COLORADO SPRINGS — In a moment fitting for its venue, Maya Sanchez knocked down the two biggest shots of her season.
With Pueblo West tied with Colorado Springs Christian, she finally got an open look on the wing. She connected on the 3-point shot. She hit another one on the next possession, giving the CHSAANow.com Class 4A No. 1-ranked Cyclones a six-point lead over 3A’s No. 3-ranked Lions.
West never looked back. On the floor of the Broadmoor World Arena, the Cyclones avenged a 2017 loss to CSCS, coming away with a 41-30 win on the first day of the Rampart Holiday Classic.
The win came, in part because Sanchez and the Cyclones (9-0 overall) in general finally started shooting the ball better.
“This year, I haven’t (made any bigger shots),” Sanchez said. “We always practice on looking for the open teammate and that’s when they hit me. I was open.”
The West offense was out of sync, for lack of a better phrase in the first half, scoring only three total points in the first quarter. Rachel Ingram scored twice that in her own in the opening eight minutes for the Lions (5-1).
The Lions were hoping for more production offensively especially with the way they continued to press the Cyclones and create turnovers.
“We’re one of the fastest teams in the state,” CSCS coach Mark Engesser said. “That’s why we press the whole time. It wasn’t as up and down (the floor) as we would’ve liked.”
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Neither team could establish a rhythm offensively in the first half. As much as the press was causing issues for the Cyclones, the Lions weren’t able to take advantage. Coming in averaging 24 points per game, Megan Engesser only had three in the first half all via free throws.
“We played good team defense,” West coach Gil Lucero said. “It’s not just the girl guarding her, you have to be in good position.”
The Cyclones took a 14-12 lead into the locker room at halftime, but came out firing in the third quarter.
Baskets from Jordyn Keck and Jorden Ross helped build momentum, but it was 3-pointers from Sanchez and Aliyah Aragon that really seized momentum for West. In the fourth, Hannah Simental took control in a way that West fans are used to seeing a Simental take control.
She went to the foul line often and converted on all but one of her free throws. She ended tied with Engesser for a game-high 13 points.
The key for the Cyclones was forcing the CSCS zone to collapse and make room for the shooters on the outside.
“We made made sure to get it into the post because we get a lot of opportunities in our inside-out game,” Simental said. “We had some shooters there and had some people step up and make some shots.”
The team defense that Lucero praised kept Engesser and Ingram locked down enough that the Lions couldn’t battle back.
It was a gratifying win for the Cyclones after falling to CSCS a year ago in the same tournament.
“They’re definitely really good,” Simental said. “They’re going to go far. This is a big win for us.”
AURORA — Dimitri Stanley, Sebastian Cole and Darius Price all scored in double figures as Cherry Creek boys basketball beat Cherokee Trail 60-53 on Thursday.
The Bruins are now 7-3, while Cherokee Trail is 6-4.
To be clear, De Beque boys basketball is off to a hot start. But the Dragons’ 6-0 launching point is much more than that. This team is in the midst of its best season in at least a decade — and maybe even longer than that.
No De Beque boys hoops team has been this good since the squad that went to the state tournament in 2004.
“This year is way different than my previous two,” said junior Dillon Bumgardner. “Winning six games prior to Christmas break hasn’t been done by a boys team in many years.”
Here’s some context: De Beque is 6-0 this season. The team won a combined six games over the past three seasons. Since 2010-11, the Dragons have endured three winless seasons, going a combined 14-124 over those seven campaigns. From 2006-07 to 2016-17, the school’s boys basketball team was 29-181.
So, yeah, things are a little different this year.
“All the hard work that our team has put in to succeed is finally paying off,” said Wesley Ryan, a freshman.
De Beque, a school of 44 students situated just off I-70 between Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction, plays in Class 1A. But the Dragons compete during the regular season in the 2A/1A Western Slope League — which includes powers like Paonia, Meeker, Hotchkiss, and others.
“We weren’t able to compete at that level,” said Rod Graham, De Beque’s coach who is also the school’s athletic director. “We didn’t have the personnel and the experience.”
Now?
“We feel now that we’re a little bit more capable of competing at that level,” Graham said.
(Courtesy of De Beque HS)
And there are two major reasons for that: First, their sophomores became juniors. That group includes Bumgardner (7.7 points, 7.0 rebounds per game), Nando Candeleria (7.2 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.2 steals), and Garrett Jenkins (5.2 points, 6.5 rebounds).
“We’ve had two of our boys that are juniors this year were all-league honorable mention and all-league selections the last two years,” said Graham, who is now in his seventh season.
Second, a trio of star freshmen — all with big-time club experience — have joined the team.
Brennan Rigsby, a 5-9 guard, leads the team with 20.3 points per game, and is also averaging three steals. He’s the grandson of Dave Rigsby and Kim Latham, who both played basketball at De Beque, and the cousin of former Fruita Monument star Gunner Rigsby, who is now running track at the University of Colorado.
Graham said Rigsby is a “kid who can shoot deep threes and take the ball to the hole.”
“We’re not used to having a 3-point threat,” Graham added. “We haven’t had a 3-point threat for three years.”
Ryan, a 6-1 inside presence, is second at 16.7 points per game, and also leads the team with 10.3 rebounds.
“Wes Ryan has worked miracles for our post game,” Graham said. “We haven’t really had a strong post game.”
Jaden Jordan, who is 6-foot-6, is the team’s sixth man, and is averaging 5.7 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
“He’s the most efficient player on the team,” Graham said.
The freshmen have “stepped right in,” Graham said, “and they probably are at a junior-level coming in as freshmen.”
“There has been a pretty big adjustment from middle school to high school,” Jordan said. “The kids are bigger and faster but I think that me and the other freshman have done a good job preparing ourselves to play at the level. We have made a great adjustment to high school and are playing at a high level.”
With only six games under their belt, the team is still working on jelling.
“There’s a lot of dynamite out there in small packages that’s fixing to be lit,” Graham said. “It’s a tough deal with these kids to work as a unit. It’s coming. There’s still a little bit of work to do, but it’s coming.”
Said Bumgardner: “I’m really enjoying playing with the make up of our team the way it is. All aspects of the game are here, now we just need to utilize what we have.”
Once they do, it’s quite possible this team makes a postseason run. There is some history they can use as a guide. De Beque’s boys team made the state tournament from 2002-04, lost in the regional round in 1999 — and won a state championship in 1998.
“We want to finish in the upper half of our 1A/2A league and to go deep into the playoffs,” Bumgardner said, “hopefully ending the season on center court at state playoffs being the champions.”
Added Rigsby: “I’m looking forward to the crazy, intense games.”
WOODLAND PARK — It was a party in the woods on Wednesday night in Woodland Park. And in the middle of it was a hockey game.
Wednesday marked the official home debut of the Woodland Park hockey team. Sure, they’ve played games where they have been classified as the home team. But they finally got to play at their designated home stadium, which just happens to be an outdoor facility.
And any outdoor facility in Woodland Park is, literally, in the middle of the woods. The Panthers fell to Dakota Ridge 11-1, but coach Chad Mason hopes that an annual outdoor came can serve as a building for a program in its infancy.
“The ability to play outdoor hockey — pond hockey — it’s second to none,” he said. “All of who played, all the coaches who played, we grew up on ponds. It’s a great opportunity to build our program.”
The atmosphere alone will make a great selling point in future years. Not just to get kids to come out and play, but for the community to come out and watch and support the team.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
It’s not uncommon to see fans dressed in jackets and beanies at a hockey game, but to see them bundled together under a light fixture that is more suited for a late-season football certainly provides a one-of-a-kind experience, not just for Woodland Park, but for anyone competing in that atmosphere.
“I think it’s great for high school hockey,” Dakota Ridge coach Jeff Towle said. “They said this has been the first time playing outdoor here for them. I don’t know if there’s been another one in the state, but I think it’s great. It gives the boys something to look forward to and gives them something adventurous to do in high school hockey.”
Even in a strange environment and unusual circumstances, the Eagles were able to block out any potential distractions and play sound hockey. They scored the first six goals, which allowed them to soak up the environment a little bit.
“It’s something different that you get to do,” forward Dale Richards said. “The main thing we were worried about was trying to stay warm because we knew it was going to be cold.”
In a town like Woodland Park, cold is not an issue on a January night. The town sits over 8,000 feet above sea level, causing the temperatures to normally take a bigger hit when the sun goes down.
In future years, Mason hopes that the area around the rink can fill with students, teachers and fans and become the highlight of the Panthers’ regular season schedule.
“That is the hope, absolutely,” Mason said. “This one was right after the holiday so I think people are kind of regrouping. We’re a 3A school competing with the big boys and we’re learning a lot. We’re building for the future.”
He wants to be able to point to this game as a pivotal moment in Woodland Park hockey history. He pointed out that with Colton Hudson’s second-period goal — with an assist from Lou Levy — was a historical moment for the team.
The players involved in Wednesday’s game will eventually get to look back fondly on it. They weren’t happy with the result of the game, but they were able to appreciate the unique atmosphere that they hope will eventually grow into one of the best high school sports traditions in the state.
“We want to become a winning team of course, but (future teams) will have fun playing out here,” team captain Colton Ivory said. “Woodland Park has always been good at keeping its head up and playing through the hard times.”
The state speech and debate tournament will be hosted by Rocky Mountain this year.
The CHSAA office made that announcement on Thursday. The 2018 tournament will be held March 16-17 at the campus of the school.
All students who qualify for the state speech tournament will have participated and placed in one of the six regional tournaments throughout the state.
More information about the state speech tournament:
Hosts: Gina DiFelice, head speech and debate coach, RMHS; RMHS administrative staff
Chair: Sarah French-Hahn, Greeley Central High School
Co-Chair: Sally Graham, Castle View High School
Time: TBA
Further information will be available as the state speech tournament approaches.
Woodland Park’s hockey team is in its first varsity season, and while they’ve played “home” games so far this season, nothing has actually been at their home rink.
That’s because the Panthers’ home ice, at the Meadow Wood Sports Complex in Woodland Park, is an outdoor facility. According to CHSAA policy, teams can play one outdoor game per season — and Woodland Park’s game is Wednesday night against Dakota Ridge.
It will be the first true home game in the program’s history. With a 6:15 p.m. start, it will be played under the lights.
“The kids are excited,” said Woodland Park athletic director Michael DeWall. And though many students remain on holiday break, “This one has been on the calendar for some time,” DeWall added, so the turnout should be good.
The complex doesn’t have an ice-maker. The process for making ice is entirely natural.
“It’s completely done by mother nature,” DeWall said.
Volunteers started making ice in mid-December. It was a process of wait-and-freeze.
The team has been practicing at the rink as soon as the ice was finished, but most of those slots have been the latest available, making for a cold workout.
Fortunately, the high in Woodland Park is 47 degrees on Wednesday, and is forecast to be 35 degrees at puck drop.
Dakota Ridge, No. 6 in the latest hockey rankings, enters at 3-2-0 this season. Woodland Park is 0-6-0 so far in its inaugural season.
All competitions in basketball, hockey, skiing, girls swimming and wrestling can continue as of Tuesday. Now, each sport will begin its drive toward the postseason.
Girls swimming has the first championship (Feb. 8-10), followed by wrestling (Feb. 15-17), and skiing (Feb. 22-23). Hockey’s semifinals and championships are March 1 and 5, while basketball’s final rounds will be held March 8-10.
In addition, the first posting of the RPI standings for winter sports is just around the corner. They will be posted for the first time on Jan. 16.
