CHSAANow

Month: March 2018

  • 3A girls basketball: Lamar’s defense dazzles in win over Pagosa Springs

    (Brent New/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — The Lamar girls saved their best surprise for after the game on Thursday night, running to the bench and grabbing a few makeshift signs to celebrate coach Erik Melgoza’s 200th win.

    Besides that, the Savages stuck to their routine.

    Sophomore Cali Clark had 16 points and 18 rebounds and No. 10 Lamar’s defense dazzled in a 42-33 win over No. 2 Pagosa Springs in the Class 3A girls basketball state quarterfinals.

    The Savages are back in the semifinals for a second straight season thanks to their gritty, no-nonsense style of play. One more win, and they will return to the state title game in hopes of a repeat.

    “Defense wins basketball games,” Melgoza said. “So that’s what we do. We play good defense.”

    Baillie Kee and Alexa Comstock each added eight points for the Lamar (21-4), which held Pagosa Springs (20-4) to 38 percent shooting and won the rebound margin 40-21.

    Even more dominant, the Savages held the Pirates scoreless for 10 minutes and 3 seconds as they built a 26-17 lead late into the third quarter.

    “They are not the 10 seed,” Pagosa Springs coach Wes Lewis said. “You ask any coach in the state to say it with a straight face. … That is a really good team.”

    Morgan Lewis scored 17 and Devin Wilson added 10 points for the Pirates. Fighting back from an 11-point deficit with 4 minutes remaining, the two hit consecutive 3s to close the margin to 38-33 with 1:45 left.

    The Savages, though, countered with the last four points. Clark capped it off, hurling a pass three-quarters of the court to Comstock for an easy layup in the waning seconds.

    Lamar, which has held opponents to 25.5 points per game this year, will face hot-shooting St. Mary’s in the semifinals Friday.

    “This year is different than last year because we have the same personnel,” Kee said. “But it’s the same concept. Everyone has to be locked in all the time.”

    The Savages used a 15-8 run in the first half to go up 19-13 midway through the second. Pagosa Springs closed it to 19-17 late in the quarter before Lamar’s D squeezed shut.

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    (8) Moffat County 44, (1) Kent Denver 32

    Brooke Gumber had 12 points and 14 rebounds, Jana Camilletti also had 12 points and the Bulldogs (20-5) upset the No. 1 Sun Devils (21-4).

    Moffat County outscored Kent Denver 25-2 in the first half and then held on to punch its ticket to the semifinals.

    Julia Doyle led the Sun Devils with 11 points.

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    (4) Colorado Springs Christian 52, (5) Centauri 37

    Megan Engesser scored 16 and Rachel Ingram added 14 points as the Lions (22-3) moved on to the semifinals for the second straight year.

    Melissa Wilson led the Falcons (21-3) with 13 points and Ember Canty had 18 rebounds.

    CSCS scored 21 points off turnovers and led 43-22 after three quarters.

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    (3) St. Mary’s 64, (6) Cedaredge 33

    Makenna Bodette had 22 points and 13 rebounds, and the Pirates (24-1) outscored the Bruins 22-1 in the opening quarter in a runaway victory.

    Josephine Howery had 13 points and Catherine Cummings scored 11 off the bench for St. Mary’s.

    Courtney Freeman had eight points for Cedaredge (21-4) and Grace Andrews added seven.

  • 3A boys basketball: Phelps does it all as Bayfield beats Alamosa

    (Brent New/CHSAANow.com)

    DENVER — Bayfield’s Ryan Phelps struggled from the field in an otherwise standout performance on Thursday evening.

    He found the net when needed, too.

    The red-headed bruiser had 10 points, 16 rebounds and five emphatic blocks, helping the No. 7 Wolverines beat No. 2 Alamosa 43-38 in the Class 3A state quarterfinals.

    He saved his best for last.

    Clinging to a 40-38 lead in the final 35 seconds, Phelps came up with a steal, a defensive board and hit three free throws to hold off the Mean Moose. It was the kind of clutch performance that allowed the senior and his coach to look past his 2-for-13 shooting.

    “We focus on defense and rebounding first in our program tonight, and he epitomizes that,” Bayfield coach Jeff Lehnus said. “He may not have scored many points tonight, but he did everything else. And then he made those clutch points.”

    Hayden Farmer had 13 points and Keyon Prior and Dax Snooks each had eight for the Wolverines, who shot just 31 percent in the win. Ry Adams had a game-high 16 for the Mean Moose.

    It was the fourth meeting of the season between the Intermountain League rivals — and it went much like the first three, with gritty defense and pound-them-out buckets leading the way.

    The season series ended in a split with Bayfield winning the last two, including the district championship on Feb. 24.

    “It was a pleasure to be a part of a league with two teams this good,” Alamosa coach Brandon Brubacher said. “It was tough to face them again, but that’s what happens when two teams are doing this well.”

    Adams put Alamosa on his back in the opening minutes of the third, scoring eight straight points to give the Mean Moose their only lead of the night. The 6-2 senior swished two 3s and capped off his solo run with a nifty reverse layup to make it 24-23 with 5:49 left in the quarter. But it was short-lived.

    Alamosa led for 20 seconds before Farmer hit two free throws to put Bayfield back in the lead for good.

    “It was 20 seconds too long,” cracked Lehnus.

    Bayfield led 23-16 at half, using an all-around performance from Phelps to lead the way. The Mean Moose didn’t have an answer for him in the paint early on and wouldn’t score from the field until there was 24 seconds left in the first.

    Phelps showed more of his all-around dominance in the second, too, soaring high for a crushing block at the hoop and following it with a quick steal and hoop moments later to put the Wolverines up 18-11.

    “I just want to win,” he said.

    Bayfield will face No. 6 Faith Christian in the semifinals Friday.

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    (6) Faith Christian 65, (14) Manual 57

    Blair McVicker had 25 points and Jonah Gardner added 20 points, leading the Eagles (19-6) back to the semifinals.

    The Eagles are one win away from returning to the state championship, where they lost to Sterling 48-47 a year ago.

    Jaedon Bowles had 17 points and nine rebounds for Manual (16-9). The Thunderbolts finished with their third straight winning season.

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    (12) Lutheran 53, (20) Colorado Academy 46

    Matthew Thompson scored 17 as the Lions (19-6) moved into the semifinals with a win over the Mustangs (16-9).

    Thompson shot 6 of 8 from the field and to lead Lutheran, which shot 51 percent. Justin Kenny added 14 off the bench and Kole Brandon had 11.

    DeAnte Dennis led Colorado Academy with 20 points and Alex Mushkin had 16.

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    (1) Sterling 58, (9) Strasburg 23

    Sterling’s season is now  just two wins away from perfection.

    Bodie Hume scored 24 — one more than the Indians (18-7) — and the Tigers (24-0) moved on to the semifinals.

    Sterling shot 51 percent from the field and held Strasburg to less than 20 percent shooting.

  • Regis Jesuit advances to 5A girls hoops title game by topping Lakewood

    Regis sophomore Jada Moore, right, hugs Lakewood sophomore Nadia Trevizo after the Raiders’ 47-34 Class 5A state semifinal victory late Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    DENVER — Regis Jesuit girls basketball has simply been unbeatable in the state of Colorado during the 2017-18 season.

    The No. 6-seeded Raiders stayed undefeated against in-state programs and games played in Colorado this season with a 47-34 Class 5A state semifinal victory over No. 2 Lakewood late Thursday night at the Denver Coliseum.

    “The fact that we haven’t lost in Colorado was a big slap in the face that we were the sixth seed,” Regis sophomore Jada Moore said. “It only made us want to work harder.”

    The three losses Regis (24-3 record) has suffered this season came against teams from Nevada, California and Ohio in out-of-state tournaments. The Raiders’ win over Lakewood (23-4) adds to an impressive postseason run that includes wins over Broomfield, Cherry Creek and Horizon.

    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Regis faces defending 5A state champion Grandview in the championship game scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10, back at the Coliseum.

    “We have a great team,” Moore said. “I feel like we have everything we need to win a state title this year.”

    Grandview cruised past Fossil Ridge 54-38 in the earlier 5A semifinal.

    Regis held a 19-13 lead at halftime. The Raiders jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the opening minutes before the Tigers could get anything going offensively. Still, Lakewood struggled scoring throughout the first half going 5-for-24 from the field for 20.8 percent shooting in the opening half.

    “Field goal percentage and rebounding was the name of that game,” Lakewood coach Chris Poisson said after the Tigers’ 16-game winning streak was snapped. “We have been on fire the last month. It was kind of bound to happen to have a bad shooting night.”

    Lakewood finished shooting 11-for-45 for 24.4 percent. Senior Jessica Woodhead was the lone Tiger to reach double-digit with a 12 points.

    “In all honest, not really,” Moore said when asked if she was surprised by the Raiders’ defensive effort. “We take pride in defense. Our defense is very intense and it’s hard to get up good shots on us.”

    The Raiders pushed their lead to double-digits early in the third quarter thanks to an early 3-pointer from senior Jasmine Gaines and a pair of inside buckets from senior Noelle Cahill.

    “The third quarter has usually been our quarter,” Regis coach Carl Mattei said.

    Regis extended the lead to 32-16 thanks to six straight points from Moore. Lakewood senior Camilla Emsbo finally stopped the Raiders’ 10-0 run with 2 minutes left in the third quarter.

    “Defense wins championships,” Mattei said. “It was a old-time heavyweight fight. We were in the 10th round and we were able to get a little separation.”

    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

    Junior Francesca Belibi put the icing on the cake for Regis scoring 10 of her game-high 14 points in the final quarter.

    It will be the sixth 5A title game for the Raiders since 2008. Regis is 3-2 in championship finals during decade-long stretch where the Raiders have reached the title game more than any other 5A girls basketball program.

    Regis was also the 4A state runner-up in 2006 before making the jump up to 5A.

    While Lakewood came up short on returning to the 5A title game for the second straight year, the Tigers’ playoff run this season might be a little more impressive than last season as the No. 9 seed. Even before the start of the 2017-18 season the Tigers lost 6-foot-5 senior Kira Emsbo for the season.

    Kira, twin sister of Camilla Emsbo, underwent knee surgery just before the start of the season to repair a torn ACL. Lakewood identical twins will actually face off against each other in college. Kira has signed with Princeton University and Camilla will play for rival Ivy League program Yale University.

    “No shame,” Poisson said. “Regis was better tonight. My hats off to them.”

    The semifinal between Lakewood and Regis was the second meeting this season. The Raiders took a 59-42 win over the Tigers at the La Jolla County Day Tournament on Dec. 1 in California.

    (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)

  • Photos: No. 5 Chaparral girls lacrosse opens season with win over No. 10 Dakota Ridge

    PARKER — Hannah Mill scored five goals to lead No. 5 Chaparral to a 12-10 win over No. 10 Dakota Ridge on Thursday.

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  • Photos: Douglas County girls soccer tops Bear Creek in season opener

    LAKEWOOD — The Douglas County offense didn’t need to ease into the season. The Huskies grabbed a 4-2 win over Bear Creek on Thursday.

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  • Photos: No. 1 Cherry Creek baseball holds off rally from No. 8 Legend

    PARKER — Tyler Schultz went 2-for-4 with a double and a RBI as Class 5A No. 1 Cherry Creek beat No. 8 Legend 6-5 on Thursday.

    Justin Boyd blasted two home runs for the Titans, who scored two in the bottom of the seventh inning, but couldn’t climb all the way back.

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  • Replay: State basketball’s Final 4 games

    The 2018 state basketball tournaments continue with the Final 4 rounds in all classes. We have complete live coverage.

    Brackets:

    More:

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    Live coverage

    Live Blog State basketball tournaments (3/9/18)
     

  • Rock Canyon’s Sam Masten named boys basketball player of the year by Gatorade

    Rock Canyon ThunderRidge boys basketball
    (Marcus Gipson/Jmariahimages.com)

    Sam Masten, the Rock Canyon senior who has helped lead his team to the Class 5A Final 4, was named Colorado’s boys basketball player of the year by Gatorade on Thursday.

    Masten now becomes a finalist for the national player of the year award, which will be announced later this month.

    A 6-foot-3, 170-pound guard, Masten is averaging 22.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.6 steals so far this season. The University of Northern Colorado recruit is a two-time first-team all-state selection in 5A.

    “Sam is a great high school player and plays hard night in and night out,” Eaglecrest coach Jarris Krapcha said of Masten. “He is very smart and very tough. He can finish at the rim through contact better than just about anyone in Colorado.”

    Masten carries a 3.84 GPA, and volunteers locally at the Ronald McDonald House of Denver.

  • Ball Fever: Previewing the 4A and 5A boys basketball Final 4 matchups

    Doherty ThunderRidge boys basketball
    (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    Hard to imagine our Colorado big-school 5A/4A ball getting any better than what we were treated to in the Great 8, folks.

    But, it is not a stretch AT ALL to say we have the match-ups laid out for our Final 4 to be even better!

    Let’s see how we got here and preview the bouts.

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    5A Final 4 Preview

    Tremendous action from the Great 8 captured in our Great 8 recaps:

    (2) ThunderRidge vs. (6) Grandview

    Doherty ThunderRidge boys basketball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    Our first 5A game, at 7 p.m. is No. 2 seed ThunderRidge vs. No. 6 seed Grandview. The Grizzlies, with only one loss on the season and 25 wins, look to keep their streak going after their last-second win over Doherty has them feeling like this is their time.

    T-Ridge faced a lot of size from Doherty and the Spartans started out more physical in the Great 8 match. Coach Ortiz’s timely adjustments from zone to man and the team picking up the overall intensity to match the Spartans eventually did the trick. The Grizzlies will again have their hands full on the inside in the likes of Dayne Prim. We’ll see if they have the answer, again.

    Chaparral Grandview boys basketball
    (Jeff Tucker/jefferywtucker.zenfolio.com)

    Grandview shot the ball best of all the 5A teams in the Great 8 and can thank five 3-pointers from Tyler Unger and Ben Boone as the reason they took control over Chaparral. The Wolves will need that inside/out punch again to match what Dayne Prim does on the inside (14 points, 7 rebounds per game).

    Grandview averages about eight points less per game than T-Ridge, and statistically slow down more in the second half than the Grizzlies do so the pace of this game will be interesting.

    T-Ridge has used its 2-1-2 zone vs. teams with size this season and we’ll see if they use that to stifle Prim’s inside play but that can leave Unger and Boone with open looks from three point land.

    Fun chess match to come…

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    (1) Rock Canyon vs. (5) George Washington

    Rock Canyon Overland boys basketball
    (Marcus Gipson/Jmariahimages.com)

    The late game, at 8:30 p.m., some argue could be the state title game if these two powers weren’t on the same side of the bracket — and, oh yes, No. 1 Rock Canyon vs. No. 5 GW is a rematch!

    No shortage of senior leadership here with the likes of Jon’il Fugett, Xavier Cooper, Sam Masten, and Tyson Gilbert in the back court for their squads. Our Fever Crew is a big fan of senior guard play down the stretch and this will be a treat to close out the night.

    Sam Masten, one of out state’s top players headed to Northern Colorado who was just named the Gatorade player of the year, is the key to the Jaguars attack averaging 22 points per game and leading his team in four of five major statistical categories. But, as soon as you focus on Masten here comes smooth, slashing fellow senior Tyson Gilbert who can get to the rim with either hand as well.

    The duo combined for 34 points in Great 8 win vs. Overland who had previously shut teams down.

    Smoky Hill George Washington boys basketball
    (Marcus Gipson/Jmariahimages.com)

    The Patriots leader and floor general is undoubtedly Jon’il Fugett who we’ve seen has no fear in stepping up to the plate in pressure situations. His ability to use his quickness to beat Kenny Foster with the dribble and then shoot the timely floater over a big man in the Great 8 finish sums up his body control and ability all in one play.

    Another key to the Patriots is that all ten players on the roster have the ability to contribute and they will need that depth to knock off No. 1!

    Our Fever Crew was at “Round 1” of this rematch in early December and honestly the Patriots looked confused and out-of-sorts early in the season. It was not a good showing by GW in tournament play on Rock Canyon’s home court as the Jaguars won the game easily 75-50. The 23-8 third-quarter advantage was key in stretching out that lead.

    GW will be focused and eager to prove they are a different squad than on Dec. 1 and the Jaguars will simply look to continue their steady play and not stray away from what got them here.

    We have mentioned the stellar guard play we will all be treated to but this could be decided inside as senior Blake Williams of Rock Canyon will have a task on his hands with Tray Pierce and Mo Diallo in the front court for GW.

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    4A Final 4 Preview

    The heroics of Matthew Ragsdale, star power of two-sport stud Marcell Barbee, scoring prowess of Luke Johnson, Joel Scott on a mission, and the veteran Nieyem’e Smeyer-Williams court leadership … this Final 4 has a bit of it all!

    (2) Lewis-Palmer vs. (6) Pueblo West

    Lewis-Palmer boys basketball
    (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)

    On paper we have a pretty balanced battle here. Pueblo West struggled in some of the rivalry games we’ve seen them excel in, in the past while Lewis-Palmer has lost only two games the entire season.

    Pueblo West will ride the back of their veteran PG star Smeyer-Williamsm while the difference maker could be in the Rangers’ Joel Scott who, even as a junior, has been described as a man amongst boys in 4A this year.

    Scott also has a running mate in Matthew Ragsdale who can heat up behind the arc and is obviously not afraid to step up for the big shot when needed.

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    (1) Pueblo South vs. (5) Longmont

    (Charles Hurley/@PuebloRdoSports)

    Our top seed Pueblo South and No. 5 seed Longmont both enter this Final 4 as two-loss teams on hot streaks.

    Both squads are unbeaten league champs averaging in the 60 point-per-game range. This will be good!

    We love great matchups in sports and Pueblo South with their core of players returning to the Coliseum from last year and 4A Football Player of the Year Marcell Barbee would be the great of this matchup. Longmont is the “blue collar” team coming in looking to shock and upset.

    Don’t be fooled, though: Longmont has a stud lead man in Luke Johnson who averages 20 points per game who is more than capable of stealing the show!

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    Cancel all plans for Friday and Saturday, folks. There’s only one place to be and that’s the Denver Coliseum for the conclusion of our big school boys hoops.

    It will be more than worth the price of admission!

  • Replay: The state basketball tournaments in all classes

    The 2018 state basketball tournaments are in full force around the state. We have complete live coverage.

    Brackets:

    • Boys basketball: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
    • Girls basketball: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

    More:

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    Live coverage

    Live Blog State basketball tournaments (3/8/18)