 4A team that might feel a bit slighted in seeding look no further than Longmont (21-2, 14-0 league champs).

Favorites:

Longmont suffered a mind-boggling late-season loss to Skyline but this blue collar crew will likely use that to propel a run.

Watch out for:

Toughest 4A region in our opinion with tough squads capable of pulling upsets: Thompson Valley, Windsor, Mead … all teams with experience that you cannot look past.

[divider]

Ok, hoop fans! Wednesday it all starts.

The RPI/Human Element/Better System debate is always interesting and no system will be perfect. The Fever Crew is just happy that our young basketball stars now have the chance to quiet the rhetoric and settle things on the court … the way it should be.

The Cream Will Rise! Enjoy…