The 2014-15 boys basketball players of the year, by class. From left: Miles Caldon, Sanford (2A); Justin Bassey, Colorado Academy (3A); De’Ron Davis, Overland (5A); Justinian Jessup, Longmont (4A); Bryan Ortiz, Holly (1A).

The 2014-15 all-state boys basketball teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.

These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues, and then a week-long vote of coaches.

A specific player of the year vote was held in each class, as was a vote for coach of the year.

Use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

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Class 5A

Player of the year: De’Ron Davis, Overland

Coach of the year: Danny Fisher, Overland

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Class 4A

Player of the year: Justinian Jessup, Longmont

Coach of the year: Barry Clark, Air Academy

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Class 3A

Player of the year: Justin Bassey, Colorado Academy

Coach of the year: Mark Engesser, Colorado Springs Christian

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Class 2A

Player of the year: Miles Caldon, Sanford

Coach of the year: Rhett Larsen, Sanford

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Class 1A

Player of the year: Bryan Ortiz, Holly

Coach of the year: Tom Hessler, Fleming

HIGHLANDS RANCH — Ray Beresford scored the first nine points of the game to lead Mountain Vista, on a game-high 27 points, to the Class 5A Great 8 after a 60-57 win over Montbello on Wednesday.

“I thought we came out and played pretty well to start the game,” Golden Eagles coach Bob Wood said after the game. “We let them get us into a halfcourt game and slow the tempo down and they are a little bit better at that than we are.”

At the half Mountain Vista only led 27-26, but the Golden Eagles took control of the game with an 18-8 advantage in the third quarter.

The Warriors then mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter, even closing to 58-57 with less than a minute to play, but a shot at the buzzer to send the game to overtime fell short.

With 7.6 seconds left in the game, Isaac Phillips hits two free throws to give Vista a three-point lead, and Mountain Vista forced a tough 3-point shot for the Warriors that came up short.

Said Montbello coach Ron Bush: “If we could have had the same intensity to start the game as we did in the fourth quarter, it would have been a different outcome. We could not figure out Beresford tonight. He is a tough kid and did an excellent job tonight.”

Find a complete roundup of all Sweet 16 games here.

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FORT COLLINS — Basketball, in the modern era, is played above the rim. So it doesn’t hurt when your team is literally closer to the basket.

Montbello, boasting eight players who stand between 6-foot-4 and 6-foot-10, looks like a Division I team. The Warriors are not only tall, but have otherworldly length giving them the ability to close down passing lanes, dominate the glass, and physically manhandle and frustrate opponents. They are not a typical six seed in the Class 5A state tournament.

On Saturday, Montbello (18-7) seemed to take on the role of favorites despite traveling to face a No. 3 seed, Fort Collins, the Front Range league champions and winners of 17 games.

The Denver Prep power used all that length, to go with obvious athleticism, to take an early lead, gain control of the game much of the way, and fend off a late Lambkin rally to preserve a 45-42 victory

The Warriors clinched a spot in the Sweet 16 against No. 2 Mountain Vista in the Bill Weimar Region. Montbello beat Vista 81-78 on Jan. 12 in a wild rally.

Against Collins, the Warriors didn’t have the most crisp offense, but fed off a defense that held the Lambkins to a 13-of-40 clip from the field.

They took a 12-9 lead at the end of one quarter and led 24-16 at the break in a game that was closer than it felt.

Fort Collins big man Tristan Von Nieda, a towering force at 6-foot-9 and more than 220 pounds, was called upon to keep his team in the game early. He had 12 of the Lambkins’ 16 points in the first half. Going against the massive frontline of the Warriors, Von Nieda found some success drawing fouls on the bigs and went four of four at the charity stripe.

“We play man pretty good, but we couldn’t do anything with the big guy,” Montbello coach Ron Bush said. “We started to get into ticky-tack foul trouble, so we went to the matchup and took him out of the game.”

(Brock Laue/CHSAANow.com)

Montbello smothered the Lambkins with a zone that allowed virtually no passes into the post in the second half. Von Nieda only attempted one field goal after the break and finished with 14 points total. Collins needed offense from other sources. They got it in Henry Deeter.

The senior guard, who came off the bench, closed his career in style with a life giving 3-pointer at the third quarter buzzer to cut the deficit to 35-29. Then, he drained another with 5:05 remaining in the fourth to cut it down to 37-34. He drained one more with 1:20 on the clock to put a scare into Montbello as they led by a slim 41-39 margin.

A wild finish ensued as an Andrew Pfaffinger triple cut the deficit to one with 13 seconds left. But, a pair of Aaris Bonds free throws sealed the deal and finally finished off the home team.

Montbello’s smothering defense showed the team’s potential. A late scare displayed their room for improvement going forward.

“It was mental breakdowns, because we didn’t get to the shooters,” Bush said of Fort Collins’ comeback attempt that fell just short. “We got lackadaisical. Offensively, we got a little too patient. I wanted some motion, but I also wanted to attack. We lost our composure.”

Nonetheless, in the survive and advance season, the Warriors did just that. During a regular season that was both eye opening with wins over the likes of Mountain Vista, Fossil Ridge, and Rock Canyon but also at times frustrating with a three-game losing streak, Montbello knows their greatest strength could keep carrying them further into the postseason.

“My coach is always telling us that defense leads to offense,” said junior guard Sekou Cisse, who led all scorers with 15 points. “If we get stops on defense, that will just make our offense go. We’re the most athletic team in the state and if we just do our jobs on defense, we can be a dominant team and win the whole thing.”

Fort Collins, who has lost in the second round each of the last two years, saw their season end on a sour note, but Deeter and company were proud of what they accomplished overall.

“That was a good season,” Deeter (11 points) said. “We were maybe underrated this year. We won the Front Range. I wish we had gotten that one, but that’s a good team though.”

AURORA — Top-ranked Regis Jesuit boys basketball beat No. 7 Montbello 80-47 on Tuesday night.

DENVER — Malik Hart dropped 34 points as No. 7 Montbello edged No. 8 Mountain Vista in overtime, 81-78, during a Class 5A boys basketball matchup.

Montbello also got 16 points from Troy Green, and 10 apiece from CJ Whittington and Kur Awol. Awol also had three assists and four steals.

Mountain vista was led by Ray Beresford (27 points, five rebounds, five assists, four teals) and Brady Subart (15 points, five steals, three assists). Isaac Phillips had eight points and nine assists.

Below is a list of Week 10 games for teams which did not make the Class 5A football playoff bracket. These teams were paired up by the 5A seeding committee.

WESTMINSTER — Westminster scored 28 points in the second quarter en route to a 42-0 victory over Warriors (Montbello) in a rain-soaked game Thursday night.

DENVER — No. 4 Denver South got 240 passing yards from Isaiah Singleton and Trevonte Tasco rumbled for 217 yards and three touchdowns as the Rebels beat Warriors (Montbello) 49-14 on Saturday in football.

Singleton threw one touchdown, but Denver South did most of its final damage on the ground. In total, the Rebels had six rushing scores, and amassed 381 yards on the ground.

Esaias Gandy had 122 receiving yards, while Mike Johnson had 82 and the score.

The Warriors’ Jerell Nettles had 146 rushing yards and a touchdown.