Manitou Springs changes up Class 3A boys field with upset of Jefferson Academy

With one incredibly clutch 3-pointer, Chase Megyeri and his Manitou Springs teammates changed the complexion of the Class 3A boys basketball state tournament.

Megyeri's last-second trey gave the Mustangs the 36-35 victory over top-seeded Jefferson Academy (Broomfield) on Saturday, punching Manitou Springs' ticket to the 3A quarterfinals in the process.

The 16th-seeded Mustangs (14-10) take on Faith Christian (Arvada) (16-8) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, the new host site for the 3A boys and girls tournaments.

"Those kids just kind of kept scrapping and we just kind of kept trying to hang around and hang around," Manitou Springs coach Ken Vecchio said of the victory over the Jaguars. "At the end of the game we just had a chance and everything fell into place."

The rest of the 3A field also fell into place after last weekend. The No. 2 overall seed, Holy Family (Broomfield), battles Brush on Thursday, with the other quarterfinals featuring No. 3 Colorado Springs Christian vs. Denver Science & Tech Stapleton, and No. 4 Colorado Academy (Denver) vs. Moffat County (Craig).

MaxPreps Colorado boys state basketball brackets

Megyeri, who averages 16.7 points per game, scored 19 in the upset of Jefferson Academy. Vecchio said the senior also stepped into the role of floor general for the two regional games after point guard Mick Prather went down with a foot injury Friday.

Manitou Springs last reached the quarterfinals in 2012, but it's safe to say this year's squad had to work extra-hard to get back. The team was 1-6 in early January, but has won 13 of its past 17 games. Vecchio said it's always a grind for the Mustangs to reach the Great 8, but added the players aren't likely to be overwhelmed by the atmosphere.

"These guys are pretty free-wheeling. They tend not to tense up too much," he said. "They don't get uptight about too many things."

The Class 2A boys field will have a new state champion after defending champion Denver Christian was knocked out in regional play. Ignacio (23-0) is the top seed and opens against Sedgwick County (Julesburg) on Thursday at CSU-Pueblo.

One thing to watch in the 2A tournament this weekend is the scoring pursuit of Akron's Brady Baer. Baer is only 30 points shy of setting the state's all-time scoring mark. The third-seeded Rams take on Meeker in their opener.

In Class 1A, Caliche (Iliff) (21-2), which has won four of the past five titles, is the top seed for the Great 8 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland and draws Fleming in the quarterfinals. Fleming (10-14) upset both Shining Mountain and Jim Eliot to make the field. The defending champion is McClave.

Yuma girls aim to one-up last season's finish

Before making a run into the Class 2A state championship game last season, Yuma's girls basketball team hadn't reached the Great 8 since 1997.

So when the Indians reached the title game before falling 53-36 to rival Akron, it was understandably a big deal.
One year later, Yuma (23-1) is the No. 2 seed in the 2A state quarterfinals and will meet Simla on Thursday night at CSU-Pueblo.

"We're anxious to get back and hopefully get to the state championship again," Indians coach Mike Neill said. "Hopefully we'll win the gold ball."

Yuma has won 12 games in a row since a loss to Akron on Jan. 25, and the Indians have knocked off the two-time defending state champions twice during that stretch. In victories against Front Range Christian (Littleton) and Highland (Ault)  last weekend, Yuma allowed a combined 49 points, only 21 of which came in the second half.

"The thing I like about our team right now – obviously we have room for improvement – but our defense has been really good lately," Neill said. "I know defense and rebounding travels pretty well. Sometimes the shots are not going to fall, but at least you can bring your defense and hopefully bring that effort to the state tournament."

Lutheran (Parker) (21-1) earned the top seed in the 2A field and meets Paonia in the quarterfinals.

Neill believes the experience of last year will pay dividends this weekend. Seven of his current players saw time in the title game last season, and five played extended minutes.

"That's just great experience. You can't really duplicate that in any way," he said. "Obviously they're still going to be nervous and obviously there are eight great teams up there, but least they're not just going into this brand-new. They know what's going on and I think they're ready."

Sophomores Logan Hixon (15.0 points per game) and Peighton Roth (11.7) lead the Indians in scoring, but senior Marina Hansen and Caitlyn Murphy have brought both talent and leadership to the floor.

MaxPreps Colorado girls state tournament brackets

In Class 3A, top-seeded and defending state champion Holy Family (Broomfield) (23-1) has won 16 games in a row and is looking to claim its sixth title in the past seven years. The Tigers meet Eaton on Thursday at the Air Force Academy.

The Caliche (Iliff) girls (22-1) also earned a No. 1 seed in 1A and face Cheraw on Thursday night in Loveland. There will be a new champion in the classification, as Wiley did not make the playoff field.