Tag: D’Evelyn

Ball Fever: Previewing the 5A and 4A boys basketball tournaments
Mountain Vista is a No. 1 seed in the Ray Ball Region. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Ball Fever is a regular installment written by Thomas Trotman which rounds up boys basketball action in Class 5A and 4A.

Colorado prep hoop fans! What an exciting time in Colorado as our big school divisions have produced one memorable regular season with some excellent team play and amazing individual performances, as well.

The buzz about Colorado hoops is legit and we can thank a growing basketball community for that from our peewee rec leagues to competitive club ball, increasing individual personal training opportunities and truly dedicated high school staffs. The basketball product hitting the Colorado hardwood is improving and colleges of all levels are taking notice! Great time to be a part of Colorado hoops and now lets get to the madness!

Now, on to the tournament previews:

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Class 5A

Ray Ball Region

The top seed coming out of this region is an extremely hot Mountain Vista (22-1) squad which is riding a 14-game winning streak. That includes their Continental League-clinching overtime thriller vs. Highlands Ranch to cap the regular season. The confident, Denver-bound Jake Pemberton leads Vista’s fast-paced attack which keeps opponents gasping for air.

Our Fever Crew discussed Chatfield playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder in this region after going 14-2 in league and winning the Jeffco but earning a No. 3 seed.

Eaglecrest celebrates winning the last year’s 5A basketball championship. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

The defending champs? Oh yes, the Eaglecrest Raptors again have a balanced attack with numerous athletes who are likely very hungry to taste the title again. Junior Blend Advili continues to be a jack of all trades for the Raptors, while LaDerian King and Jaisean Jackson’s senior leadership will make the defending champ a scary matchup.

Favorites: Mountain Vista and Eaglecrest. In our opinion, both are Boulder-capable teams but only one will get there.

Watch out for: Fort Collins can be a sneaky No. 4 seed here in our opinion. Colorado State commit Toby Van Ry and his running mate Will Duggan (Black Hills State commit) will not go down without a fight. Possible Sweet 16 match-up with Mountain Vista for Fort Collins.

Chatfield was discussed above and they may have to face a tough, well-coached ThunderRidge squad right away. Coach Joe Ortiz and crew will use the lessons learned in the tough Continental League and be prepared should that game become reality.

Chauncey Billups Region:

Fossil Ridge is No. 1 seed in the Chauncey Billups Region. (Pam Wagner)

One year ago, we sat in the Fossil Ridge gym and watched that 2013 team battle Arapahoe to exciting last-second finish. While looking at their roster all one could think was, “This squad is going to be tough next year!”

That turned out to be a huge understatement as the SaberCats have posted a perfect 23-0 season with their first league title and many voting them as our state’s No. 1 team. The SaberCats’ lead man is Alex Semadeni, who leads their balanced attack with 14 points per game. Our Fever Crew got to see many of these young men playing club ball together as well in tough venues such as Indianapolis and Las Vegas.

Regardless of how things end up for the SaberCats, congrats are in order for coach Matt Johannsen and the entire Fossil Ridge hoops family.

With all the attention Mountain Vista and Highlands Ranch got towards the end of the season, it may have been easy to overlook Regis Jesuit but don’t make that mistake as coach Ken Shaw will have his crew prepped for postseason action. The Raiders have a No. 2 seed but some tough potential opponents in Smoky Hill, Standley Lake and possibly an Arapahoe if both can advance to Sweet 16.

Favorites: Fossil Ridge and Regis. After a tough two-point loss to Mountain Vista, Regis has quietly ran off seven in a row. Many feel Fossil Ridge/Regis have similar rosters and would love to see the two great coaches match wits as well.

Watch out for:
- A fun first-round match up in Rock Canyon and Lincoln. If you like guard play check out Lincoln’s leader Michael Sparks vs. the Jaguars tandem of Tyler Garcia and Mitch Lombard.
- Arapahoe and Smoky Hill have impressive “Centennial-tough” league wins and wouldn’t mind playing for a rubber match after splitting their season matchups.
Jim Baggot Region:

Denver East’s Dom Collier. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

The season had to have a bit of a “rock star” feel for this region’s top seed Denver East Angels while they had the opportunity to play top national competition in Utah, Florida and Nebraska.

The Angels finished the season with a 19-4 mark with each loss coming out of state. CU-bound Dominique Collier and Creighton commit Ronnie Harrell lead a very celebrated starting five who all have NCAA Division I college interest and potential.

East tasted great success last year but as we all know they came up short in the title game. They haven’t lost in Colorado this year and we’re sure coach Rudy Carey’s Angels don’t plan on it.

Highlands Ranch suffered a 20-point post-winter break loss to Denver East in January and they would love a rematch now that the Falcons are healthy and at full strength. The No. 2 seed is led by big Zach Braxton (Weber State commit) and he has serious perimeter help with a healthy Evan Motlong along with Riley Stewart playing well.

Favorites: Clearly Denver East and Highlands Ranch in this region. Lots of work to be done but the city vs. suburbs fanatics would love to see this possible Sweet 16 matchup happen.

Watch out for:
- Horizon will have its hands full with No. 10 seed George Washington.
- Thomas (20 points per game) and Luke Neff over at Arvada West can heat up and cause lots of trouble in the bottom half of this region.
- Twitter-verse seemed to show a lot of surprise at Grandview earning a No. 3 seed and they will be tested right away if the Arvada West match up plays out.
- Heard a lot of good things about Broderick Robinson, senior averaging 20 points per for Grand Junction, and a possible match-up vs. Cherokee Trail young guns could be intriguing.
Bill Weimar Region:

Rangeview is on a 10-game winning streak. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

The Danny Fisher-coached Overland Trailblazers (17-6) suffered a tough one-point home loss to Eaglecrest in January, but have since run off seven straight, including avenging that loss to the Raptors to lock up the Centennial League title in OT last Friday.

The young Blazers talent is well documented with two-sport stud Austin Conway running the show, big De’Ron Davis on the inside, and guards Reggie Gibson, Jervae Robinson making more consistent impact. Don’t be surprised if you hear that senior T’Aren Williams steps up for Overland somewhere during this playoff journey.

The EMAC conference hasn’t gotten a lot of respect lately but one player who could make us all take notice on any given night is future CSU Ram Jeremiah Paige. The Rangeview Raiders look good as a No. 2 seed on a 10-game win streak which includes a road victory over 4A’s No. 1 ranked squad Valor Christian to finish the season.

The Raiders could be in for a real battle if Montbello can get the win over visiting Liberty. Montbello is playing much improved ball lately and have a starting five that can compete with any in the state. The question with the Warriors will be their depth.

Favorites: Going with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds as the favorites here as well. Giving a slight edge to Rangeview over No. 3 seed Chaparral here as they beat them head-to-head, but that was a very different Chap team early in the season. Overland carrying some serious momentum into tourney.

Watch out for:
- Speaking of young talent, Overland may just see some if Aurora Central and their young guard Ladarius Thomas can lead the Trojans to a win over Boulder.
- More strong guard play with Dakota Ridge potentially facing Monarch.
- As mentioned above, Chaparral could easily be a favorite in this region. Jake Holtzman, who reportedly just picked up an offer from Denver University, leads a Chap squad who won seven of their last eight. Only recent loss coming to Continental champ Vista.
- Senior DJ Miles is a player to watch as Bear Creek visits Cherry Creek to see who gets Chap. The Creek Bruins had a fast start and proved they can play with the best (senior Griffin Parr at 12 points per game, Ceasar Jones and Will Bower lead the strong junior class). Lets see if they can regain the steam at the right time.
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Class 4A

All season, Valor Christian has been looked at as the favorite in 4A. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Richard Tate Region:

The consistent No. 1-ranked team most of the season in 4A has been Valor Christian and that’s hard to argue with. The Eagles have a senior-heavy roster that has gotten close to that “gold ball” and seem primed to make another Boulder run this year.

Senior Chase Foster (San Francisco commit; 20 points per game) is Mr. Versatility for the Eagles and he has a strong cast of sweet-shooting Garrett Baggett along with the toughness football studs Christian McCaffrey and Marcus Wilson bring.

Valor hoops is 19-4 and their only Colorado loss comes to 5A Rangeview.

Pueblo East got the No. 2 seed in this region. Dylan Gavin is averaging 20 points per game for East and had the team on a five-game winning streak before a season-ending loss to league champ Pueblo South.

A player who can spark his team to a run in this region is Vista PEAK’s Romello Washington. Washington can light it up, has recent games of 25, 31, 27, with a season average of 18 per game for Vista, who are undefeated league champs.

Favorites: Valor Christian and Pueblo East.

Watch out for: Ponderosa played in the brutal 5A Continental League but now look to make some noise in the 4A tourney. Will be interesting to see how Valor handles one of our states best “bigs” in 6-foot-10 Wyoming commit Jonathon Barnes should Pondo get by Mountain View.

Guy Gibbs Region:

D’Evelyn is the No. 1 seed in the Guy Gibbs Region. (Dennis Pleuss)

The D’Evelyn Jaguars have a strong duo who have both averaged close to 20 points per game the entire season in Ty McGee and Grant Witherspoon. The 18-5 Jags had two late season losses to Thomas Jefferson and Wheat Ridge but their 13-1 Jeffco 4A league record won the league title and got them the No. 1 seed.

The No. 2 seed Sand Creek in this region has a real play maker of their own in Air Force commit Dylan Clark (averaging 20 points per game, as well).

Favorites: Have to add Denver West as a serious problem for folks in this region along with the two top seeds. Coach Ray Valdez has the Cowboys playing fundamentally sound and with a lot of fight. Sophomore Alpha Diallo is an up and coming play maker with nice court vision, scoring ability for West.

Watch out for: Would love to have a front row seat for a potential Sweet 16 match up of Denver West vs. Sand Creek.

Mark Randall Region:

Thompson Valley’s Collin Smith. (Brock Laue)

Two more deserving, tough Nos. 1 and 2 seeds here as well.

Thompson Valley, 22-1 with only loss coming to 5A’s Fossil Ridge, haven’t tasted defeat since mid-December. 6-foot-5 senior Collin Smith paces the Eagles with 19 points and six rebounds per game.

Got to take a look at Thompson Valley’s balanced play when they visited a squad with a strong senior leader of their own in Cheyenne Mountain’s Ghassan Nehme (Montana State commit). Nehme, who averages almost 27 points per game, has the Indians on a five-game streak headed into tourney play.

Favorites: Top two seeds look good here but Longmont and Mesa Ridge very capable of mixing things up. Senior Austin Kemp will attempt to get Longmont back on track after two late-season losses.

Watch out for: Ghassan Nehme is an electric scorer who can put his squad on his shoulders if needed.

Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region:

Denver South is the No. 2 seed in the Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region. (Mark Adams)

Pueblo South lost their first two games of the season and have impressively ran off 21 wins in a row. Now that’s momentum headed into the tourney.

Another impressive stat is that the Colts have four players averaging double figure scoring, led by Brian Pratt and Jared Baros right at 13 each per game.

Denver South holds this region’s No. 2 seed and their big man in the middle, Ibrahim Sylla (Northern Colorado commit), is a double-double highlight machine above the rim. Sylla averages 14 points and 14 rebounds per game.

Favorites: Hard to call in this extremely tough region. Stacked with competitive teams like Golden (won 10 of their last 11 games with sophomore Ryan Blodgett at 12-point and eight-rebound average) at the No. 3 seed and a No. 4 seed in Thomas Jefferson who could beat any of the top 3 if they bring their “A” game as they did in a late season win over No. 1 seed D’Evelyn.

Watch out for: “Watch your head” as the players would say when South’s Sylla or Thomas Jefferson’s Trey Andres take flight. Two of our state’s “freakish” athletes. Denver South played a strong season finale vs. 5A No. 1 Denver East. They could carry that momentum into a tourney run. Guards Lorenzo Snoddy and Tyson Purifoy capable of big games as well. This region is tough!

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Whew! Get ready for some fun tourney action folks.

Denver East/Fossil Ridge in 5A? Valor/Thompson Valley in 4A? Many have said it could play out just that way. Those have been your top big school squads all season, but we happen to remember a young man by the name of TreShawn Wilford who led the Eaglecrest Raptors on a special tournament run in 2013.

Who could be the Wilford of this years playoffs? We’ll be watching to find out! Enjoy …
February 25, 2014

Denver East narrowly holds onto top spot in 5A boys basketball ranking

With one week to go in the regular season, Fossil Ridge nearly overtook Denver East atop the Class 5A basketball rankings.

Nearly.

The SaberCats remained in the No. 2 spot despite the fact that both schools received 10 first-place votes. Denver East, though, held on to its top ranking by one overall point.

The Angels have been No. 1 all season, save for one week in mid-January when Fossil Ridge led the poll.

Mountain Vista stayed put at No. 3 this week, and continued to be followed by No. 4 Regis Jesuit and No. 5 Eaglecrest.

Overland bumped up on place to No. 6, while Highlands Ranch went from No. 10 to No. 7 after going 2-0 last week.

Arapahoe dropped two spots to No. 8, Rangeview is the poll’s lone newcomer at No. 9, and Grand Junction rounds out the ranking at No. 10.

The Centennial and Continental leagues both have three teams in the top-10 this week. The Denver Prep, Front Range and East Metro and Southwestern all have one ranked team.

Elsewhere, the 1A poll has a new No. 1 team. Hi-Plains took over for Caliche after receiving eight of the 11 first-place votes in that class. Hi-Plains went 3-0 last week, while Caliche went 1-2, though both losses were to ranked 2A teams.

That ranking added No. 9 Cheraw and No. 10 Briggsdale.

Holy Family Jefferson Academy boys basketball — Jefferson Academy moved up to No. 3 in 3A this week. (Pam Wagner)

The No. 1 teams in 4A (Valor Christian), 3A (Holy Family) and 2A (Ignacio) stayed the same this week.

The 4A poll added No. 9 Cheyenne Mountain and No. 10 Denver West. 3A added No. 7 Denver Science & Tech and No. 10 Platte Valley.

Holyoke (No. 9) and Meeker (No. 10) were the new teams in the 2A ranking this week.

As the regular season ends for all classes this week, these will be the final rankings of the season.

Complete polls for all classes are below.

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CHSAANow.com Boys 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	Denver East (10)	16-4	190	1	1-1
2	Fossil Ridge (10)	21-0	189	2	2-0
3	Mountain Vista	20-1	152	3	2-0
4	Regis Jesuit	18-3	135	4	2-0
5	Eaglecrest	16-5	106	5	2-1
6	Overland	15-6	94	7	2-0
7	Highlands Ranch	15-6	63	10	2-0
8	Arapahoe	16-5	61	6	2-1
9	Rangeview	18-3	39	–	2-0
10	Grand Junction	17-2	21	9	1-0
Others receiving votes:
Grandview 16, Monarch 10, Chatfield 7, Chaparral 5, Cherry Creek 5, Dakota Ridge 2, Fort Collins 2, Legend 2, Montbello 1.
Dropped out
Chatfield (8).

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Valor Christian (16)	18-3	160	1	2-0
2	Thompson Valley	20-1	139	2	2-0
3	Pueblo South	19-2	124	3	1-0
4	Longmont	18-3	85	7	2-0
5	Pueblo East	17-4	79	6	1-0
6	D’Evelyn	17-4	77	4	2-1
7	Denver South	15-7	52	8	1-0
8	Sand Creek	16-5	45	5	1-2
9	Cheyenne Mountain	15-5	32	–	2-0
10	Denver West	13-7	26	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Air Academy 20, Thomas Jefferson 20, Golden 14, Wheat Ridge 6, Rifle 1.
Dropped out
Air Academy (9), Golden (10).

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Holy Family (9)	17-1	126	1	1-1
2	Colorado Academy (2)	16-1	117	2	2-0
3	Jefferson Academy (1)	15-3	97	5	1-0
4	Faith Christian	12-5	91	3	1-0
5	Colorado Springs Christian (1)	14-3	88	4	3-0
6	Moffat County	14-2	60	9	3-0
7	Denver Science & Tech	14-4	33	–	3-0
8	The Pinnacle	14-4	31	10	2-1
9	Aspen	15-3	24	7	2-1
10	Platte Valley	13-5	18	–	3-0
Others receiving votes:
Brush 16, St. Mary’s 9, Bishop Machebeuf 5.
Dropped out
Brush (6), Centauri (8).

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Ignacio (9)	16-0	141	1	3-0
2	Sanford (1)	16-1	127	2	2-0
3	Lutheran (4)	11-6	120	4	2-0
4	Akron	15-1	113	3	2-0
5	Resurrection Christian (1)	15-2	86	5	1-0
6	Yuma	15-3	76	6	3-0
7	Peyton	14-2	54	7	1-0
8	Simla	15-2	44	8	2-0
9	Holyoke	11-6	14	–	2-1
10	Meeker	14-4	13	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Rye 12, Crowley County 7, Center 6, Denver Christian 5, Telluride 3, Haxtun 1, Paonia 1, Sedgwick County 1, Swink 1.
Dropped out
Rye (9), Denver Christian (10).

Class 1A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Hi-Plains (8)	16-1	107	2	3-0
2	Caliche (3)	15-2	101	1	1-2
3	Holly	14-3	87	3	2-0
4	Cheyenne Wells	12-5	67	4	1-2
5	South Baca	12-4	61	7	1-0
6	Vail Christian	13-5	56	6	2-1
7	McClave	13-4	48	5	1-1
8	Shining Mountain	14-4	33	8	2-0
9	Cheraw	11-4	15	–	4-0
10	Briggsdale	11-5	13	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Jim Elliot Christian 10, Primero 2, Walsh 2, Norwood 1, Peetz 1, Liberty/Stratton 1.
Dropped out
Primero (9), Norwood (10).

February 17, 2014

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.

February 17, 2014

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

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

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

Class 5A
1	Denver East	18-4
	Tues: W 76-51 vs. George Washington
	Fri: W 62-58 at (4A 7) Denver South
2	Fossil Ridge	23-0
	Tues: W 45-34 at Fort Collins
	Thurs: W 77-33 vs. Loveland
3	Mountain Vista	22-1
	Tues: W 80-66 at Legend
	Fri: W 75-73 vs. (7) Highlands Ranch
4	Regis Jesuit	20-3
	Tues: W 78-43 vs. Douglas County
	Fri: W 70-47 at Ponderosa
5	Eaglecrest	17-6
	Wed: W 54-52 at Smoky Hill
	Fri: L 65-68 vs. (6) Overland
6	Overland	17-6
	Wed: W 56-38 at Cherry Creek
	Fri: W 68-65 at (5) Eaglecrest
7	Highlands Ranch	16-7
	Tues: W 72-45 vs. Ponderosa
	Fri: L 73-75 at (3) Mountain Vista
8	Arapahoe	18-5
	Wed: W 43-42 at Grandview
	Fri: W 71-65 at Cherokee Trail
9	Rangeview	20-3
	Tues: W 94-53 vs. Hinkley
	Thurs: W 83-76 at (4A 1) Valor Christian
10	Grand Junction	18-2
10	Tues: W 87-41 vs. Grand Junction Central

Class 4A
1	Valor Christian	19-4
	Thurs: L 76-83 vs. (5A 9) Rangeview
	Fri: W 53-40 at Sierra
2	Thompson Valley	22-1
	Tues: W 52-39 at (4) Longmont
	Fri: W 72-55 at Mountain View
3	Pueblo South	21-2
	Tues: W 84-74 at Pueblo West
	Fri: W 66-62 vs. (5) Pueblo East
4	Longmont	18-5
	Tues: L 39-52 vs. (2) Thompson Valley
	Fri: L 47-52 at Silver Creek
5	Pueblo East	18-5
	Tues: W 54-50 at Pueblo Central
	Fri: L 62-66 at (3) Pueblo South
6	D’Evelyn	18-5
	Wed: L 60-69 at Wheat Ridge
	Fri: W 90-48 at Arvada
7	Denver South	15-8
7	Fri: L 58-62 vs. (5A 1) Denver East
8	Sand Creek	17-5
	Tues: W 56-41 vs. Lewis-Palmer
	Sat: at Falcon
9	Cheyenne Mountain	18-5
	Tues: W 86-45 vs. Discovery Canyon
	Thurs: W 69-47 vs. Air Academy
	Fri: W 68-63 vs. Palmer Ridge
10	Denver West	15-8
	Mon: W 78-70 vs. Silver Creek
	Tues: L 67-74 vs. Montbello
	Fri: W 70-54 at Denver North

Class 3A
1	Holy Family	18-1
1	Wed: W 52-35 vs. Kent Denver
2	Colorado Academy	18-1
	Tues: W 90-51 vs. Denver North
	Fri: W 83-62 at (2A 5) Resurrection Christian
3	Jefferson Academy	15-3
3	Tues: vs. The Classical Academy
4	Faith Christian	13-6
	Tues: W 71-29 vs. Manual
	Thurs: L 60-68 at Northglenn
5	Colorado Springs Christian	16-3
	Tues: W 68-28 vs. Florence
	Thurs: W 62-43 at Manitou Springs
6	Moffat County	15-3
	Tues: L 55-64 at Gunnison
	Fri: W 54-51 at Coal Ridge
	Sat: vs. Grand Valley
7	Denver Science & Tech	15-5
	Mon: W 84-51 at Middle Park
	Tues: L 54-56 at (8) The Pinnacle
8	The Pinnacle	15-4
8	Tues: W 56-54 vs. (7) Denver Science & Tech
9	Aspen	16-3
9	Fri: W 44-40 at Gunnison
10	Platte Valley	14-5
10	Tues: W 78-52 vs. Eaton

Class 2A
1	Ignacio	17-0
	Tues: at Monticello (Utah)
	Fri: W 59-41 at Norwood
	Sat: vs. Telluride
2	Sanford	18-1
	Tues: W 75-32 at Pagosa Springs
	Fri: W 54-36 at Sangre de Cristo
3	Lutheran	13-6
	Tues: W 58-36 vs. University
	Fri: W 63-40 at Byers
4	Akron	18-1
	Tues: W 77-50 at Wiggins
	Thurs: W 68-65 at (9) Holyoke
	Fri: W 73-45 vs. Merino
5	Resurrection Christian	16-3
	Tues: W 87-51 vs. Nederland
	Fri: L 62-83 vs. (3A 2) Colorado Academy
6	Yuma	16-3
6	Thurs: W 59-55 at (1A 1) Hi-Plains
7	Peyton	16-2
	Fri: W 79-39 vs. Evangelical Christian
	Sat: W 62-51 vs. Center
8	Simla	16-2
	Tues: W 76-57 at Custer County
	Sat: at Miami-Yoder
9	Holyoke	12-7
	Thurs: L 65-68 vs. (4) Akron
	Fri: W 73-69 at Sedgwick County
10	Meeker	14-5
10	Tues: L 49-52 at Rangely

Class 1A
1	Hi-Plains	16-2
	Thurs: L 55-59 vs. (2A 6) Yuma
	Sat: vs. Byers
2	Caliche	16-2
	Fri: W 49-39 at Haxtun
	Sat: vs. Pawnee
3	Holly	14-4
	Tues: L 45-51 at Granada
	Thurs: vs. Elkhart (Kan.)
4	Cheyenne Wells	12-6
	Tues: vs. Weskan (Kan.)
	Fri: L 41-45 at Kit Carson
5	South Baca	12-5
	Thurs: L 59-65 vs. Springfield
	Sat: at Primero
6	Vail Christian	13-5
6	Sat: at Plateau Valley
7	McClave	15-4
	Thurs: W 56-49 vs. Wiley
	Fri: W 76-30 at Eads
8	Shining Mountain	14-4
8	Thurs: vs. Eagle Ridge Academy
9	Cheraw	12-5
	Tues: W 56-47 vs. Wiley
	Fri: L 32-59 vs. Granada
	Sat: vs. Kit Carson
10	Briggsdale	12-6
	Thurs: L 45-52 vs. Merino
	Fri: W 38-37 at Prairie

February 17, 2014

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
10	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
2	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
7	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
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
3	Off this week.
4	Sterling	16-3
4	Tues: W 65-41 vs. Brush
5	Peak to Peak	15-4
5	Fri: W 60-39 at Manual
6	Eaton	15-4
6	Tues: W 45-31 at (9) Platte Valley
7	Strasburg	16-3
7	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
9	Tues: L 31-45 vs. (6) Eaton
10	Trinidad	14-5
10	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
2	Fri: W 76-37 vs. Evangelical Christian
3	Yuma	18-1
3	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
5	Tues: W 63-37 vs. Fowler
6	Meeker	17-2
6	Tues: W 41-18 at Rangely
7	Liberty Common	17-1
7	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
9	Tues: W 74-31 vs. Hotchkiss
10	Heritage Christian	17-2
10	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
2	Fri: W 43-27 vs. McClave
3	Idalia	17-0
	Tues: at Liberty/Stratton
	Thurs: W 50-49 at Wray
4	Norwood	17-1
4	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
6	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
10	Off this week.

February 17, 2014

Evergreen runs away with 4A girls swimming title, school’s first

Evergreen celebrates its team championship in 4A girls swimming. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

FORT COLLINS — Evergreen has been a power the last three seasons in Class 4A girls swimming and diving. The only thing missing was a title.

Not anymore.

The Cougars had placed second as a team in 2012 and third in 2013, but had never tasted a state title in the sport in school history. That changed Saturday afternoon at the Edora Pool Ice Center as Evergreen ran away and hid from the 4A field with 332.5 points, nearly 90 points ahead of their nearest competitor, Thompson Valley, which finished with 244.

“The past couple of years we’ve been on the cusp of having the potential to win and we just came into this meet knowing that it was going to be a race,” Evergreen star Lindsay Morrow said. “We all performed really well.

“This is the first time Evergreen’s ever won state in swimming, so that’s huge for us in making history. It was really fun that we were able to be a part of that and be a good showing for Evergreen.”

Morrow, a state champion in the 200-yard individual medley as a freshman, claimed her second state title in the event Saturday with a time of 2:05.29 and her first state title in the 100-yard backstroke. Her backstroke time of 55.69 was merely .06 seconds off her own 4A state record, set during prelims on Friday.

“It wasn’t a best time for me, but I’m really happy I got the record (Friday), which was kind of my goal going into it,” Morrow said.

Morrow also swam the first leg of the champion 200-yard medley relay that just held off Manitou Springs 1:48.28 to 1:48.88.

Evergreen coach Jeanne Godaire had high praise for her star junior.

“She’s the most determined swimmer I think I’ve ever met,” Godaire said. “She’s such a firecracker in the water and comes off the blocks and off the turns and is just such a persevering swimmer.”

Thompson Valley entered the weekend as the four time defending state champions, but Evergreen, which was expected to contend last season, too, had its 200-yard medley relay disqualified in that meet and had to settle for third as a team.

“It was the first event,” Godaire said. “It was tough on them knowing that we weren’t in contention for first after losing all those points. The girls really rallied, they showed a lot of character for our team, but this year we were definitely rooting for everyone to just get through the relays and place as high as they could.”

This season Evergreen, had enough firepower and depth to claim the title.

“It’s kind of hard to believe,” Godaire said. “It’s a victory so sweet for us. We were hoping for it, but we were waiting until the end to make sure that we had it.

“It’s so exciting for our team,” Godaire added. “I can’t express how excited the whole community is going to be in Evergreen for our victory.”

Evergreen won the state title in the 200-yard medley relay, placed third in the 400-yard freestyle relay, and fouth in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The win was a complete effort by the Cougars as they scored big points in everything from the 1-meter diving competition to the 100-yard freestyle to the 500-yard freestyle.

Evergreen unseating Thompson Valley for the 4A crown wasn’t the only highlight of the afternoon in Fort Collins, though.

Alexa Beckwith, a senior at St. Mary’s Academy and a University of Missouri recruit, won her fourth state title in diving with a score of 479.75 points, more than 15 points ahead of Mullen’s Katie Russ. Beckwith is one of the top prep divers in the nation.

Valor Christian’s Brooke Stenstrom, a sophomore, won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.66 and the 100-yard freestyle by nearly a full second over the field in 51.70. The state championships were the first individual titles of Stenstrom’s career.

Cheyenne Mountain’s senior Sydney Buckley won her third consecutive 100-yard butterfly title in a near 4A record time of 55.85. The mark was only .21 seconds off the record held by Mackenzie Stein of Green Mountain in 2011. Stein now swims at Stanford.

Windsor’s superstar freshman, Morgan Friesen, set the 4A record in the 100-yard breaststroke during prelims on Friday with a time of 1:03.28. Saturday, Friesen blew that time out of the water and became the first 4A swimmer to ever go sub 1:03 in the event with a sizzling 1:02.73. The time was just a little short of the all-classification record of 1:02.47.

All of these performances were quite impressive, but Thompson Valley’s Eryn Eddy shined as bright as any star on Saturday. The junior, who came into the weekend with two individual state titles to her name, added to her already illustrious career with two more individual titles in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle races.

Eddy won the 200-yard freestyle by over five seconds over D’Evelyn’s Colleen Olson. Her time of 1:48.89 was just off her own 4A record of 1:48.34, set last season at state, and she repeated as the 200 freestyle champion.

She also tried the 500 freestyle for the first time at state and came close to the classification record in that event, as well, with a 4:56.03, 15 seconds clear of the field and only a second and a half off the record.

Eddy said she enjoyed both races on Saturday.

“200’s my baby and I love it, but I also really like the 500,” Eddy said. “I knew that I had to really focus on my tempo. I knew that I was going to have to race girls from a different perspective. Again, like the 200, I had to get into a different mental mode of how I was going to get out there and race, so I just really got out there and tried my best.”

The Thompson Valley junior anchored the winning 200 and 400-yard freestyle relays. The Eagles won their fifth consecutive 200 freestyle relay in a mark of 1:37.01, but the 400 freestyle relay was perhaps the most exciting race of the day.

D’Evelyn held the lead the first three legs of the event and still held a comfortable gap when Eryn Eddy dove in. Eddy made up a few-yards, then a few more-yards, then a few more-yards, before finally catching D’Evelyn’s Jacinda Whittenburg with 25 meters to go. Eddy closed hard the last 25 to lead Thompson Valley to the win 3:32.07 to 3:32.66.

“I asked to go last, because I love playing catch up,” Eddy said after the race. “I really just put it out for my girls today. We had a large amount of our team come back and cheer for us, so I just put it out there for my Lady Eagles.”

Fantastic individuals starred on Saturday in Fort Collins, but nothing could completely steal the spotlight from Evergreen’s team title. The scary part for the rest of the state is that the Cougars had zero seniors in the state finals.

“I think we’re going to come back with a strong team and I’m sure the other teams will get some new and great swimmers too, but we’re just really enjoying the moment right now,” Godaire said.

“All were doing is gaining next year,” added Morrow, “which is fun and everybody’s going to get a lot better, so I’m really excited for next year, as well.”

February 16, 2014
Last-second free throws lift No. 9 D’Evelyn over Green Mountain in girls hoops

D’Evelyn senior Mallory Seemann shoots in traffic during the second half Thursday night. The Jaguars edged Green Mountain 31-30 to come one step closer to winning a third straight Class 4A Jeffco League title. (Dennis Pleuss)

LAKEWOOD — There would be no high marks given out for style points Thursday night at Green Mountain High School.

D’Evelyn clawed its way closer to a third straight Class 4A Jeffco League girls basketball title by gutting out a 31-30 victory against Green Mountain in a defensive struggle. The Jaguars control their own destiny in winning the conference title with two league games remaining.

“A win is a win. That’s a huge win,” said D’Evelyn senior Malia Shappell, who made two free throws with 4.1 seconds left to give the No. 9-ranked Jaguars (16-4, 11-1 in league) a one-point lead.

Green Mountain junior Cassie Allen (3) attempts to break the full-court pressure from D’Evelyn senior Katie Cunniff, left, and Lexi Reed during the second half Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

Shappell hit nothing but the bottom of the net on the first free throw, but had to watch the ball trip around the rim before falling through on the go-ahead free throw.

“The first one was easy,” said Shappell, who scored a game-high 14 points. “The second one they got in my head, but I hit it. That is all that matters. I don’t care what it looked like.”

Green Mountain (17-4, 10-2) had to go the length of the court in 4.1 seconds. The Rams were able to inbound the ball to midcourt and swing the ball to freshman Delaney Bernard. Quickly after Bernard caught the ball she fouled by Shappell. The Jaguars had fouls to give before the Rams were in the bonus.

The referees huddled for a moment to determine if Bernard was in the act of shooting.

“Heck yes,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said when asked if he was concerned the Bernard would be awarded free throws. “That is why I was yelling ‘on the floor, on the floor’ as soon as she (the ref) blew the whistle. You trust in that situation that (the refs) realize it was on the floor, but sure I was nervous.”

The foul was ruled on the floor and the Rams had possession with just .2 seconds left on the clock. A tip-in attempt by Green Mountain senior Kelli Van Tassel at the buzzer came up empty and D’Evelyn players celebrated getting one step closer to another conference title.

“We just couldn’t pull it out in the end,” Van Tassel said. “We got too comfortable with our lead and couldn’t get a shot off. We had some bad turnovers late.”

The Rams went inside to senior MacKenzie Schaller and junior Brooklyn Gaffner in the third quarter to take the lead after trailing 16-13 at halftime. The Jaguars were focused on covering Van Tassel and Bernard on the outside.

“(Green Mountain coach Rudy Martin) is a great coach and they have a lot of really great players,” Olson said. “They were spreading us out because we were trying to cover the shooters and they went inside.”

Green Mountain senior Kelli Van Tassel (23) fights for a rebound with D’Evelyn senior Emily Garnier on Thursday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

D’Evelyn drove hard to the lane in the fourth quarter to score the final eight points of the game to take the victory. Senior Mallory Seemann made the only field goal for the Jaguars in the final quarter. It was enough as D’Evelyn went 6-for-10 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.

“I said at halftime if we had to win 29-27 that is what we’ll do because we are that good,” Olson said. “We just fought and clawed. I was so proud.”

D’Evelyn is scheduled for a trio of home games next week to finish out its regular season. All games are set for a 7 p.m. tipoff.

The Jaguars faces Wheat Ridge (Feb. 18) and Arvada (Feb. 20) before a non-league tilt against Rock Canyon, the 10th-ranked squad in the 5A CHSAANow.com poll this week.

Green Mountain preps for the postseason with a road game at Conifer on Feb. 18.

“Conifer is a good team and we need to make sure we take care of,” Van Tassel said. “So we are just going to get ready for them. We’ll learn from this and use it as motivation.”

Pairings for the 4A state tournament will be released Feb. 23. Opening round games will be played Feb. 25.

Green Mountain sophomore Hannah Hank kicks a pass out to the perimeter while being surrounded by D’Evelyn defenders (left to right) Madison Berres, Malia Shappell and Lexi Lusk on Thursday night (Dennis Pleuss)

Green Mountain freshman Delaney Bernard, left, tries to dribble around D’Evelyn sophomore Lexi Reed during the first half Thursday night in the Class 4A Jeffco League matchup. (Dennis Pleuss)

February 14, 2014
D’Evelyn sinks a dozen 3-pointers to beat Golden in girls hoops

D’Evelyn sophomore Aubrey Sotolongo, middle, reaches for a loose ball between Golden junior Alex Ambrozic, left, and senior Haley Blodgett during a Class 4A Jeffco League game Tuesday night at Golden High School. D’Evelyn pulled out a 65-39 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

GOLDEN — It was a bit of a throwback game for D’Evelyn’s girls basketball team Tuesday night.

The Jaguars have been know for their outstanding 3-point shooting ability that propelled them to appearances back-to-back Class 4A state championship games in 2012 and 2013. D’Evelyn’s long-range shooting amassed a dozen 3-pointers in a 65-39 road victory against Golden.

D’Evelyn senior Malia Shappell sets up for a 3-pointer during the first half Tuesday night. The Jaguars knocked down a dozen from long distance to help them to a 65-39 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)

“We’ve kind of struggled with that this year. We just haven’t shot the ball as well,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said. “I think we shared the ball well today. We made the extra pass and found the open person.”

The Demons (10-10, 6-5 in 4A Jeffco League) scored first with a buck from senior Jessica King. It would literally be all D’Evelyn for the remainder of the first quarter.

Seniors Malia Shappell, Emily Garnier and Katie Cunniff did all the scoring for the Jaguars in the first quarter. D’Evelyn (15-4, 10-1) went on a 19-0 run over the final six minutes of the first.

“I hit some shots early and then my teammates got going,” said Shappell, who finished with a game-high 21 points, including three 3-pointers. “It was a team effort.”

Garnier (eight points) and Cunniff (nine points) gave way to senior Rachel Olson in the second quarter. Olson poured in a trio of 3-pointers in the second quarter. She finished with 14 points.

D’Evelyn, ranked No. 9 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A girls basketball poll, built its lead to 40-14 at halftime. Its biggest lead was 34 points late in the third quarter before Golden made a little run.

“We didn’t guard (D’Evelyn) as well as we did last time,” Golden coach Shea Scarlett said. “Today they worked the ball better. They got the open shots and they knocked them down.”

Seniors Jessica King (12 points) and Haley Blodgett (10 points) led the Demons, who gave D’Evelyn a good test in their first league meeting last month. The Jaguars had to squeeze out a 34-27 win at home.

It’s highly likely the 4A Jeffco League title will be decided Thursday, Feb. 13. Green Mountain (17-3, 10-1) will host D’Evelyn at 7 p.m. The winner should come away with the conference crown, baring a major upset during the final week of the regular season.

Golden senior Haley Blodgett blocks the shot of D’Evelyn senior Emily Lusk on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

“I love it. These are the type of games you want to play in,” Coach Olson said of the showdown with the Rams. “We are ready for it and I know Green Mountain will be ready for it.”

The Jaguars are attempting to win their third straight conference title.

D’Evelyn had its 38-game league-winning streak snapped last Friday with a 61-57 loss to Evergreen. The previous conference loss was more than three years ago when the Jaguars lost to Wheat Ridge on Jan. 21, 2011.

“We responded well tonight,” Coach Olson said. “I was really proud of the girls for that.”

D’Evelyn is scheduled to finish out its league schedule next week against Wheat Ridge and Arvada. The Jaguars will have one final tune-up before the state tournament begins Tuesday, Feb. 25. D’Evelyn hosts Rock Canyon on Friday, Feb. 21.

Golden has league games against Evergreen, Arvada and rival Wheat Ridge before heading to the postseason.

“First, we have to forget about this one and get ready for Evergreen in two days,” Scarlett said. “It’s a quick turnaround, which is a good thing.”

Golden senior Jessica King, middle, rips down a rebound between D’Evelyn senior Emily Garnier, left, and sophomore Lexi Reed on Tuesday night. King had a team-high 12 points for the Demons. (Dennis Pleuss)

February 12, 2014
No. 4 D’Evelyn boys rally in final minutes to edge No. 10 Golden

D’Evelyn teammates Cameron Brown (10) and Landon Schoenberger (15) reach for a ball with Golden senior Jake McCormick during the first half Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

GOLDEN — Lack of familiarity hasn’t been an issue this boys basketball season between Class 4A Jeffco League rivals D’Evelyn and Golden.

The Jaguars and Demons locked up for the third time in just more than two months on Tuesday at Golden High School. No. 4-ranked D’Evelyn scored the final 12 points to notch a key 52-47 conference victory over 10th-ranked Golden.

D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee (1) goes up and over Golden senior Cole Greff for a layup Tuesday night. McGee scored a team-high 21 point in the Jaguars’ 52-47 victory against the Demons. (Dennis Pleuss)

D’Evelyn (16-3, 11-0 in league) holds a two-game lead Golden (16-4, 9-2) and three-game lead over Green Mountain (11-8, 8-3) with three conference games left for the three top teams in 4A Jeffco.

Despite all but wrapping up its third straight league crown Tuesday, the Jaguars want to sweep the conference for a third consecutive season.

“Green Mountain and Wheat Ridge both gave us fits,” D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner said about the Jaguars’ two upcoming league opponents. “We aren’t resting on our laurels. Our plan is to win each league game we play. Maybe it’s mathematically tough for other people to win league, but we’ll take care of business as we go.”

D’Evelyn has reeled off 38 straight 4A Jeffco League victories dating back to the 2010-11 season. The Jaguars’ last conference loss was just over three years ago to Valor Christian on Feb. 10, 2011.

“It definitely makes us feel good,” D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee said of the Jaguars closing in on another league title. “Our first chapter is getting league, but we have some greater goals.”

The goal Tuesday night was figure out away to slow down Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett. The sophomore was dominating down low pouring in 25 points through three quarters.

“(Blodgett) went off for 16 points in the first half,” said McGee, who led the way for D’Evelyn with 21 points. He was our key kid to focus on in the second half.”

Blodgett, McGee and D’Evelyn junior Gant Witherspoon (15 points) were putting on a scoring clinic through the first three quarters. The trio combined for 59 points going into the fourth quarter with Golden leading 40-39.

The Demons actually took its biggest lead of the game at 47-40 after back-to-back 3-pointers from senior Jake McCormick and a made free throw from junior Ryan Thistlewood with 5:41 left in the fourth quarter. It would be the final points of the night for Golden.

D’Evelyn answered seconds later with a 3-pointer from Nate Flack, who has just recently returned to the court from injury. Flack’s 3-pointer started a 12-0 run for the Jaguars to end the game.

“You hold a high scoring team to 52 points you should have a chance to win the basketball game,” Golden coach John Anderson said. “We got some pretty good looks. Nothing went in.”

Golden junior Phil Katzman (11) has his path to the basket blocked by D’Evelyn junior Grant Witherspoon (24) on Tuesday night. (Dennis Pleuss)

McGee made a pair of free throws with 4:50 left in the game to pull the Jaguars within 47-45. D’Evelyn took the lead for good on a 3-point play from senior Brian Smith with 4:33 remaining.

Junior Christian Denton stepped up in the final minute on both ends of the floor for D’Evelyn. Denton went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final minute and also came up with a huge steal on a Golden inbounce pass intended for Blodgett.

“I really respect Christian Denton,” Pachner said. “He nailed the game with four straight free throws. Then the steal, he really made a play there to get it done.”

Golden had one final shot to send the game into overtime, but McCormick’s 3-pointer was off the mark and Denton grabbed the rebound.

The top two teams in 4A Jeffco split their previous two meetings. Golden defeated D’Evelyn 77-67 in the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic tournament final in early December. The Jaguars answered with a 68-50 win over the Demons on Jan. 10 in the first of two conference battles.

“Golden is a great team,” Pachner said. “I thought Blodgett was outstanding all night. We had no answer for him.”

Golden closes out its regular season with home games against Evergreen (Thursday) and Arvada (Feb. 19) before wrapping up on the road against rival Wheat Ridge (Feb. 21).

“The big thing right now is we have to bounce back and bounce back quickly,” Anderson said. “We can’t have a hangover effect. Right now it’s about positioning ourselves for the playoffs.”

The 4A boys basketball state tournament begins Wednesday, Feb. 26.

Golden sophomore Nick Capaul (34) snags a rebound away from D’Evelyn sophomore Landon Schoenberger (15) during the first half Tuesday night at Golden High School. (Dennis Pleuss)

Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett, middle, tries to get a grip on a rebound between D’Evelyn juniors Christian Denton (21) and Grant Witherspoon (24) on Tuesday night. Blodgett had a game-high 25 points, but it wasn’t enough as D’Evelyn scored its 38th straight league victory, 52-47. (Dennis Pleuss)

February 12, 2014

5A boys basketball ranking adds Grand Junction at No. 9

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.

Complete polls for all classes 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.

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	Denver East (12)	15-3	200	1	0-0
2	Fossil Ridge (9)	19-0	198	2	2-0
3	Mountain Vista	18-1	162	3	2-0
4	Regis Jesuit	16-3	139	5	2-0
5	Eaglecrest	14-4	111	4	0-1
6	Arapahoe	14-4	98	6	1-1
7	Overland	13-6	65	8	2-0
8	Chatfield	16-3	45	10	3-0
9	Grand Junction	16-2	29	–	2-0
10	Highlands Ranch	13-6	25	9	1-1
Others receiving votes:
Rangeview 20, Grandview 19, Cherry Creek 14, Monarch 13, Legend 7, Chaparral 6, Fort Collins 3, Dakota Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Monarch (7).

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Valor Christian (16)	16-3	160	1	2-0
2	Thompson Valley	18-1	140	2	2-0
3	Pueblo South	18-2	124	3	3-0
4	D’Evelyn	15-3	98	4	2-1
5	Sand Creek	15-3	88	7	3-0
6	Pueblo East	16-4	60	6	2-0
7	Longmont	16-3	55	8	3-0
8	Denver South	14-7	50	10	2-0
9	Air Academy	13-4	43	5	0-1
10	Golden	16-3	31	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Denver West 17, Cheyenne Mountain 6, Glenwood Springs 5, Vista Peak 3.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (9).

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Holy Family (14)	16-0	140	1	1-0
2	Colorado Academy	14-1	125	2	1-1
3	Faith Christian	11-5	107	4	1-0
4	Colorado Springs Christian	11-3	94	5	2-0
5	Jefferson Academy	14-3	87	3	1-1
6	Brush	11-4	50	8	2-0
7	Aspen	13-2	46	7	3-0
8	Centauri	13-4	30	–	2-0
9	Moffat County	11-2	25	9	2-0
10	The Pinnacle	12-3	19	6	2-1
Others receiving votes:
Denver Science & Tech 18, St. Mary’s 11, Bishop Machebeuf 8, Monte Vista 8, Kent Denver 1, Platte Valley 1.
Dropped out
Denver Science & Tech (10).

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Ignacio (11)	13-0	135	1	1-0
2	Sanford	14-1	115	2	2-0
3	Akron	13-1	106	3	2-0
4	Lutheran (2)	9-6	102	4	1-1
5	Resurrection Christian (1)	14-2	82	6	1-0
6	Yuma	12-3	74	5	1-1
7	Peyton	13-2	52	7	2-0
8	Simla	13-2	40	9	2-0
9	Rye	14-3	24	8	1-1
10	Denver Christian	10-4	12	–	2-0
Others receiving votes:
Holyoke 10, Haxtun 5, Meeker 4, Paonia 3, Telluride 3, Sedgwick County 2, Crowley County 1.
Dropped out
Crowley County (10).

Class 1A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Caliche (10)	14-0	100	1	2-0
2	Hi-Plains	13-1	88	2	2-0
3	Holly	12-3	75	4	2-0
4	Cheyenne Wells	11-3	67	6	2-1
5	McClave	12-3	62	3	1-1
6	Vail Christian	11-4	47	5	1-2
7	South Baca	11-4	40	7	2-0
8	Shining Mountain	12-4	23	–	2-0
9	Primero	11-1	13	9	0-0
10	Norwood	9-5	12	8	1-1
Others receiving votes:
Briggsdale 7, Cheraw 3, Jim Elliot Christian 3, Liberty/Stratton 3, Arickaree 2, Denver Jewish Day 2, Walsh 2, Peetz 1.
Dropped out
Briggsdale (10).

February 10, 2014

Tag: D’Evelyn

Class 5A

Ray Ball Region

Chauncey Billups Region:

Jim Baggot Region:

Bill Weimar Region:

Class 4A

Richard Tate Region:

Guy Gibbs Region:

Mark Randall Region:

Maceo Broadnax Jr. Region:

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

CHSAANow.com Girls Basketball Polls

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls