THORNTON — A total of 24 teams participated in the two-day Mustang Swim Invitational held at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center. The top ten schools and their scores:
D’Evelyn senior Rachel Olson (15) looks for an open teammate while being guarded by Golden junior Alex Ambrozic (22) on Friday night at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. The Jaguars extended their 4A Jeffco League winning streak to 31 games with a 34-27 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
DENVER — It’s 31 and counting for D’Evelyn’s girls basketball team.
To say D’Evelyn has dominated the Class 4A Jeffco League in recent years is an understatement. The Jaguars extended their conference-winning streak to 31 games Friday night with a 34-27 home victory against rival Golden (5-6, 1-1 in league).
“We’ve talked about having a target on our back,” D’Evelyn coach Chris Olson said. “We are a lot of other teams’ measuring stick.”
The last league loss for D’Evelyn came to Wheat Ridge nearly three years ago on Jan. 21, 2011. Mallory Seemann was a freshman playing varsity for the Jaguars three years ago and still remembers the loss to the Farmers.
“We know we are going to get every team’s best,” said Seemann, who had seven points in the defensive struggle Friday night against Golden. “Hopefully we can keep it up and keep winning.”
The Jaguars — 4A state runner-up the previous two years — ended the 2010-11 season with a five-game league-winning streak. D’Evelyn racked up conference marks of 10-0 and 14-0 the last two seasons.
Despite losing standout Laura Tyree to graduation, D’Evelyn (7-3) is ranked No. 8 in the CHSAANow.com 4A girls basketball poll this week and are off to a 2-0 league record.
D’Evelyn senior Mallory Seemann, left, drives toward the basket as Golden senior Haley Blodgett closes in Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Tyree was a key component in D’Evelyn’s success and hasn’t missed a beat at the Division II level. The true freshman is averaging 11.5 points and 3.2 assists per game for Colorado School of Mines.
It was a struggle at times against Golden in the first game of a girls/boys varsity doubleheader Friday. The Demons jumped out to any early 11-4 lead early in the first quarter.
A slight change in D’Evelyn’s full-court pressure defense allowed the Jaguars to go on a 9-0 run to take a 13-11 lead late in the second quarter. Senior Emily Garnier scored on three layups off turnovers during D’Evelyn’s run and senior Rachel Olson hit a 3-pointer for the Jaguars.
“One thing I’ve learned this year is you have to make those little adjustments,” Coach Olson said. “Everyone is really prepping for us. We’ve really worked on a couple of different (defensive) zones. We might not score in the 60s and make 10 3-pointers. We’ll rely on our defense.”
It was a tough shooting night for the Jaguars. D’Evelyn’s leading scorer, senior Malia Shappell, was held scoreless in the first half. Shappell rebounded with a pair of 3-pointers in the third quarter and was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter to finish with a team-high 10 points.
Golden pulled within a point midway through the fourth quarter, but could never manage to take the lead.
“We were right there,” Golden’s first-year coach Shea Scarlett said. “We missed some layups and had our chances. We can play with (D’Evelyn) and we know it. We’ll see them again.”
Golden’s 6-foot-3 senior Haley Blodgett, who has signed to play at Montana State University, was held in check scoring four points. Senior Jessica King led the way for the Demons with 10 points.
“I’m thinking big picture,” Scarlett said. “We just have to get better each game. I’d much rather win a bunch of games in March then this one.”
Golden hits the road for a conference game at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 at Conifer.
D’Evelyn attempts to keep its league-winning streak alive with a home game at 7 p.m. Jan. 14 against Alameda.
D’Evelyn senior Emily Garnier goes up for a layup in the second quarter Friday night against Golden. Garnier scored six points, all off turnovers, during a key 9-0 run for the Jaguars. (Dennis Pleuss)
D’Evelyn senior Brian Smith (2) elevates over Golden sophomore Nick Capaul during the second half Friday night during the Class 4A Jeffco League showdown at D’Evelyn Junior/Senior High School. The Jaguars pleased the home crowd with a 68-50 victory over the rival Demons. (Dennis Pleuss)
DENVER — D’Evelyn’s one-two punch of junior Grant Witherspoon and senior Ty McGee was enough to win Round 2 with rival Golden on Friday night in boys hoops action.
Witherspoon and McGee combined for 37 points in a 68-50 victory in a Class 4A Jeffco League showdown of two teams ranked in the top-10 of the 4A boys basketball CHSAANow.com poll on D’Evelyn’s home court.
“When we got off Christmas Break we didn’t look ahead from anyone we had to play, but we’ve been talking about Golden for three weeks straight,” Witherspoon said. “We worked our butts off for this moment.”
Golden scored a 77-67 victory from D’Evelyn in the championship game of the 2013 D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic back on Dec. 7.
Golden junior Cole Greff (22) tries to get a shot off as D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee, left, goes for a block on Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
Early on Friday night it looked like it could be a repeat with Golden jumping out to an early lead just like it did a month ago.
“For some reason Golden always comes out so focused and we not really there. I’m not sure what it is,” D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner said. “I think today it wasn’t lack of effort. We just were a little overhyped. It was a great crowd for the first time this year and guys were a little tight.”
After trailing 8-4 after the first quarter, D’Evelyn picked it up offensively with Witherspoon leading the charge. The junior scored 11 points in the second quarter as the Jaguars took a 25-24 lead going into halftime.
It was more of the same in the third quarter. McGee scored eight of his 17 points and Witherspoon added seven of his game-high 20 points in the third quarter. D’Evelyn outscored Golden 24-11 in the third quarter.
It wasn’t all McGee and Witherspoon. Senior Brian Smith finished with 11 points, including two 3-pointers. Seniors Nate Flack, Trent Walker and junior Christian Denton finished with five points each.
“We have two exceptional players (McGee and Witherspoon), but I think the fallacy is that is all we have,” Pachner said. “They might set the table, but we had other kids hit shots. I’m proud of how we played tonight.”
Sophomore Nick Capaul’s 17 points off the bench led Golden. Sophomore Ryan Blodgett had a quick start scoring all eight of the Demons’ first quarter points, but he cooled off and finished with 10 points.
“We could have had a pretty good lead in that first quarter,” Golden coach John Anderson said. “We just tried to force it inside too many times. We were too impatient.”
Another thing that hurt the Demons was the loss of junior guard Ryan Thistlewood, who didn’t play in the second half after suffering an injury. Thistlewood scored six points before leaving the game.
It’s highly likely Golden and D’Evelyn will be in the mix for the Class 4A Jeffco League title when the conference schedule winds down six weeks from now. Golden (8-3,1-1 in league) was ranked No. 7 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball poll, while D’Evelyn (7-2, 2-0) sat in the No. 8 slot.
D’Evelyn junior Grant Witherspoon, right, drives on Golden junior Phil Katzman on Friday night. Witherspoon scored a game-high 20 points in the Jaguars’ 68-50 victory. (Dennis Pleuss)
Friday night was the second of what will for sure be at least three meetings on the hardwood between Golden and D’Evelyn.
The third meeting and second league battle will be Feb. 11 at Golden High School.
“Our goal is obviously a league championship,” Anderson said. “We’ve got to take care of business for that game to mean something toward the end of the year. The rubber match will be back at our place and we’ve got to be a lot better.”
Of course there is always a chance the two rivals could face each other in the 4A state tournament.
D’Evelyn continues its 14-game league schedule on the road against Alameda at 7 p.m. Jan. 15.
“It’s going to be a tougher league this year than last year, but we feel real good about ourselves,” Witherspoon said.
Golden gets back into action when it hosts Conifer at 7 p.m. Jan. 15.
Golden sophomore Ryan Blodgett rips down a rebound during the Class 4A Jeffco League game against D’Evelyn. (Dennis Pleuss)
Regis Jesuit moved up one place to No. 4 this week. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)
Grandview, Monarch and Cherry Creek all joined this week’s CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings in 5A.
Combined, the three teams went 9-0 last week. Grandview, which went 4-0 at the Mission Prep Christmas Classic in California last week, joined at No. 8. Monarch is No. 9 and Cherry Creek is No. 10.
There was nearly a massive shakeup of the 5A poll this week. Fossil Ridge — which already owns impressive wins over Eaglecrest, Grandview, ThunderRidge, Highlands Ranch and Thompson Valley — received eight first-place votes, and was close to overtaking No. 1 Denver East for the top spot. But the Angels got 11 first-place votes in staying atop the ranking.
So Fossil Ridge remained at No. 2 spot. Overland stayed at No. 3, while No. 4 Regis Jesuit and No. 5 Mountain Vista switched places.
Eaglecrest is sixth and Arapahoe moved up to ninth this week.
The biggest mover in the 4A ranking was Air Academy, which went from No. 10 last week to No. 6 this week. Valor Christian stayed atop that poll, and continued to be followed by No. 2 Thompson Valley and No. 3 Thomas Jefferson. No. 4 Pueblo East and No. 5 Sand Creek each moved up one spot.
3A’s Holy Family, 2A’s Sanford and 1A’s Caliche all remained atop their respective rankings this week. That means the No. 1 teams in each classification have not changed since the preseason.
These polls will serve as the rankings over the winter break, and through the first part of January. The next poll will not come out until Jan. 13.
Pine Creek 20, Denver East 11, Rampart 11, Grand Junction 5, Arapahoe 4, Monarch 4, Mountain Vista 4, Horizon 3, Legend 3, Dakota Ridge 1, Poudre 1.
Dropped out
Monarch (10).
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Broomfield (13)
6-0
148
1
1-0
2
Pueblo South
7-1
126
2
3-0
3
Mesa Ridge (2)
7-0
118
5
4-0
4
Valor Christian
7-2
92
3
2-2
5
Elizabeth
7-1
73
6
2-1
6
Pueblo West
6-1
68
4
2-1
7
Palmer Ridge
6-1
57
8
2-0
8
D’Evelyn
4-3
34
7
0-0
9
Sand Creek
3-2
33
9
0-0
10
Silver Creek
5-2
23
10
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Glenwood Springs 21, Pueblo East 10, Palisade 8, Pueblo County 5, Thompson Valley 3, Air Academy 2, Mullen 2, Eagle Valley 1, Longmont 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (8)
7-1
116
1
1-1
2
Pagosa Springs (4)
6-0
102
2
2-0
3
Lamar
6-0
77
5
2-0
4
Centauri
6-0
73
3
1-0
5
Bishop Machebeuf
5-1
61
6
1-0
6
Sterling
6-1
50
–
3–1
7
Eaton
5-1
35
4
1-1
8
Peak to Peak
5-1
25
–
2-0
9
Strasburg
6-0
24
10
2-0
10
Coal Ridge
5-1
14
9
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Trinidad 11, Kent Denver 9, The Classical Academy 8, Frontier Academy 8, Valley 7, Brush 6, Olathe 6, The Academy 6, Aurora West 5, Middle Park 4, St. Mary’s 4, The Pinnacle 3, Florence 2, Manitou Springs 2, Jefferson Academy 1, Sheridan 1.
Dropped out
Estes Park (7), St. Mary’s (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (9)
4-0
108
1
1-0
2
Peyton (2)
6-0
94
3
2-0
3
Lutheran
4-0
80
4
2-0
4
Akron
4-1
67
2
2-1
5
Liberty Common
7-0
58
6
0-0
6
Simla
5-0
40
7
1-0
7
Hoehne
3-1
32
9
0-0
8
Paonia
4-2
31
8
2-0
9
Meeker
3-1
26
–
0-0
10
Sangre de Cristo
3-3
18
5
0-3
Others receiving votes:
Heritage Christian 14, Kiowa 12, Crowley County 7, The Vanguard 7, Del Norte 5, Wray 2, Highland 1, Hotchkiss 1, Limon 1, Springfield 1.
Dropped out
Kiowa (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Caliche (4)
5-0
49
1
1-0
2
Norwood (1)
5-0
44
3
2-0
3
Idalia
5-0
38
4
1-0
4
Eads
5-1
36
2
2-1
5
Kit Carson
4-2
30
6
2-1
6
Prairie
6-0
25
7
2-0
7
McClave
4-1
17
10
1-1
8
Cheraw
5-0
10
9
2-0
9
Dove Creek
6-0
8
5
2-0
10
Liberty/Stratton
3-3
7
8
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Hi-Plains 4, Holly 3, Walsh 3, Belleview Christian 1.
Thomas Jefferson remained in the No. 3 spot in the 4A poll. (Pam Wagner)
Unbeatens Arapahoe and Grand Junction have joined this week’s CHSAANow.com boys basketball rankings in 5A.
The Warriors (3-0) are No. 9, while Grand Junction (5-0) is No. 10. Highlands Ranch, last week’s No. 5, and Chaparral, last week’s No. 10, both dropped out this week.
Elsewhere, Denver East maintained its grip on the top spot, and Fossil Ridge continued its climb up the poll. The SaberCats are No. 2 this week, moving up two spots from No. 4. Fossil Ridge went 3-0 last week, including a 66-48 win over Highlands Ranch.
Overland fell one spot to No. 3, and is followed by No. 4 Mountain Vista and No. 5 Regis Jesuit. Mountain Vista moved up from eighth; Regis up from No 6.
Eaglecrest is sixth in this week’s 5A poll, Legend is seventh and Rangeview fell five spots to eighth.
In addition to Denver East, the other four No. 1 teams remained the same this week: Valor Christian (4A), Holy Family (3A), Sanford (2A) and Caliche (1A).
The 4A poll added Air Academy at No. 10 this week. That ranking also saw Thompson Valley jump from fifth to second following wins over three 5A teams. Thomas Jefferson is third.
Falcon 35, Greeley Central 11, Lewis-Palmer 8, Mountain View 7, Frederick 6, Mesa Ridge 2, Palmer Ridge 2, Glenwood Springs 1, Ponderosa 1, Pueblo South 1.
Dropped out
Denver South (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Holy Family (8)
5-0
98
1
2-0
2
Colorado Academy (1)
4-0
81
3
2-0
3
Brush (1)
2-0
77
2
1-0
4
Jefferson Academy
4-0
69
9
4-0
5
Bishop Machebeuf
4-0
67
6
3-0
6
Faith Christian
4-3
36
4
3-1
7
Moffat County
3-1
29
7
3-1
8
The Pinnacle
3-1
22
–
1-0
9
Kent Denver
3-1
20
10
2-0
10
Colorado Springs Christian
1-2
19
5
1-2
Others receiving votes:
Denver Science & Tech 10, St. Mary’s 6, Valley 6, Aspen 4, Monte Vista 4, Cedaredge 2, Sterling 1.
Dropped out
Aspen (8).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Sanford (12)
4-0
155
1
4-0
2
Yuma (3)
3-0
125
2
2-0
3
Akron
2-0
110
4
1-0
4
Lutheran
2-1
106
3
1-0
5
Ignacio (1)
5-0
101
5
2-0
6
Resurrection Christian
4-2
75
6
3-0
7
Limon
3-1
39
9
2-0
8
Simla
3-1
31
10
2-0
9
Rye
4-1
30
–
1-1
10
Denver Christian
1-3
24
7
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Swink 23, Peyton 22, Haxtun 13, Alexander Dawson 11, Sedgwick County 6, Crowley County 3, Front Range Christian 3, Custer County 1, Paonia 1, Rangely 1, Sierra Grande 1.
Lakewood is No. 7 in this week’s 5A poll. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)
Lakewood, coming off a 4-0 week, has jumped into the 5A CHSAANow.com girls basketball ranking.
The Tigers (6-0) are No. 7 this week, and are joined by fellow newcomer Cherry Creek (3-1), which is No. 9 this week.
Regis Jesuit remained as the unanimous No. 1 pick in 5A. In fact, the Nos. 1-4 teams stayed the same this week. The Raiders continued to be followed by No. 2 Highlands Ranch, No. 3 ThunderRidge and No. 4 Grandview.
Fossil Ridge jumped up from ninth to fifth, and Rock Canyon from eighth to sixth. Castle View is eighth, and Monarch is tenth.
Broomfield (4A), Holy Family (3A), Yuma (2A) and Caliche (1A) all remained atop their respective rankings this week.
Arvada West junior Thomas Neff (15) scramble after a loose ball as Ralston Valley junior Andrew Wingard hits the floor Friday night during the Ralston Roundup tournament championship game. The host Mustangs beat the Wildcats 48-45. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — Ralston Valley boys basketball team prides itself on defense, but in facing Arvada West junior Thomas Neff on Friday night, the Mustangs were realistic.
“Our main focus was to contain (Neff), not stop him or shut him down,” Ralston Valley senior Zac Stevens said of the Mustangs’ defensive mindset. “(Neff) is going to score points.”
Neff, who game in averaging 23 points per game, had a game-high 22 points. However, Ralston Valley held on for a 48-45 victory in the championship game of the Ralston Roundup tournament. It was the third title for the host Mustangs over the past four years.
“We knew were we going to win it on our defense and how we guarded (Neff),” Ralston Valley coach Mitch Conrad said. “He is a great player. We made it difficult for him. He had to earn it.”
Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton, left, drive on Arvada West junior Thomas Neff during the championship game of the Ralston Roundup tournament Friday night at Ralston Valley High School. Ralston Valley edge its 5A Jeffco rival 48-45. Walton and Neff were both named to the all-tournament team. (Dennis Pleuss)
The game came down to the final seconds where the Wildcats (3-1) weren’t able to give Neff the opportunity to hit a game-tying 3-pointer. A-West junior Dhillon Greene purposely missed a free throw with three seconds left and the Wildcats trailing by three.
A-West was able to get the rebound, but the kickoff to Neff was off the mark and the ball sailed toward midcourt as time expired.
“I just wish the outcome was a little different, but I’m glad we go to play them before league,” said Neff, who was named to the all-tournament team for the runner-up Wildcats.
Greene was the only other A-West player to reach double-digit points. He finished with 10.
Junior Andrew Wingard led Ralston Valley (5-2). The star tailback on the Mustangs’ football team finished with 15 points, including four 3-pointers.
Ralston Valley senior Rane Hornecker, middle, drives on Arvada West senior Marcus Culhane, left and sophomore Luke Neff during the first half Friday night. (Dennis Pleuss)
“Wingard, the last two games, has really big clutch for us,” Conrad said. “That’s really good to see from one of the young guys.”
Steven pitched in nine points and senior Rane Hornecker had seven points, including a key free throw with 10 seconds left in the game to give the Mustangs a 48-44 lead.
A-West and Ralston Valley will get very familiar with each other by the end of the hoops season.
The Arvada-area rivals and Class 5A Jeffco League foes schools separated by 3.4 miles will square off against at least twice more this season in conference games. A-West and Ralston Valley are scheduled for league games Jan. 23 (at Ralston Valley) and Feb. 21 (at A-West).
“We want to play the best to make ourselves better,” Conrad said of the quality of the tournament that featured 5A’s No. 3 ranked squad in Rangeview that placed fifth. “Three Jeffco teams in here and hopefully it will make us all better so Jeffco can make a deeper run in the state tournament.”
The Wildcats and Mustangs will both dive into league play next Tuesday, Dec. 17. A-West will hit the road to face a strong Lakewood squad. The Mustangs host defending 5A League champion Chatfield. Both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
[divider]
D’Evelyn wins third place
D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee, left, threads a pass over Montbello junior Troy Green (0) and Karamoka Cisse (10) during the third-place game of the Ralston Roundup tournament at Ralston Valley High School. D’Evelyn defeated Montbello 79-70. (Dennis Pleuss)
The D’Evelyn Jaguars won the third-place game with a 79-70 victory against Montbello.
“Montbello is really talented. I think they will be really good later in the year,” D’Evelyn coach Troy Pachner said. “That was a great win for us.”
Ty McGee (23 points) and Grant Witherspoon (20 points) led the way for the Jaguars.
D’Evelyn, ranked No. 9 in this week’s CHSAANow.com 4A boys basketball poll, has had a rollercoaster of a season so far. The Jaguars slipped to 4A Jeffco rival Golden last week in the D’Evelyn/Golden Preview Classic championship game, but rebounded quickly with a victory against 5A’s No. 3-ranked Rangeview in the first round of the Ralston Roundup.
A loss Thursday to A-West in the semifinals of the tournament moved the Jaguars into the third-place game.
“It’s been peaks and valleys,” said McGee, who was named to the all-tournament team. “We’ve just need to keep going steady.”
[divider]
All-Tournament Team
D’Evelyn senior Ty McGee
Rock Canyon junior Mitchell Lombard
Rangeview senior Jeremiah Paige
Arvada West junior Thomas Neff
Ralston Valley sophomore Dallas Walton
