Category: Ball Fever

  • Ball Fever’s preview of the 5A and 4A boys basketball state tournaments

    (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
    Who’s going to get to Boulder this season? (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    We started out with some clear favorites in Class 4A/5A boys hoops, but it’s not totally surprising that some unexpected squads have risen to the top with a few being ranked No. 1 at different times of the season.

    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. As this season rolled along it came clear there was no clear favorite in 4A or 5A and we kind of like it that way!

    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 and lets get to the madness!

    Now, on to the tournament previews:

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    Class 5A

    Bill Weimar Region

    Rangeview Cherry Creek boys basketball generic
    Rangeview played an incredibly challenging non-league schedule. (Matt Minton/JacksActionShots.com)

    Say what you want about the EMAC league, No. 1 Rangeview faced an extremely tough non-league schedule which set Coach Palmer’s squad up to cruise through the league and finish as undefeated league champs. The Raiders are stacked from top to bottom of the roster with seniors Tyrei Randall, Elijah Reed leading the way along with a duo of top 2017 juniors one can find in Elijah Blake and Matt Johnson Jr.

    Our 2 and 3 seeds here also had moments of being highly ranked during the season with lofty expectations. Cherokee Trail suffered close losses throughout the season but really never left our top-10 which was a sign of their tenacious style that has earned respect throughout the season. Key here is the health of point guard Jaizec Lottie and they will need senior David Thornton to be the double-double stud he’s been all season.

    Speaking of seniors stepping up: Will we finally see the veteran led Legend squad peak at the right time? They finished regular season on a run and could be poised for a March statement.

    • FAVORITES: Clearly Rangeview is the cream of the region and bring a “swag” to the gym that has overwhelmed many teams early. We like the Centennial league battles to serve Cherokee Trail well in this region as well. If these two eventually meet it will be a track meet!
    • WATCH OUT FOR: Top of the bracket squad to watch may be Arvada West. Luke Neff can shoot as well as anyone in the state and his big man — CU commit — Dallas Walton can alter the game in so many ways. Speaking of shooting, Fossil Ridge has the radar of Braxton Bertolette to lean on but he’s not the only one who can hurt you from the Sabercat “family.” Coach Johannsen will have his squad ready and they travel well!

    Jim Baggot Region

    (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
    Colbey Ross is a star for Eaglecrest. But they’re not a one-man show, says Ball Fever. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    We have discussed the fact Eaglecrest is not a “one-man show” as some think. Colbey Ross can certainly light it up but the Raptors, who rode the wave as our state’s No. 1-ranked squad for a portion of the season, have multiple young weapons who can score. The youth of Victor Garnes and strong perimeter defense of guys like Jalaugn Jackson give them a nice mix of guys who know their role and could be on a mission.

    Senior Geoff Kelly and the Regis Raiders have shown the consistent balance we’ve come to expect from Coach Shaw’s teams. They slow things down and force squads to play their pace at the 2 seed in this region.

    • FAVORITES: Hard to pick here! Denver East played Eaglecrest tough at their place a few weeks back and that possible Sweet 16 match up is almost a must-see. Regis has also played East and beat them on their home court. No disrespect to Grand Junction and Dakota Ridge but Raptors, Angels, and Raiders may end up getting familiar with each other again here.
    • WATCH OUT FOR: Fort Collins is a “scary” No. 7 and won’t be intimidated if they make it to the Regis gym. Mountain Vista contended with all the best in Continental league, and their fate will depend on the health of point guard Isaac Essien, who didn’t play in season finale. We hope for his return to see the Eagles at their best.

    Ray C. Ball Region

    Overland boys basketball team
    Defending champion Overland is aiming for another 5A title. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    The Fever Crew watched that Wednesday night when the Trailblazers lost at home to a scrappy Grandview team and we believe that loss has vaulted Overland to their league-winning late run, and given them new energy focused on defending their title. Big De’Ron Davis, Jervae Robinson, and Reggie Gibson decided it was time for the seniors to take control of the squad and they haven’t lost since.

    Two of our favorites to follow this year has been Doherty, who was as hot as any in the state mid-year, and Rock Canyon, who surprised the Continental League in showing they were more ready to face the best than some thought. Boulder gets a bye in this region, as well, after an impressive late run to win their league.

    • FAVORITES: As previously stated, it would be hard to doubt the laser sharp focus Overland has attacked the last few weeks with. They have “been there” with extreme senior leadership that will fight to the end. We stick with our early season prediction that Overland returns to Boulder to defend their title. Almost hated to see Rock Canyon and Doherty at the bottom of the bracket together because that’s two squads which could advance if not having to possibly face in Sweet 16.
    • WATCH OUT FOR: Watched Grand Junction in early season tourney play at Smoky HIll and Lakewood found they were a tough foe then … time for round two! Rock Canyon anticipates a visit from Arapahoe on Saturday and both teams gritty style of play make that a south side treat if it becomes reality. One team that can stack up with 1 seed Overland is an under the radar FNE (Montbello). The Warriors have the athletes to compete with the Trailblazers, but experience may be a factor.

    Chauncey Billups Region

    ThunderRidge boys basketball team Joe Ortiz
    ThunderRidge boys basketball was in Boulder last season. Can they return? (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    Started out talking about a T-Ridge/Overland rematch and two D-I commits Clay Verk and Austin Mueller would like nothing more than another shot in Boulder. But it won’t be easy as teams that make it ugly and mix it up await them immediately in Lincoln and Cherry Creek. Is there a quieter undefeated league champ than Chatfield? Well, maybe the George Washington Patriots, who also went undefeated in winning the DPL. Teams with a chip on the shoulder here, folks!

    • FAVORITES: The Fever Crew likes senior leadership so the Grizzlies are obviously an easy pick but tourney play also requires steady guard play with a prime time player who can step up: ENTER George Washington, hoop fans. This squad won DPL for second year in a row on the backs of the exciting Fugett brothers but we are most impressed with scoring machine Daylen Kountz — just a sophomore but it doesn’t get much smoother than his left hand!
    • WATCH OUT FOR: Did we say senior leadership? Guard play? Chatfield may have Aurora Central’s due of Ladarius Thomas and Elijah Coleman coming their way which will be fun. Jamison Washington looks healthy and we think his Lincoln Lancers will give ThunderRidge all they can handle in a potential second round match-up.

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    Class 4A

    Longmont Mountain View boys basketball
    What will Justinian Jessup and Longmont do this postseason? (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Maceo Broadnax Region

    The Pueblo squads just beat each other up this season but it was the David Simental lead Pueblo West squad that eventually rose to the top and leads this region. A potential Sweet 16 match up of two athletic squads the Fever Crew watched recently in Denver South and Vista PEAK, who won their league for second season in a row.

    • FAVORITES: The Fever Crew hasn’t seen Pueblo West this season but it’s clear they can play. We have seen Denver South. The Rebels were right there with top 5A competition and we see that helping them advance. Vista PEAK is a young fiesty squad that’s a year away in our humble opinion!
    • WATCH OUT FOR: Thompson Valley will draw from those battles with Longmont and could be ready to show the rest of 4A their northern league is legit.

    Mark Randall Region

    Valor ended the season with a surprising loss to league foe D’Evelyn but we’ve seen those losses catapult a team to a March run. The Fever Crew has documented how the Eagles seem to have a different player take the lead on each night and we are eager to see who steps up as a leader in postseason. Jalen Sanders is the choice many feel will lead Valor to Boulder.

    • FAVORITES: Pueblo South was the 4A No. 1 for a very long stretch but had a couple head-scratching losses along the way which make this squad a bit of a mystery from down south — but obviously a force to reckon with. Windsor jumped into our 4A top 10 late but was humbled by Mead late in the season, which led to a little doubt on where they stand.
    • WATCH OUT FOR: Thomas Jefferson faced tough 5A squads non league and took their lumps in DPL play. That means nothing now and the Spartans have scoring punch, experience that could equal success in tourney play.

    Richard Tate Region

    There they are! Justinnian Jessup and Longmont return a hungry crew who were “oh so close” to a perfect season one year ago. D’Shawn Shwartz is one of our top rated players and ESPN has recognized the strong lefty. He can lead Sand Creek to a “W” on any given night.

    • FAVORITES: Previously mentioned Longmont and Sand Creek are obvious with their star power but Ball Fever recognized lead point guard CJ Jennings early in the season as our 4A “sleeper” and Coach Dunn’s squad didn’t let us done continually improving, earning more top-10 4A votes along the way.
    • WATCH OUT FOR: Does it get any more “watch out!!” than D’Evelyn, who recently walked into Valor and handed the Eagles a loss? Mead did the same to Windsor, and Longmont better watch Coach Berringer’s back door plays if they over extend defensively vs. Skyview.

    Guy Gibbs Region

    Longmont lost one game to a 5A squad and Lewis-Palmer stepped in to take the reins of 4A’s No. 1 spot. Jonathon Scott is the leader but a cast of Rangers make this squad go. Two teams, Evergreen and Rifle, who flirted with our 4A top-10, await the Rangers and won’t make it easy.

    • FAVORITES: There’s that senior leadership again: Ryan Blodgett at 6-foot-4 can swing the tide of any game Golden’s way and they’re another squad playing with that “chip” on their shoulder after not being spoken of as elite during the season but have a chance to prove things now.
    • WATCH OUT FOR: We’ll put it like this — WATCH OUT for two straight up scorers! Hunter Maldonado a game changer for Vista Ridge while “dirty” Mike Ranson has led the state in scoring for Pueblo Central.

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    Final Thoughts

    Is it Wednesday yet? If the anticipation of the 5A/4A brackets and Twitter fun everyone had on Selection Sunday was any indication of what’s to come, we are in for another priceless three weeks of dreams coming true and lasting memories! Enjoy.

  • Ball Fever: Exciting regular season in boys basketball comes to a close

    Grandview Overland boys basketball
    (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)

    What a season, hoops fans! We started off predicting our early season favorites Overland and ThunderRidge might just end up in a Boulder rematch in March. That prediction very much alive but the reason we play the game is for a STACKED Rangeview Raiders squad many didn’t see coming run the table and finish as undefeated No. 1.

    How about young Eaglecrest, charging Chatfield, steady Regis, and tough Rock Canyon all with the ability to shake up the Class 5A postseason?

    In 4A we, as many others, we liked a Longmont squad that returned a full starting five from last year’s title contending squad but a crew from Lewis-Palmer that always seems to be in the 4A mix, along with some top Pueblo squads, and finally a talented Valor group all have their eye on the Gold Ball with a wide open shot to claim it!

    Let’s see how the final week played out.

    [divider]

    Week in review:

    Monday, Feb. 15:

    • Arvada West got a 13 point, 6 rebound effort from recent CU-commit Dallas Walton en route to a tight 3 point win over Boulder.

    Tuesday, Feb. 16:

    Regis Jesuit Mountain Vista boys basketball
    Regis Jesuit beat Mountain Vista on Tuesday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • No. 1 Rangeview one step closer to perfect season after romping Gateway by 30 and lead man Tyrei Randall scored 27!
    • The Fever Crew got out to Vista Peak this week where the Bison hosted a game Skyview squad. Coach Berringer’s squad looked like a well oiled machine early as Vista overplayed aggressively on defense and Skyview made them pay with back door cuts. But late in the game it was Jason Earnets’s inside work (14 points) that sealed it for the home squad.
    • Josh Watt snapped the shots as Pine Creek topped Fountain-Fort Carson by 3.
    • Jack Eberhard on the actions shots as No. 3 Regis got a key league win against Mountain Vista.
    • Dominic Coleman’s 18 points, 9 rebounds wasn’t enough to hold off ThunderRidge’s balance in this league contest.
    • Riley Matticks 22 helped Legend to the comeback win over a game Rock Canyon who will be one of the toughest postseason “outs.” Super soph Sam Masten with 24 in the loss.
    • Michael Ranson kept the scoring touch going with 29 for Pueblo Central but not enough as they fall short 63-61 to Pueblo West.
    • Fossil Ridge locks in huge league win as Braxton Bertolette wasn’t on from the 3-point line but the Sabercat’s big second half with 14-point win over Fairview.
    • No. 9 Sierra got 23 from CJ Jennings and 14 from Kion Wingo en route to 64-39 win over Canon City.
    • Jamison Washington had a night for the Lincoln Lancers as they outpaced DPL foe Thomas Jefferson 93-86 and Washington led all scorers with 28. Two dangerous teams in the post season. Six double figure scorers for the Spartans led by Xavier Coopers 18.
    • Doherty, now ranked No. 10, exploded for a 40-point victory over Coronado with the Brushier/Brimble combo both going for 17 each!
    • No. 6 Windsor was in for a big surprise as they traveled to Mead and lost by 19 as Walker Korrell scored 28 and James Maher added 20.
    • If you think 35 points is impressive how about the 9 steals Justinnian Jessup had for No. 3 Longmont in 15-point win over Greeley Central!

    Wednesday, Feb. 17: 

    • Brighton had a shot at No. 1 Rangeview: It didn’t go well…the Raiders ran up 93 points and won by 51 with everyone on roster contributing!
    • 4A No. 1 took down defending champ Air Academy 81-54 with Jonathon Scott and Billy Cook scoring 15 points.
    • Overland has been flexing it’s muscle as of late and Stephen Priest covered their latest dominant performance Wednesday. Photos here from Matt Mathewes.
    • Josh Watt was down south to catch Vista Ridge take down Discovery Canyon.
    • Chatfield, quietly rolling undefeated in league at No. 6 in 5A, got another convincing 21-point win over Columbine.
    • Count em! Twelve Eaglecrest players got in the scoring act as the Raptors mauled Grandview by 30! Elijah Wilson led with 14.
    • Great senior night memories at Arapahoe and Kyle Lucasiewicz scored 16 but the Warriors couldn’t hold off Cherry Creek who pulled the 1-point victory. Wil Halfon with 15 points, 4 rebounds in the win.
    • Ok Lakewood! That 53-52 win over Arvada West will look good to the committee!
    • No. 2 Valor got a scare from Green Mountain but held on to a 3-point victory behind Jalen Sanders 17 points.

    Thursday, Feb. 18:

    • Boulder laying conference claims on the league as Luke Wilson got hot fro 24 points leading to a huge win over Fossil Ridge.
    • Liberty, trying to get the seeding committees attention late, go on the road winning by 8 at Pine Creek. TJ Clark led the way with 23 points.
    • Caleb Stewart “stat-stuffin” for Mesa Ridge as the squad ran up 103 points on Woodland Park. Stewart’s stat line:  25 points, 11 rebounds, 6 assists, with 2 steals!
    • Another Northern league conference title for Longmont as they go unbeaten in league with 8 point finale win over Silver Creek.

    Friday, Feb. 19:

    Sand Creek Vista Ridge boys basketball
    Sand Creek beat Vista Ridge. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
    • Josh Watt has the action from Sand Creek getting revenge on Vista Ridge.
    • Speaking of avenging losses, Overland has been on an absolute tear since their loss to Grandview and won by 17 this time around!
    • Big man Elijah Reed’s 20 points for No. 1 Rangeview helped them lock in the perfect season blowing out rival Gateway and entering post season play on fire!
    • Colby Ross and young soph Victor Garnes led the way for Eaglecrest as they closed out the season with a 20-point win over Mullen and in hopes of a No. 1 seed in 5A tourney play.
    • Troy Boenik scored 20 but Mountain Vista was missing their lead point guard and ThunderRidge took advantage pulling out the tight 4-point road win to claim league honors and a possible 1 seed!
    • Amadou Dieye had 14 points, 6 rebounds as a FNE (Montbello) Warriors squad that will cause trouble in bracket play got a season ending win over Thomas Jefferson by 1.
    • Fruita Monument ended final season standings tied with Grand Junction at 8-2 but convincingly won the season ending battle 51-45.
    • Dalven Brushier’s 16-point, 10-rebound double-double helped the Spartans take the league down south with a final 14-point over Palmer. Tough non league schedule and this run has the Brevin Brimble led Doherty squad primed for playoffs.
    • Chatfield left little doubt that 5A Jeffco was theirs finishing season with convincing blowout of Pomona and unbeaten in league!
    • Tri Valley league just beat each other up this year and that continued in finale as Holy Family beat ranked Windsor for the second time this year.
    • Joe Decoud was the man for No. 1 Lewis-Palmer this night as the Rangers went unbeaten in league play with win over Mesa Ridge.
    • What a way for D’Evelyn to finish the season taking down their former head coach as they went into No. 2 Valor’s house and pulled the upset by 5 with Charlie Davis scoring 13.
    • Pueblo West had the final say down south finishing league play 9-1 and beating Pueblo South by 10!
    • Props to the young Vista Peak squad led by Te’Rae Johnon’s 19 points locking up the league title with 15 point win over Fort Morgan.

    Saturday, Feb. 20:

    • Just when you thought Denver South could pull the big win at home and East may not be a factor in playoffs…the Angels send the reminder that you might not want to see them in your side of the bracket.
    • Legend finished the season with great momentum with 50-49 win at Rampart. Can this senior led squad live up to the hype now that playoffs are here?

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    Tournament brackets

    The state tournament brackets were released on Sunday:

    Another fun regular season in the books! Stay tuned for the most in-depth 5A/4A tournament/bracket break down to hit our site on Tuesday!

  • Ball Fever: Boys basketball’s regular season heads to the final week

    Dakota Ridge Chatfield boys basketball fans
    (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    Late season upsets seemed to be the theme this week hoops fans! As soon as we think we have it figured out our league championship waters got “murky” and our final week will determine most league titles.

    Defending Class 5A champ Overland also had one last road trip in them as they traveled to Omaha and took down Nebraska’s No. 1-ranked and undefeated squad Omaha South.

    Let’s take a look at how it all went down!

    [divider]

    Week in review

    Monday, Feb. 8:

    • The Ball Fever Crew traveled south to Castle View on Monday night where Mountain Vista’s big man did work on the inside while senior Jake Ellis had 24 points, 8 rebounds in the loss. Matt Matthewes has a photo report.
    • Longmont doubled-up Northridge 70-35 and Kevin Mitchell led all scorers with 14 points in the blowout.
    • Andrew Sung had 13 points, 3 assists and lifted Cheyenne Mountain to 8-point win over Discovery Canyon.

    Tuesday, Feb. 9:

    Regis Jesuit ThunderRidge boys basketball
    ThunderRidge boys basketball beat Regis Jesuit on Tuesday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • Doesn’t get more exciting than a game winning buzzer beater … did we mention, this way came from 3/4 court?! Our guy, Ryan Casey, pulling it all together.
    • Top-10 matchup where ThunderRidge needed to send a Continental message and they did just that. Check out the Grizzlies taking down No. 3 Regis.
    • That Bertolette kid striking for Coach Johansen up north for 26 points, 5 rebounds as the Saber Cats win by 9 over Rocky Mountain.
    • No. 1 Rangeview’s big man Tyrei Randall scored 23 points helping the Raiders take down Aurora Central by 22 points which will likely lock the conference up for them.
    • MAJOR performances in Chaparral at Mountain Vista as smooth 2016 guard Dominic Coleman had a “monsta” 28-13 double-double from the PG spot … but not to be out done Trey Boeyink scored 33 adding 7 assists with 5 steals! 20-27 FT’s???? Wow!
    • Greeley West fought off a fierce comeback effort from Fort Collins and Cordell Gillingham’s 18 points were huge in the tight 2-point win.
    • No. 7 Windsor was scoring the ball as they put up 90 points, blowing out Berthoud and had a sweet six players score in double figures led by Landon Schmidt’s 17 points.
    • Pueblo South at No. 3 got a “monsta” night from Maleek Johnson who scored 29 points in 16 point win over Pueblo Centennial.
    • George Washington was questioned early in the season but no longer as their non-league “monsta” schedule has produced an undefeated DPL schedule and Jervae Green’s 25 point, 10 rebound double-double led to a 15-point win over Lincoln.
    • Dalven Brushier 18 and Brevin Brimble’s 17 led No. 8 Doherty to convincing 15-point win on the road at Fountain-Fort Carson
    • Denver South in at No. 8 in 4A eyeing a DPL title took a step in that direction by throttling the FNE Warriors 72-49 behind 22 points and six three pointers from sharp-shooter Tucker Cargile!
    • Had to do a little Ball Fever “dig” in the stats to find this rare point/assist double-double from Jalen Sanders (24 points, 10 assists) as Valor downed Green Mountain.
    • Sierra was our early season “sleeper” in 4A and look at them coming on! Now No. 9 in 4A and CJ Jennings continues to be a lead point guard scoring 26 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. Straight “Stat-Stuffin!”
    • Longmont beats Mountain view by 24 with 3 players scoring in double figures, led by Justinnian Jessup and Kolton Bachman, who both scored 14.

    Wednesday, Feb. 10:

    • Overland rewarded for going on a tear after a surprising loss to Grandview bouncing back up to No. 2 in our poll and the run continued with convincing 67-46 win over Arapahoe. EElijah Haliburton scored 18 … a different Trailblazer leading the way!
    • Dan Mohrmann took in one our top overall players D’Shawn Schwartz and Sand Creek cruising over Falcon.
    • Chatfield is on a complete roll and it continued with big league win over Dakota Ridge Wednesday. Matt Matthewes with the action shots.
    • Hunter Maldonado with a performance of the week type effort as he scored 30 for No. 10 Vista Ridge, who beat Air Academy by 4.
    • Colbey Ross continues his hot streak and the Raptors rolling with impressive win over Cherry Creek. Jack Eberhard caught all four Raptors who scored in double figures.
    • 4A No. 1 Lewis-Palmer got 26 points from Jonathon Scott en route to a 17-point win over Cheyenne Mountain.

    Thursday, Feb. 11:

    • Rock Canyon, now at No. 4, showing their balance again as 4 players score in double figures led by Sam Masten’s 18 in the win over Castle View.
    • Drew Davis with 15 for Discovery Canyon but not nearly enough as they lost to No. 1 Lewis-Palmer by 15.
    • Upset city down south as Liberty knocked off Doherty who was ice cold from the field. TJ Clark scored 15 in the win.
    • Yep! Our guy CJ Jennings putting his name in for player of the week honors this time going for 33 points, 6 rebounds in Sierra’s 21-point win over Harrison.
    • Grand Junction Central handing Grand Junction their first league loss out west with Zach Labine getting a 20 point, 10 rebound double-double.
    • Calor seems to have different guys leading the way all the time and this night it was Kayle Knuckles and Josh Randle both scoring 17 in the win at Evergreen.
    • Golden, at No. 6 in our poll, flexed its defensive muscles in only allowing 26 points to Standley Lake in blowout win.
    • It took overtime and a 35-point effort from scoring machine Mike Ranson for Pueblo Central to pull off tight 3-point win over Pueblo County.
    • Longmont remains undefeated in league play with 21-point win over Thompson Valley.
    • Want to get out and see Vista Peak! They earned a top-10 vote from us and had three players score in double figures in win over Alameda led by Te’Rae Johnson’s 19.

    Friday, Feb. 12:

    Cherry Creek Overland boys basketball
    Overland beat Cherry Creek on Friday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • Josh Watt has your action from Rampart/Pine Creek.
    • Coach Ortiz’s No. 7 crew got VERY defensive Friday night and Matt Mathewes was there.
    • Overland’s big three came to play and all scored in double figures at Cherry Creek. Jack Eberhard on the action shots.
    • No. 1 Rangeview was surprisingly down at the half to Westminster but got things turned around second half to win by 13 powered by Elijah Reeds 18-point, 10-rebound double-double.
    • This one jumped off the page at us! The Raptors have a tough gym and Cherokee Trail going in to beat Eaglecrest by 12 is mighty impressive. David Thornton and Tyson Rogers with 17 in the upset of No. 4.
    • No. 3 Regis allowed 20 points to Chap’s Dominic Coleman but still were able to pull away from the Wolverines for a 14 point win with Geoff Kelly and Elijah Martinez scoring 12 each.
    • Fossil Ridge at Fort Collins was our pick of the night up north and Braxton Bertolette’s 23 points led all scorers in the Sabercats 13-point win.
    • Luke Neff went for 20 including four 3-pointers, but not enough to cool off Chatfield, which survived another tough week undefeated in league play.
    • The Fever Crew made it out to Prairie View hosting Thornton where the home team started cold down 12-1 but Trey Marble heated up scoring 18 and got a steal in the final seconds to seal the 50-48 home win.
    • Colton Mclean dropped a hot 28 points keeping Windsor unbeaten in league play win easy win over Roosevelt.
    • No. 10 Vista Ridge got 24 and six rebounds from Hunter Maldonado, winning a tight one by three over Palmer Ridge.
    • Seeing a theme of upsets this week as Pueblo East took down ranked Pueblo South by two. Marcus Winston with 13 points in the win.

    Saturday, Feb. 13:

    • Top-5 match up Saturday night and Stephen Priest covered Regis stalling out Rock Canyon. Jack Eberhard snapping the shots.
    • In our last “ThunderDome” city match of the year Jack Buckmelter went for a wild 31 points (13-13 FT’s) but not enough to slow red hot George Washington, who has its sights set on a repeat DPL title after Daylen Kountz showed he’s more than ready for the big stage scoring 29 points of his own in the high scoring 104-97 win for the Patriots. Photos here.
    • No. 2 Valor Christian beat Cheyenne Mountain in 4A. Find photos here.
    • What a way to close the week! Our state’s No. 2 squad traveled to Nebraska to tangle with their state’s No. 1-ranked Omaha South squad beating them 59-55. The Trailblazers are rolling strong towards the playoffs!

    [divider]

    A look ahead to this week’s top games:

    Regis Jesuit ThunderRidge boys basketball fans
    What will the final week of the regular season bring? (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Monday, Feb. 15:

    • Boulder at Arvada West if you need a Monday night hoops fix!

    Tuesday, Feb. 16:

    • Rock Canyon at Legend is our pick in Continental this night.
    • Mountain Vista will try to speed Regis up!
    • Greeley West at Monarch is good ball.
    • Thomas Jefferson at Lincoln in the city.
    • Liberty at Rampart.
    • Prairie View gets its shot at No. 1 Rangeview.
    • Pueblo West at Pueblo Central … get the scorekeeper a Gatorade!
    • Longmont at Greeley Central

    Wednesday, Feb. 17:

    • Grandview at Eaglecrest is nice but Cherokee Trail at Overland is pick of the night Centennial.
    • Chatfield at Columbine
    • Brighton at No. 1 Rangeview
    • Discovery Canyon at Vista Ridge
    • Air Academy at No. 1 Lewis-Palmer
    • Green Mountain at Valor Christian

    Thursday, Feb. 18:

    • Fossil Ridge at Boulder
    • Greeley West at Loveland
    • Liberty at Pine Creek
    • Widefield at Sierra
    • Silver Creek at Longmont

    Friday, Feb. 19:

    • Overland at Grandview with Trailblazers looking for revenge.
    • Arapahoe at Cherokee Trail
    • ThunderRidge at Mountain Vista bragging rights.
    • Thomas Jefferson at FNE Warriors wrapping up DPL Play.
    • Palmer at Doherty
    • Pomona at Chatfield
    • Last chance to take down No. 1 in Gateway at Rangeview
    • Regis at Ponderosa
    • Windsor at Holy Family
    • Vista Ridge at Sand Creek
    • Palmer Ridge at No. 1 Lewis-Palmer
    • D’Evelyn at Valor
    • Pueblo South at Pueblo West
    • Fort Morgan at Vista Peak

    Saturday, Feb. 20:

    • Mullen at Heritage
    • Denver East at Denver South for playoff momentum!

    League titles and playoff position on the line, folks! Enjoy the final week of regular season.

  • Ball Fever: Serious league showdowns on tap in boys basketball

    Lewis-Palmer Vista Ridge boys basketball fans
    (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)

    Let’s be real with what we saw as we broke things down this week, folks.

    Rangeview may finish this thing undefeated but have a tough one with Aurora Central this week. Overland lost to Grandview at home and it may be the worst thing that could have happened for the rest of the field … they were brutal to opponents last week, the defending champs refocused!

    The Broncos’ Super Bowl run had us thinking defensively and Rock Canyon may be the gritty version of our champs who dig in on the defensive end but can do enough offensively to take anyone down.

    Lewis-Palmer, Pueblo South, Valor, Longmont? Our 4A top squads are all sitting with one loss each.

    Let’s see how it all went down.

    [divider]

    Week in review

    Tuesday, Feb. 2:

    We had a few games that survived the blast!

    • Wow, speaking of ice cold, ThunderRidge held Douglas County to two points in the fourth quarter en route to almost a 50-point win with Clay Verk dominating this one to the tune of a 25-point, 14-rebound double-double.
    • Legacy gets a strong win over Monarch with Jeffrey Salazar leading the way: 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals!
    • Grand Junction continues to dominate out west and totally stifled Montrose only allowing them 26 total points. Ben Rasmussen had 14 points, 6 rebounds.
    • The Trojan duo of Elijah Coleman (22 points) and Ladarius Thomas (17) did it again for Aurora Central as they downed A-Town rival Gateway by 14.
    • Pueblo County stays in the league mix with 15-point win over Pueblo East not allowing more than 10 points in any quarter.
    • FNE (Montbello) Warriors didn’t fall asleep after their big win over East last week easily handling Denver West led by senior Sekou Cisse’s 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.

    Wednesday, Feb. 3:

    Overland Eaglecrest boys basketball
    Overland avenged an earlier loss to Eaglecrest. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
    • Two of Pueblo’s top-10 squads got it on and Tracy Renck has the game-winner covered.
    • Eleven players chimed in with scoring for Cherokee Trail led by Jaizec Lottie’s 19 as they beat Smoky Hill by 33.
    • Fossil Ridge continuing to exhibit balance with three players in double figures and they beat Poudre by 20 points with Jackson Everhart scoring 22.
    • Chatfield, now up to No. 6 in our poll, remained undefeated after rolling Bear Creek by 30.
    • The TrailBlazers sent the message to formerly undefeated Eaglecrest early/often and Stephen Priest has your coverage of No. 5 Overland dominating this top-5 match. Matt Mathewes snappin’ the pics.
    • Landon Taliaferro was the man in Front Range on this night scoring 26 as Boulder routed Mountain Range.
    • Golden, No. 6 in our poll, beats Conifer 66-43 using a 25-10 fourth quarter to put it away.
    • East was in need of a win after dropping from our top-10 and they started the week big with a 92-65 win over rival Thomas Jefferson and senior Jack Buckmelter was lighting it up with 30 points and 7 rebounds.
    • Important league win for Dakota Ridge at Arvada West with Hubert Price scoring 18.
    • Holy Family got 15 points from Cameron Miller beating Roosevelt 68-47.
    • Pueblo Centennial gave Pueblo Central all they wanted but 23 points from Mike Ranson helped Central pull off the 2-point win.
    • Chudier Bile with 23 and Tucker Cargile 13 points to lead Denver South to a solid league win over 5A Lincoln 82-75. The Rebels will be tough in 4A postseason! Jamison Washington scored 20 in the loss.

    Thursday, Feb. 4:

    • Highlands Ranch got first league win over Heritage winning each quarter and taking the win by 24.
    • Windsor up to No. 7 in 4A poll and beat Erie by 9 with four players scoring in double figures led by Michael Sheid’s 16 along with 13 rebounds for the double-double.
    • Jaylon Sibley scored 23 but it wasn’t enough for Harrison to beat Mitchell as they lost by 6.
    • Mountain View surprised Thompson Valley on their home court and Jose Arrantia teamed with Jeremiah Blaylock to both score 21 points.

    Friday, Feb. 5:

    Chatfield Ralston Valley boys basketball
    Chatfield continues to roll in the 5A Jeffco. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
    • We’ve been watching this Doherty squad and “strong man” Dalven Brushier go on an exciting run this season and Dan Mohrmann caught their road victory at Rampart.
    • Wyoming-bound Austin Mueller is stud athlete and Stephen Priest caught his monster dunk that powered ThunderRidge in this top-10 battle.
    • Chatfield continues to charge forward and Matt Matthewes caught the 21-point W over Ralston Valley.
    • Got no easier for Eaglecrest after the loss to Overland they had to welcome in a tough Arapahoe squad but a 17-6 first quarter and 19 points from Colbey Ross got them back on track.
    • Denver East got finished the week off with 3-point win over Lincoln 88-85.  Get out to see the Angels soon as we now understand they have added a 7-foot FRESHMAN in Assanne Diouf! Diouf had 11 in this game and Daytone Jennings led with 23.
    • No. 3 Regis was tested by Highlands Ranch but Geoff Kelly’s 27 points ruled the night in the 16-point win. Young Falcon Tyson Gilbert scored 20 for H-Ranch in the loss.
    • Rock Canyon has shot up to No. 4 in 5A and Mountain Vista’s been playing tough. We hear it was a great atmosphere as Sam Masten scored 24 leading the Jags to the 11-point win.
    • Jackson Everhart’s 27 points helped Fossil Ridge get the road win at Loveland who put up a strong fight.
    • Longmont jumped out to 13-4 first quarter and didn’t look back beating Niwot by 17.
    • Antonio Capley scored 21 for Ralston Valley but charging Chatfield won this match by 21.
    • No. 2 Valor has another different name lead the way this night as Kayle Knuckles had 20 points, 6 rebounds in the 27-point home win over Conifer.
    • Pueblo South completed a bounce back week with a 13-point win over Pueblo Central.
    • A Ball Fever “dig” in the stats found a high scoring overtime game where Westminster exploded for 18 points in the extra session to beat Prairie View who got 32 points, 6 assists from junior Trey Marble.
    • No. 1 Rangeview left no doubt who’s the boss in A-Town crushing rival Hinkley and everyone got in the balanced scoring column with Matt Johnson’s 11 points, 3 steals leading the way.
    • Michael Sheid with another 19-point effort as No. 7 Windsor beat Frederick by 33.
    • Jonathon Scott’s 21 points kept No. 1 Lewis-Palmer on pace with 83-59 victory over Liberty.
    • Vista Ridge now in the 4A top-10 needed overtime to take down Cheyenne Mountain and got 17 points from Hunter Maldonado.
    • CJ Jennings strikes again with 28 points and Sierra is knocking on the top-10 door after blowout of Woodland Park.

    Saturday, Feb. 6:

    • Top ranked Lewis-Palmer ended the week with a 10-point win over a top-10 opponent and Josh Watt has your pics.
    • Cal Zeb Roberson scored 18 helping Rampart bounce back from the previous days loss to Doherty beating Coronado by 15.
    • No. 3 Longmont 17-1 after impressive 19-point road win at Holy Family.
    • Junior Ravel Moody scored 20 for the Spartans but not enough in the non league match Saturday vs. Cherry Creek as the Bruins won 71-54.
    • Rifle, now in the top-10, survived 26 points from Glenwood Springs Cameron Horning to hold on for the 4-point win.
    • Vista Peak had a 20-game home winning streak but our state’s top squad Rangeview came calling. The Bison battled for the first half but then Tyrei Randall took over scoring 23 points as the Raiders stretched out to a 17-point win to close out the week!

    [divider]

    A look ahead to this week’s top games:

    Regis Jesuit Heritage boys basketball
    Regis Jesuit has a big game with ThunderRidge this week. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Monday, Feb. 8:

    • Mountain Vista at Castle View
    • Cheyenne Mountain at Discovery Canyon
    • Longmont at Northridge

    Tuesday, Feb. 9:

    • Regis at ThunderRidge is a big one with league title implications!
    • Legend at Castle View
    • Greeley West at Fort Collins
    • Fossil Ridge at Rocky Mountain
    • Lincoln at GW in the city.
    • Doherty at Fountain-Fort Carson
    • No. 1 Rangeveiw at Aurora Central is big in Aurora!
    • Berthoud at Windsor
    • FNE Warriors at Denver South will be fun!
    • Valor at Green Mountain
    • Sierra at Mitchell
    • Pueblo County at Pueblo West
    • Eagle Valley at Rifle out west.
    • Mountain View at Longmont
    • Vista Peak at Elizabeth

    Wednesday, Feb. 10:

    • Arapahoe at Overland and Eaglecrest at Cherry Creek look good in Centennial.
    • Dakota Ridge at Chatfield is big!
    • Lewis-Palmer at Cheyenne Mountain
    • Falcon at Sand Creek
    • Vista Ridge at Air Academy

    Thursday, Feb. 11:

    • Castle View at Rock Canyon
    • GJ Central at Grand Junction
    • Doherty at Liberty
    • Highlands Ranch at Ponderosa
    • Lewis-Palmer at Discovery Canyon
    • Valor at Evergreen
    • Sierra at Harrison
    • Longmont at Thompson Valley

    Friday, Feb. 12:

    • Overland at Cherry Creek is nice!
    • Cherokee Trail at Eaglecrest will be live!
    • Fort Collins at Fossil Ridge up north.
    • Rampart at Pine Creek
    • Arvada West at Chatfield
    • Rangeveiw at Westminster
    • ThunderRidge at Ponderosa
    • Roosevelt at Windsor
    • Palmer Ridge at Vista Ridge
    • Standley Lake at Golden
    • Pueblo West at Pueblo Centennial

    Saturday, Feb. 13:

    • Rock Canyon at Regis will be rocking!
    • George Washington at Denver East in the city!
    • Doherty will be tested at Dakota Ridge!
    • Cheyenne Mounatin at Valor
    • Pueblo South at Elizabeth

    Serious league showdowns this week folks … get out and enjoy!

  • Ball Fever: Individual performances take center stage in boys basketball

    (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
    Eaglecrest’s Colbey Ross. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    This week was dominated by elite individual performances! There were numerous 30-plus point scoring nights from some of our state’s top names like Colbey Ross and Mike Ranson, but a few new names popped up this week with outstanding performances as well.

    We also took notice of a few squads who took on ultra competitive non-league schedules and it’s truly paying off now!

    Let’s check out the action.

    [divider]

    Week in review:

    Monday, Jan. 25:

    • The place to be Monday night was at Eaglecrest high school and the 10 5A teams/coaches we caught taking in the action were a clear sign of the talent on the floor in East visiting the Raptors in a top-10 match-up! Stephen Priest was in the house and reported on Colbey Ross’ unbelievable shooting night that is causing so many to list him as Colorado’s top rising star.
    • Double-double alert as Devante Jones’ 23 points, 10 rebounds led Dakota Ridge to 75-58 win over Castle View.

    Tuesday, Jan. 26:

    Sierra Widefield boys basketball
    Sierra beat Widefield last week. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    • We called Sierra our 4A Ball Fever “sleeper” early in the year and Coach Dunn, with his lead point guard CJ Jennings, are making us look smart at the right time! Dan Mohrmann was on site for their latest win.
    • What could make the Boulder/Fariview rivalry better? How about the chance to get it on at the Coors Event Center! Brie Thomas was all over it Tuesday.
    • Regis’ balance was on full display again Tuesday night when they put what we call a “40-piece” on Douglas County and Jack Eberhard was on the action shots.
    • Oh boy, almost not fair as Adams City had to face our state’s No. 1 squad and Rangeview had 12 players hit the scoring column winning by 80!
    • GW played a tough early schedule and it’s starting to pay off as the Patriots got 35 points from super soph Daylen Kountz in beating rival Thomas Jefferson on their court.
    • Legend has battled its way back into our top-10 and Danny Garrick’s 21 points led all scorers in the 73-50 win over Highlands Ranch.
    • Holy Family dropped out of our 4A top-10 and Windsor showed they deserve their No. 9 spot as they won this matchup by 8 behind Colton Mclean’s 18 points.
    • Greeley West received several votes to join the top-10 last week but ran into another hungry squad in Fossil Ridge who won the match 68-58 as Braxton Bertolette led with 26 points for the Sabercats.
    • Lincoln was in total control of this game but a fourth quarter meltdown led to a 21-7 Far Northeast advantage in the final stage and the Warriors completed the comeback to win by 1! Senior Sekou Cisse with 14 points, 9 rebounds in the win.
    • Wow … haven’t reported on this young man yet but a Ball Fever “dig” into the stats revealed a “monsta” double-double performance by Jackson Ehrlin of 29 points, 17 rebounds in Rampart’s win over Fountain-Fort Carson.
    • Keep an eye on this junior Trey Marble, who scored 24 points in Prairie View’s romp over Northglenn by 30!
    • Conifer playing good ball of late and getting top-10 votes, but lost a tough one in overtime to D’Evelyn. The Jaguars got 20 points from Josh Brinkerhoff. Jack Studer dropped 28 in the loss.
    • Pueblo West, sitting firmly at No. 5, got 29 points from scoring machine David Simental and blew away Pueblo Centennial.

    Wednesday, Jan. 27:

    Denver East Regis Jesuit boys basketball Ken Shaw Rudy Carey
    Regis Jesuit coach Ken Shaw, right, and Denver East’s Rudy Carey. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    • The Fever Crew made our first visit of the season to the home of the Overland Trailblazers and were treated to a surprise effort from Grandview as a strong team effort, forcing perimeter shots from Overland, and a 19-point, 8-rebound effort from strong junior Gage Prim led to the 3-point upset win for the Wolves. A stifling 22-12 fourth quarter advantage for Grandview.
    • Another top-10 non-league contest for Denver East, this one against Regis Jesuit, and this one pitted two of our state’s most legendary coaches on the floor. Check out Stephen Priest’s report. And photos from Matt Matthewes from this big game
    • It was hard to even keep up with the Twitter action on this one and it sounds like an energetic packed house as Dan Mohrmann covered No. 10 Vista Ridge taking down rival Sand Creek.
    • No. 8 Chatfield ran it up 72-43 vs. Pomona to remain unbeaten in league play.
    • Cheyenne Mountain was hitting on all cylinders this night beating Air Academy 75-39 with Andrew Sung scoring 23.
    • Arvada West getting healthy and an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double from Dallas Walton, along with only allowing no more than 10 points in any quarter led to huge lead over Bear Creek.
    • No. 2 Lewis-Palmer pulled away from Palmer Ridge in the fourth quarter to win by 8. Joe Decoud with 16 points.
    • Player of the week-type action from Kyle Lucasiewicz as the lefty was “en fuego,” hitting 35 points, including 5 3-pointers for Arapahoe but visiting Cherokee Trail had four players hit double figure scoring with Ian Kelly’s 15 points, 8 rebounds in helping the Cougars get the tough win.

    Thursday, Jan. 28:

    • No. 4 Valor’s Coach Pachner returned to a D’Evelyn gym he knows very well and the Eagles took care of business.
    • Ball Fever “dig” in the stats found that rare point/assist double-double as senior Tyler Converse had 21 points, 10 assist in Legacy’s 10-point win over Loveland.
    • Robi Powers scored 17 out west as Grand Junction remained unbeaten in league play with 14-point win over Grand Junction Central.
    • Doherty may be better than their No. 9 ranking may suggest and Dalven Brushier led four double-digit scorers with 18 in the 67-50 win over Pine Creek.
    • Yes, that was a 21-2 first quarter you heard as No. 1 Rangeview ran away from Thornton.
    • Austin Fritts scored 25 points for Green Mountain in a solid 8-point win over Conifer.
    • Sierra continuing to figure it out and CJ Jennings scored 24 in the 3-point win over Mesa Ridge.

    Friday, Jan. 29:

    Lewis-Palmer Sand Creek boys basketball
    Lewis-Palmer beat Sand Creek on Friday. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    • The Fever Crew made it out to GW vs. Denver South Friday night and we saw a back and forth tilt that was tied at 41 going into the fourth quarter and then Jervae Green EXPLODED on the scene in a crazy run that unfolded in a 31-7 final stage in favor of the Patriots. Green finished with an amazing 34-point, 10-rebound double-double.
    • Regis continued a strong week in beating league rival Heritage.
    • We figured Lakewood, at home, would have the energy to keep pace with Chatfield, but not quite enough as the Chargers won 64-60.
    • D’Shawn Schwartz with another big night but not enough to take down No. 2 Lewis-Palmer.
    • No surprise to the Fever Crew that the tough, gritty Rock Canyon crew were able to earn a tough win at ThunderRidge and Brie Thomas has us covered.
    • Greeley West was picking up some top-10 votes in our poll but that might be short lived as Boulder cooled them off 70-63 with Luke Wilson scoring 23.
    • A 30-point first quarter got No. 2 Eaglecrest started and they never looked back beating Smoky Hill by 15 with Colbey Ross scoring 20.
    • Two of Pueblo’s strong scorers went head to head in Mike Ranson and David Simental. Ranson scored 32 but not enough to take down West who won by 21.
    • Overland wasn’t happy after loss to Grandview Wednesday and took it out on Mullen in a big way as FIFTEEN players hit the scoring column in the blowout.
    • Lachaun Duhart scored 26 points and Grandview was riding high after Wednesday’s win at Overland but Sitting Eagle Gym is a tough place and Arapahoe pulled out the 5-point win in overtime. Kyle Lucasiewicz struck again with 18 points.

    Saturday, Jan. 30:

    • Thunderdome city match up No. 2 as Montbello (FNE) Warriors played Denver East. Signature win here for the Warriors as they take the Angels down 62-45. Tough week for East with losses to Eaglecrest, Regis, and Montbello may have the Angels falling out of our top-10 and the Warriors joining.
    • Sand Creek faced some tough opponents this week and that continued as Rampart’s Jackson Ehrlin’s 17 points led to a 10-point win.
    • Top-10 4A match up and Matt Mathewes has the Valor/Golden rematch photos. Here is Dan Mohrmann’s report on how Valor avenged the early season loss.
    • A rare slow start for Doherty put this one in jeopardy vs. rival Palmer but Dalven Brushier 21, and Brevin Brimble (13) put the squad on their backs and pulled out the two-point win.
    • 4A defending champ Air Academy showed you better not look past them as they shocked previously undefeated No. 1 Pueblo South by two as Nate Renfrew led three players with 16 points.

    [divider]

    A look ahead to this week’s top games:

    Eaglecrest Overland boys basketball
    Overland and Eaglecrest have a big rematch this week. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Monday, Feb. 1:

    • Cherokee Trail at Brighton.
    • Hinkley at Pomona.
    • D’Evelyn at Evergreen.

    Tuesday, Feb. 2:

    • Rock Canyon at Regis Jesuit is our Continental pick on this night, top-10 battle!
    • We are going Monarch at Legacy in the Front Range.
    • Thomas Jefferson at Denver East in early 5:30 p.m. DPL action. Angels need a win!
    • Doherty at Liberty.
    • Brighton gets their shot at No. 1 Rangeview.
    • Lincoln at Denver South.
    • Big one down south in Pueblo West at Pueblo South.

    Wednesday, Feb. 3:

    • There’s that rematch we’ve been looking for: Overland at Eaglecrest!
    • Legend at Rampart. We’ll find out a little about both.
    • Dakota Ridge at Arvada West is our pick in Jeffco this night.
    • Vista Ridge at Lewis-Palmer.
    • Conifer at Golden in a good one.

    Thursday, Feb. 4:

    • Fort Collins at Douglas County.
    • Fruita Monument at Montrose.
    • Woodland Park at Sierra.
    • Mesa Ridge at Widefield.

    Friday, Feb. 5:

    • Arapahoe/Eaglecrest and Grandview/Cherokee Trail both good in Centennial.
    • ThunderRidge at Legend is the Continental league pick.
    • Fossil Ridge at Loveland if you are up north.
    • Lincoln at Denver East.
    • Rampart at Doherty.
    • Chatfield at Ralston Valley.
    • Hinkley at No. 1 Rangeview.
    • Falcon at Lewis-Palmer.
    • Golden at Evergreen.
    • Conifer at Valor.
    • Pueblo Central at Pueblo South.
    • Niwot at Longmont.
    • Vista Peak at Englewood.

    Saturday, Feb. 6:

    • Prairie View at Horizon.
    • Longmont at Holy Family.
    • Cherry Creek at Thomas Jefferson.
    • No. 1 Rangeview at Vista Peak.

    A cold week ahead, but nice and warm in the gym folks!

  • Ball Fever: “Top dogs” rising in boys basketball

    Regis Jesuit Legend boys basketball
    (Matt Minton/JacksActionShots.com)

    It’s that team where our cream is beginning to rise to the top! We don’t expect a lot of movement in our top-10 polls this week as things played out nicely for the majority of the favorites this week.

    It’s that time of year where balance is rearing its head with a few “top dogs” controlling the top spots!

    Let’s check it out.

    [divider]

    Week in review

    Tuesday, Jan. 9:

    Sierra Harrison boys basketball
    CJ Jennings had quite the night for Sierra on Monday. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
    • This week gets started with No. 1 Rangeview battling adversity and surviving Aurora Central. Check out Stephen Priest’s complete report.
    • Last week’s No. 5 ThunderRidge got a big-boy 18-point, 9-rebound effort from Clay Verk in a league win over Castle View.
    • The Fever Crew made it out to FNE (Montbello) hosting No. 4 Regis on Tuesday, where Jack Eberhard was snapping the shots. Montbello received a tremendous boost late in the game from a Sekou Cisse SportsCenter-style And-1 dunk with 3 minutes to play, but missed free throws and late miscues stopped the Warriors from beating Longmont and Regis in back to back games.
    • Isaac Hirsh’s 18-point, 7-rebound night for No. 7 Rock Canyon helped secure the 6-point road win at Heritage.
    • This kid may be our favorite “stat-stuffin” candidate of the year! We’ve talked about Sierra’s CJ Jennings before and check out the show he put on vs. Harrison. Josh Watt took in one of the best performances of the season.
    • Jacob Pfaffinger led four Fort Collins players in double figures with 20 as they got a big 16-point league win over Monarch.
    • Chaparral having a tough year with a very young squad got 10 points each from freshman Ronnie DeGray and Bryce Matthews in a win over Highlands Ranch. The lone senior on the squad, Dominic Coleman, led the way with 21 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 1 steal!
    • Longmont no longer our 4A No. 1 but they start week strong with 20-point win over a good Thompson Valley squad. Justinian Jessup with 23 and Kolton Bachman 21.
    • Windsor is gaining on top-10 votes in our poll and get another strong win 72-56 at Roosevelt behind a 14-point, 11-assist, 8-rebound effort from Noah Baldwin and 21 points from Jimmy Mitchell.
    • A little Ball Fever “dig” in the stats revealed a Greeley West team that’s playing the ball under the radar a bit at 13-2. They took down Fairview this night and Cordell Gillingham scored 25 points in the impressive win.
    • Vista Ridge, our 4A No. 9, made a fourth quarter comeback and won by 2 at Palmer Ridge with Hunter Maldonado scoring 19.

    Wednesday, Jan. 20:

    Overland Cherry Creek boys basketball De'Ron Davis
    De’Ron Davis had a double-double against Cherry Creek. (Matt Minton/JacksActionShots.com)
    • Sand Creek lefty D’Shawn Schwartz was named to ESPN’s top juniors in the country last week and celebrated scoring 21 points, 5 rebounds in a home win over Cheyenne Mountain.
    • The new No. 2 Eaglecrest again proved they are worthy marching to a 13-0 mark with tough road win at Cherokee Trail. Dan Mohrmann is all over it!
    • No. 1 Pueblo South took on 5A Liberty and pulled away in fourth quarter for the 5-point win.
    • Big De’Ron with the double-double on Wednesday night vs. Creek and Matt Minton snapped the shots.
    • Great to see Nathan Davis’ return to the court for Mullen scoring 12 points but wasn’t enough to take down Grandview, whose Lechaun Duhart scored 20 for the Wolves.
    • Big man Dallas Walton with a 20-point, 13-rebound double-double for A-West but not enough to take down No. 8 visiting Chatfield.
    • No. 5 Golden making it tough for Evergreen to get back in the top-10 holding them off 59-55.
    • Manel Ayol’s 14 points helped the FNE Warriors bounce back from the heartbreaker vs. Regis and got a 5-point road win at Prairie View.
    • No. 2 Lewis-Palmer was looking the part with a 29-point win over Discovery Canyon fueled by Jonathon Scott’s 14 points.
    • Conifer playing well and receiving top-10 votes last week ran into the Valor Eagles losing by 26 as stud Jalen Sanders scored 21 in the win.

    Thursday, Jan. 21:

    • Doherty cruised on this night with SIX, yes SIX players in double figures led by Dalven Brushier’s 17 as they throttled Coronado.
    • Fountain-Fort Carson with a much needed road win at Palmer Ridge behind TJ Lucero’s 19 points.
    • Really expected this one to be tight but Lakewood won by 26 over visiting Rampart.
    • What a week for CJ Jennings, who has another 30-plus-point performance as Sierra routed Canon City.
    • No. 1 Rangeveiw had numerous players in double figures as they did what they were expected — win big — at Northglenn. Perhaps more impressive than the points the Raiders scored was the one point they allowed in the second quarter! Yes, the EMAC not the strongest league to test Rangeview the rest of the way but give props to Coach Palmer for taking all comers in their aggressive non-league schedule!

    Friday, Jan. 22:

    Regis Jesuit Legend boys basketball
    Regis Jesuit beat Legend on Friday. (Matt Minton/JacksActionShots.com)
    • Top-10 match-up in the “Centennial Tough” league Friday night as Overland beat Cherokee Trail! Check out Stephen Priest’s report.
    • Continental league top match was captured by Matt Minton, where Regis held off Legend.
    • Jack Eberhard took in the Arapahoe/Cherry Creek Friday night fest.
    • The East Angels, currently No. 5, took care of business vs. JFK as expected but great to note the return of Samba Dioum for East who had 14 points, 6 rebounds. With the addition of Alex May, as well, East looks to be getting strong!
    • No. 7 Rock Canyon continues to impress with balance and defense. This time only allowing 38 points to Chaparral while the Jags rang up 71.
    • Close early but huge second half run by the No. 2 Raptors lifted Eaglecrest over Grandview, with Colbey Ross scoring 17.
    • Aurora Central entered league play with a bang beating Prairie View soundly and Elijah Coleman scoring 21.
    • The Front Range league beating each other up early and it was Mountain Range’s turn to mix things up as Mike Polson’s 19 help lift them over Fort Collins.
    • Scorekeeper may be looking for a sub or day off after Pueblo West ran it up 102-78 on Pueblo County.
    • Arvada West played Chatfield tough and followed that up with a 23-point win over Lakewood. A healthy Luke Neff, who scored 20, is big for the Wildcats.
    • Wheat Ridge has been playing strong ball which makes Golden 17-point on the road all the more impressive.
    • Joe Golter scored 17 as Holy Family cruised against Berthoud. Holy Family holding steady at No. 8 in 4A.
    • No. 1 Pueblo South continues it’s southern dominance with 24-point victory at Pueblo Centennial.
    • Must have felt like déjà vu for Denver South and TJ as they played a classic game last week only to repeat the down to the wire action in a 80-77 win that the Rebels pulled off again. How about Connor Nelson dropping 30 for D. South along side Chudier Bile’s 22-point, 12-rebound double-double? FRESHMAN ALERT: Bright spot for the Spartans as Jodaun Dotson contributed 12 points in a huge game.
    • Lewis-Palmer took a scare from defending champ Air Academy needing overtime to get the win 75-67. Jonathon Scott with the huge 30-point night!
    • Vista Peak earned a few top-10 votes and Te’Rae Johnson’s 12 points led to road victory at Skyview.

    Saturday, Jan. 23:

    • Kyle Rynearson scored 19 as Bromfield ended the week on a high not pulling the upset in overtime over Holy Family.
    • ThunderRidge started strong 24-12 in first quarter and never looked back as they took bragging rights from Highlands Ranch 74-55.
    • Golden has been hot in 4A but a road trip to 5A Fort Collins brought on a 59-46 loss as Brian Read scored 19 for Fort Collins.
    • Two of our top 2017 guards put on a Saturday night show as Braxton Bertolette (19 points) and Isaac Essien (23 points) for Mountain Vista lead the Eagles to a home win over Fossil Ridge.
    • Our first DPL battle at the historic Thunderdome was GW and FNE (Montbello) Warriors! The Patriots were hitting on all cylinders as Jon’il Fugett could not miss piling up 26 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists. The Warriors were led by Aaris Bonds who scored 20 and Sekou Cisse added 14. Both these squads will have fun tilts with Denver East for the DPL title this year!
    • No better week than CJ Jennings who finished with 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals in Sierra’s 3-point win over Discovery Canyon.
    • Five players in double figures as Lewis-Palmer rolled up 98 points at Elizabeth. The Rangers 14-1 now!

    [divider]

    A look ahead to this week’s top games:

    Chatfield Denver East boys basketball Rudy Carey
    Denver East has a big game against Eaglecrest on Monday. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    Monday, Jan. 25:

    • Get to Denver East at Eaglecrest early! This top-5 match up will be a bang!
    • Castle View ad Dakota Ridge

    Tuesday, Jan. 26:

    • Highlands Ranch at Legend is our pick in Continental play.
    • Greeley West at Fossil Ridge if you are north.
    • Fairview at Boulder rivalry.
    • Lincoln at Montbello.
    • No. 1 Rangeview hosts Adams City.
    • Holy Family at Windsor.
    • GW at TJ in the city!
    • Green Mountain at Golden.
    • Pueblo East at No. 1 Pueblo South
    • Longmont at Silver Creek

    Wednesday, Jan. 27:

    • Cherokee Trail at Arap is our Centennial battle of the night.
    • Regis at Denver East…time to make up a big one!
    • Chatfield at Pomona
    • Lewis-Palmer at Palmer Ridge

    Thursday, Jan. 28:

    • Loveland at Legacy
    • Grand Junction at Grand Junction Central rivalry out west.
    • Pine Creek at Doherty
    • No. 1 Rangeview takes the show to Thornton
    • Valor at D’Evelyn in the old coach’s visit!
    • Centaurus visits Longmont

    Friday, Jan. 29:

    • Cherokee Trail at Cherry Creek will be the game in Centennial this night!
    • Oh, Rock Canyon at ThunderRidge will tell us a lot about both!
    • Fossil Ridge at Broomfield
    • Denver South at GW
    • Chatfield at Lakewood
    • Frederick at Holy Family
    • Sand Creek at Lewis-Palmer
    • Some scoring going down in Pueblo Central and Pueblo West.
    • Pueblo County at No. 1 Pueblo South

    Saturday, Jan. 30:

    • Thunderdome Battle No. 2 is Denver East vs. FNE (Montbello)
    • Doherty at Palmer
    • Sand Creek at Rampart

    We will learn some things this week in league play folks! Get out and support your squad.

  • Ball Fever: Start of 2016 sets the stage for an exciting finish

    Regis Jesuit Overland boys basketball fans
    In a week of upsets, Regis Jesuit took down No. 1 Overland, but was later knocked off by Fossil Ridge. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    All we can say, is WOW! If the first week of 2016 is any indication, we are in store for some exciting days ahead in our big school hoops, folks.

    What a week of upsets, action, and one of our best in the state reaching the 700-win milestone. Congrats Coach Shaw!

    [divider]

    Week in review

    Saturday, Jan. 2:

    Cherry Creek Pine Creek boys basketball
    Cherry Creek beat Pine Creek. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • Coach Carey and staff have done a tremendous job with a new-look Angels squad returning from a strong Hawaii tournament effort to now knock off No. 2 ThunderRidge on their home floor 63-59. An early off-the-court issue could have been a huge distraction for the No. 8 Angels but instead has become a rallying cry for a squad whose senior leaders scored 19 (Buckmelter & Harrell), supported by Daytone Jenning’s 13-point, 8-rebound night in a tough environment. T-Ridge is balanced and had four players score in double figures but East came in with confidence and carried that throughout the match.
    • Cherry Creek won 68-60 over Pine Creek.
    • Grandview was on a nice early roll with some surprising early wins but their first big time test came in the version of No. 5 Regis visiting and the Raiders’ balance was on display with leader Geoff Kelly scoring 18 points in the 20-point win on the road. Jack Eberhard has your action shots.
    • Coach Brad Jansen has started a sweet tradition at Sitting Eagle gym with an annual “alumni” game each January and this year before the “old heads” returned to the court the young Warriors treated the crowd to an exciting 76-69 win over George Washington. Kyle Lukasiewicz is averaging 30 points per game in 2016! Yes, he’s only played one 2016 game so far but boy was he impressive from the field and line along with Ryan King’s 20 points partnered with James Walsh’s 13 getting done vs. the young Patriots. Multitalented Jervay Green led GW with 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists.
    • The 4A action was down south on Saturday as Pueblo Central took down Sierra by eight and in our Ball Fever “dig” for stats this week we found hot shooting David Simental scoring 33 points on 7-of-11 3-pointers for Pueblo West who took down Canyon City.
    • Rock Canyon, currently No. 9 in our poll, looking to rise as they again flex their early season muscle with blowout victory over young Smoky Hill. The Jags are usually the picture of balance but this night sophomore Sam Masten played with “chip” scoring 27 points while snagging 7 rebounds.
    • Chatfield had four players score in double figures, led by Cameron Pearson’s 14 in their win over Boulder. Landon Taliaferro led all scorers with 22 for the Panthers in the loss.

    Monday, Jan. 4:

    Doherty vs. Lincoln boys basketball
    Doherty continued to roll in beating Lincoln. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
    • There may not be a hotter squad right now than Doherty!
    • Pueblo South kept its winning ways alive behind 20 points from Noah Sanders in the 7-point win over Falcon.
    • Devante Jones score 17 and Anthony McFraland 18 but it wasn’t enough to stop a young Highlands Ranch team from getting a big win over Dakota Ridge.
    • How about a 30-6 fourth quarter? The FNE (Montbello) Warriors are flying under the radar but a 25-point win at Sand Creek will open up some eyes for sure. Melek Bar led on this night with 18 points and 4 steals.

    Tuesday, Jan. 5:

    Regis Jesuit Overland boys basketball Ken Shaw 700
    Ken Shaw won the 700th game of his career on Tuesday — an upset of No. 1 Overland. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • Our guy Ryan Casey all over Regis’ upset of No. 1 Overland and Coach Shaw’s sweet 700th!
    • 4A No. 1 Longmont continues to hit on all cylinders as Justinian Jessup scores 26 in their blowout over Centaurus.
    • Despite Antonio Capley’s 20 points Monarch was able to take home the bragging rights in win over rival Ralston Valley.
    • Did not see this coming! Charlie Davis scored 22 as D’Evelyn went into Thomas Jefferson and proved they are a 4A force to be reckoned with winning by 22.
    • Holy Family starting to get some 4A votes in our poll and they pulled off a late two-point win at Frederick. Young Kyle Helbig with 12.
    • Sophomore Sam Masten continues to produce for Rock Canyon and he poured in 19 at Fort Collins to help the Jags win.
    • Aurora Central showed its balance in winning at Smoky Hill by five points with a 17-8 fourth quarter advantage.

    Wednesday, Jan. 6:

    Lewis-Palmer Sand Creek boys basketball
    Lewis-Palmer continues to roll. (Josh Watt/CHSAANow.com)
    • The Fever Crew made it out to ThunderRidge at Rangeview for our top-5 match up. Always impressed with the Raiders guard play but on this night it was big man Elijah Reed who dominated the paint with 16 points, nine rebounds to go along with Tyrei Randall’s game high of 20. The Raiders took on 26-9 vs. the Grizzlies and never looked back!
    • Lewis-Palmer grabbing attention down south and Dan Moorhman was on the scene.
    • Eaglecrest is one talented roster from top to bottom and they continue to roll with 24-point win over Smoky HIll to start league play.
    • Jalen Sanders put in 21 points as Valor passed a test at Wheatridge winning by 12.
    • Unfortunately for Mullen they had to be the guys to face Overland after their first loss and the Trailblazers raced to a 38-point win but it was costly as De’Ron Davis was ejected and will have to sit the next one out. Another Overland weapon led the way in Tyler Stephenson who scored 17.
    • Much needed win for the program as Gateway gets one on the road at Fairview. Demario Williams with 18 in the win.
    • Expected a track meet here and Chatfield did their part ringing up 78 points in win over Lakewood.
    • Cherokee Trail will be in jeopardy of losing their top-10 ranking after taking an early Centennial league loss to Cherry Creek.

    Thursday, Jan. 7:

    • Senior leadership at the guard spot is a great thing to have and Elijah Coleman and Ladarius Thomas combined for 43 points in Aurora Central’s nice win over Highlands Ranch.
    • David Simental had 24 points as he continues to be the scoring force for Pueblo West in their win over Montrose.
    • Abraham Lincoln has taken some tough losses of late but they righted the ship this night with a 3-point win at Broomfield. Umar Jalloh scored 20 in the win.
    • “Stat stuffer” performance:  CJ Jennings scores 26 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and 3 blocks for Sierra in win over Mesa Ridge. Kid was all over the floor!
    • Three seniors in double figures again for the East Angels as they protect the home floor vs. a young Chaparral team. Dominic Coleman scored 17 in the loss while Daytone Jennings led all with 18.
    • A 27 -point, 12-rebound double-double from Dalven Brushier helped hot Doherty make the comeback win after being down at halftime but end up beating Pine Creek by 18.

    Friday, Jan. 8:

    Eaglecrest Overland boys basketball generic
    Eaglecrest knocked off Overland on Friday. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • Overland was without big De’Ron and Jack Eberhard was on hand to watch Eaglecrest take advantage in this top 5 match up! Mark your calendar when this rematch takes place at Eaglecrest!
    • Clay Verk helped ThunderRidge bounce back in a major way scoring 25 points to lift the Grizz over Aurora Central by 27.
    • Had to be a low scoring slug-fest as Lewis-Palmer wins by a field goal 39-36 at Vista Ridge.
    • Matt Minton was our guy snapping the shots as upstart Grandview cooled off a Cherry Creek squad that has been playing well. Lachaun Duhart with 19.
    • In a battle of two squads who have been a bit perplexing to figure out George Washington got the signature win they’ve been looking for on the road at Legend with Daylen Kountz leading the way with 23 points, four rebounds.
    • It would take a huge effort to take down Valor and Kayden Sund’s 18 points led four Golden players in double figures to help fuel the upset Friday night. Look for Golden to firmly plant themselves in top 10.
    • Denver South won by 20 at Pueblo East. A lot of talent and the roster is coming together for the Rebels. Connor Nelson with a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double this night.
    • Another impressive win for Monarch scoring 28 fourth-quarter points to come back on Fossil Ridge.
    • David Simental continue to get a look as player of the week scoring 30 points in Pueblo West’s blowout of Discovery Canyon.
    • Matt Mathewes was on the scene as streaking Chatfield pulled away from Bear Creek.

    Saturday, Jan. 9:

    Regis Jesuit Fossil Ridge boys basketball
    Fossil Ridge upset Regis Jesuit. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • The Sabercats are tough at home and Saturday Fossil Ridge handed Regis its first loss of the season. Braxton Bertolette with 24 points, seven rebounds.
    • Doherty is feeling it! They had nine players contribute to the scoring column led by Dalven Brushier’s 18 in the 34-point win over Liberty.
    • Rangeview may have just locked up the new No. 1 ranking with the week they had knocking off another top-10 team in Cherokee Trail 59-55. They have a date with Regis coming up that should be great!
    • 4A No. 1 Longmont will stay right there at No. 1 as they close the week with a 30-point win over Skyline.

    [divider]

    A look ahead to this week’s top games

    Rangeview Cherry Creek boys basketball
    What will Rangeview, the new No. 1 team in 5A, do this week? (Matt Minton/JacksActionShots.com)

    Monday, Jan. 11:

    • FNE Warrirors at Mountian Vista should be a race!
    • Chatfield at Denver East is the game of the night.

    Tuesday, Jan. 12:

    • Rangeview at Regis for battle for No. 1!
    • GW at Chaparral.
    • Pine Creek at ThunderRidge.
    • Fossil Ridge at Legacy.
    • Doherty at Rampart.
    • Pueblo Central at Pueblo South.
    • Longmont at Niwot.
    • Englewood at Vista Peak.

    Wednesday, Jan. 13:

    • Take your pick in the Centennial this night! We like Cherokee Trail at Grandview as the best.
    • Denver East at Highlands Ranch.
    • Ralston Valley at Chatfield.
    • Lewis-Palmer at Falcon.
    • Golden at D’evelyn looks great!

    Thursday, Jan. 14:

    • Mesa Ridge at Denver South.
    • Hinkley at Thomas Jefferson.
    • JFK at Englewood.
    • Mitchell at Sierra.
    • Sterling at Fort Morgan.

    Friday, Jan. 15:

    • Cherry Creek at Eaglecrest
    • Overland at Arapahoe.
    • Heritage at ThunderRidge.
    • Mountain Vista at Legend.
    • Fountain-Fort Carson at Doherty.
    • Pueblo South at Liberty.
    • Chatfield at Dakota Ridge.
    • George Washington at Rangeview looks fun!
    • Holy Family at Mead.
    • Cheyenne Mountain at Lewis-Palmer.
    • Evergreen at Valor.
    • Longmont at Mountain View.
    • Elizabeth at Vista Peak.

    Saturday, Jan. 16:

    • Grandview at Highlands Ranch.
    • Mullen at Regis always a fun one!
    • Longmont at FNE Warriors will be a test for 4A No. 1.
    • Heritage at Doherty.
    • Palmer at Rampart.
    • Boulder at Rangeveiw.
    • Niwot at Frederick.
    • Thomas Jefferson at Denver South. Who’s the best DPL 4A squad?
    • Liberty at Lewis-Palmer.
    • Mead at Green Mountain.
    • Littleton at Golden.

    What a start to 2016. Enjoy, folks!

  • Ball Fever: Overland makes statement by winning national tourney

    Rangeview Cherry Creek boys basketball fans
    (Matt Minton/JacksActionShots.com)

    The final week of hoops before winter break has left us all begging for more and eagerly awaiting league play when we return in 2016.

    Let’s check out the non-conference, tournament, and out-of-state action that even the December snow, couldn’t slow. And not to be overshadowed by this week’s snow and stellar action on our Colorado courts, the Overland Trailblazers just “blazed a trail” through Las Vegas that will squarely place them in the national rankings.

    [divider]

    Week in review

    Monday, Dec. 14:

    Prairie View Douglas County boys basketball
    Douglas County boys basketball beat Prairie View. (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)
    • Arvada West needed a duo to step up and they got just that in Dallas Walton’s 22-point, 9-rebound effort alongside Will Wittman’s 22-point, 12-rebound double-double in win over Castle View.
    • Monarch has won some close ones early this year and does again with 59-56 win over Loveland.
    • Started slow with a 16-10 first quarter but did the action ever pick up as Douglas County outlasted Prairie View 83-77 with CJ Jetta clocking a 20-point, 12-rebound double-double. Check out Matt Mathewes’ full report.
    • Denver South coming into form and earned a nice 73-70 win over 5A Rampart with an impressive six players in double figure scoring led by senior Chudier Bile’s 16 points, 9 rebounds.
    • The GW Patriots had four players in double figures with Jon’il Fugett and Daylen Kountz both hitting for 23 as they were rude visitors to Gateway in winning 86-52.
    • A lil Ball Fever “dig” into the stats here as we all know the sad news of Chris Helbig missing this season due to injury but how about “FRESHMAN ALERT”: 6-foot-3 Kyle Helbig with 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals in Holy Family’s 12-point win over Silver Creek.
    • Wheat Ridge’s Travis Cohan and Nashon Thomas score 18 to lift them over Frederick.

    Tuesday, Dec. 15:

    Wednesday, Dec. 16:

    Legend Doherty boys basketball
    Doherty knocked off Legend 87-72. (Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com)
    • The Fever Crew made it over to Aurora Central hosting the Montbello (FNE) Warriors in a match of teams hoping to crack the top-10 and continue strong play. Senior point guard Sekou Cisse sealed the deal for the Warriors scoring all points down the stretch, 16 points, 11 rebounds overall for Cisse while the Trojans went totally cold in their gym late in the game.
    • Smoky Hill visiting Rangeview in a weather make-up was the battle of Buffalo youth vs. seasoned vets or the Raiders and Rangeview’s Tyrei Randall’s 22 points along side fellow senior Elijah Reed’s 25-point, 10-rebound double-double was plenty for the No. 3 Raiders to pull away.
    • Really like CJ Jennings from down south at Sierra and his 25-point, 4-rebound, 2-assist, 2-steal night led to a big win over Falcon.
    • 4A Thomas Jefferson came out strong in first half at Cherokee Trail leading early but Jaizec Lottie and David Thornton turned it on second half scoring 27 and 20 points respectively leading to an 18-point romp.
    • Doherty walked into the Legend gym full of confidence and balance … both showed brightly. Check out Matt Daniels’ photo report here.
    • Score keeper was busy as Mountain Range and Prairie View battled to a 92-86 final. Check out Tyler Smith’s “monsta” double-double of 25 points, 17 rebounds in the win for Mountain Range while Trey Marble scored 31 in the loss.
    • The state’s No. 1-squad started the Las Vegas “Tarkanian Classic” tournament on a team beating nationally renowned Cal Poly by 19 points in Vegas!
    • No. 2 ThunderRidge flexed their muscles bullying Columbine 74-31 on the road with nine players scoring led by Stetson-bound Clay Verk’s 16.
    • The score keeper needs to keep the coffee close by and stay alert when Michael Ranson is in the house. “Dirty Mike” struck again this time dropping 45 points as Pueblo Central scored 107 vs Mesa Ridge. Bring your track shoes!
    • Keep an eye on the Bison from Vista Peak! Another strong road win 77-56 at Niwot with Te’Rae Johnson scoring 19.
    • That Arapahoe balance was on display this night as four Warriors were in double figures led by Kyle Lukasiewicz 19 in the rivalry 18-point beating of Heritage.

    Thursday, Dec. 17:

    Chatfield Palmer boys basketball
    Chatfield beat Palmer in OT. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
    • Chatfield, new to the CHSAANow top-10, kept their streak going with a 1-point overtime win over Palmer. Dan Morhmann has the action shots.
    • Well “Aloha” Denver East! The Angels started their Hawaii road trip with 68-44 win over Foothill Nevada. Seniors led as Daytone Jennings scored 16 alongside Deron Harrell’s 15 points.
    • Unofficially we have our buddy sharp-shooter Kolton Peterson scoring 43 points as Lakewood gets a signature win over Mountain Vista.
    • Had to do a lil Ball Fever “dig” on Mead as they are getting votes for our 4A top-10 and take a look at Walker Korrell putting up 28 points as they take down Pueblo East 73-44.
    • No. 3 Ranked Rangeview marched into Cherry Creek and came away with the last second win on Ellijah Blake’s game winning bucket. Matt Minton took the action in.
    • We marked this game as Eaglecrest’s first “test” on the road at a hot Boulder squads home but Colbey Ross’ 21 points helped the Raptors lead from beginning to end and win by 16.
    • Castle View will face a TOUGH schedule in the Continental league and earned a solid win in non league over a good Grand Junction squad 77-73.
    • Dakota Ridge was surging but a surprising Grandview Wolves squad halted that taking them down 77-67.

    Friday, Dec. 18:

    Valor Christian Pueblo Central basketball
    Valor Christian and Pueblo Central battled on Friday. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
    • Mike Ranson strikes another 40-plus game for Pueblo Central but even that wasn’t enough to take down the balance of No. 2 Valor and Dan Morhmann was on the scene. Find photos here.
    • Some northern bragging rights on the line as Legacy and Broomfield tangle. Eagles down by five at halftime battled back to win by two with Nate Lehnerz scoring 14.
    • Boulder has tackled a tough non-league scheduled and that continued as they got back on track with nine-point home win over Aurora Central led by Luke Wilson’s 13 points.
    • Douglas County has been playing good ball but Monarch couldn’t tell as they beat them by 30 Friday night.
    • No. 8 Rock Canyon is another of our teams “rep’n the 303” out of state in Las Vegas as well and Isaac Hirsch’s 20 points got them off to a solid start with 2-point win over Godby.
    • The Sabercats are on the road as well and Braxton Bertolette is on fire this time scoring 22 points in Fossil Ridge’s Las Vegas win over Coral Academy.
    • Let’s continue our look at tournament travelers with Overland beating perennial Utah tough Bingham by nine points in Las Vegas.
    • Speaking of travel efforts, how about Denver East’s 29-8 fourth quarter advantage to get another win in Hawaii over Provo UT 65-46! Deron Harrell led with 17 points and junior guard Joe Abiakam was “stat-stuffin” 11 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals.
    • ThunderRidge making it look easy as well on their road trip winning 74-44 over Tolleson with Wyoming commit Austin Mueller putting in 18 points.
    • No. 3 Pueblo South continues to take no prisoners as they ring up a 90-52 win over Mitchell.
    • Is there a squad with more balance than Doherty’s five players consistently scoring double digits? This night, Kayden Washington couldn’t miss scoring 23 as the Spartans won 94-75 over Mesa Ridge.
    • 4A No. 1 Longmont and Justinian Jessup’s 21 kept their train rolling with a 24-point win over Poudre.

    Saturday, Dec. 19

    Regis Jesuit George Washington boys basketball
    Regis Jesuit beat George Washington. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    • We’ve talked about Regis’ Geoff Kelly coming into his own and his 26 points vs. George Washington did nothing to detract from that belief. Jack Eberhard was in the house Saturday night.
    • The Mullen Mustangs didn’t have a single player score in double figures but didn’t need it to win the title game of their annual tournament beating a solid 4A Sand Creek team by 10.
    • Denver East’s Hawaii run came to an end vs. a strong Moreau Catholic squad. The Angels battled until the end getting the lead down to two points in the final minute before senior Daytone Jennings (16-point, 21-rebound “monsta” double-double) fouled out on a tough call late in the game. Moreau went on to win by 6.
    • Looks like Devante Jones is back in the lineup for Dakota Ridge and it will make a difference as he made his presence felt with 28 points, eight rebounds in win over Arapahoe.
    • This time it was Troy Brady’s turn to lead No. 2 ThunderRidge in their traveling tourney with 17 points in their easy 40-point win over Browne.
    • These FNE (Montbello) Warriors have been finding their way behind senior leader Sekou Cisse who followed up the double-double at Aurora Central with a 16-point, 9-rebound effort as the Warriors ran away from Hinkley.
    • Well, this is something the Fever Crew has simply NEVER typed before: 16-of-21 from 3-point land part of Braxton Bertolette’s 48 points for Fossil Ridge in Las Vegas. Turn him loose Coach Johannsen … turn him loose! That’s the kinda “green light” Ball Fever likes to see!
    • Some sweet double-double efforts this week and in the battle of Highlands Ranch Valor’s Jalen Sanders had 21 points, 14 rebounds as the Eagles beat H-Ranch by 20. And by the way, Dylan McCaffrey can do a little more than play quarterback as he joined our hoops fun scoring 17 points of his own!
    • Mead has been flirting with our 4A top-10 and they played No. 3 Pueblo South tough but South won it 66-61 … need those stats!
    • The Fever Crew likes to call 4A No. 1 Longmont “quietly trucking along” and that’s exactly what they continued to do with 51-32 win over Windsor.
    • Only right we end this week with our state’s No. 1 squad making a huge statement on the national stage taking down Bishop Gorman with a last-second bucket by big De’Ron Davis to seal the Trail Blazers undefeated run in the Tarkanian Classic Platinum Division. Big De’Ron will consistently do his thing vs. the nation’s best as he has proven but the addition of Jervae Robinson returning to the roster and “scoring in bunches” in Vegas led to him bringing home the MVP of the Platinum Division. This run will have Overland knocking on the door of national rankings which is awesome for CO Hoops! Can’t remember a national run vs. top national comp like this. Congrats Coach Fisher and crew!

    [divider]

    A look ahead to this week’s top games

    Rangeview Cherry Creek boys basketball
    Cherry Creek is hosting a big tournament this week. (Matt Minton/JacksActionShots.com)

    The Cherry Creek Tournament dominates the action this week!

    Monday, Dec. 21:

    • Pine Creek at Highlands Ranch get Creek tourney started.
    • Legend is in jeopardy of falling out of 5A top-10 and have to tangle with a feisty 4A Thomas Jefferson.
    • Doherty at Regis as the Spartans seek to take down another Aurora top squad.
    • Fountain-Fort Carson and Lincoln in more Cherry Creek tourney action. ThunderRidge and Denver East continue out of state action.

    Tuesday, Dec. 22:

    • Lincoln at Cherry Creek…they will beat each other up!
    • Fountain-Fort Carson at Highlands Ranch.
    • Pine Creek at Legend in more Cherry Creek play.
    • Eaglecrest takes their show into Chaparral in the evening.
    • Littleton at Gateway.

    Wednesday, Dec. 23:

    • Pine Creek at Cherry Creek.
    • Lincoln vs Legend in Creek tourney.
    • Fountain-Fort Carson and Thomas Jefferson at Creek.

    After Wednesday, the winter break kicks into effect until Jan. 2.

    What a week of hoops folks! The snow couldn’t stop the in-state play and our young men’s performances out-of-state have college coaches and national writers paying attention to what’s going on in the 303 and 719 … as well they should!

  • Ball Fever: Non-league schedule heats up in boys basketball

    Chatfield Lincoln boys basketball
    (Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com)

    Week 1 was called “action-packed” and Week 2 didn’t let us down, starting with an explosive night on the first day of the week!

    The remainder of our hoops week was solid, as well, with awesome in and out of state non-league action along with busy tournament play that gave hoop fans plenty of options.

    [divider]

    Week in review

    Monday, Dec. 7:

    Lewis-Palmer Pueblo Central boys basketball
    Pueblo Central’s Mike Ranson (5). (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
    • Our favorite tweet of the week came from our Colorado Springs supporter and club coach JJ Brimble when he stated, “It’s only Monday…but I’m gonna go ahead and give Mike the player of the week now…” referring to Northern Colorado commit Michael Ranson’s 59-point explosion on Monday night. Check out Ryan Casey’s recap of Ranson’s night and game winning bucket.
    • Matteo Busnardo scored 23 for Mullen but it wasn’t enough to top Max Castillo’s hot hand from 3-point land and 22 points as Mountain Range wins this one by 10.
    • Kyle Ryenearson’s 15 points took down our Ball Fever “sleeper” 4A squad Sierra this night as Broomfield won big by 17.
    • George Washington has faced an extremely tough early season schedule which saw them drop from our CHSAANow.com 5A top-10 and the DPL hopefuls slide continued as Boulder had three double digit scorers led by Luke Wilson’s 15 in the Panthers 10-point win.
    • Elijah Coleman’s 21 led Aurora Central cooling off a hot Monarch team to keep an eye on.
    • Denver South was looking to get on track and a 28-point effort from Chudier Bile helped them do just that with 65-59 win over Greeley West.
    • Wheat Ridge won big over Alameda with Nicco Young and Xavier Dreiling both scoring 11 in a lopsided win over Alameda. First-year coach Marquette Williams will pull the Alameda program together. FRESHMAN ALERT: Wheat Ridge has a big 6’8 youngster named Zeke Van Tuyl who scored his first varsity points with 6, and 1 rebound. Van Tuyl has the height and size to be a force.

    Tuesday, Dec. 8:

    • The Fever Crew made it out to the Ralston Round Up Tournament for an early FNE Warriors and Mountain View match up where we were treated to OT! Jose Orrantia and Dennis Landry were highly impressive scoring 20 points each but it wasn’t enough as sophomore Sindou Cisse calmly set up in the corner for this “walk-off” 3-point game-winner:

    • We also got to take in our two new members in the CHSAANow top-10 as Rock Canyon looked as if they belonged while drubbing a short-handed Arvada West by 28 points in tournament play. Noah Beck led balanced and tough Jags with 17 points.
    • Got to see Grand Junction this week as they took Legend down to the wire so Uintah’s 1-point fourth quarter comeback on them is even more impressive.
    • Ball Fever had to “dig” a bit for this one and check out Will Ross who had an 18-point, 13-rebound effort as Palmer handed Douglas County their first loss.
    • Balance is the name of the game for No. 2-ranked ThunderRidge and Austin Mueller’s 21 points led four Grizzlies in double figures as they took it to the up and coming Smoky Hill Buffaloes 81-46.
    • Thomas Bravo scored 18 points and Dakota Ridge was in control headed into the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold Legend off as the Titans win by two, 46-44. Riley Matticks led Legend with 12 in the win.
    • No. 4 Rangeview put a pounding on Poudre 85-40 led by Tyrel Randall’s 21 and junior Matt Johnson’s 13.
    • Our 4A No. 6 Pueblo West continued to roll as they took the 67-61 win over Liberty. TJ Clark Jr. with 21 in the loss.
    • There was anticipation of No. 1 Overland taking on sharp-shooting Kolton Peterson at Lakewood but Peterson had to miss the bout due to injury and the Trailblazers took full advantage romping 74-38 at Lakewood.
    • 4A No. 1 Longmont looks focused and balanced as three players scored in double digits in the 79-33 thumping of Weld Central.

    Wednesday, Dec. 9:

    Thursday, Dec. 10:

    • The young GW Patriots have faced an ultra strong non-league schedule so far but this night they cruised to a 17-point win over Columbine.
    • Look at DSST Green Valley Ranch rolling up some serious points in the 92-20 win over Atlas Prep led by Jadyn Michael’s 19 points.
    • Ponderosa linked a couple wins in a row as they got the 12-point win over Fort Morgan.
    • Grand Junction Central got defensive, only giving up four points in the fourth quarter to defending 4A champ Air Academy winning 48-35 on the road.
    • A little Ball Fever “dig” found a nice 17-point, 12-rebound “double-double” from Widefield’s Tre Pierre but it wasn’t enough as Alamosa won by 10.
    • Kolton Bachman (30) and Justinian Jessup combine for 50 points as No. 1 Longmont more than doubled Frederick 85-41.

    Friday, Dec. 11:

    • No. 1 Overland flexed their home court muscle only allowing 39 points to Chaparral while big De’Ron scored 22 and slick Reggie Gibson added 21 in the win.
    • Broomfield continues impressive early start with 26-point lopsided win over Fairview. Broomfield was balanced while the Knights provided another Ball Fever “dig” for stats with senior Chris Weatherly dropping 30 points, including 8-10 from 3-point arc!
    • We have a sneaky suspicion Chatfield will be busting it’s way into our CHSAANow top-10 this week and Matt Matthewes has your visual peek at the action in a solid win over Lincoln.
    • Cherokee Trail was point guard strong vs. a good Boulder squad Friday night with Jaizec Lottie scoring 15 points and speedy KJ Sapp dishing out 8 assists in a tight 2-point win for the Cougars.
    • Things looking better for Thomas Jefferson vs. 4A competition as they earned a 12-point win over Mead with Ravel Moody clocking a 24-point, 10-rebound double-double.
    • Jalen Sanders’ 17 points lifted No. 2 Valor to a 20-point win at Columbine.
    • Don’t look now but Holcomb has been beating some teams up and finished the week with a 15-point win over Palmer Ridge.
    • Fever predicted C. Trail and Denver East to get big wins on Friday night even after they beat one another up a bit earlier in the week. The Angels kept their end of the bargain up with a nice two-point road win at always touch Cherry Creek with transfer Daytone Jennings “straight going off!” for a 28-point, 14-rebound double-double. FRESHMAN ALERT: Chap has a very strong looking 6’4 freshman Bryce Matthews who scored 13 in the loss.
    • Coach Rogers has Grandview playing better than expected early behind some huge performances from Lashaun Duhart but they couldn’t slow down the red-hot Rock Canyon crew who took home the Ralston Round Up tournament 62-48. Colin Rardin scored 22 and soph Sam Masten added 20.
    • Windsor is a tough 4A squad and proved it vs. No. 4 5A Rangeview battling to the end but Tyrei Randall’s big boy 29-point, 6-steal, 3-assist “stat-stuffin” effort earned the Raiders the win.
    • Denver South’s roster is looking a lot more settled and it showed as they played Aurora Central tough but Ladarius Thomas exploded for 30 points as the Trojans won late by 3.
    • Is it possible for our 5A No. 6 squad to be doing things quietly? Colbey Ross and the Raptors continue lopsided wins 84-45 at Falcon.

    Saturday, Dec. 12:

    • The Legend Titans will take a slight drop in our 5A top 10 as they lost in the Smoky tournament final to a game Lakewood squad that went unbeaten in the tourney and knocked off Legend by two in the finale.
    • Rivalry renewed as Windsor took down Thompson Valley with Colton Mclean scoring 27 points and seven 3-pointers!
    • “All Aboard!!!!” the Raider train that is rolling as Rangeview swept through the Poudre/Fort Collins tourney and in the final “football tough” Elijah Reed dropped a season high 21 points. The Raiders have a ton of weapons!
    • What a week for Cherokee Trail as they finish with 17-point win over Highlands Ranch and it was Ronnie Barfield’s turn to lead with 13-point, 5-rebound day.
    • Did not expect the CO Springs “Braggin’ Rights” game of Doherty and Sand Creek to turn into a laugher but Brevin Brimble and Dalven Brushier combining for 48 points, 24 each heated things up on a cold night for the 88-54 win.
    • Another top-10 squad not being discussed a lot yet is the No. 7 Regis Raiders. Their showdown with Denver East was postponed so we didn’t get a close look at them but the Raiders took their show on the road and won an out of state tourney over Pinnacle, Ariz. Geoff Kelly is ready to lead and scored 18 points in the final.
    • No stats submitted unfortunately but Pueblo West and Pueblo South looking to stay firmly in the 4A top 10 as they scored 92 and 88 points respectively in Saturday wins!
    • “Ummm….uhhhhh” remember way back at the top of this when we talked about Michael Ranson lighting up 59 and claiming player of the week honors on Monday? Well he capped that thought with a 52-point blast for Pueblo Central in blowout over Summit.

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    A look ahead to this week’s top games:

    Lewis-Palmer Pueblo Central boys basketball
    What will Mike Ranson of Pueblo Central do this week? (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Monday, Dec. 14:

    • Legacy at Mountain Range.
    • Gateway at George Washington in A-Town vs. Denver pride match.
    • Castle View at Arvada West.
    • Rampart visits Denver South.

    Tuesday, Dec. 15:

    • 4A Thomas Jefferson will head into a red-hot Cherokee Trail gym.
    • Highlands Ranch at Valor Christian for suburban flavor!
    • We expect Chatfield to move into the top 10 this week as they visit Mountain Vista.
    • Doherty, fresh off a whoopin of Sand Creek, heads to Legend who is looking to bounce back from first loss.
    • Golden at Fort Collins is solid up north.
    • Smoky Hill at Rangeview for Aurora braggin’ rights.
    • Mike Ranson looks to light it up again as Mesa Ridge visits.

    Wednesday, Dec. 15:

    • A lil neighborhood rivalry with Heritage visiting Arapahoe!
    • Brighton tangles with No. 1 Longmont.
    • Two teams that will want back in to the top-10 in Arvada West at GW.
    • The FNE (Montbello) Warriors will travel south on Peoria Street to Aurora Central.

    Thursday, Dec. 16:

    • Rangeview in for solid test at Cherry Creek.
    • Will Eaglecrest finally get tested at Boulder?
    • Chatfield at Palmer.
    • Mountain Vista and Lakewood will get up and down the court!
    • Pueblo South is rolling and visits Vista Ridge.

    Friday, Dec. 17:

    • Aurora Central at Boulder.
    • Pueblo South at Mitchell.
    • Possible game of the week with No. 2 Valor at Pueblo Central and hot Mike Ranson.
    • Poudre’s turn to take a shot at No. 1 Longmont!

    Saturday, Dec. 18:

    • George Washington continues the tough non-league schedule at Regis.
    • Legend at Liberty.
    • Arapahoe at Dakota Ridge is two tough squads!
    • The FNE (Montbello) Warriors head up Chambers road this time to visit Hinkley.
    • Can Mead be the first true challenge for Pueblo South?
    • Windsor at No. 1 Longmont is best of the day!

    Great to see the non-league schedules with so many top squads taking each other on early in the season we wouldn’t normally see. Part of what makes CO hoops great! Get out and enjoy…

  • Ball Fever: Week 1 lives up to its “action-packed” billing

    Regis Jesuit Columbine boys basketball
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Week 1 of Class 5A/4A hoops was called “action-packed” with the early non-conference matchups and opening tournament action. Fans were not disappointed.

    Impressive individual performances are already stacking up and exciting last-second finishes added to the fun.

    Ball Fever will take a look at some of the big matches which already have great coverage but we’ll also “dig” for those performances that may not have received as much attention but are deserving as part of our ever improving Colorado hoops scene.

    Lets get started!

    [divider]

    Week in review

    Lewis-Palmer Pueblo Central boys basketball
    Lewis-Palmer beat Pueblo Central on opening night. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Tuesday, Dec. 1:

    • Brock Laue was the CHSAANow man on the scene at the huge opening-night George Washington top-5 match up at Overland.
    • The Fever Crew was at No. 2 Legend visiting No. 7 Denver East in another top-10 season-opening match up. Legend’s senior led squad never let the team get too high or low and stuck around until the end where they veteran players were a big part of closing out this comeback. Strong shooting on the perimeter kept them in this one throughout. East was at its best when attacking the hoop and hitting the boards offensively. Jack Buckmelter’s 29 points and leadership throughout proved he’s primed to take the reins for East. Check out Andre Lyseight’s full coverage here.
    • Arvada West has patiently awaited the return of big man Dallas Walton, who has returned from two knee surgeries and did not disappoint with an 18-point, 18-rebound double-double in the win over young and talented Smoky Hill.
    • Our 4A top-10 matchup of the night pitted Lewis-Palmer vs. Pueblo Central and Dan Mohrmann’s all over it.
    • Eaglecrest came out swinging with a 26-point win over up and coming Rock Canyon. The hoops community is fully aware of NCAA Division I-bound Colbey Ross, who scored 20 on the night, but watch out for sophomore Victor Garnes, who scored 18 and was perfect from the field.
    • Sand Creek with top player D’Shawn Schwartz’s 22-point, 15-rebound double-double, alongside Jordan Phillips’ 24 points, elevated Sand Creek over Palmer in a Colorado Springs rivalry game.
    • Ball Fever “Dig”: Sawyer Kirbo scores 33 points for Horizon in rout over Northglenn.
    • Backcourt combo Ladarious Thomas and Elijah Coleman combine for 49 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists in Aurora Central’s Denver vs. Aurora battle of A. Central and Thomas Jefferson.
    • Oh yes, we have our first Ball Fever stat-stuffer of the season in up-and-coming Colorado Springs beast at Widefield Tre Pierre: 25 points, 15 rebounds, 6 assists, 6 steals, 7 blocks. HELLO! Widefield 61-47 over Coronado.

    Wednesday, Dec. 2:

    • One of our state’s top shooters caught fire for Fossil Ridge as they put the score keeper to work beating Thornton 117-71 and Braxton Berolette had 33 points shooting 50 percent from 3-point land.
    • Our preseason No. 3 ThunderRidge came out the gate swinging with five players in double digit scoring, led by Stetson commit Clay Verk’s 17 points in the 84-41 thrashing of Denver South.
    • Junior Quinzel Harding continues the family tradition as he scored 18 points in Harrison’s win over Manual 72-66.
    • Good looking sophomore Daylen Kountz scored 25 points for George Washington but it wasn’t enough as a balanced Chatfield team who will surprise folks this year won 88-83.
    • Big man Frank Ryder’s 20 points helped Fairview to a 47-18 second half advantage leading to a 20-point win over Chaparral. Dominic Coleman with 22 points, 8 rebounds in the loss.
    • The Fever Crew made it out to the ThunderRidge tourney on this night and saw a great back and forth between to of our top 2017guards in Cherokee Trail’s Jaizec Lotie and Doherty’s Brevan Brimble who knocked down this “walk off” game winner:

    Thursday, Dec. 3:

    • Ball Fever “dig” for stats turned up junior Lechaun Duhart’s 33-point performance for Grandview vs. Castle View this night. The Wolves will be looking for leadership with their young squad and Duhart may be that guy! Senior Jake Ellis led Castle View with 21.
    • Love the Centennial vs. Continental matchups and Arapahoe outlasted Mountain Vista 74-70 behind senior James Walsh’s 20 points, who led three Warriors in double digit scoring. Solid early win for the Warriors!
    • Preseason top-10 4A match up as Pueblo South took down Lewis-Palmer 63-59.
    • Cherry Creek on the road in Las Vegas go down by four 43-39 to Durango, Nevada.
    • The Fever Crew got out to a 5A/4A tilt that ended up a lot more lopsided than we thought as Thomas Jefferson visited preseason 5A No. 4 Rangeview. The Raiders were literally flying all over the court! Coach Palmer once again has a perimeter-oriented group that is lengthy and excels in transition. The Raiders were led this night by senior Tyrei Randall, who had numerous athletic dunks leading to a game high 16 points. FRESHMAN ALERT for TJ: the Spartans have a strong-point guard freshman in Jodaun Dotson who played hard until the end of the blowout and finished with 7 points, 3 steals in the 70-40 loss.
    • Douglas County quietly making some Week 1 noise with a 10-point win over HInkley led by Solomon Stark’s 27 points and CJ Jetta’s 19.
    • Under new leadership for the first time in a while the Lincoln Lancers cruised to a first victory on the road in Las Vegas behind Umar Jalloh’s 17 points in 30-point win over Basic, Nevada.
    • Our preview called CJ Jennings perhaps the best player no one knows about and his 16 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals didn’t let us down in the Stallions’ win over Greeley Central.
    • Preseason 3A No. 1 Colorado Springs Christian took down 4A Mesa Ridge in a tight 60-59 win.
    • Impressive win for Vista Peak as they defeated No. 4 Pueblo Central, who got the terrible news they lost D-I commit Kobi Betts to a knee injury for the season. Vista Peak had four players score double figures with Tre Early and Dylan Holt both scoring 14. Pueblo Central star Michael Ranson will now carry a heavy load, and scored 35 in this one. Look for him to be the state’s leading scorer … maybe by far!
    (Valor Christian Air Academy boys basketball
    Valor Christian beat Air Academy on Friday. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Friday, Dec. 4:

    • That No. 2 ThunderRidge balance was on full display this night as Kaison Hammonds led five Grizzlies in double figures in a 25-point win over Doherty that we expected to be a lot closer.
    • Watch out for preseason No. 10 Pueblo South, folks, who took down their second top-10 opponent in one week with 61-58 win over Golden.
    • Elijah Coleman and Ladarius Thomas both score over 20 points but it wasn’t enough to take down Grand Junction out west.
    • Dylan McCaffrey has yet to join the Valor Eagles hoops squad while he was quarterbacking his way to a 5A football title and the way Valor took down defending champ Air Academy without him might place them as a favorite for a 4A basketball title. Read a full recap here.
    • Our Ball Fever 5A “sleeper” was the FNE Warriors and they aren’t quite full strength with big man Relando Rogers out with knee injury but senior guard Sekou Cisse is carrying the weight scoring 32 points in the rout of Thornton.
    • A lil Ball Fever “dig” into the stats caught Tre Pierre’s double-double of 23 points, 14 rebounds vs. Woodland Park.
    • Standout-point guard Colbey Ross struck again with 26 points in Eaglecrest’s 16-point win over Palmer.
    • Mead is playing some good early ball but came up 6 points short vs. No. 1 Longmont and Justinian Jessup’s 23 point, 10-rebound double-double.

    Saturday, Dec. 5:

    • Coach Earl Boykins has Douglas County sitting at 3-0 after Solomon Stark scores 17 in the 81-64 win over Pomona.
    • We mentioned previously that this Chatfield squad is veteran led and tough. They gave ThunderRidge all they could ask for in the tournament championship game the Grizzlies won 62-55. Clay Verk led T’Ridge again with 18.
    • Back in middle school days the hoops community called him “Superman” and now David Thornton is rolling as a senior at Cherokee Trail with a “monster” 36-point, 16-rebound double-double in the Cougars 3-point win over GW.
    • Regis with impressive 30-point win over Columbine. Find photos from the game here.
    • Lincoln, on the road in Vegas, suffered a 23-point loss to Trinity International as the road trip got a lot tougher.
    • Elijah Coleman broke out with 27 points as Aurora Central played their most complete game so far.
    • Two DPL 4A teams Thomas Jefferson and Denver South were looking for wins and got them Saturday after a tough first week. The Rebels win at Chap in tourney play while the Spartans took down Littleton.
    • Emotional week for the Denver East Angels but what a way to finish on the court with a 60-55 tournament title win over Fossil Ridge with senior Daytone Jennings setting the TONE with 23-point, 12-rebound double-double. Braxton Bertolette again scorching 32 points for the Sabercats in the loss.

    [divider]

    Look ahead to next week’s top games

    Golden Vista PEAK boys basketball
    (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)

    Monday, Dec. 7:

    • Mullen at Mountain Range.
    • George Washington travels to Boulder.
    • Monarch at Aurora Central slates two hot teams.
    • Denver South tries to hold momentum vs. Greeley Central.
    • Pueblo Central at Falcon down south.
    • Broomfield goes south to visit Sierra.
    • Fairview at Niwot.

    Tuesday, Dec. 8:

    • ThunderRidge at Smoky Hill in battle of veteran play vs. young talent.
    • Dakota Ridge will test No. 2 Legend.
    • Rangeview at Poudre.
    • Ralston Valley hosts FNE Warriors (Montbello) in tourney play.
    • Out west Uintah at a solid Grand Junction squad.
    • Douglas County looks to stay unbeaten at Palmer.
    • No. 1 Overland visits Lakewood.
    • Weld Central at No. 1 Longmont.

    Wednesday, Dec. 9:

    • Fossil Ridge travels south to Highlands Ranch.
    • Cherokee Trail and Denver East will get up and down the court!
    • Chaparral at Chatfield.

    Thursday, Dec. 10:

    • Grand Junction and Legend looks like a good one!
    • Lewis-Palmer and Fossil Ridge in solid 5A/4A battle.
    • Regis begins its travels vs. Mater Dei.
    • Frederick at No. 1 Longmont.

    Friday, Dec. 11:

    • Boulder at Cherokee Trail.
    • Denver East renews their fun yearly battle with Cherry Creek.
    • Chaparral heads into No. 1 Overland.
    • Lincoln at Chatfield will be good!
    • Sand Creek at Mitchell.

    Saturday, Dec. 12:

    • Highlands Ranch at Cherokee Trail.
    • Bragging rights on the line in Doherty and Sand Creek!

    If Week 1 was any indication we are once again in store for an action-packed season with our perennial favorites looking strong but some nice surprises eager to prove we shouldn’t have overlooked them!

    Looking forward to the ride …