Category: Ball Fever

Welcome back, hoops fans! Pretty cool experience to share as I was blessed with the opportunity to go on the XFinity Sports Report with host Brian Roth for a little 5A/4A hoops “Round Table” this week. Check it out:

Week 1 of the 2018 season didn’t let us down and this week’s early action is producing some surprises and upsets already. Let’s dive right into the action…

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A Look Back

Monday, Jan. 8

• Big game of the night was GW visiting Chaparral fresh off Chap’s take down of Denver East three nights earlier. The Patriots came out ready and with parity across the board boasting five players in double figures led by Mo Diallo (double-double of 18 & 12!). Our guy, Coach K (Kevin Keyser), has your photo journalism…
• When we saw this score of 75-26 come across the timeline we simply yelled, “ouch!”. The states No. 1 squad Rock Canyon not only showed their scoring prowess putting up 75 (26 from Tyson Gilbert!) but they got EXTREMELY DEFENSIVE holding Columbine to 6 points or less in three quarters and only 8 in the final stage. Quite an impressive and complete game from the Jags!
• Cam’Ron Dunfee kept Douglas County in their recent winning direction scoring 25 points for the Huskies in 12-point win over Brighton.
• Don’t look at Overland’s record and think you have an “on paper” win. The Trailblazers have faced one of the toughest early season schedules and it’s starting to pay off early 2018 as they notch another win this time over Rangeview with senior Tucson Redding pacing three double figure scores with 16.
• Many know of strong sophomore guard Ty Foster over at Lincoln but they had another soph step up big in their win over Prairie View with TJ Bamba scoring 21 points along with 7 rebounds.
• Denver East was likely ready to return to the court after their loss at ThunderDome to Chap last Friday and Lakewood took the brunt of the Angels fury going down 80-68. Daylen Kountz with another 27 point effort!

Tuesday, Jan. 9

• How about a 40 point win leading to Coach Jeff Kloster’s 400th Longmont career win?!! Our Ryan Casey has your details.
• Deja-vu? The Patriots with another FIVE players in double figures as they claim perhaps the best back to back two-day performance our Fever Crew has seen this year. A night after beating No. 4 Chap by 16 GW traveled again to No. 6 Regis and knocked off their second top-10 team in as many days!
• Jamil Safiddiene busted open with 26 points for No. 6 Regis but D’Auntray Pierce and Mo Diallo dominated the paint combining for 26 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks!
• Sindou Cisse continues his strong senior session for Montbello (FNE) and scored 17 in the Warriors 9-point win over Thornton.
• Trent Dykema and crew have Silver Creek undefeated and up to No. 2 in our latest poll. This night they kept the streak alive on the road at Greeley Central 66-58.
• Boulder was down 4 to start the fourth quarter but 20 points from Davis Kang helped the Panthers secure the tight 50-49 comeback vs. Legacy.
• Fever Crew is again impressed by Coach Boykins’ Huskies and DougCo took down Lincoln 56-52 at home with Cam’ron Dunfee and Brendan Temple both in double figures.
• Liberty is knocking on the 5A top-10 door and senior Moz Dora scored 22 as they trounced Palmer by 18!
• Holy Family dropped to No. 7 in 4A after picking up a fourth loss but bounced back this week with a 23 point win over Berthoud.
• We’ve sighted a “30-piece” from Rampart senior Josh Kavalec but not enough points to keep Fountain Fort Carson from pulling off the road win by 4!
• Junior Chase Hettinger was right at the doorstep of “30” scoring 28 in Castle View’s 13-point win at Prairie View.
• In a lil “A-Town visiting D-Town” battle, Denver South left no doubt pounding Aurora Central 73-45!

Wednesday, Jan. 10

• Pueblo West coming in as No. 6 in 4A rankings pulled away from St Mary’s with a 10-point second quarter advantage and never looked back for the 16-point victory.
• Ummm…Uhhhh…I believe we mentioned before to not sleep on these Trailblazers! Coach Fisher, again, mounted the troops and knocked off No. 8 Smoky Hill with Tucson Reddings 18 which led three Overland players in double figures. Overland is STILL a strong factor in “Centennial Tough” hoops!
• Speaking of Centennial League, Mullen and Cherry Creek looking to prove that they are here, “NOW” and not just rebuilding! This was an excellent back and forth overtime battle Creek edged by 1, 77-76!
• Well, Hello! Highlands Ranch, 9-2, has broken into our 5A top-10 and start their top-10 run with an easy “W” over Hinkley 58-29.
• Valor is 5-6, but still ranked in our top-10, and they showed why, taking down No. 4 Golden. Dan Mohrmann was all over it!
• No. 1 Lewis-Palmer, with 4 players in double figures, showing what they can do beating Falcon by 26! Matthew Ragsdale with 19 in this one…
• Dayne Prim, and the No. 2 Grandview Wolves, must be getting familiar to his 14 point, double digit rebound performances! This one led to a 14-point win at C-Trail.
• Sooo Glad the Fever Crew was catching Bear Creek’s winning way early! Dennis Pleuss has you covered on how things are shaking up in Jeffco!

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Midweek Thoughts

Wide open? Seems we have this talk annually in our big school ball but this week certainly made 5A feel that way.

Don’t fall in love with your rankings or early thoughts/impressions of squads. We’ve seen top teams who did well out-of-state stink it up upon their return and teams who are “eye opening” after tough out of state trips.

The theme we see is consistency, and there are a few “cream of the crop” squads showing that type of effort/energy/depth.

Wow! This is going to be a fun run to March!

League play, here we come…

Welcome to 2018, Happy Hoops Year! The break is over and despite some opinions, believe us when we tell you, the level of big-school hoops has not dropped a bit.

Let’s take a look at the “wide open” scene in 2018!

Tuesday, Jan. 2

• Sand Creek and Palmer got things started for us in the new year and the Terrors squeaked out the win 80-76.
• Mikail Zaidah and Brendan Temple scored 14 points each for the Huskies as Douglas County continues to show legit improvement beating Columbine by 14 on the road.
• No. 5 Grandview still unbeaten in CO, kept the hot streak alive with a 15-point road win at Mullen. Junior Dayne Prim broke into the new year with a 27 point, 9 rebound effort!
• Valor dropped out of the 4A top 10 and had a rough trip to Las Vegas but they return with a win at home 69-61 over Mead. Jeremy Randle with 19 points!
• The Fever Crew sees you Wyatt Stratmeyer starting 2018 with a 25 point effort for Berthoud in the win over Erie!

Wednesday, Jan. 3

• The Regis backcourt of Saffediene and Martinez went to work on Cherokee Trail.
• Silver Creek, 4A No. 4, remains unbeaten with senior Trent Dykema continuing his amazing scoring average of 27 points per game and 26 points in this win over Northridge by 13.
• Tommy Gonzales’ 25 points helped Greeley West hold off Aurora Central’s late run winning by 2.
• No. 1 Rock Canyon rolls to a 20-point win over Mountain Range powered by Sam Masten’s 26 and Tyson Gilbert’s 17. State’s No. 1 squad didn’t miss a beat after break.
• Speaking of not breaking stride, 4A No. 1 Lewis Palmer had four players in double figure scoring led by Joel Scott’s 19 in the win over Sand Creek.
• Tanner Baird’s 19 points lifted 4A No. 5 Holy Family over Skyline by 29 points!
• Senior Cortney Dean, Denver South’s leading scorer, carries a heavy load for the Rebels and was rewarded with this 9News highlight in the win vs. Castle View

.@DSOUTHAthletics got a big win at home tonight over Castle View, beating the Sabercats 53-45. We'll have full highlights this weekend on the 9NEWS Prep Rally. But, for now, check out this dunk in the 1st quarter from senior Cortney Dean! #copreps #9Sports pic.twitter.com/W8bwMEY7gy

— 9NEWS Prep Sports (@9Preps) January 4, 2018

Thursday, Jan. 4

• Three Bruins in double figures and Cherry Creek moves on to 7-3 over C. Trail.
• Senior Erik Grossaint joined Trent Dykema in double figures this time as Silver Creek “left no doubt” thumping Pueblo County 80-41.
• Nieyeme Smeyer-Williams doing a little bit of everything again for No. 9 Pueblo West beating Colorado Springs Christian by 20!
• Our Fever Crew talked about No. 6 Grandview’s balance before and this time they upset Smoky Hill with four players in double figure scoring led by Dayne Prim’s 15 to go with 8 rebounds, 3 assists in the top 10 match! Grandview’s run brought out the cameras in their HOME win

It was a top 10 matchup at Grandview tonight! And, No. 6 @Grandview_HS won in front of its home crowd over No. 2 @Smokysports. We'll have more highlights/reaction this Saturday morning on the 9NEWS Prep Rally! #copreps #9Sports pic.twitter.com/LPqldoKepO

— 9NEWS Prep Sports (@9Preps) January 5, 2018

• No team has faced as tough of an early schedule as Overland and they continue to stride in the right direction going into a tough Eaglecrest gym coming out with a win by 16 highlighted by Tucson Redding’s 22.
• Adversity can crush a team or bring them together. Our Fever Crew looks for Golden to play inspired ball and they come out of the break with a 10-point win over rival D’Evelyn with Adam Thistlewood “Stat-Stuffin” 25 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals!

Friday, Jan. 5

Our Fever Crew got over to the ThunderDome Friday night for a classic “city vs. suburbs” top 5 match up! Denver East hosted Chaparral in an electric atmosphere that was treated to high flying dunks, “deep 3’s”, and a Wolverines team that proved it had no fear in visiting the “east side.”

Despite some wonderfully skeptical foul calls on Ronnie DeGray III, which eventually fouled him out, he showed why he is the rising star scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Simply couldn’t be stopped on the inside where East has a lack of depth/size.

Speaking of stars, the Angels’ Daylen Kountz didn’t disappoint using that mean left-hand inside-and-out, pacing East with 28 points.

When DeGray fouled out early fourth quarter you could feel the Angel relief and belief that this was the time to make the run.

The Angels vaunted defensive pressure did pick up, but the Wolves crafty point guard Kobe Sanders along with sharp-shooter Joe Hayden found the holes in the press. Hayden showed he could do more than just shoot 3s, scoring on the inside and running the floor for a dunk which added to his 25 points in the Wolverines impressive 81-76 win.

Wolves win? They Dance!

Big time road win tonight over Denver East 81-76. Total team win. @josephdalton44 lead the way scoring 25, but big time contributions from everyone. Side note, Chap is 1-0 this year and 4-0 over all when Coach @trues10 has worn the red pants. Wins = Dancing pic.twitter.com/5ofk6mePkv

— Chap Hoops (@Chap_Hoops) January 6, 2018

• Trent Dykema scores 19 and Silver Creek caps an impressive first week of 2018 with 11-point win over Steamboat Springs.
• 4A No. 9 Pueblo West notches another win over a 5A squad 63-56 on the road over Fruita Monument.
• Sounds repetitive, but the duo of Masten/Gilbert step up huge again on the road scoring in double figures and No. 1 Rock Canyon flexed its muscles putting a 30-piece on Rangeview in their house.
• Longmont closed 2017 as No. 6 in 4A and looking to rise after a 17-point home win over Mountain View.
• GW played tough on the road and Mo Diallo scored 18 in the absence of fellow big man Tray Pierce but not enough for the Patriots to get over the hump in No. 5 ThunderRidge’s house where seniors Cruickshank, Hammonds, and McCaw led the Grizzlies to a 4-point close one.
• Lewis Palmer jumped out to a 9-point first quarter lead and then were steady behind Joel Scott’s 19 points in the 13-point win over visiting Vista Ridge.

Saturday, Jan. 6

• Watch out for these Trailblazers late in the season…they have faced a brutal schedule and are returning to their winning ways.
• Dan Mohrmann has you covered for the Pueblo West last-second heroics on Saturday!
• Shooting 72% from the field will bring you a “30 piece” and Regis Jesuit’s Sam Bannec claimed his Saturday in a win over Lincoln.
• Earl Boykins Jr. did a little shining of his own scoring 17 points in Douglas County’s road win at Gateway.
• Goodness! That good looking soph Luke O’Brien was at it again for Columbine with a “monsta” double-double of 22 points and 15 big rebounds in the Rebels win over Pomona.
• If you’re going to pull off an upset of a top 5A team you will need a senior leader to take the reins and that’s exactly what Deon Barfield of Cherokee Trail did scoring 19 points with 9 rebounds and 4 assists in the Cougars surprise overtime win vs. Smoky Hill. The Buff’s second loss this week will have them slide a bit in our rankings.
• Grandview is powered by juniors and soph’s but they are not waiting for the future to claim their place in Centennial action! This time juniors Dayne Prim and Tyler Unger scored 17/15 respectively in the 8 point home win over Arapahoe. Look for the Wolves to land in the top 5…and they’ve earned it.
• No. 2 Golden closed the week hot as well 80-47 over Wheatridge and Adam Thistlewood poured in 22.
• No let down for the Ball Fever No. 2 5A squad Chap after their big win over East as they almost cruised by 50 over Hinkley!
• Valor had a tough trip to Vegas over break but are bouncing back with 18 point win over Green Mountain charged by Hunter Shkapich’s 23.
• Trent Dykema not only has Silver Creek on one of the hottest streaks in the state he also kept the score keepers sweating adding up his 32 points as part of the teams 87-78 win over Roosevelt.
• Brendan Sullivan is averaging 23 points per game for Highlands Ranch and he closes out this week’s coverage as the Falcons beat Fossil Ridge by 15.

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The Look Ahead

Monday, Jan. 8

• Douglas County & Brighton.
• Young Columbine vs. Veteran No. 1 Rock Canyon!
• Rangeview vs. Overland that is better than record.
• Chaparral (unbeaten in CO) takes on GW!
• Denver East won’t be happy vs. Lakewood.

Tuesday, Jan. 9

• Montbello (FNE) & Thornton.
• Silver Creek unbeaten vs. Greeley Central.
• Legacy/Boulder action!
• A Central vs. Denver South.
• GW taking the City to Regis!

Wednesday, Jan. 10

• Highlands Ranch quietly 8-2 vs. Hinkley.
• Grandview & Cherokee Trail, A-Town!
• No. 1 Lewis Palmer vs. Falcon.
• Vista Peak & Pueblo South.
• Golden & Valor 4A fun!
• Smoky looking to get right @ Overland.
• Mullen/Creek! Who takes the #CentennialToughStep??

Thursday, Jan. 11

• Silver Creek rollin’ but here’s tough Thompson Valley!
• Longmont vs. Greeley Central.
• Lincoln travels to A-Town & Aurora Central.
• Liberty & Rampart? Someone gets a 4th loss!
• Denver South rides down to Pueblo East.

Friday, Jan. 12

• Holy Family vs. Windsor…somethin’ has to give!
• Smoky Hill/Mullen meaningful Centennial?
• Valor/D’Evelyn reunion….
• Douglas County & H Ranch in southern improvement!
• Chap CANNOT take Mountain Vista light…
• Sweeeeet Continental Regis & T-Ridge!
• Cheyenne Mountain tries to blemish Lewis-Palmer.

Saturday, Jan. 13

• D-South with another road trip to Holy Family!
• Green Mountain/Littleton with your 1pm action.
• Will Golden stay hot at Standley Lake!??
• Overland/C Trail athletes for braggin’ rights.
• RC Jags & Dakota Ridge.
• Mead & Longmont never let you down, fans!
• GW & Rangeview in 5pm Denver/A-Town tilt!
• Grandview looks to Centennial Tough Eaglecrest.
• TJ @ Highlands Ranch.
• No. 1 Lewis Palmer & Pueblo East close out the week!

From our Ball Fever Crew view there was little to no rust on our big school courts after the break! The ball is only getting better…get out and enjoy!

Welcome back, Fever fans! Our midweek report captured some solid local action as well as the start to numerous CO squads heading to Vegas.

Let’s see how it all finished up!

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The Look Back

Thursday, Dec. 21

• Overland, at the Tark Classic in Vegas, was surely the best win-less team on the docket. Seniors Daijon Smith and Goy Wang ensured they didn’t remain that way scoring 23 and 21 respectively in the Blazers in the 17-point win over Wilson out of our nations capital, DC.
• Bingham, Utah has been a perennial contender nationally but George Washington wasn’t impressed as they earned the win 59-54 in Las Vegas. Confidence building win for the Patriots and 6’10 D’Auntray Pierce stepped up in the clutch with a huge block, rebound, and late score to help seal it.
• Junior Abdul Locke’s 11 points helped Thomas Jefferson get the Cherry Creek Holiday Classic off on the right foot with 4-point win over Fossil Ridge.
• Young sophomore K. Maltbia puts up 28 points for Fountain Fort Carson but Connor Staib scored 29 for the victorious Eagles as Mountain Vista takes their first win by 19 at the Creek Tourney.
• Five players ran it up and scored in double figures from Sierra Vista (NV) and they pulled away from Valor Christian by more than 20 in Vegas.
• Junior stand out Dayne Prim was feeling it and scored 24 points where Grandview put a hurting on Durango (NV) in Vegas 75-43.
• Whoa! Cherry Creek was an extremely unkind tournament host busting Pine Creek by 42 points in the tourney opener!
• Is there a such think as Coach Carey’s Angels quietly trucking along? Two local tourney titles under their belt and they start the Vegas Tourney 60-43 over Desert Pines with Daylen Kountz scoring 21.
• Senior Devin Collins led three Raiders in double figures with 14 but not enough to slow hot Smoky Hill who hasn’t lost in the state and big John Harge again turned up his play late in the fourth quarter in this win and is averaging 15 per game. Smoky wins by 9 on the road for A-Town “braggin rights!”.
• No. 9 Pueblo West held Windsor to a 4-point second quarter and that was a big part of the 7 point win with Nigel Smeyer-Williams scoring 21.
• A top 5 4A match did not disappoint! Holy Family and Pueblo South battled until the last minute with South pulling out the 67-63 win.
• Cherokee Trail stunned No. 5 ThunderRidge early, up 5 on the road but the Grizzlies jumped on senior Kaison Hammonds back and rode to a 51-41 win. Hammonds led all in scoring with 13.

Friday, Dec. 22

• • The first quarter started off close but that was the only thing close about Regis Jesuit’s rout of Hinkley!
  • Grandview’s in and out of state hot streak came to an end but they were in it “til the end” falling 62-59 to Rancho Christian CA in Las Vegas. Daijon Smith carried a heavy load again scoring 21 in the loss.
  • Senior Tyler McGinnis scored 19 for WIndsor who seems to always be in it late but not enough as Pueblo South gets an impressive 8-point win on back to back nights!
  • Dynamic duo of Daylen Kountz and Kwane Marble were magic again for the Angels who knocked off Salem Hills Utah and this time Marble led with 26 points. The Angels are balling.
  • Devin Carter, a good looking sophomore, is leading the Patriots at 10 points per game but not enough in Vegas vs. Pasadena CA who beat the Patriots by 12.
  • Chaparral was the victim of a mysterious late call that gave the Vegas opponent 3 free throws with no time left in the previous game and that lit an absolute fire in Ronnie DeGray III who scored 32 points leading the Wolverines to a 20-point statement over Marantha from CA. Wolverines win = DANCING!!

Good bounce back win today with a 78-58 win over Maranatha from California. @Ronnie_DeGray23 with 32 points. Winning = Dancing. Seniors, show us what you’re working with…oh and @tannergiles22 wanted to get in there too ⏸ pic.twitter.com/qmu03eNRpR

— Chap Hoops (@Chap_Hoops) December 23, 2017

• • Rangeview went into our beloved Sitting Eagle gym and got the win, never easy! The best part of this December day this is Coach Jansen’s tradition of the annual alumni game…Continuing to build that Warrior tradition!

Alumni game #4. 8 teams. Class of 80-2017. Great night being with old players, reconnecting, and seeing the men they have become! Why you coach! Relationships. pic.twitter.com/dKwyJ5icQH

— Brad Jansen (@coachjansen) December 23, 2017

• Mountain Vista playing well again and this time Ben Grusing scored 19 as the Eagles destroyed T. Jefferson by 30 in the Creek tourney.
• Darius Price led four Bruins in double figures with 15 but didn’t get Creek in the title game of their tourney as they lost to Legend by 4.
• Smoky HIll, No. 2 5A, closed out their early season with a home floor party and Vista Peak was the unwanted guest losing by 27.
• Senior Ben Boone’s 17 points helped Grandview to continue streaking with an overtime win over Sheldon CA by a tight 2 points.
• Feels like a repeat from the previous day and those two East Angels, Kountz & Marble, both score in the 20’s again and roll our states No. 4 squad into the Tarkanian Classic Silver Title game with 4 point win over Desert Vista Arizona!

Saturday, Dec. 23

• Nice 21 point effort from Valor’s Hunter Shkapich but the Eagles took a few lumps on this Vegas trip losing again by 21 to Bountiful out of Utah.
• Chap caught two Vegas heart breakers early but bounced back with two impressive wins, the last of which was over Carver AL by 9.
• FRESHMAN ALERT: Cherry Creek took their anger of not being in the Holiday Classic title game out on Thomas Jefferson pounding them by 30 and class of 2021 Chase Penry scored 10 points and added 8 rebounds.
• Soph Caleb McGill stepped up with 10 points for Grandview but their run in Vegas came to an end with a close 2-point loss to Southwind of Memphis TN.
• Conner Staib was the picture of consistency averaging 15 points per game and helped Mountian Vista win the title of the Cherry Creek Holiday Classic, winning by 10 over Legend.
• In our end of the week finale Denver East ran into a tough kid, Cyrus Johnson from Culver City CA, who scored 25 points and pulled down 5 rebounds to deny the Angels a Silver Division title of The Tarkanian Classic and handing East it’s first loss of the season. The Angels are back, strong as usual.

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Thoughts at the break

Wow! What a start to the early season. No doubt that the growth of Colorado hoops has been on display in and out of state.

Our Fever Crew is heavily involved in club ball and we couldn’t help but notice that many of the players who are performing well in Las Vegas, Utah, California are doing so because this is nothing new to them! Our young men have played on the Bishop Gorman floor, Tarkanian Academy, Desert Pines, etc…on a very high/competitive level and it warms our heart to see the high school programs investing in this travel which exposes our teams to elite competition in a different and unique way.

We’re not even halfway through but if the post season started today give us Rock Canyon, East, Smoky Hill, and Chaparral as the four “1 seeds” and let’s get it on!

In 4A Lewis-Palmer still looking like the cream but Pueblo South won’t forget that early loss and Holy Family/Golden will have a lot to say before it’s all said and done as well.

Stay safe and warm out there, folks. Our Fever Crew can’t wait to get out to more games and will return in 2018! Peace.

The midweek Ball Fever report gave us a glimpse of the non-league, tourney action, and CO teams traveling out of state.

Let’s finish up with one top squad winning a tourney in California, Golden’s journey to Alaska, Fairview in Cali as well along with a ton of good in-state stuff!

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The Look Back

Thursday, Dec. 14

• Dan Mohrmann caught the ultra impressive No. 1 Lewis-Palmer as they slowed No. 3 Pueblo South in a 4A top-5 match.
• Dennis Pleuss with the coverage of Castle View getting things turned around in the Columbine tourney.
• The Greeley tournament has kicked off as well and Fruita Monument’s Trey Morrill scored 16 points as the Wildcats took down Mountain View out of Loveland.
• Faiview pulled off a 6-point win over Albany (CA) while traveling!
• Lincoln got a much needed win over Cheyenne East (WY) despite junior Erik Oliver scoring 25 for the guys from Cheyenne.
• Senior led squad at Rampart and the guard combo of Xavier Johnson and Josh Kavalec combined for 48 points in the win over Denver South.
• Pueblo West, No. 6 in 4A, didn’t have enough for Palmer’s juniors Isaiah Robinson (18 points) and Darien Meyers (22 points) in the Terrors 11-point win.
• Senior C. Tolentino poured in 22 points for Fountain-Fort Carson as they got the jump on Monarch by 15 in the Columbine Tourney.
• Adam Thistlewood said “hello!” to Alaska with 18 points and the Demons showed CO teams can play some defense, winning 77-36.
• Eaglecrest had four players in double figures led by soph Zion Ruckard’s 13 in the 18 point win over Fort Collins.
• Our No. 1 squad Rock Canyon let the state of CA know they were “in the house!” as they opened with an 87-29 win over Pacifica in their west coast tournament.

Friday, Dec. 15

• No. 8 Regis unleashed on Lakewood in a blowout …
• Columbine lost another close one! This time in OT to Monarch.
• “Braggin rights” on the line down south in Sierra vs. Sand Creek and the Stallions used a 29-14 fourth-quarter advantage to lock down the win with Derrian Reed’s 22 point, 9 rebound effort!
• Competition got tougher for the No. 1 Jaguars but that didn’t stop them as Sam Masten scored 26 for Rock Canyon in the 18 point win over Buchanon from Clovis CA.
• Top-10 5A Friday night action is lovely and Overland visiting ThunderRidge did not disappoint as the game was tight the entire way through but Grizzlies senior Justin McCaw scored 23 helping No. 5 T-Ridge keep the advantage here. Overland 0-4 but no team has played a tougher schedule in the early season.
• Watch out for young sophomore Isaiah Hayes, who put up 17 points for Rangeview in a tight 3-point win over Cherry Creek. Bright futures for both of these young squads!
• Our Fever Crew had an eye on this one as Ponderosa came in hot and 7-0 but ran into an angry Pueblo South (No. 3 in 4A) who had just lost to No. 1 Lewis-Palmer the previous night. Well, lets just say Pondo’s unbeaten record did NOT phase the Colts as they one by a one-sided 69-32!
• Highlands Ranch got extremely defensive holding Lincoln to single digits in three of the four quarters blowing the Lancers out 65-33.
• Golden, No. 2 in 4A, got a much tougher test in Alaska on this night pulling out a 2-point win over Ketchikan with seniors Joe Madsen and Jack Moore scoring 14 points each.
• We have a “monsta” double-double sighting from Montbello’s (FNE) senior Malik Fofana who scored 21 points and added 16 rebounds in the Warriors 17-point win over Westminster.

Saturday, Dec. 16

• • Saturday’s biggest bang was made by 5A No. 1 Rock Canyon who won the title game of the 15th Annual “Clash on the Coast” in CA. Senior UNC Greeley hoops commit Sam Masten, scored more than 20 points in his third straight game en route to being named tournament MVP after the final 70-42 win over Westlake. Way to represent CO Rock Canyon Jags!
  • Buzzer beating action in Arapahoe/Dakota Ridge caught by Dennis Pleuss!
  • Our Fever Crew has Chaparral ranked as high as No. 2 and they haven’t let us down staying unbeaten with an exciting last-second finish on this nice “dime” by Ronnie DeGray III to seal the win over always tough Eaglecrest.DeGray finished with another 21 point, 11 rebound double-double.

Final bucket of the game. @Ronnie_DeGray23 with the unselfish and pretty assist to @tizzylewis1. Ronnie had 21pts, 11reb, 4ast. Tizell had 12pts. @kobesanderss had 10pts and 5ast. pic.twitter.com/BnQZrC34sD

— Chap Hoops (@Chap_Hoops) December 16, 2017

• Grandview has faced a tough non-league schedule early and stayed on the winning track beating Rampart by 8, led by senior Ben Boone who scored 18 points and was perfect from the 3-point line.
• George Washington, No. 4 in 5A, lost this week in their first Aurora visit but not in visit number two at Hinkley, who they humbled 75-17. Sophomore Devin Carter led in scoring with 13 and senior D’Auntray Pierce took care of the paint with 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 big blocks!
• Columbine hosted their annual tournament and closed out the week with a solid win over Fountain-Fort Carson 52-31 with seinior Braxton Baum scoring 14.
• No. 5 ThunderRidge only has one loss to a tough Chap squad and they continue the early season run as they cruised to a 71-32 thumping of Ralston Valley.
• Broomfield with a 27-point statement over 4A No. 5 Holy Family! Big win for the Eagles.
• Fairview dropped to 3-4 on the season after a heartbreaking 1-point loss to Sacred Heart Prep of San Francisco 86-85. Strong overall trip to CA for the Knights!
• Another tough end to a looooong road trip where Golden lost a tough 74-72 game to Ketchikan in Alaska and it took overtime!
• Highlands Ranch closed out the P2P Winter Tourney with an 11-point win over Cheyenne East.
• In the final game of the week Alijah Bates 16 points helped Doherty hold off Legend who tried to battle back with a big fourth quarter but fell short by 3.

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The Look Ahead

Monday, Dec. 18

• Two improved squads in Douglas County & Bear Creek!
• Gateway travels to Columbine.
• Wheat Ridge & Kennedy both winning early.
• Widefield vs. Pueblo West!

Tuesday, Dec. 19

• Heritage/Arapahoe annual tilt!
• Windsor, 5-1, at Greeley West.
• Up North! Horizon & Legacy.
• Fort Collins & Boulder always fun.
• Smoky Hill vs. Rocky Mountain.

Wednesday, Dec. 20

• Grandview vs. Carver (Alabama) in Vegas.
• Valor vs. Oak Ridge “Cali” in Tark Classic, Vegas.
• Overland vs. mighty Bishop Gorman, Vegas.
• George Washington draws CA’s Chino Hills in Vegas.
• 6-0 Chap vs. Camarillo in Tarkanian Classic, Vegas.
• Brighton/Cherokee Trail.
• Douglas County & Palmer.

Thursday, Dec. 21

• Fossil Ridge & upstart 6-2 Thomas Jefferson
• M. Vista/Fountain-FC @ Creek Tourney!
• Legend/Broomfield as well, Creek.
• Cherry Creek hosts Pine Creek.
• East in Vegas faces Desert Pines (NV).
• Smoky Hill invades Rangeview, A-Town fun!
• C Trail & T-Ridge, both with 1 loss…
• Holy Family/Pueblo South heavy weights in 4A.
• Windsor & Pueblo West.

Friday, Dec. 22

• Windsor & Pueblo South will be a bang!
• Pueblo West vs. Holy Family top 10 4A.
• Rangeview vs. Arapahoe.
• Aurora Central @ Legacy.
• Vista Peak & Smoky Hill tangle.
• A ton of Vegas action to follow as well!

Saturday, Dec. 23

• Big School Vegas action in the Tarkanian Classic! Games TBD by how our CO teams do in early tournament action!

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We have some cold weather coming according to the reports. Wouldn’t it be nice to be in Vegas?

We have a feeling our CHSAA squads will once again represent well while on the road!

Enjoy, folks.

Hoop fans! We are settling into the early season quite nicely and the eyebrow-raising performances continue.

The week started with two opponents combining for 88 in the same game and our No. 1 squad in the state headed off to California.

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The Look Back

Monday, Dec. 11

• If someone ordered up a “50-piece,” Jaedon Bowles of Manual High School has your order ready! Ryan Casey covered the explosive scoring night from both squads on Monday.
• Horizon came in with only one loss and used a 30-point fourth quarter to almost pull off the comeback but Mountain Range got 22 points and 5 rebounds from Brandon Romero to seal the 3-point victory.
• Cherry Creek defense stood up in the fourth quarter of this one to hold Monarch to only 7 points en route to a 22-point win with young soph Sebastian Cole leading the way with 18!
• This was wasn’t on our radar but the Spartans stepped up at home beating Valor by 2. Young soph Darius Hornbuckle scored 15 and big man Logan Cecil led with 18.
• Silver Creek, up to No. 4 now in our 4A poll, trounced Standley Lake with senior Trent Dykema scoring 27.
• Tremendous balance on display for Eaglecrest who beat Boulder out west by 20 points with no one scoring in double digits! Total team effort.
• Valley (of Gilcrest) traveled in to face Aurora Central and the Trojans were unfriendly hosts winning by 36! Junior Kaleb Atherly scored 18 in the win.

Tuesday, Dec. 12

• The Fever Crew “gas’d up the pacer” and headed out to Columbine hosting Liberty on this night. This was the tale of Liberty’s veterans vs. Columbine’s youth! Moz Doria’s 18 points and Jacob Burns 11 (huge fourth quarter for both seniors) helped get the Lancers the road win. The Rebels have a bright future with a trio of sophomores contributing in a major way on varsity led by Luke O’Brian who scored 24 in the loss.
• It’s been a while since the Lions won this neighborhood battle but don’t look now! Littleton is 5-1 and senior Jason Levy scored 27 points in the close 3-point win.
• Rough start for Rocky Mountain but Dennis Pluess covers how they’re starting to turn it around with win over A-West.
• Longmont comes in at No. 9 in 4A this week and start with a 22-point win over Centaurus.
• Lewis-Palmer is our new 4A No. 1 and continue their hot streak taking down Vista Peak by double digits with Joel Scott locking in a “30-piece” of 33 points!
• Our Fever Crew is expecting big things from this Chaparral team and we have them ranked high! Another 20-plus night for Ronnie DeGray III at Arapahoe which is not an easy place to pull off a 15-point win!
• Speaking of “30-piece’s”, ThunderRidge is No. 5 this week and beat Lakewood 81-51 in the lopsided win.
• Another “don’t look now!”, but Ponderosa is undefeated and got another double digit win over Sand Creek this night.
• D’Evelyn by 13 over Thompson Valley…
• Douglas County and Mullen both looking to build new b’ball cultures and the Huskies protected home court by 10 with junior Brendan Temple clocking 20 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists!
• 4A No. 6, Pueblo West, traveled to 5A Lincoln and pulled off a close 2-point win and senior Pierre Taylor led the way with 18 points.
• Holy Family is now our No. 5 squad in 4A and they won a nice non league challenge vs. 5A Sierra 54-47. Derrian Reed again scored 27 but it wasn’t enough for the Stallions.
• In true Regis Raider “balanced” fashion they had 5 players score in double figures in the home win over Fort Collins where Tama Tuitele and Matt Wheelock didn’t miss a shot…perfect from the field!
• Pueblo South continues their early roll (ranked No. 3 in 4A) and beat Falcon by 12 points largely due to a 25-8 third quarter advantage. Two-sport stud Marcel Barbee scored 30 points in the win and our guy Jon Miller caught this amazing dunk!

Ladies and gentlemen
Meet Pueblo Souths very own
Marcell Barbee pic.twitter.com/CMVEGUpohc

— Jon Miller (@J_Mills78) December 13, 2017

Wednesday, Dec. 13

• The big one of the night, possible Game of the Week candidate, was No. 4 GW visiting No. 3 Smoky Hill. Smoky returning from a nice run in Great Western Shootout/Utah and GW who lost early to No. 1 Rock Canyon but no losses since. Great to see Kenny Foster back on the floor for Smoky after an injury in Utah for the Buffs and his 15 was matched by young point guard Quentin Rock’s 15 to lead Smoky to the home win. We might see these two again late season! John Harge submitted a “POSTER” dunk and added 13 points for the Buffaloes.
• Our state’s No. 1 team has safely landed in California for the “Pacifica Clash on the Coast” and their first draw was the Yellowjackets from Oxnard. The Jags pulled off another close win 51-48 in the tourney opener. With poised seniors like Sam Masten and Tyson Gilbert it’s no mystery that the Jags are “clutch” in late game situations. Will be fun to follow how they progress! Sam Masten averaging 21 per game so far…
• Legacy came in unbeaten but it was Brighton who improved to 4-1 after a big 65-42 win!
• Vista Peak got a much needed 16 point win over Centaurus.
• Senior Lucas Rosen scored 14 for Green Mountain but not enough for No. 9 Longmont who won by 19 on the strength of a 21-12 first quarter.
• No. 4 SIlver Creek is playing a fast paced form of ball and it took them to 3-0 with the 67-60 win over Erie.
• Cherokee Trail is relying on two seniors heavily this year and that veteran leadership led in the win over young Rangeview. Seniors Deon Barfield, 10 points, and fellow senior Tyson Rodgers scored 16 for the Cougars.
• Our Ball Fever beloved Warriors were in need of a win and glad to see Coach Jansen’s Arapahoe crew bounce back with a 63-56 win over Arvada West in Sitting Eagle gym!

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Midweek Thoughts

It sounds cliche but there are some high-level hoops being played early in our state. Ultra impressed with the underclassmen contributing so soon on the varsity court!

“Props” to our entire hoops community of trainers, clubs, feeder teams, and JV/Freshman programs for that! The hard work is being witnessed on the floor and what our teams are doing out of state.

Don’t want to jump too far ahead but we have almost 10 teams traveling out-of-state next week and can’t wait to see how they fare.

Tonight? It’s cold, weather is a factor, but I bet that Lewis-Palmer gym will be “72 and Sunny” as No. 1 Lewis-Palmer’s Joel Scott battles No. 3 Pueblo South’s Marcel Barbee!

Enjoy, folks.

The early week games didn’t let us down where action is concerned. Now lets get to the rest of Week 2, which provided more in-state tournament action and top squads traveling to Utah and California as well.

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The Look Back

Thursday, Dec. 7

• Mesa Ridge and Sand Creek got our tourney started play and the Grizzlies handed the Scorpions their second loss winning big by 24 points! Devin Nelson averaging 17 points per game early.
• Jack Olson’s 16 and J. Stapleton’s 18 helped Legacy beat Westminster by 23 points in the Ralston tournament. Nice scoring from two juniors!
• Brendan LaRose brings us this week’s first “Monsta” double-double scoring 26 points and pulling down 16 rebounds in Falcon’s tournament win over Vista Peak by 2!
• Another great effort by a Colorado team on the road in Smoky Hill beating previously unbeaten Timpview Thunderbirds 64-58. Great start to the Great Western Shootout in Utah for Smoky!
• Speaking of taking care of business on the road, Regis headed west to the De LaSalle Tournament (CA) and got a 57-52 win over St Patrick-St Vincent with senior Peyton Egloff’s 12 points leading in the scoring column.
• Evergreen starts their local tourney action, the Paul Davis Classic, with a win.
• The Fever Crew got to see Rampart up close and their only loss was to GW in tourney play week one. They move to 4-1 with a solid win over Montbello (FNE) which came down to the wire 75-73. Sindou Cisse put up 21 for the Warriors but Josh Cavalec’s second game this season with 24 helped Rampart take it.
• 4A Preseason No. 2 Pueblo South got an overtime scare from Widefield but held on to win by 3 in the extra stage.
• Ponderosa, hosting their own Invitational this week, earned a 15 point win over visiting Mitchell.
• Dennis Pleuss caught Centaurus playing “spoiler” in the Paul Davis Classic.
• Rock Canyon is taking on an aggressive non league schedule that you can only love to see the consensus No. 1 team take head on! This night was a trip to always electric Overland where Tucson Redding scored 18 for the home Trailblazers but it wasn’t enough for the senior “firm” of Gilbert, Masten, and WIlliams who again all scored in double figures. The Jaguars have stepped up as the 5A team to beat early!
• Another top team very active early is Golden who holds on in another tough one advancing to 5-1 early with a hard fought overtime win vs. Longmont. Adam Thistlewood averaging an early double-double of 23 points and 12 rebounds, folks!
• Boulder went into Mountain Vista unbeaten but suffered their first loss when senior captain Conor Staib scored 13 for the Golden Eagles.

Friday, Dec. 8

• It took TRIPLE OT for Horizon to get the win over tourney host Ralston Valley.
• Ashton Rogers 16 point, 11 rebound double-double was big for Coronado in the win over Mitchell.
• Senior Caden Sehr’s 17 points helped Legacy roll in Ralston Valley tourney and cap a 15 point win over Standley Lake.
• Derrian Reed with another big outing dropping 25 points on Denver South in the Stallions tourney win over the Rebels.
• What are the Bears cooking? Bear Creek won the first and fourth quarters by 12 points leading to a 26-point victory over Arapahoe who has been competitive early. Senior Manuel Perez with 20 in the win.
• Shareef Robins was perfect from behind the three point line and scored 28 points leading Lincoln over Grand Junction in tourney play.
• Sophomore Luke O’Brien continues to shine bright scoring 14 points for Columbine who shut down Heritage on the road 65-28.
• Senior Elijah Martinez scored 14 for Regis as they won another game on the road in Cali holding off Serra from San Mateo 53-50.
• Chaparral jumped out 26-12 in the first quarter vs. Valor and never gave up the lead winning 80-60.
• Grandview came in as No. 10 in the preseason poll and are looking to rise finishing off a nice week 48-27 over Rangeview. Lock down defense!
• Deven Nelsen scored 16 but Pueblo South looks hungry to return to last year’s ways winning by 11 in tournament play.
• Our Fever Crew reported an electric atmosphere at Overland as George Washington came in for Denver vs. Aurora classic that came down to the wire. We have a “monsta” double-double alert for Tray Pierce who scored 16 points pulled down 14 rebounds and added a “rim protector” 7 blocked shots for the Patriots who won the game by 2!
• One of our favorites, Victor Garnes Jr., hasn’t joined the squad yet after football but Eaglecrest continues its strong play. Seniors Branden Bunn and Kenny Thrower both score 15 in the easy win over Chatfield.
• ThunderRidge continues the hot start early this time beating Doherty by 17 points in tournament play. Justin McCaw 13 and Kaison Hammonds 14 in this one.
• Adam Thistlewood will be a force to stop in 4A hoops, folks! This night he went for a 24 point, 11 rebound double-double in the Demons 11 point win over Conifer.
• Smoky Hill was in for another national test vs. Wasatch Academy in the Great Western Shootout. Smoky played tough, without one of their stars Kenny Foster, but WA stretched the lead out late winning by 22.
• That duo of Marble and Kountz was at it again for Denver East scoring in double figures. The Angels beat Arvada West by 11 in the Faiview Festival.

Saturday, Dec. 9

• Young soph LaDarius Mays scored 21 for Coronado as they got a solid tournament win over Vista Peak.
• We talked about the youth coming for the Bruins and soph Sebastian Cole scored 16 for Cherry Creek who beat Lincoln by 13.
• Senior Luke Johnson scored 19 for Longmont as they look to stay in the 4A top 10 after tight 3-point win over D’Evelyn.
• Doherty bounced back with an overtime win by 6 vs. Valor with Demarious Carey “stat-stuffin” 18 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals!
• Pueblo South, now 5-1, closes out the Steel City Shootout with a 16 point win over Sand Creek.
• Big man John Harge stepping up big for Smoky Hill again out in Utah. The Buffaloes beat Timpanogos by 14 to close out their trip, with Harge averaging 14 points and 8 rebounds.
• Regis’ California run came to an end with a 3-point loss but senior Sam Bannec was in a groove scoring 18 in the 3-point loss.
• Two teams that may just be working their way into our top 5 this week played in the Chap/T-Ridge tourney. Chaparral is unbeaten and ThunderRidge had an excellent showing in CA and home before the two met Saturday. Junior Ronnie DeGray III is doing a little bit of everything for the Wolverines and Joe Dalton is hot from the 3-point line early this season. DeGray averaging 21 points thus far. Kaison Hammonds foul trouble didn’t help but this win by Chap was a credit to their overall team defense!

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The Look Ahead

Monday, Dec. 11

• Cherry Creek vs. Monarch.
• Horizon, 5-1, vs. Mountain Range.
• Eaglecrest travels to Boulder!
• Valor, 1-2, looks to get even vs. Thomas Jefferson.
• Castle View sitting at 4-1 hosts Palmer.

Tuesday, Dec. 12

• Littleton and Heritage for “braggin” rights!
• Centaurus vs. Longmont.
• Fort Collins with a trip to Regis.
• Fossil Ridge vs. Mountain Vista.
• Liberty at Columbine.
• Sierra vs. Holy Family in rare match!
• Mullen vs. Douglas County.
• Chap and Arap tangle!
• Pueblo West vs. Lincoln.
• Doherty vs. Dakota Ridge.
• Ponderosa unbeaten welcomes Sand Creek
• Pueblo South & Falcon is nice!
• Vista Peak vs. Lewis Palmer (4-0)
• Chatfield vs. Montbello (FNE)

Wednesday, Dec. 13

• 5-0 Legacy vs. Brighton.
• Green Mountain vs. Longmont.
• Broomfield vs. Highlands Ranch.
• Rangeview and Cherokee Trail in A-Town!
• Aurora Central vs. Boulder.
• No. 1 Rock Canyon heads to CA vs. Oxnard!

Thursday, Dec. 14

• Thompson Valley vs. Mullen.
• Northfield heads to Windsor.
• Fort Collins vs. Eaglecrest.
• No better 4A than Pueblo South/Lewis Palmer!
• Rampart vs. Denver South.
• Golden in Alaska! vs. Metlakakla

Friday, Dec. 15

• Legacy vs. Prairie View.
• Castle View vs. Fountain Fort Carson.
• Boulder vs. Arvada West.
• Regis vs. Lakewood.
• Rangeview vs. Cherry Creek.
• Overland (0-3 vs. Tough comp) now gets T-Ridge!
• Ponderosa vs. Pueblo South!
• Douglas County vs. Liberty.
• Golden vs. Ketchican on their travels!

Saturday, Dec. 16

• Eaglecrest vs. Chaparral is good for your weekend!
• Grandview vs. Rampart, good too…
• T-Ridge vs. Ralston Valley.
• Holy Family vs. Broomfield.
• Doherty vs. Legend if you need a later game!

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This is going to be a fun week, folks! I haven’t voted but let’s take a shot at 5A action:

1. RC Jags
2. Chap
3. Smoky Hill
4. Denver East
5. T-Ridge

4A, you ask? No rankings, haven’t seen enough yet … but get yourself to Pueblo South/Lewis-Palmer this week!

Enjoy the hoops, CO!

Week 1 certainly didn’t let us down and we now dig into more early season tournament and non-league battles! A few times are rising to the top early…but has anyone really been tested yet? Let’s check out the mid-week action!

Monday, Dec. 4

• Broomfield got the "Fairview Festival" tourney off to the right start beating Palmer by 19 points. Seniors Justin Berry with 13 and Devin Martinez 11.
• Fresh off their tourney success in Fort Collins, Denver East is also in the Fairview Festival and beat Sierra soundly by 30 points with FOURTEEN players getting in to the scoring column led by Daylen Kountz’s 21!
• Arvada West used a 20-8 second quarter advantage to control Denver South and win in the Fairview Fest tourney 55-46.
• Coach Calvin McCoy made his return to the sidelines of Adams City but Pomona ruined the homecoming party winning on the road 55-28.
• Preseason No. 10 Grandview jumped out to a 27-8 first quarter advantage and just kept on trucking in their debut win 80-43 over Brighton. Junior Dayne Prim led the scoring with 16 for the Wolves.
• Sophomore Jalen Paige scored 16 points for Fairview as they kick off their tourney putting a "30-piece" on Hinkley 80-50.

Tuesday, Dec. 5

• The Fever Crew made it out to Gateway’s home opener vs. Cherry Creek! The Bruins did not get the memo of Gateway playing well out west at the Grand Junction tourney and jumped all over the Olympians early and often! Bruins are led by senior Demitri Stanley and have some talented youth that will bode well for the programs future! Three players in double figures on this night… check out the "Action Shots" here
• The Ralston Round Up tournament is under way and Mountain Range more than doubled Standley Lake 71-35. Two juniors, Brandon Romero and D. Wright scored 18 points each.
• Chatfield off to a rough start this year and Monarch sent the Chargers to 0-3 with a 64-58 win at home.
• Avery Remboa scored 30 points but it wasn’t enough to stop Pomona from making it 2-0 this week with the 82-77 home victory.
• Junior Andrew Sepeda carried a heavy scoring load for Greeley West scoring 26 of the teams 56 points in 7-point win over Wheatridge.
• 4A Preseason No. 1 Golden took a loss week 1 but bounced back impressively beating 5A Fossil Ridge by 15!
• Senior Malik Fofana helped Montbello (FNE) continue their strong start to the season scoring 26 points vs. "ol skool" DPL foe Manual.
• Rampart lost an early tourney game to GW but have looked strong since and strong senior Xavier Johnson’s 21 led to the 9 point win over Vista Ridge.
• The Fever Crew saw this as a possible "game of the week" candidate and No. 1 Rock Canyon’s 3-headed senior monster of Masten, Gilbert, and Williams all scored in double figures to help seal the tough road win at Eaglecrest. Senior Morgan Brown scored 17 inside for the Raptors in the loss who played well without a couple of football studs who haven’t joined quite yet.
• Rangeveiw has to play a strong non league schedule and they continue to roll early as Devin Collins scored 14 points in the 13-point win over Dakota Ridge.
• Ralston Valley got serious on "D" in the fourth quarter holding Legacy to only 4 points in the final stage but not enough to complete the comeback as they lost by 1. J Stapleton with 13 points and 3 rebounds in the win.
• Preseason No. 5 in 4A Holy Family was not joking around and took Niwot to the wood shed 65-28!
• GW bot back on track with a blowout up north 86-39 over Poudre. FRESHMAN ALERT: Kendale Johnson paced the Patriots with 16 points, 6 rebounds in the win!
• We have another "30-piece" sighting from Fort Collins senior R. Oligmueller who scored 30 (4 three pointers) in the Lambkins win over Aurora Central.
• How do you get six players in double figures? Score 98! Coronado pulled out a "can of whoopin" on Sand Creek winning 98-66 with senior Ashton Rogers scoring 21.
• Preseason 4A No. 3 Pueblo West took a loss to Cheyenne Mountain 72-68 and junior N. Bassett led all scorers with 19!

Wednesday, Dec. 6

• Derrian Reed kept his hot streak going scoring 18 in Sierra’s win over Palmer!
• Valor made a statement in the Chaparral Tip Off Classic with a 75-58 win over Cherry Creek. Valor might be moving up from that No. 8 spot in our preseason poll!
• That Doherty tradition of senior led deep squads seems to be right on track as the Spartans took down Lincoln in the T-Ridge/Chap kickoff tourney 68-49. Senior Kyrel Benford led three in double figure scoring with 15.
• CU Commit Daylen Kountz was once again the lead man for Denver East as the Angels continue to roll early. This night it was 62-48 behind Kountz’s 21 points at the Fairview Festival!
• ThunderRidge will be moving up our rankings after their run in California and coming home to a 91-20 win over Grand Junction in tourney play! Yes, 91 is impressive but our Fever Crew who watched this one stress that "D-FENCE" is the staple of this crew. Kaison Hammonds with 25 on this night!
• Another squad that has our full attention is Chaparral! Only a couple games in but they are healthy and look good again beating Rocky Mountain by 13 in the Tip Off Classic.

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Midweek Thoughts

It’s very early, folks! So, a little free-style off the top our Ball Fever dome brings Rock Canyon, East, Chaparral, and ThunderRidge in 5A ball.

We haven’t forgot you, Smoky Hill! The Buffaloes had easy CO games before heading out of state for tourney play so we’ll closely watch that.

Rock Canyon? Early test? Check!!

Denver East? Undefeated…all on the road in tourney play…and well, Daylen!

Chap? Watch these guys…Ronnie DeGray III as versatile as they come and he’s assisted by a smooth point guard in Kobe Sanders.

T-Ridge? Kaison, Kaison, Kaison…Hammonds is the real deal and gives his all on both ends of the floor.

We’ll be digging into 4A a little more in coming weeks as well but most impressive so far = Lewis-Palmer!

Lots of action still to be viewed this week, folks! Get out and enjoy the hoops!

Welcome back, hoop fans! We are excited to get Season 9 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. Let’s get right to the Week 1 action …

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Wednesday, Nov. 29

• The Fever Crew got the season started at the Rock Canyon/Mountain Vista tournament where our CHSAA 5A No. 3 squad George Washington got things started vs. Rampart. The Rams started strong surprising the Patriots with an 18-11 first quarter advantage. Hawaii commit 6-foot-11 Dawson Carper scored 12 and senior Josh Kavalec 18 but not enough as the Patriots turned up the defensive intensity with senior D’Auntray Pierce blocking numerous shots and soph Devin Carter bringing energy on both ends of the floor leading GW in scoring. FRESHMAN ALERT!: Keep an eye and ear out for Kendale Johnson Jr. of the Patriots. Scored 8 points in his freshman debut and if the roster didn’t read “FR” no one would know it.
• Our 4A No. 4 Lewis Palmer, ruined the “Return of Ranson” on opening night.
• Denver East will call on Daylen Kountz, CU Boulder commit, and junior Kwane Marble heavily this year and they didn’t disappoint scoring 24 and 14 points respectively as the Angels show out early beating Vista Ridge by 28 in tournament play.
• It took an 18-0 late run for Douglas County to chase the Chargers!
• Arapahoe started off FAST 17-2 in first quarter and held off tough Monarch behind 14 points from Denzel Valerio in tournament play.
• Aurora Central was down 10 early to Skyline but 18 points from junior Jayden Robinson helped the Trojans start 1-0 with the 64-59 win.
• How about 11 players in the scoring column and 3 scoring double figures for 4A preseason No. 3 Pueblo West who rolled to a 82-64 win over Harrison.
• The Coach Bob Caton era has begun at Mullen with a nice win over Lincoln for the Mustangs. Junior Christian Davis was “en fuego!” from deep draining 7-8 three pointers for the Mustangs in the 85-79 win.
• Two veteran, senior heavy squads got their season started in Fort Collins as Denver South visited for tourney play. The Sabercats pull of the tight 2 point win behind Ben Weiner’s 15 points. Senior Courtney Dean scored 15 as well for the Rebels.
• Our preseason 5A No. 2 Smoky Hill came out strong behind their big men John Harge (15 points) and Will Becker (17 points) beating Brighton 70-38.
• ThunderRidge starting the season in out-of-state California play take down Ocean View (CA) 73-64. The Fever Crew reports that coaches from UC Santa Barbara were in to view senior guard Kaison Hammonds and he didn’t disappoint scoring 19 in the win!
• Preseason No. 1 Rock Canyon scored 68 in their first win and Mountain Vista a humming 92 in easy wins round one of the Mountain Vista/Rock Canyon tourney. Could we see these two in the finals Saturday?

Thursday, Nov. 30

• The D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic brought us a 4A top 5 match up in week 1 and Dennis Pleuss took in the late-game heroics!
• Looking for a lead point guard? Look no further than Jodaun Dotson, junior at Rangeview, who scored 19 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds in the Raiders opening win over Mesa Ridge in the Highlands Ranch tourney.
• No. 5 ThunderRidge moves to 2-0 in Cali with an easy 50 point win over Pacifica Christian where Kaison Hammonds scored 25!
• Our 4A No. 2 squad Pueblo South missing some stud football players didn’t let that bother them opening with 17 point win over Mountain View.
• Gateway with a solid tournament win out west at Grand Junction Central…check the highlights here
• Junior guard Matthew Ragsdale scored 25 points, including 3-7 from three point land, in No. 4 Lewis Palmers win over D’Evelyn by 19.

Friday, Dec. 1

• Top-10 Alert! No. 7 Regis holds court vs. visiting Overland.
• Isaiah Robinson poured in 18 points for Palmer but not enough to take down the Tigers…Lakewood wins 73-65.
• Rampart bounces back as big man Dawson Carper scores 19 points with 5 rebounds in the tight win over Liberty.
• Looking for balance? How about three Coyotes scoring 18 points each in Monarch’s win over Loveland. Junior Nate Pontejos hit 4 three-pointers as part of his 18!
• The defending champ Raptors come in at No. 9 in our preseason poll and even without some top guys still playing football, they pull off the win over Mesa Ridge due to senior Morgan Brown’s 14 points, 6 rebounds.
• Mead earned some votes in our preseason poll and showed well vs. Lewis Palmer but Joel Scott’s 19 points paced the Rangers to the win.
• Impressed by Coach Ezekiel Ocansey and the new Northfield Nighthawks taking on a 5A non conference opponent early in the season. Jayden Robinson scored 18 in the Aurora Central win but “props” to Northfield for going on the road in 5A!
• A lot of “pub” in the off season for Montbello (FNE) senior Sindou Cisse and he helped the Warriors to an early season tournament win over Dakota Ridge scoring 16 points, with 8 rebounds, and 4 assists!
• Impressive for a young Boulder team to have their two leading scorers as sophomores who led the team to 55-50 comeback win on the road at Chatfield.
• Senior Justin McCaw scored 11 for the Grizzlies as ThunderRidge continues the “California Roll” beating JSierra Catholic by 13.
• Spotted our first “30-piece” as Derrian Reed scored 36, including 7-10 from three point land, for Sierra but it wasn’t enough as Falcon held on with Reece Warren scoring 21 of his own.
• Chaparral opens the season as No. 8 in our preseason poll but look for them to rise behind star junior Ronnie DeGray III who scored 25 points in the season opener vs. Fairview. Look for explosive “catch a body” plays from DeGray.
• No. 5 Holy Family gave Golden a real scare to start season and followed up with a 3-point comeback win over D’Evelyn.
• No. 2 Pueblo West got a home game at the Air Force Academy and ran up 80 points vs. Air Academy for another early season win.
• We ended last season saying watch out for the tandem of Sam Masten and Tyson Gilbert’s hunger leading them back to the Coliseum! In their host tournament they didn’t disappoint in semifinal blowout 75-50 of George Washington. Masten with 21 and Gilbert 18 in the home win.
• Late tourney action up north and junior Kwane Marble led the Angels on this night with 19 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists to cap the win over Fossil Ridge.
• Solid tournament win for Glenwood Springs over Vista Peak! Senior Aaron Smith poured in 21!

Saturday, Dec. 2

• Ryan Casey all over Coach Kevin Boley’s 400th win as Legend gets another early one…
• Gateway ran off two solid wins out west in tournament play but then ran into Fruita Monument who out paced them 73-53.
• Our guys over at Littleton off to 2-0 start with 20-point win over Kennedy.
• Another “30-piece” sighting from sophomore Luke O’Brian for Columbine but not enough to get the Rebels over the hump on Lincoln who won by 3 in overtime!
• We mentioned Kendale Johnson Jr. in the previous “FRESHMAN ALERT” and he paced the Patriots with 9 points in their low scoring duel over Arapahoe. Good bounce back for GW after big loss to Rock Canyon.
• The Fever Crew got over to Highlands Ranch for our weekend live action! FRESHMAN ALERT: heard the name Simental before? Yes, there’s a good looking freshman Jason Simental for the Falcons who stepped right onto the varsity court and looked solid scoring 8 points but the Falcons couldn’t hold off smooth, lead point guard Jodan Dotson (14 points) and big man Ryan Ongala of Rangeview who scored 14 of his own on the inside. The Raiders are young but with youth and leader on the inside like Ongala they’ll be just fine!
• It took overtime for Fossil Ridge to top Dakota Ridge in an exciting tourney tilt up north and B. Lambrecht, a senior, scored 14 in the win!
• Eaglecrest came up just short in 5A football but the hoops squad left no doubt on final tourney day whooping Lakewood 60-34.
• Juniors Earl Boykin and Brendan Temple helping Douglas County get off to a nice start of the season beating Coronado by 20!
• DPL foes traveled to Fort Collins to play a tourney final as Denver East outlasted Montbello (FNE) 67-54. The respective “big 4” for these two schools didn’t disappoint and Cisse and Fofana scored 17 each for the Warriors but not enough to match the 24 from Daylen Kountz and 19 from Angel’s Kwane Marble.
• Even with top players winning a state football title on Saturday Pueblo South still pushed through for an impressive 71-63 win over Mead.
• Annual battle of the “private schools” and Regis continues their dominance of late on the court with a 71-57 win at Mullen. Seniors Elijah Martinez (24) and Sam Bannec (14) took the scoring lead along with junior Mat Wheelock who added 13 for the Raiders.
• Absolutely no let down for No. 1 Rock Canyon after the 25-point win over GW in semifinal tourney play as they handed Mountain Vista their first loss by 19 points behind Sam Masten’s game leading 26!
• Junior Joel Scott ensured some shake up in our 4A poll this week as Lewis Palmer closes out an excellent week 1 beating No. 1 Golden 67-54. Scott with 18 points in the tourney win on the road!
• Nice to finish this week up with a Colorado squad going undefeated at a national tourney! ThunderRidge, 4-0 in California, were paced by seniors Kaison Hammonds and Justin McCaw along the way. Hammonds averaged 17 points per game along the way! Looking forward to seeing these guys in CO…

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The Look Ahead

Monday, Dec. 4

• Denver East is hot early taking on Sierra in Fairview Festival!
• Denver South and Arvada West tangle in same tourney.
• Grandview opening up vs. Brighton at home.
• Pomona travels to Adams City.
• If you need some 8pm action Fairview and Hinkley is where it’s at!

Tuesday, Dec. 5

• Chatfield and Monarch both looking for early confidence!
• Montbello (FNE) and Manual…ol skool DPL foes!
• 4A No. 1 Golden takes on a 5A challenge vs. Fossil Ridge.
• Pueblo West vs. Cheyenne Mountain down south.
• The city’s coming to “FOCO” as GW visits Poudre.
• Rangeview looking to stay undefeated vs. Dakota Ridge.
• No. 1 Rock Canyon visits Eaglecrest in a “Fever game of the week” candidate tilt!
• Niwot vs. Holy Family bout.

Wednesday, Dec. 6

• Cherry Creek and Valor get season’s started at Chap tourney!
• Lincoln vs. Doherty will be fun at T-Ridge kickoff.
• D’Evelyn vs. Mead likely coming down to final minutes.
• Rocky Mountain has tough test in Chap!
• Grandview another tough non league visit from Mountain Vista.
• Grand Junction will be T-Ridge’s first in-state test!

Thursday, Dec. 7

• Sand Creek vs. Mesa Ridge.
• Vista Peak vs. Falcon.
• Smoky Hill faces unbeaten TimpView in Utah!
• Rock Canyon at Overland is top 10 excellent non league ball!
• Cheyenne Mountain vs. Liberty.
• Widefield vs. Pueblo South!
• Rampart vs. Montbello sounds good.
• Boulder, 3-0 vs. tough Mountain Vista.
• Longmont vs. Golden sweet 4A action!
• Regis takes the show to CA vs. St Pat/St Vincent.

Friday, Dec. 8

• Columbine visits Heritage.
• Legend vs. Monarch.
• GW at Overland will be rockin!
• Golden vs. Conifer.
• Eaglecrest vs. Chatfield.
• Grandview vs. Rangeview in an A-Town battle!
• Smoky Hill vs. another unbeaten – Wasach Academy in UT!

Saturday, Dec. 9

• D’Evelyn vs. Longmont.
• Castleview vs. Fort Collins.
• Sand Creek vs. Pueblo South in nice 719 action!
• Liberty vs. Highlands Ranch.
• Windsor vs. Greeley West.
• Hinkley vs. Douglas County closes us out!

Nothing like week 1 excitement, folks! Can’t wait to catch more action this week…enjoy!

Hope you were part of the over 10,000 folks who were treated to an exciting conclusion of 4A and 5A big school hoops on Saturday!

Our Fever Crew was blessed to get an invite by Brian Roth to appear on the Xfinity Sports Report at the beginning of the season and our old buddy locked us into a prediction for eventual champions. There was something about the returning rosters of the teams that lost in their respective title games a year ago that stuck with us. Both Eaglecrest and Valor returned senior heavy squads who’s leaders would be determined to return to the title games.

For once, a preseason prediction played out just the way we thought. Let’s check out how it happened.

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The Look Back:

5A Final 4

• Well go ahead and put your 6-foot-8 self even more on the map big fella! Cannon Casey covered the explosive performance from GW junior D’Auntray Pierce that vaulted the Patriots into the title game
• Dan Morhmann reports on the late game-heroics and Josh Walton’s game winning overtime free throw that sent the Raptors back to the title game,
• Get the precious 5A photo memories right here.

4A Final 4

• Our guy Dennis Pleuss has your recap of Jalen Sander’s “Stat-stuffing” night in Valor’s win.
• Not easy to beat a balance Pueblo South team twice in the same season but Lewis Palmer did just that with efficient passing and stroking some shots from outside. Dan Morhmann with your full recap.
• Catch up with all the excellent action photos here.

5A Championship

• The Raptors executed a “pack it in…make ’em beat you from the outside” b’ball philosophy. Unfortunately for George Washington they had one of their worst shooting nights of the season on the biggest stage. The Patriots were 18-of-56 from the field and 2-of-18 from three-point land which ended up being a lethal formula. Bright spot for GW’s future was big man Tray Pierce’s 10 point, 12 rebound “double-double” in the loss. Energy plays from Victor Garnes Jr. and the steady hand of Pepperdine-bound Colbey Ross stood out on the night. Brad Cochi has your complete coverage
• Photos memories that last a lifetime here.

4A Championship

• How appropriate that the three seniors who have played together the longest stepped up big for Valor’s first-ever boys state title. Cool and Calm Keison Crosby controlled the rock with the poise of a senior point guard, Jalen Sanders again was “stat-stuffin” all over the court, and in true Eagle fashion another senior Kayle Knuckles stepped up the most with a massive 32 points “owning the paint”! Brad Cochi with our report
• Championship worthy photos here!

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The Look Ahead

As we saw in this year’s state champs there may be nothing in sports that can make a team more motivated than coming up short in a championship game. Right now Rock Canyon is sticking out in our minds as a “way too early” 5A squad to watch next season. They came so close to that title game and the combo of Tyson Gilbert/Sam Masten backcourt returning as seniors has the Jags looking good.

4A? Look no further than Pueblo South. They looked destined for the title game after beating the defending champ twice but came up short. With only two seniors on this years roster look for Marcell Barbee and crew to return to the coliseum next March.

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.