Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. This month’s edition features Jefferson wrestlers had a solid showing at the Ron Granieri Memorial Invitational at Arvada West High School. We take in boys basketball action where Golden and Evergreen squared off in Class 4A Jeffco League action. Pomona boys basketball team traveled to Lakewood High School for a battle of the ‘big cats’. Green Mountain’s girls basketball is leading the pack in the 4A Jeffco League standings this winter and had no problem with Golden on a Saturday afternoon. We finish with highlights from the Adapted Athletics Basketball Day at Gold Crown Field House.
Tag: Golden
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No. 9 Golden boys basketball stays atop 4A Jeffco with win over D’Evelyn
GOLDEN — Alan Acevedo is making his mark on the hardwood during his freshman campaign at Golden High School.
Wednesday night was another example of how key the freshman has been for the Demons — No. 9 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A boys basketball rankings. Acevedo came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points and grab seven rebounds in Golden’s 58-53 home victory over D’Evelyn.
Golden freshman Alan Acevedo (30) goes up strong against D’Evelyn senior Sandy Dinegar (0) on Wednesday night. Acevedo had a game-high 22 points off the bench in the Demons’ 5-point win. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “I just want help the team,” Acevedo said. “I don’t really care about points. I care about the family and team.”
The victory kept Golden (11-6, 5-1) atop the 4A Jeffco League standings with rival Wheat Ridge (9-6, 5-1). Green Mountain (11-4, 4-2) is one game back. D’Evelyn (7-10, 3-3) is still within striking distance, but Jaguars’ coach Dan Zinn knows getting better and preparing for the playoffs is a primary focus.
“We are still going to battle every game and see where the chips fall,” Zinn said of the league title. “But at the same time we know there is a state tournament that we will be apart of and we want to get ready for that as well.”
D’Evelyn held a 29-28 halftime lead on the road against Golden, but the Demons turned the tide in the third quarter. After 15 points in the first half, Acevedo stayed hot. The freshman’s 3-pointer with 2:30 left in the third quarter gave Golden the lead for good at 38-37.
A 14–3 run extend the lead to double-digits midway through the fourth quarter.
“Second half we talked about just keeping our guy in front of us and play some good half-court man defense,” Golden coach Lou Vullo said. “We picked it up with our energy when we starting playing our 1-3-1 and trapping them at half-court. I think that is when we turned it around a little bit.”
Senior Ben McLaughlin hit a big 3-pointer during the Demons’ run in the fourth quarter. Fellow senior Jack Anderson had a field goal and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to reach 10 points on the night.
“We feel like we are deep,” Vullo said of his team that had eight players score on the night. “If someone isn’t producing one night someone else will step in and help us out. We are fortunate to have that.”
D’Evelyn senior Sam Belmonte (4) tries to work inside on Golden freshman Alan Acevedo and senior Kevin Mulligan. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) D’Evelyn senior Sandy Dinegar (11 points) and junior Kase Sundarapura (10 points) were he lone Jaguars to reach double-digit points in the loss.
“Our defensively intensity was there all night,” Zinn said. “Our energy was there, but when you can’t make baskets it is tough to win basketball games.”
Wednesday night marked the midway-point through 4A Jeffco League play. All seven teams in the competitive conference have played six of the dozen league games on the schedule. Going into Wednesday’s action, only Standley Lake was outside the top-48 in RPI that qualify for the state tournament.
“This league is tough. We play Littleton on Friday and they are a scary team,” Vullo said. “At the end of the day there could be five of us who go to the state tournament.”
Golden has road games coming up against Littleton (Friday, Jan. 31) and Standley Lake (Feb. 5) before heading into the home stretch of conference play.
D’Evelyn remains on the road with games against Evergreen (Friday, Jan. 31) and Green Mountain (Feb. 5).
Golden senior Ben McLaughlin (2) dribbles in front of the D’Evelyn bench and junior Luke Kjellsen (43) during the first half Wednesday night during the Class 4A Jeffco League game. (Dennis Pleuss/ Jeffco Athletics) -
Boys basketball rankings: Seven new teams join the polls
(Kevin McNearny) Seven new teams joined this week’s boys basketball rankings: Cherry Creek (5A), Valor Christian (5A), Boulder (5A), Glenwood Springs (4A), Thomas Jefferson (4A), Manitou Springs (3A) and Sanford (2A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Complete rankings are below.
[divider]
CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Rangeview (11) 15-0 137 1 2-0 2 Smoky Hill (2) 13-2 120 4 2-0 3 Grandview 11-4 97 5 2-0 4 Eaglecrest 11-4 80 3 0-2 5 Ralston Valley (1) 13-2 79 6 1-0 6 Fairview 13-3 71 7 2-0 7 Cherry Creek 11-4 49 – 1-1 8 Valor Christian 10-5 46 – 2-0 9 Boulder 12-3 18 – 3-0 10 Columbine 10-3 16 8 0-1 Others receiving votes: Legend 15, Chaparral 14, Denver East 14, Pine Creek 11, Arapahoe 1, Mountain Vista 1, Vista Peak Prep 1. Dropped out Denver East (2), Chaparral (9), Pine Creek (10). Class 4A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Cheyenne Mountain (7) 15-0 105 1 3-0 2 Mead (4) 15-1 100 2 3-0 3 Longmont 12-2 86 3 2-0 4 Northfield 12-3 62 4 2-0 5 Pueblo West 11-4 45 6 2-0 6 Glenwood Springs 12-3 43 – 2-0 7 Harrison 11-3 41 5 2-1 8 Montrose 13-3 28 10 2-0 9 Golden 10-6 17 7 1-1 10 Thomas Jefferson 11-5 15 – 1-1 Others receiving votes: Erie 12, Green Mountain 11, Skyline 10, Lincoln 8, Centaurus 7, Northridge 7, Silver Creek 3, Wheat Ridge 3, Ponderosa 2. Dropped out Erie (8), Green Mountain (9). Class 3A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Resurrection Christian (15) 12-0 168 1 2-0 2 Lutheran (1) 10-2 132 4 3-0 3 The Vanguard School 10-1 121 2 2-0 4 Sterling 10-2 118 3 1-1 5 Faith Christian 10-3 94 5 1-1 6 Centauri 13-0 91 6 2-0 7 DSST: Byers (1) 10-1 65 7 2-0 8 Eaton 11-2 46 8 1-1 9 Manitou Springs 10-2 30 – 2-0 10 Englewood 10-0 23 10 2-0 Others receiving votes: University 16, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 8, Manual 7, Gunnison 5, Colorado Academy 4, Jefferson 3, St. Mary’s 3, Alamosa 2. Dropped out University (9). Class 2A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Highland (8) 10-1 161 1 1-0 2 Yuma (9) 10-1 147 2 2-0 3 Denver Christian 9-2 106 3 2-0 4 Limon 9-2 104 4 2-0 5 Ignacio 10-1 95 7 3-0 6 Mancos 9-3 82 5 1-1 7 Fowler 10-2 77 6 2-0 8 Sanford 9-3 65 – 3-0 9 Sedgwick County 11-0 44 8 3-0 10 Vail Christian 9-1 25 9 2-0 Others receiving votes: Holly 15, Heritage Christian 11, Dayspring Christian 2, Dawson School 1. Dropped out Heritage Christian (10). Class 1A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 De Beque (10) 12-0 109 1 3-0 2 Kit Carson (1) 10-1 85 4 2-0 3 Sangre de Cristo 10-0 80 3 2-0 4 Flatirons Academy 11-2 66 2 2-0 5 Briggsdale 10-1 57 5 2-0 6 Walsh 9-2 52 8 2-0 7 Kim/Branson 10-1 49 7 1-0 8 Mile High Academy 5-1 24 9 2-0 9 Evangelical Christian 10-2 22 6 2-0 10 Ouray 8-3 15 10 1-0 Others receiving votes: Longmont Christian 9, Denver Jewish Day 8, Caliche 7, Fleming 6, Merino 6, Stratton/Liberty 4, Cotopaxi 3, Cheraw 1, Peetz 1, Springfield 1. Dropped out None. -
No. 7 Golden boys basketball cools off rival Wheat Ridge
WHEAT RIDGE — Golden picked a good night to make a season-high 11 3-pointers.
“We kind of figured they would play us in a zone,” Golden coach Lou Vullo said after the Demons shot 11-for-22 from long range on their way to a huge Class 4A Jeffco League boys basketball win Wednesday night. “We worked on (3-pointers) the last few days.”
Golden — No. 7 in the CHSAANow.com Class 4A rankings this week — ended a six-game winning streak rival Wheat Ridge had going coming into the conference showdown. The Demons (10-5, 4-1) pulled away in the final minute to take a 68-61 victory on the Farmers’ home court.
Golden senior Carter Thompson (44) goes up with his left hand over Wheat Ridge junior Greyson Van Tuyl in the first half Wednesday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “They haven’t shot like that the whole year,” Wheat Ridge coach Tommy Dowd said. “In a game like this guys step up and make shots. You have to give credit to them. They made the shots tonight.”
Golden had seven 3-pointers at halftime that helped the Demons to a 35-29 lead at the break. The shots from long range didn’t come as easy in the second half as the Farmers (7-5, 3-1) went on a 9-0 run and actually took a 55-53 lead after a 3-pointer by Wheat Ridge senior Alex Morales with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter.
However, the lead was short-lived. Golden senior Ben McLaughlin — who finished with four 3-pointers on the night and a team-high 15 points — buried back-to-back 3-pointers to regain the lead for good.
“I trust our guys and we can light it up in practice,” McLaughlin said. “Shots got to fall in a game like this. They played off of us a little bit and we just had to connect.”
The final field goal by the Demons featured a nifty inside move by Golden senior guard Jack Anderson in the final minute. Anderson was able to drive by Morales, but was picked up by Wheat Ridge senior Dominic Bronk down low on the defensive switch.
“I kind of got too deep for a second,” said Anderson, who flipped up a left-handed shot past Bronk to put the Demons up 64-61 with less than a minute left. “I turned around and I just knew I had to make the shot.”
Wheat Ridge failed to score after junior Dominic Cross put in the Farmers’ final points with 1:18 left in the game.
Golden senior Noah Johnson (1) takes a charge as Wheat Ridge senior Alex Morales drives into Johnson during the second half Wednesday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “Some of that is experience,” Dowd said of the Farmers getting outscored 6-0 in the final minute after cutting Golden’s lead to 62-61. “We haven’t been in a game like this where it feels different. It wasn’t a lack of effort. It was a lack of execution. That is something to fix.”
After a rough 1-4 start to the season, Wheat Ridge came into Wednesday’s game as the hottest team in 4A Jeffco. Now, the defending conference champion doesn’t have much room for error.
D’Evelyn, Golden, Green Mountain and Wheat Ridge are all within a game of each other in the conference standings with either seven or eight league games remaining for everyone in 4A Jeffco.
“This league is totally wild,” Vullo said. “I think it’s going to come down to the end. Every night in this league you have to come to play. If you don’t you are going to be in trouble for sure.”
Golden had another game of balanced scoring. Anderson and senior Carter Thompson both had 11 points each. Junior Nathan Wiggins had a trio of 3-pointers to finish with nine points and freshman Alan Acevedo also had nine points.
Morales had a game-high 17 points to lead the Farmers. Bronk (11 points) and junior Greyson Van Tuyl (15 points) dominated inside at times for Wheat Ridge, but both didn’t have a field goal in the final quarter.
“You throw out the rankings out the window when you have a rivalry like this,” said Vullo, who lost twice to the Farmers last season in his first year coaching the Demons. “I didn’t know until last year what this rivalry meant until I saw how bad it hurt our kids.”
The Farmers are back on the road against D’Evelyn on Friday night to continue conference play. The Demons have a non-league game at home against DSST: Byers on Friday before getting back into conference play next week.
Wheat Ridge junior Dominic Cross, left, attempts to beat Golden junior Jake Liedtke (4) to the basket during the second half Wednesday night at Wheat Ridge High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Boys basketball rankings: Highland takes over as No. 1 in 2A
Highland has moved up to the No. 1 spot in this week’s Class 2A boys basketball poll.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Complete rankings are below.
[divider]
CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Rangeview (14) 13-0 149 1 2-0 2 Denver East 12-0 105 4 2-0 3 Eaglecrest (1) 11-2 100 2 1-1 4 Smoky Hill 11-2 99 3 1-1 5 Grandview 9-4 81 6 2-0 6 Ralston Valley 12-2 66 9 3-0 7 Fairview 11-3 64 7 3-0 8 Columbine 10-2 60 5 1-1 9 Chaparral 9-5 28 10 2-0 10 Pine Creek 11-2 17 – 3-1 Others receiving votes: Cherry Creek 16, Legend 14, Doherty 6, Highlands Ranch 5, Overland 5, Arapahoe 2, Boulder 2, Mountain Vista 2, Valor Christian 2, ThunderRidge 1, Vista Peak Prep 1. Dropped out Arapahoe (8). Class 4A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Cheyenne Mountain (7) 12-0 114 1 3-0 2 Mead (4) 12-1 112 2 3-0 3 Longmont (1) 10-2 83 7 2-0 4 Northfield 10-3 67 6 1-0 5 Harrison 9-2 62 3 1-1 6 Pueblo West 9-4 57 4 1-2 7 Golden 9-5 29 5 1-2 8 Erie 10-3 23 8 2-1 9 Green Mountain 9-4 20 10 1-1 10 Montrose 11-3 16 – 1-0 Others receiving votes: Thomas Jefferson 14, Glenwood Springs 13, Lincoln 13, Skyline 13, Pueblo East 7, Centaurus 4, The Classical Academy 4, Evergreen 2, Ponderosa 2, Silver Creek 2, Frederick 1, Lewis-Palmer 1, Widefield 1. Dropped out Lewis-Palmer (9). Class 3A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Resurrection Christian (16) 10-0 177 1 2-0 2 The Vanguard School 8-1 123 5 2-0 3 Sterling 9-1 122 3 2-0 4 Lutheran 7-2 118 2 1-0 5 Faith Christian 9-2 107 4 2-0 6 Centauri (2) 11-0 100 6 2-0 7 DSST: Byers 8-1 56 7 2-1 8 Eaton 10-1 41 10 2-0 9 University 9-2 36 8 1-1 10 Englewood 8-0 35 – 1-0 Others receiving votes: Manitou Springs 23, Gunnison 10, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 8, St. Mary’s 8, Jefferson Academy 6, Manual 5, Montezuma-Cortez 5, Colorado Academy 4, Jefferson 3, Strasburg 3. Dropped out St. Mary’s (9). Class 2A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Highland (8) 9-1 170 2 2-0 2 Yuma (9) 8-1 138 1 2-0 3 Denver Christian 7-2 115 4 2-0 4 Limon 7-2 107 6 2-0 5 Mancos (1) 8-2 105 7 3-0 6 Fowler 8-2 94 3 2-0 7 Ignacio 7-1 91 5 1-0 8 Sedgwick County 8-0 48 10 1-0 9 Vail Christian 7-1 40 8 2-0 10 Heritage Christian 8-1 25 – 2-0 Others receiving votes: Holly 21, Sanford 16, Peyton 11, Dolores Huerta Prep 5, Crested Butte 1, Dawson School 1, Union Colony Prep 1, Wray 1. Dropped out Holly (9). Class 1A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 De Beque (8) 9-0 89 1 1-0 2 Flatirons Academy 9-2 64 5 2-0 3 Sangre de Cristo 8-0 62 2 0-0 4 Kit Carson (1) 8-1 58 6 2-0 5 Briggsdale 8-1 39 4 2-0 6 Evangelical Christian 8-2 35 3 1-1 7 Kim/Branson 9-1 34 8 2-0 8 Walsh 7-2 30 – 2-0 9 Mile High Academy 3-1 20 10 0-1 10 Ouray 7-3 18 7 1-1 Others receiving votes: Longmont Christian 12, Caliche 9, Peetz 6, Fleming 5, Stratton/Liberty 4, Merino 3, Cheraw 2, Cotopaxi 2, Idalia 2, Cheyenne Wells 1. Dropped out Caliche (9). -
No. 4 Green Mountain girls basketball runs winning streak to seven
Green Mountain freshman Jayda Maves (23) makes a move on Golden senior Allyson Goodwin during the first half Saturday. The Rams’ 18-point victory extended Green Mountain’s winning streak to seven games. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) GOLDEN — The formula Green Mountain’s girls basketball team is using this season has been pretty flawless so far.
The Rams — No. 4 in the latest CHSAANow.com Class 4A girls basketball rankings — go deep into their bench to keep opponents facing wave-after-wave of defensive pressure and have to deal with Green Mountain’s constant ball movement on offense.
“I absolutely love the balance,” Green Mountain coach Darren Pitzner said after the Rams’ 53-35 road victory Saturday afternoon against Golden. “Everyone tries to take away something that you do every game. There is always someone who can step up.”
Golden senior Maggie Jones (22) goes up for two of her six points in the third quarter Saturday afternoon. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Green Mountain (12-1, 4-0 in 4A Jeffco) has only one player — freshman Jayda Maves — averaging double-digit points … and Maves isn’t even a starter.
Seniors Riley Shoemaker, Maddie Phillips, Kasey Klocek along with junior Courtney Hank and sophomores Shea Murphy and Avery Oaster all are hovering below the 10-point per game mark for the Rams.
Phillips ended up with a team-high 12 points against the Demons (3-9, 1-3). Oaster (9 points), Hank (8 points), Maves (8 points) and Klocek (7 points) headed another game of remarkable balance for Green Mountain.
“Our bench is so deep we can go to anyone and rely on them,” Phillips said.
Phillips did most of her damage in the first half with 10 points by halftime as the Rams opened up a 25-13 lead at the break.
“Maddie was a monster,” Pitzner said of the Rams’ lone player who scored double-digits. “Maddie is smooth as silk around the basket. She has a nice soft touch and is hard to guard.”
Green Mountain sophomore Avery Oaster (24) goes up strong with Golden senior Elli Garnett on her back Saturday afternoon at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Golden didn’t have a nice little run to start the second half to cut Green Mountain’s lead to 27-20, but Green Mountain answered with an 8-0 run midway through the third quarter to get the lead back up to double-digit points for good.
Green Mountain has the task of trying to slowdown Golden senior Elli Garnett, who signed last month to continue her basketball career at the University of Northern Colorado. Garnett has 40 points earlier this year against Sand Creek.
“I was at part of the game when Elli went for 40 (points),” Pitzner said. “I’m proud of the girls. We had five different girls guard her at times. She got off few open looks.”
Garnett finished with a game-high 17 points, but it wasn’t enough against Green Mountain.
“I think it’s fun to play against someone as good as she is,” Phillips said of playing against Garnett. “It’s good competition and it gets us going.”
Green Mountain hopes to keep it going next week. The Rams are on the road against Evergreen on Wednesday, Jan. 22. The Cougars (7-4, 3-0) appears to be the lone roadblock in the Rams’ way when it comes to zeroing in on a conference title.
“Evergreen is diverse and has some balance like we do,” Pitzner said. “Their posts are crazy fast and athletic. It’s good going to be a good challenge for us.”
Golden senior Mya Baker (10) tries to break the defensive pressure by Green Mountain senior Kasey Klocek (34) and Courtney Hank (33) during the Class 4A Jeffco League game Saturday afternoon at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Boys basketball rankings: Eight new teams hop into the polls
(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com) A total of eight new teams joined this week’s basketball rankings: Chaparral (5A), Longmont (4A), Erie (4A), St. Mary’s (3A), Sedgwick County (2A), Ouray (1A), Caliche (1A) and Mile High Academy (1A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Complete rankings are below.
[divider]
CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Rangeview (11) 11-0 137 1 2-0 2 Eaglecrest (1) 10-1 118 2 2-0 3 Smoky Hill (2) 10-1 105 4 2-0 4 Denver East 10-0 94 3 2-0 5 Columbine 9-1 86 5 3-0 6 Grandview 7-4 51 6 1-1 7 Fairview 8-3 35 9 1-0 8 Arapahoe 9-2 30 7 2-1 9 Ralston Valley 9-2 27 8 2-1 10 Chaparral 7-5 20 – 2-1 Others receiving votes: Legend 16, Cherry Creek 13, Vista Peak Prep 12, Pine Creek 8, Doherty 6, Overland 6, Mountain Vista 2, Rock Canyon 2, ThunderRidge 1, Valor Christian 1. Dropped out Overland (10). Class 4A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Cheyenne Mountain (7) 9-0 118 1 2-0 2 Mead (4) 9-1 117 2 3-0 3 Harrison 8-1 111 4 3-0 4 Pueblo West (3) 8-2 98 7 1-0 5 Golden 8-3 67 5 2-1 6 Northfield 9-3 55 8 1-1 7 Longmont 8-2 45 – 2-0 8 Erie 8-2 30 – 2-0 9 Lewis-Palmer 6-4 24 6 1-2 10 Green Mountain 8-3 23 3 1-2 Others receiving votes: Lincoln 22, Centaurus 10, Montrose 9, The Classical Academy 9, Coronado 7, Discovery Canyon 6, Wheat Ridge 4, Pueblo East 3, Canon City 2, Frederick 2, Mitchell 2, Ponderosa 2, Air Academy 1, Evergreen 1, Glenwood Springs 1, Thomas Jefferson 1. Dropped out Lincoln (9), Centaurus (10). Class 3A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Resurrection Christian (17) 8-0 179 1 1-0 2 Lutheran 6-2 138 2 2-0 3 Sterling 7-1 133 3 2-0 4 Faith Christian 7-2 105 4 2-0 5 The Vanguard School 6-1 103 5 2-0 6 Centauri 9-0 84 6 0-0 7 DSST: Byers (1) 6-0 65 8 2-0 8 University 8-1 45 9 2-0 9 St. Mary’s 8-1 33 – 2-0 10 Eaton 8-1 26 10 0-0 Others receiving votes: Gunnison 23, Manual 22, Englewood 19, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 4, Jefferson Academy 4, Colorado Academy 3, Coal Ridge 2, Lamar 1, Montezuma-Cortez 1. Dropped out Manual (7). Class 2A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Yuma (11) 6-1 143 1 1-0 2 Highland (4) 7-1 139 2 2-0 3 Fowler 6-2 96 4 1-0 4 Denver Christian 5-2 90 9 2-0 5 Ignacio 6-1 80 5 2-1 6 Limon 5-2 62 3 1-1 7 Mancos 5-2 56 8 1-0 8 Vail Christian 5-1 32 6 1-1 9 Holly 7-2 28 7 1-1 10 Sedgwick County 7-0 27 – 2-0 Others receiving votes: Heritage Christian 17, Sanford 17, Dawson School 14, Union Colony Prep 7, Wray 5, Center 4, Peyton 4, Wiggins 2, Crested Butte 1, Crowley County 1. Dropped out Wray (10). Class 1A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 De Beque (9) 8-0 90 1 2-0 2 Sangre de Cristo 8-0 63 3 2-0 3 Evangelical Christian 7-1 61 2 1-1 4 Briggsdale 6-1 50 4 1-0 5 Flatirons Academy 7-2 48 8 2-1 6 Kit Carson 6-1 43 5 2-0 7 Ouray 6-2 30 – 0-1 8 Kim/Branson 7-1 21 6 1-0 9 Caliche 6-2 16 – 2-0 10 Mile High Academy 3-0 15 – 2-0 Others receiving votes: Walsh 12, Merino 9, Peetz 9, Pikes Peak Christian 8, Idalia 7, Fleming 5, Longmont Christian 4, Cheraw 3, Cheyenne Wells 1. Dropped out Merino (7), Longmont Christian (9), Peetz (10). -
No. 5 Golden boys basketball out to quick start in 4A Jeffco
EVERGREEN — The road to the boys basketball Class 4A Jeffco League title is a long and winding journey.
However, Golden’s 50-36 road victory over Evergreen on Friday night definitely gave the Demons — No. 5 in the CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball rankings — a nice start out of the gates.
“It’s Evergreen. It’s a big league rival,” Golden senior Kevin Mulligan said after scoring a team-high 14 points. “We wanted to come up here and knock them off.”
Golden senior Kevin Mulligan (32) drives on Evergreen senior Cooper Dyess during the Demons’ 50-36 road win Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Demons’ defense picked it up a notch in the second quarter. Evergreen junior Jackson Mott hit the Cougars’ lone field goal in the quarter, while Golden seniors Noah Johnson and Sam Markovich both connected on 3-pointers.
Mulligan and freshman Alan Acevedo each scored four points, including Acevedo knocking down a jumper at the buzzer to give the Demons (8-3, 2-0 in league) a 25-16 lead at halftime.
“I love Alan,” Mulligan said of the Demon freshman sensation. “He is a hustler. He can shoot or take it to the rim.”
Acevedo scored seven points off the bench and buried a 3-pointer just before the end of the third quarter to keep the momentum away from Evergreen (6-3, 1-1) heading to the field quarter.
“He (Acevedo) isn’t scared,” Golden coach Lou Vullo said. “A lot of times freshmen get scared in big games. He is going to help us down the stretch.”
McLaughlin had a dozen points as Golden’s showed off its depth. The Demons had 10 players find the scoring column. Golden defense was impressive showing the form it had before the winter break.
Vullo wasn’t too happy with the Demons’ defensive efforts against Ralston Valley and Littleton leading up to the showdown against Evergreen.
Evergreen junior Griffin Lauritano pulls up for a 3-pointer during his game-high 16-point effort for the Cougars. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) “I told them we had to get back to the physicality we had prior to the (winter) break,” Vullo said of holding the Cougars to a season-low 36 points and just 11 field goals. “I thought they brought it tonight for sure.”
Evergreen junior Griffin Lauritano scored a game-high 16 points, including eight points in the third quarter. However, when the Cougars’ leading scorer fouled out midway through the fourth quarter the hope for an Evergreen comeback were dashed.
The seven conference teams each play a 12-game league schedule that features every team getting two cracks against each conference opponent. League play began this week.
Golden has sprinted out of the gates early with victories over Littleton and Evergreen. The Demons and defending conference champion Wheat Ridge (4-4, 2-0) are the early front-runners in the league that should be one of the most interesting conference battles in 4A this winter.
“We knew this was going to be a big game for us,” Vullo said. “I also let them know we have a long way to go. We are still growing and learning. There is a lot of things we can get better at.”
Both the Cougars and Demons have non-league games next week before getting back to conference play.
Evergreen is at Holy Family on Tuesday, Jan. 14, before hosting Littleton on Wednesday in league play next week. While Golden is on the road against George Washington on Monday, Jan. 13, and returns home to face Standley Lake on Wednesday.
Golden senior Ben McLaughlin (2) poured in a dozen points to help the Demons get out to a 2-0 start in Class 4A Jeffco League play with a 50-36 road win over Evergreen on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
Boys basketball rankings: Cheyenne Mountain and Resurrection Christian are new No. 1 teams
(Arlee Aragon/Fountain-Fort Carson High School) Cheyenne Mountain (4A) and Resurrection Christian (3A) have taken over as top-ranked teams in this week’s boys basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Complete rankings are below.
[divider]
CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Rangeview (12) 9-0 138 1 5-0 2 Eaglecrest (1) 8-1 114 6 3-0 3 Denver East 8-0 100 3 4-0 4 Smoky Hill (1) 8-1 82 2 3-0 5 Columbine 6-1 65 7 4-1 6 Grandview 6-3 61 4 3-2 7 Arapahoe 7-1 42 – 3-0 8 Ralston Valley 7-1 35 – 3-0 9 Fairview 7-3 29 – 3-2 10 Overland 3-5 24 5 0-4 Others receiving votes: Chaparral 22, Vista Peak Prep 20, Cherry Creek 9, Boulder 8, Legend 7, Mountain Vista 5, Rock Canyon 5, George Washington 2, Valor Christian 2. Dropped out Highlands Ranch (8), Legend (9), Mountain Vista (10). Class 4A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Cheyenne Mountain (7) 7-0 99 3 3-0 2 Mead (1) 6-1 87 4 3-0 3 Green Mountain (3) 7-1 85 6 3-1 4 Harrison 5-1 78 2 0-1 5 Golden 6-2 77 7 3-1 6 Lewis-Palmer (2) 5-2 76 1 0-2 7 Pueblo West 7-2 74 – 4-0 8 Northfield 8-2 42 – 4-0 9 Lincoln 5-4 25 8 2-1 10 Centaurus 6-2 20 9 1-1 Others receiving votes: Longmont 17, Evergreen 8, Pueblo East 8, Erie 7, Conifer 6, Frederick 6. Dropped out Pueblo East (5), Erie (10). Class 3A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Resurrection Christian (17) 7-0 170 2 2-0 2 Lutheran 4-2 129 1 0-1 3 Sterling 5-1 119 4 2-0 4 Faith Christian 5-2 95 3 1-1 5 The Vanguard School 4-1 88 5 0-0 6 Centauri 9-0 63 9 3-0 7 Manual 3-2 55 6 2-0 8 DSST: Byers 4-0 54 7 0-0 9 University 6-1 35 10 1-0 10 Eaton 8-1 33 – 4-0 Others receiving votes: St. Mary’s 27, Gunnison 24, Jefferson Academy 19, Alamosa 10, Bennett 4, Coal Ridge 3, Colorado Academy 3, DSST: Green Valley Ranch 3, Englewood 1, St. Mary’s 1. Dropped out St. Mary’s (8). Class 2A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 Yuma (8) 5-1 107 1 2-0 2 Highland (3) 5-1 106 2 1-0 3 Limon (1) 4-1 77 5 1-1 4 Fowler 5-2 76 3 2-1 5 Ignacio 4-0 59 4 2–1 6 Vail Christian 4-0 47 9 1-0 7 Holly 6-1 42 6 3-1 8 Mancos 4-2 38 8 1-1 9 Denver Christian 3-2 28 7 1-0 10 Wray 4-2 17 10 1-0 Others receiving votes: Sedgwick County 15, Heritage Christian 13, Dawson School 10, Center 7, Sanford 6, Wiggins 5, Crowley County 3, Vail Mountain 2, Byers 1, Dayspring Christian 1. Dropped out None. Class 1A RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW 1 De Beque (4) 6-0 76 1 2-0 2 Evangelical Christian (4) 6-0 66 2 2-0 3 Sangre de Cristo 6-0 40 3 2-0 4 Briggsdale 5-1 39 5 2-0 5 Kit Carson 4-1 37 6 3-0 6 Kim/Branson 6-1 30 7 2-0 7 Merino 4-1 24 4 0-1 8 Flatirons Academy 5-1 20 – 1-0 9 Longmont Christian 3-0 19 8 1-0 10 Peetz 5-1 17 – 1-1 Others receiving votes: Ouray 16, Walsh 14, Cheraw 12, Mile High Academy 10, Pikes Peak Christian 5, Belleview Christian 4, Haxtun 4, Caliche 2, Cotopaxi 2, Idalia 2, Primero 1. Dropped out Ouray (9), Genoa-Hugo/Karval (10). -
Video: Jeffco Preps With Pleuss (January)
Jeffco Preps With Pleuss is a monthly roundup of Jeffco prep highlights hosted by Dennis Pleuss, Jeffco Public Schools’ sports information director. This month’s edition features one final look back at the 2019 football season that concluded with Columbine facing Cherry Creek in the Class 5A state championship game. Dakota Ridge boys cross country team was honored for its back-to-back 5A team state titles with an all-school assembly. The basketball season got going in a hurry. Green Mountain hosted the annual Paul Davis Classic, along with Wheat Ridge boys and girls hoopsters squaring off against Lakewood and Alameda International. The first National Letter of Intent Signing Day was also a topic before the calendar turned to 2020.