CHSAANow

Tag: Lakewood

  • Lakewood powers into 5A girls hoops Sweet 16 with win over Doherty

    Lakewood Doherty girls basketball
    Lakewood senior Jessica Brooks (2) shoots over Doherty’s Meagan Kramer and Ivory Masching on Friday night. Brooks had a game-high 18 points in the Tigers’ 62-31 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

    LAKEWOOD — A motivated Lakewood girls basketball team made a statement in the second round of the Class 5A state tournament Friday night.

    The Tigers (23-1) doubled-up No. 7-seeded Doherty with a score of 62-31, advancing the No. 2 seed from the Rhonda Blanford-Green Region into the Sweet 16. The 5A Jeffco League champions were a little miffed with being put in the same side of the bracket as defending state champion Regis (22-2) and last year’s state runner-up Highlands Ranch (20-4).

    “A lot of teams don’t give us the credit I think we deserve,” Lakewood senior Jessica Brooks said after scoring a game-high 18 points against Doherty. “It feels great to show people that they are wrong and we are a really good team.”

    Lakewood Doherty girls basketball
    Lakewood sophomore Madeleine Coughlin (5) attempts to get around Doherty senior Mariah Willey on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Lakewood will host No. 3-seeded Highlands Ranch on Tuesday, March 4, at Lakewood High School in the Sweet 16. Highlands Ranch easy handled Cherokee Trail, 91-53, on Friday night in another second-round game.

    Highlands Ranch eliminated Lakewood from the state tournament in the round of 16 last season. The Falcons ended the Tigers’ postseason run with a 60-40 defeat. Highlands Ranch eventually finished as the state runner-up to Regis.

    “It was going to happen anyways. It just comes a little early,” Lakewood coach Chris Poisson said of facing the Falcons in the Sweet 16. “Highlands Ranch is a different team. We are a different team. We are both younger. We aren’t going to talk about the past.”

    The Tigers are attempting to duplicate its deep run in the state tournament Lakewood had in 2008. Lakewood advanced to the state quarterfinals before losing to ThunderRidge.

    Lakewood’s road won’t be easy. The region could be considered the deepest of the four regions. The top three seeds in the region — Regis, Lakewood and Highlands Ranch — were ranked first, third and seventh in the final CHSAANow.com 5A girls basketball poll.

    Top-seed Regis handled Rocky Mountain 67-32 on Friday. Ralston Valley (20-5) is next up for the defending state champs. The No. 5-seeded Mustangs scored a 73-37 road victory at No. 4 seed Brighton on Friday. Regis will host Ralston Valley on Tuesday night.

    Lakewood never trailed against Doherty on Friday night. The Tigers led 30-12 at halftime thanks to a huge first half from Brooks and sophomore McKenna Bishop. The duo combined for 20 points in the first half.

    “Jess (Brooks) and Big Mac (Bishop) were great down low,” Poisson said. “They dominated and everyone else played the way they needed to play.”

    Lakewood Doherty girls basketball
    Lakewood sophomore Marissa Morton, left, plays tight defense on Doherty freshman Aleita Amparan during the second round of the Class 5A girls basketball tournament Friday night. Lakewood advanced to the Sweet 16 with a 62-31 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Doherty was focused keeping Lakewood’s leading scorer Mackenzie Forrest in check. The Spartans (11-13) used a box-and-one defense, limiting her to four points. The sophomore guard was never able to get on track offensively because of foul trouble. She eventually fouled out with 6:36 left in the fourth quarter.

    “We knew we wanted to shutdown 33 (Forrest). If we could take away 20 points per game we felt like we had a chance,” Doherty coach Pat McKiernan said. “We just couldn’t shoot the ball.”

    Senior Mariah Willey led the Spartans in scoring with eight points. Doherty was limited to single-digit points in three of the four quarters.

    Doherty had a little run early in the third quarter to cut Lakewood’s lead to 35-21, but the Tigers quickly responded with a 12-0 run to push the lead to 26 points before the start of the fourth quarter.

    Lakewood turned Forrest’s foul trouble into a positive. Sophomores Marissa Morton, Marisela Perez, Madeline Miller and Madeleine Coughlin all had strong games. Senior Gabby Carbone contributed a trio of 3-pointers in the Tigers’ 12th straight victory.

    “It gave an opportunity and everyone stepped up,” Poisson said of having Forrest playing limited minutes. “Everyone played better defense. Everyone made key shots.”

    Lakewood Doherty girls basketball
    Lakewood sophomore Madeleine Coughlin (5) looks for an open teammate while being covered by Doherty freshman Aleita Amparan during the first half Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • Lakewood clinches 5A Jeffco girls basketball title with win over Standley Lake

    Lakewood Standley Lake girls basketball
    Lakewood senior Jessica Brooks (2) goes up for a shot while being guarded by Standley Lake junior Caylie Hartman (15). Brooks had a game-high 23 points in the Tigers’ 56-37 win. (Dennis Pleuss)

    WESTMINSTER — One checked-off goal for Lakewood’s girls basketball team was worn on postgame t-shirts Tuesday night.

    Each Lakewood player sported a Class 5A Jeffco League championship t-shirt as they exited Standley Lake High School. The Tigers (21-1, 15-0 in league) officially clinched the conference title with a 56-37 victory against Standley Lake.

    “It means the world to me,” Lakewood senior captain Jessica Brooks said. “When I first came in we didn’t win very much. Now we have just lost one. It just feels so awesome that we won (league) my senior year.”

    It’s the first girls hoops conference title for Lakewood since winning 5A Jeffco in 2008. Ralston Valley had won the 5A Jeffco League four times over the past five seasons, including three in a row before the Tigers cemented themselves as the class of the conference this season.

    Lakewood Standley Lake girls basketball
    Lakewood sophomore Mackenzie Forrest (33) takes a shot as Standley Lake junior Casey Torbet looks on Tuesday night. Forrest scored 20 points in Lakewood’s 56-37 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

    “It means so much from where we were four years ago, winning three games, to winning a league championship,” Lakewood coach Chris Poisson said. “It’s extremely special. This group is special.”

    Lakewood struggled to a 3-20 record during its 2009-10 campaign, Poisson’s second year coaching the Tigers. Lakewood, No. 3 in this week’s CHSAANow.com rankings, has now reeled off back-to-back 20-plus win seasons.

    However, the Tigers aren’t done yet.

    “Our focus is to get a good seed. Get some home games for the playoffs. Hopefully make it to the Denver Coliseum,” said Brooks, who scored a game-high 23 points Tuesday. “We are just so pumped and ready to handle what is coming at us.”

    Standley Lake gave Lakewood all it could handle in the first half. The Gators (8-13, 4-11) actually were tied 19-19 at halftime.

    Juniors Caylie Hartman (13 points) and Casey Torbet (eight points) kept the Gators competitive against the Tigers, who have won 10 straight since losing a non-league game Jan. 13 against Castle View.

    “It was a good first half. We followed our game plan, stuck with it,” Standley Lake coach Denise Lopez said. “We played with a lot of confidence.”

    After struggling with its perimeter shooting in the first half, getting the ball to Brooks and sophomore McKenna Bishop in the paint was the offensive focus in the third quarter. Brooks and Bishop combined for 13 points in the third.

    “Jess (Brooks) was huge,” Poisson said. “She said, ‘I was taking over the boards.’ Standley was so physical. Good thing for Jess. That gave us the lift.”

    The Tigers went on a 16-0 run in the third quarter to get some distance between the upset-minded Gators.

    “The first half our intensity was just so low,” Brooks said. “After halftime we came out strong and that is what’s important. We had to pound it down low.”

    Lakewood Standley Lake girls basketball
    Standley Lake junior Casey Torbet (24) pulls down a rebound in front of Lakewood sophomore Mackenzie Forrest in the first half Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Lakewood sophomore Mackenzie Forrest found her shooting touch in the second half. Forrest finished with 20 points, just over her season average of 19.4 coming into the second to last game of the regular season.

    The Tigers will close out their regular season on the road against Dakota Ridge at 7 p.m. Friday.

    Lakewood will find out what seed it will be for the state tournament on Sunday, when the 5A state brackets are released.

    Standley Lake finishes off its regular season at 5:30 p.m. Friday with a home game against Pomona. The Gators are hoping their young squad will see their name in the bracket come Sunday.

    “We do have a lot of young girls who are getting good experience against good teams,” Lopez said. “To see what this level looks like and what it takes is good for us.”

    Lakewood Standley Lake girls basketball
    Lakewood sophomore McKenna Bishop (22) battles with Standley Lake junior Caylie Hartman for a rebound Tuesday during a Class 5A Jeffco League game. The Tigers took a 56-37 victory to clinch the 5A Jeffco conference title. (Dennis Pleuss)

  • Poudre joins 5A girls basketball poll

    Regis Jesuit ThunderRidge girls basketball
    Regis Jesuit remains atop the girls basketball ranking in 5A this week. (Mark Adams)

    Poudre, winner of its past five games, has joined this week’s CHSAANow.com 5A girls basketball ranking.

    The Impalas are now 16-5 and are ranked No. 10.

    Regis Jesuit continued to lead the ranking, as the Raiders have all season long. In fact, the top-6 all stayed the same this week, including No. 2 Grandview, No. 3 Lakewood, No. 4 Mountain Vista, No. 5 Fossil Ridge and No. 6 Cherry Creek.

    Highlands Ranch moved up to No. 7 from No. 9 and Rock Canyon from No. 10 to No. 8. ThunderRidge dropped one place to ninth.

    Each of the other four No. 1 teams stayed put, too. Those are Broomfield (4A), Holy Family (3A), Lutheran (2A) and Caliche (1A).

    With the regular season ending this weekend, these will serve as the final rankings of the season.

    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 (19) 19-2 190 1 2-0
    2 Grandview 19-2 171 2 2-0
    3 Lakewood 20-1 121 3 1-0
    4 Mountain Vista 18-3 116 4 2-0
    5 Fossil Ridge 20-1 109 5 2-0
    6 Cherry Creek 19-2 85 6 3-0
    7 Highlands Ranch 17-4 70 9 2-0
    8 Rock Canyon 15-5 67 10 1-1
    9 ThunderRidge 15-6 56 8 1-1
    10 Poudre 16-5 20 – 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Horizon 16, Castle View 15, Grand Junction 3, Rampart 3, Denver East 2, Ralston Valley 1.
    Dropped out
    Castle View (7).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Broomfield (14) 21-0 149 1 2-0
    2 Mesa Ridge (1) 22-0 132 2 3-0
    3 Pueblo South 20-1 124 3 1-0
    4 Sand Creek 18-3 93 4 3-0
    5 Valor Christian 18-3 83 5 1-0
    6 Elizabeth 18-2 74 6 2-0
    7 Glenwood Springs 19-1 60 7 2-1
    8 D’Evelyn 16-4 42 9 2-0
    9 Palmer Ridge 18-3 32 10 2-0
    10 Pueblo West 16-5 23 8 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Green Mountain 6, Silver Creek 4, Longmont 3.
    Dropped out
    None.

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Holy Family (10) 17-1 143 1 1-0
    2 Pagosa Springs (5) 17-0 137 2 3-0
    3 Lamar 19-0 124 3 3-0
    4 Sterling 15-3 87 5 3-0
    5 Peak to Peak 14-4 84 4 2-0
    6 Eaton 14-4 54 9 2-0
    7 Strasburg 15-3 53 6 1-0
    8 Grand Valley 14-3 52 8 2-0
    9 Platte Valley 14-4 36 7 2-1
    10 Trinidad 13-5 14 10 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Centauri 11, Olathe 10, Salida 7, Alamosa 4, Manitou Springs 4, St. Mary’s 4, Bishop Machebeuf 2.
    Dropped out
    None.

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Lutheran (10) 15-1 118 1 1-0
    2 Peyton (2) 17-1 104 2 3-0
    3 Yuma 17-1 98 3 3-0
    4 Akron 13-3 69 4 1-1
    5 Hoehne 16-1 67 5 2-0
    6 Meeker 16-2 63 6 2-0
    7 Liberty Common 16-1 45 8 2-0
    8 Sangre de Cristo 14-3 37 9 2-0
    9 Paonia 14-4 31 7 2-1
    10 Heritage Christian 16-2 9 10 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    The Vanguard 8, Simla 6, Rye 3, Del Norte 2.
    Dropped out
    None.

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Caliche (7) 16-1 88 1 2-1
    2 Eads (2) 16-1 79 2 2-0
    3 Idalia 16-0 67 3 1-0
    4 Norwood 16-1 64 4 3-0
    5 Briggsdale 13-3 52 5 1-1
    6 Dove Creek 15-3 48 6 2-1
    7 Prairie 14-3 39 8 3-0
    8 Kit Carson 11-6 23 7 1-1
    9 South Baca 13-4 17 9 0-1
    10 Gilpin County 15-4 9 10 1-1
    Others receiving votes:
    Liberty/Stratton 4, Belleview Christian 2, McClave 2, Centennial 1.
    Dropped out
    None.

  • Top-10 girls basketball schedule for the week of Feb. 17

    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 21-2
    Tues: W 91-31 at Douglas County
    Thurs: W 106-34 vs. Ponderosa
    2 Grandview 21-2
    Wed: W 60-44 at Arapahoe
    Fri: W 49-42 vs. (6) Cherry Creek
    3 Lakewood 22-1
    Tues: W 56-37 at Standley Lake
    Fri: W 71-57 at Dakota Ridge
    4 Mountain Vista 19-4
    Tues: W 67-50 vs. Legend
    Thurs: L 46-77 at (7) Highlands Ranch
    5 Fossil Ridge 22-1
    Tues: W 46-32 at Fort Collins
    Thurs: W 62-40 at Loveland
    6 Cherry Creek 20-3
    Wed: W 54-30 vs. Overland
    Fri: L 42-49 at (2) Grandview
    7 Highlands Ranch 19-4
    Tues: W 96-32 at Ponderosa
    Thurs: W 77-46 vs. (4) Mountain Vista
    8 Rock Canyon 16-7
    Tues: W 71-31 vs. Heritage
    Thurs: L 46-57 vs. (9) ThunderRidge
    Fri: L 79-86 at (4A 8) D’Evelyn
    9 ThunderRidge 17-6
    Tues: W 63-52 at Castle View
    Thurs: W 57-46 at (8) Rock Canyon
    10 Poudre 17-5
    Tues: W 50-34 at Rocky Mountain

    Class 4A
    1 Broomfield 23-0
    Tues: W 81-22 at Centaurus
    Fri: W 94-46 vs. Niwot
    2 Mesa Ridge 23-0
    Thurs: W 60-20 at Mitchell
    3 Pueblo South 21-2
    Tues: W 71-48 vs. (10) Pueblo West
    Fri: L 49-52 vs. Pueblo East
    4 Sand Creek 20-3
    Tues: W 68-30 at Lewis-Palmer
    Fri: W 64-38 vs. Falcon
    5 Valor Christian 20-3
    Thurs: W 72-48 at Montbello
    Fri: W 71-40 vs. Sierra
    6 Elizabeth 20-2
    Tues: W 66-25 at Fort Lupton
    Fri: W 66-27 at Englewood
    Sat: vs. Falcon
    7 Glenwood Springs 19-1
    Off this week.
    8 D’Evelyn 19-4
    Tues: W 63-17 vs. Wheat Ridge
    Thurs: W 66-30 vs. Arvada
    Fri: W 86-79 vs. (5A 8) Rock Canyon
    9 Palmer Ridge 20-3
    Tues: W 57-48 at Falcon
    Fri: W 61-18 vs. Cheyenne Mountain
    10 Pueblo West 16-7
    Tues: L 48-71 at (3) Pueblo South
    Fri: L 59-72 at Canon City

    Class 3A
    1 Holy Family 18-1
    Tues: W 69-21 at Kent Denver
    2 Pagosa Springs 19-0
    Tues: W 46-26 vs. Sanford
    Thurs: W 51-18 vs. Monte Vista
    3 Lamar 19-0
    Off this week.
    4 Sterling 16-3
    Tues: W 65-41 vs. Brush
    5 Peak to Peak 15-4
    Fri: W 60-39 at Manual
    6 Eaton 15-4
    Tues: W 45-31 at (9) Platte Valley
    7 Strasburg 16-3
    Tues: W 43-38 vs. Valley
    8 Grand Valley 15-3
    Tues: W 78-14 at Basalt
    Sat: at Moffat County
    9 Platte Valley 14-5
    Tues: L 31-45 vs. (6) Eaton
    10 Trinidad 14-5
    Tues: W 47-25 at James Irwin

    Class 2A
    1 Lutheran 17-1
    Tues: W 57-25 at University
    Fri: W 68-24 at Byers
    2 Peyton 18-1
    Fri: W 76-37 vs. Evangelical Christian
    3 Yuma 18-1
    Thurs: W 56-27 at Hi-Plains
    4 Akron 16-3
    Tues: W 66-30 at Wiggins
    Thurs: W 73-45 at Holyoke
    Fri: W 53-30 vs. Merino
    5 Hoehne 17-1
    Tues: W 63-37 vs. Fowler
    6 Meeker 17-2
    Tues: W 41-18 at Rangely
    7 Liberty Common 17-1
    Tues: W 48-31 at Union Colony
    8 Sangre de Cristo 14-4
    Fri: L 34-49 vs. Sanford
    Sat: at Cripple Creek-Victor
    9 Paonia 15-4
    Tues: W 74-31 vs. Hotchkiss
    10 Heritage Christian 17-2
    Tues: W 45-35 at Dayspring Christian

    Class 1A
    1 Caliche 17-1
    Fri: W 62-34 at Haxtun
    Sat: vs. Pawnee
    2 Eads 17-1
    Fri: W 43-27 vs. McClave
    3 Idalia 17-0
    Tues: at Liberty/Stratton
    Thurs: W 50-49 at Wray
    4 Norwood 17-1
    Fri: W 45-12 vs. Ignacio
    5 Briggsdale 15-3
    Thurs: W 49-42 vs. Merino
    Fri: W 39-36 at (7) Prairie
    6 Dove Creek 15-3
    Sat: at Nucla
    7 Prairie 14-5
    Thurs: L 41-44 vs. Fleming
    Fri: L 36-39 vs. (5) Briggsdale
    8 Kit Carson 12-6
    Fri: W 63-26 vs. Cheyenne Wells
    Sat: at Cheraw
    9 South Baca 14-4
    Thurs: W 53-47 vs. Springfield
    Sat: at Primero
    10 Gilpin County 15-4
    Off this week.

  • Lots of changes to girls basketball rankings, including Lakewood at No. 3

    Dakota Ridge Lakewood girls basketball
    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.

    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 (17) 17-2 179 1 2-0
    2 Grandview 17-2 159 2 2-0
    3 Lakewood 19-1 110 6 2-0
    4 Mountain Vista 16-3 84 9 2-0
    5 Fossil Ridge (1) 18-1 81 3 1-1
    6 Cherry Creek 16-2 76 8 1-0
    7 Castle View 15-4 74 7 2-0
    8 ThunderRidge 14-5 73 5 2-1
    9 Highlands Ranch 15-4 70 4 0-2
    10 Rock Canyon 14-4 41 – 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Ralston Valley 18, Horizon 8, Poudre 8, Denver East 4, Pine Creek 3, Rampart 2.
    Dropped out
    Ralston Valley (10).

    Class 4A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Broomfield (15) 19-0 159 1 2-0
    2 Mesa Ridge (1) 19-0 138 2 2-0
    3 Pueblo South 19-1 132 3 2-0
    4 Sand Creek 15-3 93 5 3-0
    5 Valor Christian 17-3 89 4 2-0
    6 Elizabeth 16-2 78 6 1-0
    7 Glenwood Springs 17-0 62 7 2-0
    8 Pueblo West 15-4 34 9 2-0
    9 D’Evelyn 14-4 33 8 1-1
    10 Palmer Ridge 16-3 27 – 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Longmont 16, Green Mountain 11, Pueblo County 3, Montrose 1, Mullen 1, Silver Creek 1.
    Dropped out
    Longmont (10).

    Class 3A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Holy Family (10) 16-1 143 1 1-0
    2 Pagosa Springs (5) 14-0 137 2 1-0
    3 Lamar 16-0 124 3 2-0
    4 Peak to Peak 12-4 69 9 2-0
    5 Sterling 12-3 67 4 0-1
    6 Strasburg 14-3 53 5 1-1
    7 Platte Valley 12-3 51 – 2-0
    8 Grand Valley 12-3 50 – 3-0
    9 Eaton 12-4 49 8 2-0
    10 Trinidad 12-4 32 – 3-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Olathe 16, Salida 10, Centauri 8, Manitou Springs 5, Bishop Machebeuf 3, St. Mary’s 2, Cedaredge 1.
    Dropped out
    Olathe (6), Salida (7), Centauri (10).

    Class 2A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Lutheran (11) 14-1 128 1 2-0
    2 Peyton (1) 14-1 108 3 2-0
    3 Yuma (1) 14-1 106 4 2-0
    4 Akron 12-2 91 2 1-1
    5 Hoehne 14-1 62 7 2-0
    6 Meeker 14-2 55 6 1-1
    7 Paonia 12-3 49 8 1-0
    8 Liberty Common 14-1 44 5 1-1
    9 Sangre de Cristo 12-3 35 9 1-0
    10 Heritage Christian 15-1 18 – 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    The Vanguard 11, Highland 5, Simla 3.
    Dropped out
    The Vanguard (10).

    Class 1A
    RK TEAM W-L PTS PVS LW
    1 Caliche (8) 14-0 80 1 2-0
    2 Eads 14-1 64 3 2-0
    3 Idalia 15-0 62 2 2-0
    4 Norwood 13-1 53 4 2-0
    5 Briggsdale 12-2 45 7 3-0
    6 Dove Creek 13-2 40 5 3-0
    7 Kit Carson 10-5 30 6 0-2
    8 Prairie 11-3 22 8 2-0
    9 South Baca 13-3 20 9 2-0
    10 Gilpin County 14-3 10 10 2-0
    Others receiving votes:
    Centennial 4, McClave 4, Liberty/Stratton 3, Cheraw 1, Fleming 1, Hi-Plains 1.
    Dropped out
    None.

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

    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 19-2
    Tues: W 67-44 vs. (10) Rock Canyon
    Fri: W 54-32 at (8) ThunderRidge
    2 Grandview 19-2
    Wed: W 51-19 vs. Smoky Hill
    Fri: W 70-42 at Overland
    3 Lakewood 20-1
    Tues: W 53-47 vs. Bear Creek
    4 Mountain Vista 18-3
    Tues: W 63-54 vs. (7) Castle View
    Fri: W 45-43 at Chaparral
    5 Fossil Ridge 20-1
    Tues: W 59-37 vs. Rocky Mountain
    Thurs: W 81-35 vs. Greeley West
    6 Cherry Creek 19-2
    Mon: W 44-18 vs. Eaglecrest
    Wed: W 41-37 at Cherokee Trail
    Fri: W 62-29 vs. Smoky Hill
    7 Castle View 15-6
    Tues: L 54-63 at (4) Mountain Vista
    Thurs: L 60-66 at (10) Rock Canyon
    8 ThunderRidge 15-6
    Tues: W 43-29 vs. Chaparral
    Fri: L 32-54 vs. (1) Regis Jesuit
    9 Highlands Ranch 17-4
    Tues: W 72-31 vs. Littleton
    Fri: W 76-52 vs. Legend
    10 Rock Canyon 15-5
    Tues: L 44-67 at (1) Regis Jesuit
    Thurs: W 66-60 vs. (7) Castle View

    Class 4A
    1 Broomfield 21-0
    Tues: W 87-44 vs. Thompson Valley
    Thurs: W 72-27 vs. Greeley Central
    2 Mesa Ridge 22-0
    Tues: W 85-25 vs. Coronado
    Fri: W 100-33 at Woodland Park
    Sat: W 62-53 at (7) Glenwood Springs
    3 Pueblo South 20-1
    Tues: W 68-17 vs. Pueblo Central
    4 Sand Creek 18-3
    Tues: W 45-26 at Discovery Canyon
    Thurs: W 56-32 vs. Cheyenne Mountain
    Sat: W 50-43 at (8) Pueblo West
    5 Valor Christian 18-3
    Thurs: W 60-27 at Liberty
    6 Elizabeth 18-2
    Tues: W 53-46 at Weld Central
    Fri: W 41-18 at Skyview
    7 Glenwood Springs 19-1
    Tues: W 50-36 at Palisade
    Fri: W 45-37 vs. Rifle
    Sat: L 53-62 vs. (2) Mesa Ridge
    8 Pueblo West 16-5
    Tues: W 43-37 vs. Pueblo County
    Sat: L 43-50 vs. (4) Sand Creek
    9 D’Evelyn 16-4
    Tues: W 65-39 at Golden
    Thurs: W 31-30 at Green Mountain
    10 Palmer Ridge 18-3
    Tues: W 60-30 at Vista Ridge
    Fri: W 43-40 at Air Academy

    Class 3A
    1 Holy Family 17-1
    Fri: W 62-29 vs. Jefferson Academy
    2 Pagosa Springs 17-0
    Mon: W 41-20 vs. Alamosa
    Fri: W 64-34 at Bayfield
    Sat: W 41-20 at Alamosa
    3 Lamar 19-0
    Tues: W 69-21 at Ellicott
    Fri: W 53-26 vs. (10) Trinidad
    Sat: W 38-30 at St. Mary’s
    4 Peak to Peak 14-4
    Tues: W 62-28 vs. Faith Christian
    Thurs: W 66-30 vs. The Pinnacle
    5 Sterling 15-3
    Tues: W 55-19 vs. University
    Wed: W 48-30 vs. (7) Platte Valley
    Fri: W 28-25 at Valley
    6 Strasburg 15-3
    Fri: W 34-27 at University
    7 Platte Valley 14-4
    Tues: W 42-31 vs. Valley
    Wed: L 30-48 at (5) Sterling
    Fri: W 41-38 at Brush
    8 Grand Valley 14-3
    Tues: W 48-40 at Cedaredge
    Fri: W 53-48 vs. Coal Ridge
    9 Eaton 14-4
    Tues: W 61-32 at Highland
    Fri: W 84-19 vs. Lyons
    10 Trinidad 12-5
    Fri: L 26-53 at (3) Lamar

    Class 2A
    1 Lutheran 15-1
    Thurs: W 73-18 at Denver Christian
    2 Peyton 16-1
    Tues: at The Classical Academy
    Wed: W 84-45 at C.S. School
    Sat: W 87-49 vs. The Vanguard
    3 Yuma 16-1
    Mon: W 55-54 at (1A 1) Caliche
    Thurs: W 77-39 at Wray
    Sat: vs. Weld Central
    4 Akron 13-3
    Mon: W 57-29 vs. Holyoke
    Thurs: L 55-59 vs. (1A 1) Caliche
    5 Hoehne 16-1
    Tues: W 72-16 at John Mall
    Thurs: W 61-32 at Crowley County
    6 Meeker 16-2
    Fri: W 59-34 at Hotchkiss
    Sat: W 59-45 vs. (7) Paonia
    7 Paonia 13-4
    Fri: W 69-20 vs. Rangely
    Sat: L 45-59 at (6) Meeker
    8 Liberty Common 16-1
    Thurs: W 43-30 vs. (10) Heritage Christian
    Sat: W 56-30 vs. Dayspring Christian
    9 Sangre de Cristo 13-3
    Thurs: W 67-28 vs. La Veta
    Sat: at Crested Butte
    10 Heritage Christian 16-2
    Thurs: L 30-43 at (8) Liberty Common
    Sat: W 56-39 vs. (1A 5) Briggsdale

    Class 1A
    1 Caliche 16-1
    Mon: L 54-55 vs. (2A 3) Yuma
    Thurs: W 59-55 at (2A 4) Akron
    Fri: W 50-31 at Peetz
    2 Eads 16-1
    Thurs: W 67-48 vs. (9) South Baca
    Fri: W 56-31 at (7) Kit Carson
    3 Idalia 16-0
    Tues: W 52-25 at Bethune
    4 Norwood 15-1
    Tues: W 43-29 vs. Ridgway
    Fri: W 54-29 at Ouray
    Sat: vs. Telluride
    5 Briggsdale 13-3
    Thurs: W 68-48 at Pawnee
    Sat: L 39-56 at (2A 10) Heritage Christian
    6 Dove Creek 15-3
    Tues: W 49-34 vs. Dolores
    Fri: L 35-40 vs. Nucla
    Sat: W 51-28 vs. Ouray
    7 Kit Carson 11-6
    Fri: L 31-56 vs. (2) Eads
    Sat: W 60-38 vs. Genoa-Hugo
    8 Prairie 14-3
    Wed: W 47-38 vs. Peetz
    Fri: W 38-28 at Merino
    Sat: W 56-37 vs. Otis
    9 South Baca 13-4
    Thurs: L 48-67 at (2) Eads
    10 Gilpin County 15-4
    Tues: W 30-19 vs. Jim Elliot Christian
    Thurs: L 36-37 vs. Shining Mountain

  • 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).

  • 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
    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
    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
    Tues: W 67-18 at Colorado Academy
    2 Pagosa Springs 14-0
    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
    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
    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
    Fri: W 46-22 at Plateau Valley
    9 Sangre de Cristo 12-3
    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
    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

  • 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 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)
    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)
    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 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)
    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)

  • Overland’s Thomas picks CSU, Windsor’s Noller to Navy as commits keep rolling in

    Windor's Trenton Noller. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
    Windor’s Trenton Noller (76). (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

    As Signing Day draws increasingly near, seniors continue to make their college decisions.

    A host of Colorado kids made their decisions over the weekend, including Overland linebacker Tre Thomas, who committed to Colorado State, and Windsor lineman Trenton Noller, who committed to the Naval Academy.

    Thomas is the fifth in-state senior to pick CSU this cycle, following Loveland athlete John Freismuth, Douglas County running back Trey Smith, Pomona lineman Zach Stefo and Valor Christian defensive back Marcus Wilson. He chose the Rams over offers from New Mexico, San Jose State, UTEP, Wyoming and Northern Colorado, according to his Rivals.com profile.

    Thomas, 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, had 219 total tackles last season, a figure that led the state across all classifications. He also had four sacks and 16 hurries, along with two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and two blocked kicks.

    “It’s a great school, a great community,” Thomas told GreenandGoldNews.com. “The players are good. I like the players, I like the coaches, and it’s in my home state, not too far from my family. So it seemed like the perfect fit for me.”

    The 6-foot-4, 300-pound Noller also had offers from Arizona, Army, Georgia Tech, New Mexico State, Wyoming and Northern Colorado, according to Rivals.com. He announced his commitment over Twitter on Sunday morning:

    “It’s a huge weight off my shoulders,” Noller told the Fort Collins Coloradoan. “I love it here. They told me straight up that it will be hard, but I can get through it, and it will be more rewarding than if I go anywhere else.”

    Additionally, Fairview lineman Connor Spencer announced his commitment to San Diego, an FCS program.

    With the three new commits, Colorado now has 35 players committed to Division I football programs — 25 to FBS schools and 10 to FCS. The 35 total is the most since the class of 2008, according to a search of the Rivals.com database. That year, the state produced 38 Division I recruits.

    The 25 FBS commits are also the most since 2008, when the state had 33.

    A few locals also declared their intention to head to Division II programs.

    Included are Legend wide receiver/defensive back Elijah Cherrington (CSU-Pueblo), Smoky Hill quarterback Trent Clay (Black Hills State), ThunderRidge wide receiver Mark Hopper (Colorado School of Mines), Poudre quarterback Cody Limmer (Colorado School of Mines), Clear Creek wide receiver/defensive back Tevin Lucas (Sioux Falls), Lakewood quarterback Casey Nicholls (Sioux Falls), Dakota Ridge lineman Brant Seeley (Adams State), and Regis Jesuit linebacker Quinn Vandekoppel (CSU-Pueblo).

    A full list of football commits can be found here.

    Elsehwere, Monarch’s Parker Sitton committed to Arkansas State for track, and Legend’s Peyton Remy committed to New Mexico for baseball. Remy’s commitment means Colorado now has 29 Division I baseball recruits this class.