Overland, with standout De'Ron Davis in the middle, is the favorite to repeat in Class 5A. The Trailblazers take on Chatfield in the semifinals Friday in Boulder.
File photo by Jann Hendry
Championship weekend has finally arrived.
Come Saturday evening, all five classifications will have crowned a champion, although whether that winner is a repeat defender or a new victor remains to be seen. Only one of those five, Class 4A, is guaranteed to have a new champion.
Three of the four No. 1 seeds in both 5A and 4A are still standing, as are top-seeded
Denver Science & Tech Stapleton (3A),
Sanford (2A) and
Holly (1A).
So what does this weekend have on tap? Here's a closer look at each of the classifications:
Class 5A
Final 4: Eaglecrest (24-2) vs. Rangeview (26-0); Overland (23-3) vs. Chatfield (24-2)While
Overland (Aurora) and
Eaglecrest (Centennial) were in this same position a year ago, the other two semifinalists are making the most of their opportunities.
Chatfield (Littleton), which upended Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) in overtime in the Great 8, hasn't made the semis since 1996. The team has won 15 games in a row since falling to Denver East on Jan. 11, but has its toughest challenge to date in the defending state champs.
"We will have to do what we do. I'm not going to make a bunch of changes. We're going to do what we do, but it depends on who we play," Chatfield coach Stephen Schimpeler said before Overland advanced. "We'll have to kind of see what their strengths are and kind of build our gameplan around that, but it will be business as usual."
The Trailblazers have won 11 consecutive games and have rolled through three postseason games, winning by an average of 26 points. The team is making a third consecutive appearance in the Final 4 in Boulder.
"It's a blessing, man. It shows that hard work pays
off," Trailblazers senior
De'Ron Davis said after a 19-point victory
over Doherty in the Great 8. "Just a credit to our teammates. We
dedicate every day in practice to getting better, and this is what it
turns out to be."
Rangeview (Aurora) is the only undefeated team remaining in 5A, most recently eliminating Cherokee Trail (Aurora) in the quarterfinals. Seniors
Tyrei Randall and
Elijah Reed both average 16 points a game, but five players scored at least 10 points against the Cougars.
Eaglecrest dominated the fourth quarter of its Great 8 victory over Regis Jesuit (Aurora) and is motivated that much more after falling in the semifinals a year ago.
Class 4A
Final 4: Pueblo West (23-3) vs. Vista Ridge (20-6); Longmont (25-1) vs. Valor Christian (24-2)Vista Ridge (Colorado Springs) is the surprise team of the 4A quartet, upsetting Lewis-Palmer (Monument) 52-47 in the Great 8. The Wolves had dropped two games to Lewis-Palmer during the regular season, but junior
Hunter Maldonado poured in 29 points on Saturday night to go along with 11 rebounds. It's the Wolves' first Final 4, while
Pueblo West is in its first since 2011. Junior
David Simental is averaging 24.3 points a game.
Longmont was the runner-up a year ago, knocking out
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) by one point in the quarterfinals. Senior
Justinian Jessup scored 19 points in a quarterfinal victory against Mead.
Valor Christian edged Windsor by four points behind 27 points from
Jalen Sanders, one of four players in double figures. The Eagles were in the title game three years ago.
Class 3A
Great 8: DSST-Stapleton (23-1) vs. Alamosa (19-4); Manual (13-11) vs. Colorado Academy (16-8); Lutheran (20-4) vs. Grand Valley (21-3); Manitou Springs (22-2) vs. Colorado Springs Christian (19-5)Upsets were the name of the game in the second round of the 3A tournament, as seeds four, five and six all lost.
Defending champion
Colorado Springs Christian, which was the No. 11 seed, went into Arvada and knocked out Faith Christian 68-57. The runner-up a year ago,
Colorado Academy (Denver), advanced as the No. 13 overall seed after eliminating No. 4 Sterling 40-30 despite its lowest scoring output of the season.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the tournament is No. 21
Manual (Denver), which pulled off two upsets, including a 97-90 double OT win over Eaton.
What is not a surprise is that four of the final eight teams are from the Metro League, or that three of the four semifinalists a year ago advanced to the Denver Coliseum. Four teams didn't make the Great 8 last year, including top-seeded DSST-Stapleton, which has won 14 in a row.
Alamosa prevented an all-DSST quarterfinal by defeating previously unbeaten DSST-Green Valley Ranch in the second round.
One of
Manitou Springs' two losses this season came to CSCS, its Great 8 opponent.
Grand Valley (Parachute) needed overtime to deny St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) in the second round, with
Gunner Rigsby scoring 25 points.
Class 2A
Great 8: Sanford (24-0) vs. Ellicott (18-4); Holyoke (21-3) vs. Ignacio (21-2); Sedgwick County (22-1) vs. Paonia (23-1); Resurrection Christian (23-0) vs. Rye (21-3)Perhaps no classification's remaining teams have the impressive records held by 2A's final eight. Sanford
and
Resurrection Christian (Loveland) – last year's finalists – are still undefeated, while quarterfinal opponents
Sedgwick County (Julesburg) and
Paonia have one loss each.
Defending champion Sanford hasn't been truly tested since a nine-point victory over Pagosa Springs on Jan. 19. The Indians average 71 points a game, while Resurrection Christian averages 83 points and dominated its two Western Slope opponents in the regional.
Sedgwick County saw its bid for an unbeaten season ended in district play by
Holyoke. The Cougars will have a tough test in Paonia, whose only loss came to 3A's Grand Valley back in December.
Holyoke,
Rye and
Ignacio all made the Great 8 last season. Ignacio placed third and its only two losses this season came to non-2A squads.
Ellicott (Calhan) was the No. 6 seed in Region 4 but took down Crowley County and Swink to make the quarterfinals.
Class 1A
Great 8: Holly (20-2) vs. Cheraw (12-11); Shining Mountain (21-2) vs. Kit Carson (18-5); Ouray (20-2) vs. Rocky Mountain Lutheran (18-4); Fleming (21-2) vs. Norwood (14-9)Defending champion Holly has won 18 in a row since losing its only two games this season in an out-of-state tournament. Junior
Yaniel Vidal leads three players who average in double figures with 15.6 points a game.
Fleming, the state runner-up in 2015, dropped both its game to 2A opponents but just edged Longmont Christian by three points in regional play.
Ouray has won nine in a row, with junior
Ravi Inmon and senior
Caleb Preston averaging more than 16 points a game.
The other five quarterfinalists didn't reach the Great 8 a year ago.
Cheraw is the biggest surprise after being a No. 9 seed in Region 3. The Wolverines pulled off a pair of upsets after winning only seven games a year ago.
Shining Mountain (Boulder) and
Rocky Mountain Lutheran (Denver) are both from the 5280 League. The Lions have won 19 in a row behind a balanced lineup; two of the Eagles' four losses came to Shining Mountain.
