Tag: Ralston Valley

ThunderRidge enters 5A girls hoops’ top 5 in latest poll

Highlands Ranch ThunderRidge girls basketball — ThunderRidge is ranked No. 5 in 5A this week. (Mark Adams)

ThunderRidge’s big win over Highlands Ranch has the Grizzlies entering the top 5 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A girls basketball poll.

ThunderRidge, No. 8 last week, upset then-No. 2 Highlands Ranch on Friday. Monday morning, the squad moved up three spots to No. 5. Highlands Ranch dropped two to No. 4.

Regis Jesuit extended its stay atop the 5A ranking. The other No. 1s — Broomfield (4A), Holy Family (3A), Lutheran and Caliche (1A) — also stayed put.

Newcomers this week include No. 10 Longmont in 4A, No. 7 Salida in 3A, No. 10 The Vanguard in 2A and No. 10 Gilpin County in 1A.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Girls Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Class 5A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Regis Jesuit (14)	15-2	149	1	2-0
2	Grandview	15-2	121	3	2-0
3	Fossil Ridge (1)	17-0	118	4	2-0
4	Highlands Ranch	15-2	106	2	1-1
5	ThunderRidge	12-4	89	8	2-0
6	Lakewood	17-1	68	7	2-0
7	Castle View	13-4	51	5	1-1
8	Cherry Creek	15-2	44	6	1-1
9	Mountain Vista	14-3	31	9	1-1
10	Ralston Valley	13-4	11	10	1-1
Others receiving votes:
Rock Canyon 10, Horizon 9, Pine Creek 6, Arapahoe 4, Denver East 4, Rampart 4.
Dropped out
None.

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Broomfield (16)	17-0	169	1	2-0
2	Mesa Ridge (1)	17-0	149	2	3-0
3	Pueblo South	17-1	140	3	3-0
4	Valor Christian	15-3	92	5	1-0
5	Sand Creek	12-3	90	6	1-0
6	Elizabeth	15-2	78	4	1-1
7	Glenwood Springs	15-0	72	7	1-0
8	D’Evelyn	13-3	62	8	2-0
9	Pueblo West	13-4	30	9	1-1
10	Longmont	13-3	20	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Palmer Ridge 14, Green Mountain 12, Montrose 3, Pueblo East 3, Pueblo County 1.
Dropped out
Palmer Ridge (10).

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Holy Family (12)	15-1	154	1	2-0
2	Pagosa Springs (4)	13-0	145	2	1-0
3	Lamar	14-0	132	3	1-0
4	Sterling	12-2	107	4	1-0
5	Strasburg	13-2	57	6	2-0
6	Olathe	12-2	48	7	2-0
7	Salida	12-3	46	–	3-0
8	Eaton	10-4	44	9	1-0
9	Peak to Peak	10-4	43	5	0-1
10	Centauri	11-4	21	8	1-1
Others receiving votes:
St. Mary’s 20, Grand Valley 14, Platte Valley 12, Jefferson Academy 11, Trinidad 7, Bishop Machebeuf 5, Ellicott 5, Alamosa 3, The Classical Academy 2, Manitou Springs 2, The Academy 2.
Dropped out
Brush (10).

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Lutheran (13)	12-1	130	1	2-0
2	Akron	11-1	107	2	2-0
3	Peyton	12-1	101	3	0-0
4	Yuma	12-1	92	4	1-0
5	Liberty Common	13-0	78	5	1-0
6	Meeker	13-1	63	6	2-0
7	Hoehne	12-1	52	7	2-0
8	Paonia	11-3	36	8	0-0
9	Sangre de Cristo	11-3	30	9	2-0
10	The Vanguard	12-1	12	–	0-0
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 11, C.S. School 1, Del Norte 1, Simla 1.
Dropped out
Heritage Christian (10).

Class 1A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Caliche (7)	12-0	79	1	1-0
2	Idalia (1)	13-0	65	2	2-0
3	Eads	12-1	62	3	1-0
4	Norwood	11-1	50	4	2-0
5	Dove Creek	10-2	45	5	0-1
6	Kit Carson	10-3	36	6	1-1
7	Briggsdale	9-2	30	7	2-0
8	Prairie	9-3	21	8	0-0
9	South Baca	11-3	15	9	1-0
10	Gilpin County	12-3	13	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Cheraw 8, Centennial 5, Rocky Mountain Lutheran 5, Liberty 2, McClave 2, Holly 1, Liberty/Stratton 1.
Dropped out
Cheraw (10).

February 3, 2014

Top-10 girls basketball schedule for the week of Feb. 3

A complete schedule and scoreboard for girls basketball’s top-10 teams this week.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
[divider]

Class 5A
1	Regis Jesuit	17-2
	Wed: W 69-38 at (4) Highlands Ranch
	Fri: W 76-20 vs. Heritage
2	Grandview	17-2
	Wed: W 53-41 vs. Mullen
	Fri: W 82-47 vs. Cherokee Trail
3	Fossil Ridge	18-1
	Tues: W 68-27 at Boulder
	Fri: L 32-53 at Poudre
4	Highlands Ranch	15-4
	Wed: L 38-69 vs. (1) Regis Jesuit
	Sat: L 52-64 at Rock Canyon
5	ThunderRidge	14-5
	Tues: W 64-21 at Heritage
	Wed: W 38-36 at Grand Junction
	Sat: L 52-55 at (9) Mountain Vista
6	Lakewood	19-1
	Wed: W 60-35 vs. Columbine
	Fri: W 58-33 at Pomona
7	Castle View	15-4
	Tues: W 64-32 at Legend
	Fri: W 76-47 vs. Littleton
8	Cherry Creek	16-2
8	Fri: W 57-38 vs. Mullen
9	Mountain Vista	16-3
	Tues: W 90-37 at Ponderosa
	Sat: W 55-52 vs. (5) ThunderRidge
10	Ralston Valley	15-4
	Tues: W 77-39 vs. Pomona
	Fri: W 83-47 vs. Bear Creek

Class 4A
1	Broomfield	19-0
	Tues: W 57-19 vs. Silver Creek
	Fri: W 84-38 at (10) Longmont
2	Mesa Ridge	19-0
	Tues: W 40-25 at Sierra
	Fri: W 64-25 vs. Widefield
3	Pueblo South	19-1
	Tues: W 62-33 vs. Pueblo County
	Fri: W 59-49 at Canon City
4	Valor Christian	17-3
	Mon: W 68-41 at Thompson Valley
	Sat: W 62-39 vs. Cheyenne Mountain
5	Sand Creek	14-3
	Tues: W 73-30 vs. Lewis-Palmer
	Fri: W 51-43 at Air Academy
6	Elizabeth	16-2
6	Fri: W 68-33 at Fort Morgan
7	Glenwood Springs	17-0
	Fri: W 56-31 at Delta
	Sat: W 50-18 vs. Battle Mountain
8	D’Evelyn	14-4
	Tues: W 66-43 at Conifer
	Fri: L 57-61 vs. Evergreen
9	Pueblo West	15-4
	Tues: W 55-44 at Pueblo East
	Fri: W 51-23 vs. Pueblo Central
10	Longmont	15-4
	Tues: W 75-56 at Niwot
	Fri: L 38-84 vs. (1) Broomfield
	Sat: W 66-42 at Skyline

Class 3A
1	Holy Family	16-1
1	Tues: W 67-18 at Colorado Academy
2	Pagosa Springs	14-0
2	Sat: W 62-24 at (10) Centauri
3	Lamar	16-0
	Fri: W 39-34 vs. La Junta
	Sat: W 56-38 at Pueblo Centennial
4	Sterling	12-3
4	Sat: L 35-36 at (5) Strasburg
5	Strasburg	14-3
	Fri: L 32-35 at Platte Valley
	Sat: W 36-35 vs. (4) Sterling
6	Olathe	12-4
	Mon: L 53-58 at Moffat County
	Fri: L 36-52 at Grand Valley
7	Salida	12-4
7	Fri: L 40-46 at Buena Vista
8	Eaton	12-4
	Tues: W 55-43 vs. Frontier Academy
	Fri: W 48-45 at Estes Park
9	Peak to Peak	12-4
	Tues: W 60-38 vs. Kent Denver
	Fri: W 51-34 vs. Bishop Machebeuf
10	Centauri	12-5
	Fri: W 42-36 at Alamosa
	Sat: L 24-62 vs. (2) Pagosa Springs

Class 2A
1	Lutheran	14-1
	Tues: W 81-36 vs. Manual
	Fri: W 53-21 vs. Colorado Academy
2	Akron	12-2
	Fri: W 63-41 vs. Wray
	Sat: L 41-52 at (4) Yuma
3	Peyton	13-1
	Fri: W 79-46 at Kiowa
	Sat: vs. Calhan
4	Yuma	14-1
	Fri: W 68-24 vs. Haxtun
	Sat: W 52-41 vs. (2) Akron
5	Liberty Common	14-1
	Tues: W 51-23 vs. Longmont Christian
	Sat: L 46-60 at (1A 7) Briggsdale
6	Meeker	14-2
	Fri: W 65-38 at Vail Christian
	Sat: L 42-43 at Little Snake River (Wyo.)
7	Hoehne	14-1
	Fri: W 58-33 at Swink
	Sat: W 54-21 vs. Las Animas
8	Paonia	12-3
8	Fri: W 46-22 at Plateau Valley
9	Sangre de Cristo	12-3
9	Fri: W 40-39 vs. Del Norte
10	The Vanguard	13-2
	Fri: L 46-47 vs. Simla
	Sat: W 45-31 vs. Evangelical Christian

Class 1A
1	Caliche	14-0
	Fri: W 62-29 at Sedgwick County
	Sat: W 66-18 at Merino
2	Idalia	15-0
	Fri: W 53-43 vs. Hi-Plains
	Sat: W 37-33 vs. (6) Kit Carson
3	Eads	14-1
	Fri: W 66-36 vs. Kim
	Sat: W 60-40 at Holly
4	Norwood	12-1
4	Fri: W 54-29 at Mancos
5	Dove Creek	13-2
	Tues: W 49-35 vs. Durango
	Wed: W 43-42 vs. Ridgway
	Fri: W 57-19 at Telluride
6	Kit Carson	10-5
	Fri: L 39-48 at Springfield
	Sat: L 33-37 at (2) Idalia
7	Briggsdale	12-2
	Mon: W 53-17 vs. Lone Star
	Fri: W 64-50 vs. Peetz
	Sat: W 60-46 vs. (2A 5) Liberty Common
8	Prairie	11-3
	Thurs: W 66-27 at Weldon Valley
	Fri: W 49-48 vs. Pawnee
9	South Baca	13-3
	Fri: W 65-35 at Bethune
	Sat: W 55-29 at Kim
10	Gilpin County	14-3
	Tues: W 38-27 at Rocky Mountain Lutheran
	Wed: W 31-22 at Clear Creek

February 3, 2014

Top-10 hockey schedule for the week of Feb. 3

A complete schedule and scoreboard for hockey’s top-10 teams this week.

Hockey
1	Ralston Valley	16-0-0
	Wed: W 3-0 vs. (4) Regis Jesuit
	Fri: W 5-1 at Battle Mountain
	Sat: W 7-0 at Aspen
2	Monarch	15-1-1
	Mon: W 6-1 vs. (9) Resurrection Christian
	Fri: W 13-0 at Kent Denver
3	Mountain Vista	16-1-0
	Fri: W 7-1 vs. Heriage
	Sat: W 15-0 vs. Chatfield
4	Regis Jesuit	14-3-0
	Wed: L 0-3 at (1) Ralston Valley
	Fri: W 2-1 vs. Bishop Machebeuf
	Sat: L 1-3 at (5) Cherry Creek
5	Cherry Creek	13-3-1
5	Sat: W 3-1 vs. (4) Regis Jesuit
6	Lewis-Palmer	14-1-0
6	Fri: W 8-0 vs. Rampart
7	Dakota Ridge	11-3-4
7	Off this week.
8	Columbine	11-6-1
	Wed: W 2-0 at Mullen
	Fri: W 5-1 at Chatfield
	Sat: L 4-7 vs. Battle Mountain
9	Resurrection Christian	8-7-2
	Mon: L 1-6 at (2) Monarch
	Tues: W 5-3 vs. Battle Mountain
10	Steamboat Springs	9-5-1
10	Off this week.

February 3, 2014

Lakewood roars past Ralston Valley in top-10 girls hoops tilt

Lakewood sophomore Mackenzie Forrest goes up for a shot while being surrounded by Ralston Valley defenders, from left to right, Sarah Bevington, Chantel Jacobs and Amanda Lefholz on Friday night at Lakewood High School. Forrest poured in a season-high 30 points in the Tigers’ 69-53 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

LAKEWOOD — Sometimes a little spark can change everything on the basketball court.

Lakewood senior Gabby Carbone provided that spark Friday night in a top-10 girls basketball matchup between the No. 7 Tigers and No. 10 Ralston Valley Mustangs. Lakewood eventually won the Class 5A Jeffco League game by a score of 69-53, but it was dicey early on at Lakewood High School.

Lakewood senior Jessica Brooks elevates for a shot over Ralston Valley senior Sierra Galbreath on Friday night. Lakewood defeated Ralston Valley 69-53 to take a two-game lead in the Class 5A Jeffco League with five conference games remaining. The Tigers are trying to win their first girls basketball league title since 2008. (Dennis Pleuss)

“You’d think I would have chewed them out, but I didn’t. They didn’t need it then,” Lakewood coach Chris Poisson said about what he told him team after taking a timeout with 2:12 left in the first quarter and the Tigers trailing 12-3. “They just needed to calm down. I told them they were fine.”

Coming out of a timeout, Carbone buried her second 3-pointer of the quarter and start what eventually turned out to be a 21-0 run for Lakewood (17-1, 11-0 in Class 5A Jeffco League).

“Gabby was awesome tonight. It was the best game she has played,” Poisson said. “Her threes gave us the lift. You could feel it. She was great tonight.”

Carbone finished with 13 points, including three 3-pointers.

“We just freak out sometimes and we get caught up in the moment,” Carbone said about trailing early on in front of the big crowd. “I told them to just calm down and keep playing through it.”

While Carbone provided the ember to give the Tigers the two-game lead over Ralston Valley (13-4, 9-2) in the conference, it was sophomore Mackenzie Forrest who really fanned the flames to victory.

Forrest scored a season-high 30 points. The sophomore poured in 12 points during the Tigers’ 21-0 run. She also made eight straight free throws in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.

“We made the mistake of letting (Forrest) dominate the game a little bit,” Ralston Valley coach Jeff Gomer said.

Gomer added that he didn’t want Lakewood to get going offensively on the inside. Lakewood senior Jessica Brooks and junior McKenna Bishop combined for 38 points in the Tigers’ first victory back on Jan. 4 against Ralston Valley.

The Tigers took advantage of the Mustangs packing it in on the inside by hitting seven 3-pointer in the first half.

Lakewood senior Gabby Carbone (15) gets pressure from Ralston Valley senior Janelle Feldmann (11) on Friday night during the first half of the Class 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss)

“We got lucky. Some of our shots finally fell,” Forrest said. “Gabby’s threes were huge. All of our threes were great tonight.”

Defensively, Lakewood patented full-court press also gave Ralston Valley fits and times, leading to breakaway layups.

“We knew coming in if we didn’t handle the press well we’d be in trouble. We didn’t handle it very well,” Gomer said. “That’s my bad. We’ve got some work to do.”

Ralston Valley did have a strong fourth quarter, but never was able to cut Lakewood’s lead into single figures. Seniors Sierra Galbreath (13 points) and Chantal Jacobs (11 points) had solid nights for the Mustangs.

Freshman Ashley Van Sickle showed signs of becoming a possible elite scorer in the near future for Ralston Valley. Van Sickle dropped in 15 points, including three 3-pointer.

The present looks very bright for Lakewood. The Tigers have a two-game lead in the conference with five games league games remaining.

“We know what this does in terms of giving us a cushion. Now it’s up to us to finish the job,” said Poisson about the Tigers closing in on their first girls basketball league title since 2008. “We are also playing for a seed. I’d like to get a No. 1 or 2 seed.”

Ralston Valley heads into the home stretch of its conference schedule when it hosts Pomona at 7 p.m. next Tuesday. Lakewood will face Columbine at 5:30 p.m. next Wednesday at Lakewood High School in the first game of a girls/boys varsity doubleheader.

“We need to keep on going and play to the best of our abilities,” Carbone said. “We can’t just come out and feel like we are better than everyone. We have to play really hard and keep it going.”

Ralston Valley freshman Sarah Bevington, far right, tries to get off a shot in traffic Friday night. The Mustangs had their seven-game winning streak snapped with a 69-53 loss to Lakewood. (Dennis Pleuss)

Ralston Valley freshman Ashley Van Sickle (5) dashes down the court Friday night against Lakewood. The freshman had a team-high 15 points for the Mustangs in the loss. (Dennis Pleuss)

February 1, 2014

Cherry Creek moves up to No. 4 in hockey ranking

Cherry Creek Dakota Ridge hockey — Cherry Creek is ranked No. 4 in this week’s poll. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Cherry Creek has jumped Regis Jesuit for the No. 4 spot in this week’s CHSAANow.com hockey poll.

The Bruins (11-2-1) have won six consecutive games, and edge the Raiders by one point.

Ralston Valley stayed in the No. 1 spot, where it has been since the preseason.

The complete poll is below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Hockey Poll

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Hockey
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Ralston Valley (6)	12-0-0	60	1	3-0-0
2	Mountain Vista	13-1-0	48	2	3-0-0
3	Monarch	10-1-0	47	3	2-0-0
4	Cherry Creek	11-2-1	41	5	2-0-0
5	Regis Jesuit	12-1-0	40	4	3-0-0
6	Lewis-Palmer	11-1-0	30	6	1-0-0
7	Columbine	8-4-1	22	7	1-1-0
8	Dakota Ridge	8-3-4	18	8	2-1-0
9	Steamboat Springs	9-4-1	13	10	2-0-0
10	Bishop Machebeuf	8-4-1	6	9	2-1-0
Others receiving votes:
Resurrection Christian 4, Chatfield 1.
Dropped out
None.

January 27, 2014

5A girls basketball ranking adds Mountain Vista at No. 9

Mountain Vista girls basketball — Mountain Vista joined this week’s girls basketball ranking in 5A. (Taylor Blatchford/Mountain Vista Journalism)

Mountain Vista has joined this week’s CHSAANow.com girls basketball ranking in 5A.

The Golden Eagles, who have won 11 straight games, toppled then-No. 6 Rock Canyon as part of a 3-0 week last week. They are now ranked No. 9.

Aside from Rock Canyon, ranked teams in 5A went 20-0 last week. Regis Jesuit held on to the top spot in that poll.

However, there is a new team in the 2A poll, where Lutheran takes over for Yuma. The Lions moved up from No. 2 after Yuma lost to then-No. 4 Akron on Saturday. Lutheran also went 2-0 last week.

Akron moved up to No. 2 this week, while Yuma dropped to No. 4. Heritage Christian was the lone newcomer in 2A, joining at No. 10.

The other No. 1 teams stayed put. Those are Valor Christian (4A), Holy Family (3A) and Caliche (1A).

The 3A poll added No. 10 Brush, while 1A added No. 7 Briggsdale and No. 9 South Baca.

Complete rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Girls Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Class 5A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Regis Jesuit (20)	13-2	200	1	3-0
2	Highlands Ranch	14-1	179	2	2-0
3	Grandview	13-2	150	4	2-0
4	Fossil Ridge	15-0	143	3	3-0
5	Castle View	12-3	107	5	2-0
6	Cherry Creek	14-1	77	7	2-0
7	Lakewood	15-1	75	8	2-0
8	ThunderRidge	10-4	67	9	2-0
9	Mountain Vista	13-2	30	–	3-0
10	Ralston Valley	12-3	24	10	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Rock Canyon 22, Denver East 8, Horizon 8, Arapahoe 4, Pine Creek 4, Grand Junction 1, Monarch 1.
Dropped out
Rock Canyon (6).

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Broomfield (16)	15-0	169	1	3-0
2	Mesa Ridge (1)	14-0	151	2	2-0
3	Pueblo South	14-1	136	3	1-0
4	Elizabeth	14-1	92	4	3-0
5	Valor Christian	14-3	87	6	2-0
6	Sand Creek	11-3	69	8	2-0
7	Glenwood Springs	14-0	66	7	3-0
8	D’Evelyn	11-3	56	9	2-0
9	Pueblo West	12-3	36	5	2-1
10	Palmer Ridge	13-2	29	10	4-0
Others receiving votes:
Green Mountain 21, Longmont 11, Silver Creek 7, Pueblo East 2.
Dropped out
None.

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Holy Family (12)	13-1	145	1	2-0
2	Pagosa Springs (3)	12-0	135	2	2-0
3	Lamar	13-0	124	3	2-0
4	Sterling	11-2	102	4	3-0
5	Peak to Peak	10-3	67	5	1-1
6	Strasburg	11-2	50	7	2-0
7	Olathe	10-2	40	10	2-0
8	Centauri	10-3	36	6	2-0
9	Eaton	9-4	32	9	2-0
10	Brush	9-3	21	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
The Classical Academy 14, Trinidad 14, Platte Valley 11, Salida 8, Cedaredge 7, Jefferson Academy 6, St. Mary’s 5, Bishop Machebeuf 4, Grand Valley 4.
Dropped out
The Classical Academy (8).

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Lutheran (13)	10-1	138	2	2-0
2	Akron	9-1	112	4	2-0
3	Peyton (1)	12-1	109	3	2-0
4	Yuma	11-1	97	1	2-1
5	Liberty Common	12-0	77	5	1-0
6	Meeker	11-1	61	6	2-0
7	Hoehne	10-1	53	8	2-0
8	Paonia	11-3	45	9	3-0
9	Sangre de Cristo	9-3	31	10	2-0
10	Heritage Christian	11-1	17	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Simla 16, The Vanguard 13, Del Norte 1.
Dropped out
Simla (7).

Class 1A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Caliche (9)	11-0	90	1	2-0
2	Idalia	11-0	71	4	2-0
3	Eads	11-1	70	3	2-0
4	Norwood	9-1	62	2	1-1
5	Dove Creek	10-1	51	7	1-0
6	Kit Carson	9-2	49	5	2-0
7	Briggsdale	7-2	25	–	2-1
8	Prairie	9-3	22	6	1-1
9	South Baca	10-3	15	–	3-0
10	Cheraw	8-2	12	8	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Gilpin County 11, Centennial 5, Liberty 3, Liberty/Stratton 3, Holly 2.
Dropped out
McClave (9), Gilpin County (10).

January 27, 2014

Top-10 girls basketball schedule for week of Jan. 27

A complete schedule and scoreboard for girls basketball’s top-10 teams this week.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
[divider]

Class 5A
1	Regis Jesuit	15-2
	Tues: W 71-39 vs. (9) Mountain Vista
	Sat: W 73-35 at Legend
2	Highlands Ranch	15-2
	Tues: W 60-47 at (5) Castle View
	Fri: L 43-55 at (8) ThunderRidge
3	Grandview	15-2
	Wed: W 51-49 at (6) Cherry Creek
	Fri: W 57-30 at Eaglecrest
4	Fossil Ridge	17-0
	Tues: W 56-51 vs. Monarch
	Fri: W 68-34 at Mountain Range
5	Castle View	13-4
	Tues: L 47-60 vs. (2) Highlands Ranch
	Fri: W 76-20 vs. Heritage
6	Cherry Creek	15-2
	Wed: L 49-51 vs. (3) Grandview
	Fri: W 49-35 at Arapahoe
7	Lakewood	17-1
	Tues: W 55-37 at Chatfield
	Fri: W 69-53 vs. (10) Ralston Valley
8	ThunderRidge	12-4
	Tues: W 59-32 vs. Littleton
	Fri: W 55-43 vs. (2) Highlands Ranch
9	Mountain Vista	14-3
	Tues: L 39-71 at (1) Regis Jesuit
	Fri: W 71-39 vs. Douglas County
10	Ralston Valley	13-4
	Wed: W 85-50 vs. Columbine
	Fri: L 53-69 at (7) Lakewood

Class 4A
1	Broomfield	17-0
	Tues: W 80-18 at Niwot
	Fri: W 92-26 at Mountain View
2	Mesa Ridge	17-0
	Tues: W 48-34 at Doherty
	Thurs: W 66-16 vs. Mitchell
	Sat: W 54-30 at Harrison
3	Pueblo South	17-1
	Tues: W 53-34 at (9) Pueblo West
	Fri: W 48-30 vs. Pueblo East
	Sat: W 56-41 vs. (4) Elizabeth
4	Elizabeth	15-2
	Tues: W 75-20 vs. Englewood
	Sat: L 41-56 at (3) Pueblo South
5	Valor Christian	15-3
5	Thurs: W 63-38 at Wheat Ridge
6	Sand Creek	13-3
	Tues: W 60-51 vs. (10) Palmer Ridge
	Fri: W 60-51 vs. Vista Ridge
7	Glenwood Springs	15-0
7	Thurs: W 70-50 at Rifle
8	D’Evelyn	13-3
	Tues: W 58-50 vs. Green Mountain
	Fri: W 61-8 at Alameda
9	Pueblo West	13-4
	Tues: L 34-53 vs. (3) Pueblo South
	Fri: W 44-35 vs. Canon City
10	Palmer Ridge	13-3
10	Tues: L 51-60 at (6) Sand Creek

Class 3A
1	Holy Family	15-1
	Mon: W 63-32 vs. Denver Sciene & Tech
	Fri: W 64-36 vs. Manual
2	Pagosa Springs	13-0
2	Sat: W 48-21 at Monte Vista
3	Lamar	14-0
3	Sat: W 63-30 at James Irwin
4	Sterling	12-2
4	Sat: W 62-23 vs. Lyons
5	Peak to Peak	10-4
5	Wed: L 31-55 at (2A 1) Lutheran
6	Strasburg	13-2
	Tues: W 51-50 at Highland
	Fri: W 59-37 at Lyons
7	Olathe	12-2
	Tues: W 56-42 at Coal Ridge
	Sat: W 48-29 vs. Roaring Fork
8	Centauri	11-4
	Fri: W 52-45 vs. Bayfield
	Sat: L 43-46 at Salida
9	Eaton	10-4
9	Tues: W 56-39 vs. (10) Brush
10	Brush	9-4
10	Tues: L 39-56 at (9) Eaton

Class 2A
1	Lutheran	12-1
	Wed: W 55-31 vs. (3A 5) Peak to Peak
	Fri: W 64-43 vs. Faith Christian
2	Akron	11-1
	Tues: W 84-31 at Burlington
	Sat: W 66-40 at Sedgwick County
3	Peyton	12-1
3	Off this week.
4	Yuma	12-1
	Tues: W 68-28 at Wiggins
	Fri: at (1A 1) Caliche
5	Liberty Common	13-0
5	Sat: W 59-29 vs. Alexander Dawson
6	Meeker	13-1
	Fri: W 60-31 vs. Soroco
	Sat: W 78-33 at Hayden
7	Hoehne	12-1
	Fri: W 44-20 at Fowler
	Sat: W 58-16 vs. Rocky Ford
8	Paonia	11-3
8	Off this week.
9	Sangre de Cristo	11-3
	Thurs: W 47-13 vs. Center
	Sat: W 63-23 vs. Custer County
10	Heritage Christian	13-1
	Tues: W 68-14 at Nederland
	Thurs: W 57-32 vs. Longmont Christian

Class 1A
1	Caliche	12-0
1	Sat: W 58-30 vs. Holyoke
2	Idalia	13-0
	Tues: W 63-42 vs. Cheylin (Kan.)
	Thurs: W 57-37 at Arickaree
3	Eads	12-1
3	Thurs: W 51-16 at Wiley
4	Norwood	11-1
	Fri: W 60-31 at Mancos
	Sat: W 60-37 vs. Dolores
5	Dove Creek	10-2
5	Tues: L 41-45 at Grand County (Utah)
6	Kit Carson	10-2
6	Thurs: W 36-32 vs. Liberty/Stratton
7	Briggsdale	9-2
	Thurs: W 69-53 at Dayspring Christian
	Sat: W 37-29 vs. Fleming
8	Prairie	9-3
8	Off this week.
9	South Baca	11-3
9	Sat: W 74-12 vs. Manzanola
10	Cheraw	8-3
10	Fri: L 37-38 at McClave

January 27, 2014

Top-10 hockey schedule for the week of Jan. 27

A complete schedule and scoreboard for hockey’s top-10 teams this week.

Hockey
1	Ralston Valley	13-0-0
1	Fri: W 2-0 at Resurrection Christian
2	Mountain Vista	14-1-0
2	Sat: W 4-0 vs. Liberty
3	Monarch	13-1-1
	Mon: W 6-2 at Chatfield
	Tues: T 4-4 at Resurrection Christian
	Fri: W 3-1 at (4) Cherry Creek
	Sat: W 5-1 at Doherty
4	Cherry Creek	12-3-1
	Fri: L 1-3 vs. (3) Monarch
	Sat: W 5-2 vs. Summit
5	Regis Jesuit	13-1-0
5	Sat: W 3-1 at (9) Steamboat Springs
6	Lewis-Palmer	13-1-0
	Mon: W 13-0 at Coronado
	Thurs: W 4-0 at Pueblo County
7	Columbine	9-5-1
	Wed: L 1-3 at (8) Dakota Ridge
	Sat: W 3-2 vs. Aspen
8	Dakota Ridge	11-3-4
	Wed: W 3-1 vs. (7) Columbine
	Fri: W 6-0 at Standley Lake
	Sat: W 2-1 at Chatfield
9	Steamboat Springs	9-5-1
9	Sat: L 1-3 vs. (5) Regis Jesuit
10	Bishop Machebeuf	9-4-1
10	Wed: W 8-0 at Rampart

January 27, 2014

Chatfield grabs control of boys hoops’ 5A Jeffco League

Ralston Valley senior Jonathon Gillespie, middle, attacks the basket while being contested by Chatfield seniors Darius Reiter, left, and Grant Haines, right, on Saturday night in the Class 5A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss)

LITTLETON — Jumping out to an early lead Saturday night resulted in Chatfield’s boys basketball team gaining a slight cushion atop the Class 5A Jeffco League.

The Chargers took a double-digit lead on conference foe Ralston Valley early in the second quarter and kept a fairly comfortable advantage on the way to a 74-56 victory at Chatfield High School.

“Getting the lead was really important because with zone (defense) you never know what you will get,” Chatfield coach Stephen Schimpeler said of the Chargers forcing the Mustangs to play from behind. “I felt man-to-man they weren’t as quick as us. That was a big advantage.”

Chatfield senior Andrew St. Germain, left, drives the lane against Ralston Valley senior Zac Stevens on Saturday night at Chatfield High School. The Chargers took a 74-56 victory to take sole possession of first place in the 5A Jeffco League (Dennis Pleuss)

The win put Chatfield (12-3, 7-1 in league) one game ahead of Ralston Valley (12-4, 7-2) and Arvada West (10-5, 6-2) in the league standings midway through conference play.

“It feels good, but we’ve got so much left to play for,” Chatfield senior Alec Wray said. “We’ve just got to keep doing what we do and keep getting better.”

There was a logjam at the top of 5A Jeffco just a handful of days ago. Chatfield, A-West, Dakota Ridge and Ralston Valley each entered this week with one conference loss.

Ralston Valley went through the 5A Jeffco gauntlet this week. The Mustangs defeated Dakota Ridge in overtime on Tuesday and handled A-West on Thursday, setting up Saturday’s game against Chatfield with the winner taking sole possession of first in the league.

“We just didn’t play with much energy,” Ralston Valley coach Mitch Conrad said after the Mustangs’ seven-game winning streak was snapped. “I think our tank was running a little low on this third one.”

Ralston Valley couldn’t sit back in its normally effective zone defense after the Mustangs fell behind early Saturday night. Chatfield used its speed to slice to the basket and/or dish to an open teammate.

Wray had a frustrating second and third quarter where he picked up four fouls. However, the Chargers’ 6-foot-5 center put the game away in the fourth quarter scoring nine points in the final eight minutes.

“We’ve got some good guards that can share the ball well and they can score,” said Wray, who finished with 15 points. “I love it when they are driving because I’m going to be open because the bigs have to commit to stopping the drive. It gives me the chance to score easy buckets.”

Wray dropped in three consecutive layups in a span of a minute in the final quarter after Ralston Valley had closed the Chargers’ lead to 11 points.

Chatfield senior Darius Reiter torched Ralston Valley with 33 points, including seven 3-pointers the first time around. The Chargers erased a first-half deficit to take a 73-57 victory on the Mustangs’ home court in the conference opener for both teams back in mid-December.

Chatfield senior Alec Wray goes up for two points Saturday night against Ralston Valley. Wray finished with 15 points in the Chargers’ 74-56 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

Reiter finished with 15 points, but even more impressive was Chatfield’s bench that contributed 27 points. Sophomore Riley Welch led the way with 10 points for the Chargers’ reserves.

“Your bench is always important,” Schimpeler said. “They don’t understand how important they are. You can only go as far as your bench will take you.”

Dallas Walton led Ralston Valley with a team-high 19 points. The 6-foot-9 sophomore had a strong fourth quarter with 10 points.

“We got it in to Dallas and they wouldn’t foul him,” Conrad said of Walton’s final quarter. “He went to work, but we just didn’t have a spark tonight. Defensively we were just slow on our rotations. Mentally I think we’re exhausted.”

After playing three big games in five days, Ralston Valley faces Columbine on the road at 7 p.m. next Wednesday, before hosting Lakewood at 7 p.m. Friday.

Chatfield has a pair of league road games next week. First, 7 p.m. Wednesday at Lakewood followed by a 7 p.m. game Friday at Pomona. The Tigers (10-6, 5-4) have worked their way back into contention in the conference with a six-game winning streak, but that was snapped Saturday night with a 71-54 loss to A-West.

Conrad believes it would be difficult for any 5A Jeffco team to run the table for the remainder of the conference schedule.

“(Chatfield) is in the driver’s seat so everyone is going to be gunning for them,” Conrad said. “It’s going to be interesting. It’s going to be a battle.”

Chatfield sophomore Riley Welch (15) puts defensive pressure on Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker during the second half Saturday night at Chatfield High School. (Dennis Pleuss)

January 26, 2014
Ralston Valley boys hoops clips No. 9 Dakota Ridge in OT

Ralston Valley junior Andrew Wingard, left, traps Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo near the sideline Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

ARVADA — Tuesday night in Ralston Valley’s gym was a microcosm of how tight the boys basketball competition is atop the Class 5A Jeffco League.

Ralston Valley needed to erase a four-point deficit with 14.5 seconds left in the fourth quarter before scoring a 66-62 overtime victory against conference foe Dakota Ridge. The Mustangs were 11-for-13 from the free-throw line in overtime to upend the Eagles, who entered the CHSAANow.com 5A poll at No. 9 this week.

“Two gutty performances from both teams. You’ve got to give Dakota at lot of credit. They battled us to the very end,” Ralston Valley coach Mitch Conrad said after his Mustangs extended their winning streak to six games. “This is one you hate for either team to lose.”

Dakota Ridge (9-3, 4-2 in league) used a 20-point second quarter to grab the lead at halftime and pushed its advantage to as many as eight points midway through the third quarter before Ralston Valley (11-3, 6-1) rallied. Senior Bryn Finnefrock and sophomore Dallas Walton both went down with injuries in the second half, but returned to the court. Both were key in the come-from-behind victory.

Dakota Ridge junior Mason Grothuesmann (31) looks for an open teammate while being covered by Ralston Valley senior Johnny Weber. Grothuesmann led all scorers with 30 points in the Class 5A Jeffco League game Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

Finnefrock was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 12.7 seconds left on the clock and the Mustangs down four. The senior made the first two of three free throws to cut Dakota Ridge’s lead to 53-51, but missed the third. The unintentional miss actually worked out to the Mustangs’ advantage.

“I had confidence in my first two. The last one I was trying to make, but it didn’t go in,” said Finnefrock, who finished with 15 points. “Then I looked up and saw Jonathan (Gillespie) sky and get the rebound. That was a great play.”

Ralston Valley called timeout to set up a game-tying play. Walton caught the ball near the free-throw line and was fouled when taking a fade away jumper. The sophomore calmly made both free throws to tie the game at 53-53 with 10.2 second left.

“We didn’t take care of the ball like we should have and we didn’t rebound,” Dakota Ridge coach Curi Yutzy said. “Ralston Valley is an awesome rebounding team and they found a way to make a play when it counted.”

The Eagles failed to find the bottom of the basket on a last-second shot as the game went into overtime.

Ralston Valley took a 58-53 lead with 1:54 left in overtime on a 3-point play by junior Andrew Wingard. Senior Rane Hornecker was a solid 6-for-8 from the free-throw line in the 4-minute extra session.

Dakota Ridge senior Ian MacDonald (21) splits through Ralston Valley defenders Dallas Walton and Zac Stevens (5) during the first quarter Tuesday. (Dennis Pleuss)

“I’m really proud of my team,” Finnefrock said. “When the pressure was on Rane (Hornecker) made his free throws and made my free throws. Dallas (Walton) came up big and Jonathan (Gillespie) had the big rebound. It was a team effort out there and we came up with the win.”

Fittingly, Finnefrock sealed the victory making a pair from the charity stripe with 5.7 second left to make the final score 66-62.

Dakota Ridge got a monster game from junior Mason Grothuesmann in the loss. The Eagles don’t have a player averaging double-digits, but Grothuesmann had a season-high 30 points Tuesday.

“We’ve talked as a (coaching) staff that we need to get (Grothuesmann) going,” Yutzy said. “He is a heck of a ballplayer. Hopefully this is stepping stone for him to take another step forward.”

Dakota Ridge gets back into its gym to face Lakewood at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Tigers (9-5, 4-3) have been on a bit of a roll since coming back from winter break. Lakewood will enter Thursday’s game at the Eagles Nest with a five-game winning streak.

Ralston Valley will complete its first go-around with its conference foes when it hosts rival Arvada West (9-4, 5-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday. The Mustangs actually faced the Wildcats in the championship game of the Ralston Roundup Tournament on Dec. 13, when Ralston Valley held off an A-West rally to take a 48-45 victory.

The important week of league games will end for Ralston Valley with a 4 p.m. tilt Saturday at Chatfield. The Chargers (10-3, 5-1), defending 5A Jeffco champs, handed the Mustangs a 73-57 loss on Ralston Valley’s home court in both teams’ league opener before winter break.

Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker, left, guards Dakota Ridge senior Jacob Flores during the first half Tuesday at Ralston Valley High School. The Mustangs scored a key 66-62 overtime victory against the No. 9 ranked Eagles. (Dennis Pleuss)

January 22, 2014