Grand Junction started the 2013-14 campaign 7-0. The Tigers then lost two straight just prior to the winter break. However, since that break, GJ is 9-0.
This week, the Tigers cracked the top-10. They are ranked No. 9 in CHSAANow.com’s 5A poll.
Elsewhere in 5A, Denver East extended its stay at No. 1. Fossil Ridge remained at No. 2, and Mountain Vista at No. 3.
Regis Jesuit moved back up to the No. 4 spot after a 2-0 week. Eaglecrest dropped one place, and rounds out the top 5.
Arapahoe is sixth, Overland is seventh and Chatfield is eighth. Highlands Ranch rounds out the ranking at No. 10.
The 4A poll added Golden at No. 10. Other newcomers included No. 8 Centauri in 3A, No. 10 Denver Christian in 2A and No. 8 Shining Mountain in 1A.
Valor Christian (4A), Holy Family (3A), Ignacio (2A) and Caliche (1A) held firm atop their respective polls.
Lakewood moved up to No. 3 in this week’s 5A poll. (Tim Visser/TimVisserPhotography.com)
This week’s CHSAANow.com girls basketball rankings look mighty different than they did a week ago.
No, there are no new No. 1 teams in any of the five classifications. However, there were a number of big movers.
Included, in 5A: Lakewood going from No. 6 to No. 3, Mountain Vista from No. 9 to No. 4 and Cherry Creek from No. 8 to No. 6.
Lakewood has now won eight games in a row. Mountain Vista, meanwhile, beat then-No. 5 ThunderRidge last week.
Rock Canyon shoulders at least part of the blame for the shakeup. The Jaguars upset then-No. 4 Highlands Ranch last week as they went 3-0, and are now ranked No. 10.
Highlands Ranch tumbled to No. 9 after losing its third-straight game. ThunderRidge dropped to No. 8.
Regis Jesuit stayed atop 5A, and Grandview remained at No. 2.
The week’s other big mover was Peak to Peak, which went from No. 9 to No. 4 in 3A. That ranking added three new teams this week: No. 7 Platte Valley, No. 8 Grand Valley and No. 10 Trinidad.
Other newcomers: No. 10 Palmer Ridge in 4A and No. 10 Heritage Christian in 2A.
Broomfield (4A), Holy Family (3A), Lutheran (2A) and Caliche (1A) all stay atop their respective polls this week.
Denver East received 13 of the 20 first-place votes this week. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Denver East’s grip on the No. 1 spot in Class 5A boys basketball continues to grow tighter.
In this week’s CHSAANow.com rankings, the Angels received 13 of the 20 first-place votes. Last week, Denver East received 12 of 20.
The Angels are now 11-0 in Colorado, and have an average margin of victory of 19.8 points in those games. That includes a 3-point win over Cherry Creek on Dec. 13 and a one-point win over Eaglecrest on Dec. 16.
Since January, Denver East is winning in-state games by an average of 24.6 points.
Still, Fossil Ridge remains ever present. The second-ranked SaberCats are now 17-0, and received the other seven first-place votes this week. They are the only other team to be ranked No. 1 this season, holding that spot for one week in mid-January.
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.
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.
Eaglecrest is up to No. 3 in this week’s 5A poll. (Brock Laue)
The Centennial League is perhaps the strongest Class 5A boys basketball conference in the state. This week’s CHSAANow.com boys basketball poll continues to reflect that.
A poll-best four Centennial teams are ranked in the top-10 this week, led by Eaglecrest. The Raptors moved up to No. 3 following their fourth-consecutive win.
Cherry Creek is No. 6, Overland is No. 7 and Arapahoe is No. 8. Grandview, another Centennial team, also received votes.
"I’ve seen all of the teams in our league now," Arapahoe coach Dan Snyder said as Centennial League play was getting underway in early January, "and I can unequivocally say, without a doubt, this is the strongest the league has been — top-to-bottom — since I’ve been coaching at Arapahoe."
Still, the Continental has something to say when it comes to the strongest league this year. That league has three teams in this week’s 5A poll, led by No. 4 Mountain Vista. No. 5 Regis Jesuit and No. 10 Highlands Ranch — a newcomer this week — also hail from the Continental. So does Legend, which received votes this week.
Denver East stayed atop the 5A ranking, just ahead of No. 2 Fossil Ridge. The Angels got 12 first-place votes to Fossil’s eight.
Likewise, the other No. 1 teams also stayed put: Valor Christian in 4A, as well as Holy Family (3A), Ignacio (2A) and Caliche (1A).
Golden joined the 4A ranking at No. 10, while 3A added two new teams in No. 9 Moffat County and No. 10 St. Mary’s.
The 2A poll added Denver Christian (No. 9), and 1A added South Baca (No. 7).
