PARKER — Overland boys basketball notched perhaps its best win of the season to date on Tuesday, beating No. 3 Chaparral 59-51 on the road in Class 5A action.
De’Ron Davis led the way with 17 points for the No. 4 Blazers, while Reggie Gibson added 12 and Austin Conway 10.
Jake Holtzmann had 20 points to lead Chaparral, while Chris Moody had 15 points and 11 rebounds.
DENVER — Top-ranked Regis Jesuit had four players score in double figures in a 79-61 win over George Washington on Tuesday.
Kip Boryla led Regis with 18 points. Elijah Sanford had 13, while Taylor Kallsen and Tony Caseria each had 13.
WESTMINSTER — Mountain Range edged Northglenn in Class 5A boys basketball on Tuesday, 56-54.
Andrew Romero III had 20 points and 10 rebounds in the win.
DENVER — A balanced scoring effort and solid team defense led Mullen’s girls basketball team to an important road victory Monday night.
“We are very glad to get out of here with a win. You don’t come in to this gym and win very often,” Mullen coach Tyler Cline said after the Mustangs’ 42-38 victory on the road. “We knew we were going to be rusty. We knew they would be rusty. I thought our girls did an excellent job in executing the game plan.”
Mullen’s game plan against D’Evelyn, ranked No. 8 in the current Class 4A CHSAANow.com poll, was to contest every shot the Jaguars put up and rebound. The Mustangs (6-3 overall) took a 9-0 lead in the first quarter and didn’t allow D’Evelyn to score until there was 1:40 left in the first quarter.
D’Evelyn (4-4) never led, but did close Mullen’s lead to 37-34 with 2:13 left in the fourth quarter on a 3-pointer from junior Aubrey Sotolongo. However, the Mustangs held on thanks to a key late field goal by freshman Sydney Congdon with a minute to go and three made free throws in the final seconds.
“This is huge. Huge momentum,” said Mullen senior Emily Dryden, who along with freshman Jaden Congdon led the Mustangs with nine points each. “We really needed this win.”
The Congdon twins (Sydney and Jaden) combined for 16 points. Sydney also had the task of trying to contain D’Evelyn senior Morgan Ducklow on the defensive end.
“Sydney and Jaden bring us so much,” Cline said. “They are freshmen and there are times they play like freshmen. I’ve just preached if you just play defense a lot of that stuff won’t matter. They’ve bought in.”
Ducklow had a game-high 21 points in the loss for the Jaguars. Her 3-pointer in the final seconds cut Mullen’s lead to 41-38, but junior Ryleigh Akridge made one of two free throws with under a second to play to seal the win.
“First game back is hard,” Ducklow said of the tough shooting night for the Jaguars. “We’ve just got to keep shooting and they will fall for us eventually.”
Sotolongo finished with nine points for D’Evelyn. The rest of the Jaguars combined for just eight points. D’Evelyn also struggled from the free-throw line. The Jaguars were just 5-of-13.
“We’ve got to work on getting a better balance,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said. “We are going to shoot our 3-pointers, but we need to get lane touches and get some fouls called. We get timid sometimes.”
Mullen finished 14-of-21 from the charity stripe, including 13-of-16 in the second half.
“A win like this against a D’Evelyn team that will probably finish first or second in their league is huge for us,” Cline said.
Mullen was coming off a respectable showing at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix just before the winter break. The Mustangs went 2-2 during the out-of-state tournament.
The Mustangs begin their Centennial League schedule this week with a pair of home games against Overland (Wednesday) and Arapahoe (Friday). Both games are scheduled to tipoff at 7 p.m.
D’Evelyn hadn’t played for 22 days. The Jaguars’ last game was a loss to 4A’s No. 3-ranked Holy Family in the Jungle Jam Holiday Tournament championship game Dec. 13.
“We just talked about the second season coming up and being good in our league,” Olson said. “That’s why you play a tough non-league so you can be good in your league and we have a tough league.”
The 4A Jeffco League season starts up for D’Evelyn on Wednesday. The Jaguars travel to face Arvada for a 7 p.m. tipoff. D’Evelyn is attempting to win its fourth straight conference title.
“I can’t wait,” Ducklow said. “I hope to win league again and keep that streak going.”
There’s another Mattei entering Colorado’s coaching ranks.
Colton Mattei, the son of longtime Regis Jesuit girls basketball coach Carl, was hired as Bishop Machebeuf’s boys lacrosse coach in December, according to Carl. He replaces Austin Lanpher.
Mattei played lacrosse at Regis from 2006-10, where he helped the Raiders to a runner-up finish as a senior. He also played hockey.
Mattei then moved on to play for Mercer, a Division I program in Georgia. After graduating, he coached club lacrosse in Georgia at the 11- and 13-under levels.
This is his first head coaching job at a high school.
Machebeuf went 0-14 last season, and is actually riding a 17-game losing streak dating back to the 2013 season. A 4A program, the Buffaloes play in the Metro League.
Close your eyes and think of the least healthy food that you can think of. Do you dare call this a bad food?
Chances are that you didn’t choose this food because it is unhealthy in a biochemical sense, or a food that you simply don’t enjoy. In the contrary, most of us find that our favorite “comfort” foods are what we consider “unhealthy.”
But, most of the time these foods aren’t inherently “bad.” The trick to enjoying comfort foods is enjoying them with other healthy ingredients or side dishes. Most “unhealthy” meals are actually just lacking variety or are too large in serving size.
If you are trying to make healthier meal choices this season, adding variety and thinking creatively about your favorite dishes can help to break down those negative connotations towards some of your favorite foods. The following are a list of common comfort foods with ideas to improve their nutritional profile.
Comfort Food No. 1: Pizza
Pizza may be the comfort food most commonly under “nutrition attack.” But, making (or ordering) a pizza with the right ingredients can be satisfying and nutritious.
Think of a piece of pizza as you should most meals, considering the MyPlate for healthy eating guide. The correct serving of whole-grain crust topped with cheese, meat and veggies provides a grain, a serving of dairy, protein and a vegetable serving.
The trick is to avoid doubling up on one food group (people tend to double up on protein with pizza) and making sure that the pizza has plenty of vegetables and fruit (think pineapple). Serving pizza with a fresh green salad instead of bread sticks or dessert pizza helps many enjoy pizza guilt-free.
Comfort Food No. 2: Grilled Cheese
One slice of natural cheese is not only delicious warmed between two slices of bread, but counts as one of three recommended servings of dairy people need each day.
Choose flavorful whole-grain breads — finding a whole-grain bread you enjoy is important for obtaining “comfort” food status.
Feel free to be creative with add-ins, such as basil or tomatoes, and serve with a bowl of vegetable or bean soup.
Comfort Food No. 3: Lasagna
Helping in the kitchen? Suggest adding color to your family’s lasagna through vegetables — it’s an easy way to add extra nutrition to lasagna.
Try alternating spinach, zucchini or eggplant layers in between noodles. Most people can’t taste the difference once it is baked together and the added fiber boosts the “nutritional appreciation” for this comfort food.
Comfort Food No. 4: Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Try potatoes in their natural state by adding healthy toppings to a baked potato — shredded cheese, broccoli and cooked beans are all popular choices.
Or try skipping the gravy and mashing potatoes with one-percent or skim milk, fresh garlic and parmesan cheese.
Comfort Food No. 5: Bacon and Eggs
If it’s your turn to make breakfast, don’t feel like you have to shy away from these comfort ingredients.
A frittata or omelet can be a great way to add healthy ingredients to an egg breakfast. Instead of serving slices of bacon, add chopped bacon and vegetable to an egg dish to cut calories. Remember that milk, cheese and yogurt are all healthy dairy choices and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends three servings of dairy each day.
Sprinkling up to 1.5 ounces of cheese on an egg dish enhances the flavor and counts as a serving of dairy.
Comfort Food No. 6: Chocolate Cake
Equally as delicious, with more protein, calcium, potassium and Vitamin D, is chocolate pudding. Try satisfying your sweet tooth by making a box of instant chocolate pudding with one-percent cold milk as a satisfying and guilt-free comfort treat.
For more delicious recipes, visit NationalDairyCouncil.org. Athletes can train harder and perform better with proper nutrition. Visit WesternDairyAssociation.org to read more about milk as an exercise recovery beverage and learn how to eat for peak athletic performance.
AURORA — No. 8 Cherry Creek boys basketball beat Rangeview 70-62 on the road on Saturday as both teams emerged from the winter break.
AURORA — Top-ranked Regis Jesuit boys basketball moved to 8-0 with a 88-41 win over Grandview on Saturday.
Marc Reininger led the way for the Raiders with 14 points, while Elijah Sanford and Vaughn Samson each had 10.
BROOMFIELD — Fourth-ranked Broomfield jumped out to a 26-3 lead after the first quarter and never looked back in a 64-23 win over Standley Lake in Class 5A girls basketball.
Callie Kaiser led the Eagles with 20 points, eight assists and six steals, while Nicole Lehrer added 17 points, five assists and seven steals. Casey Torbet led Standley Lake with 14 points.
Winter sports are ready to resume their respective seasons following a week-long winter break.
Games, matches and meets will begin again on Friday, though the schedule is somewhat light. More large-classification teams are scheduled to play on Saturday, and a full slate across the state resumes next Monday.
The winter season took its annual hiatus beginning on Dec. 24. Voluntary practices were allowed from Dec. 29-31, but no games, matches or meets were allowed until Friday (Jan. 2, 2015).
The championship season will approach quickly. Boys and girls skiing and wrestling’s championships are in mid-February.