After a slow start, Raiders earned Continental League crown and No. 10 seed in Class 5A state tournament; Chaparral (5A) and Lewis-Palmer (4A) are top seeds
VIDEO: Lewis-Palmer, with senior Josh Scott, is the favorite in the Class 4A state championship chase.
Ken Shaw has seen a little bit of everything during a coaching career that has spanned more than four decades.
Yet, even he has a hard time finding the words to describe the roller-coaster ride that the
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) boys basketball team has endured during the past 2½ months. A team that was 5-7 headed into Continental League play in early January – losing six of those games by a combined 21 points – found a way to start winning those close games.
A little more than a month after winning the league opener, the Raiders closed out the regular season with a victory over
Ponderosa (Parker) last Friday that secured the Continental League title and sends the team into the Class 5A state tournament this weekend with plenty of momentum.
"It was a very unusual season. I've never experienced anything quite like this in my 44 years as a head coach," Shaw said. "We played a good schedule and just weren't quite as consistent as we would've liked. We lost six games (early) but the guys were very resilient and kept working."
Regis Jesuit (15-8) is the No. 10 seed in the 48-team tournament that opens Wednesday. The Raiders have a first-round bye in the Chuck Williams Region and host the winner of No. 23
Highlands Ranch and No. 42
Vista PEAK Prep (Aurora) on Saturday.
That said, Shaw is quick to point out that it wasn't a huge turnaround given that 13 of the team's 23 games this winter were decided by five points or less.
"We had a lot of close games that could've went either way," he said. "We could've been 3-20 or 20-3. But it ended strong for us, and we feel good about our chances going into the tournament."
The Chuck Williams Region includes No. 2 Mountain Vista and No. 7
Smoky Hill (Aurora). Shaw said the program doesn't analyze the matchups or the RPI system.
"Whether you agree or disagree with RPI, it is what it is," he said. "You've got to be ready to play the next team in front of you."
Regis Jesuit has gotten the job done to this point with a senior-heavy lineup. The Raiders have seven seniors, led by 6-foot-9 center
Daniel Carr, who averaged 20.3 points and 11.4 rebounds in the regular season. Shaw said that Carr's story is unique given that he started his prep career at Regis Jesuit playing on the lower-level freshman team.
"He took that coaching and worked hard," Shaw said. "He came from that humble beginning to come up and be one of the top players in the state."
That experience factor, not to mention the amount of close games Regis Jesuit has played, will be crucial headed into the postseason in a field where it's anyone's game.
"This year is a very well-balanced year with a lot of teams right there who are able to win on any given night," Shaw said. "It's going to be an interesting ride, I think."
Here is a quick look at each of the four regions in the 5A and 4A brackets headed into Wednesday's first round:
Class 5A
Chauncey Billups RegionTop seed: No. 1 Chaparral
Overview: Chaparral is out to prove that it can go the distance, even after dropping two of its final five league games – including the regular-season finale to
Legend (Parker). But the Wolverines played a gauntlet of a schedule and won 19 games along the way. Three players average at least 10 points a game, led by senior
Kobe Sanders at 17.1. … A potential quarterfinal matchup between Front Range League champion
Fairview (Boulder) and Jeffco League champion
Columbine (Littleton) would be fun to watch. The Knights have put together back-to-back strong seasons after a rough three-year stretch, and have three players averaging at least 10 points a game. The Rebels ran the table in Jeffco play and have their most victories since 2012-13. Junior
Luke O'Brien averages 21.3 points a game.
Lower seed to watch: No. 17
Mullen (Denver) finished fifth in the Centennial League, but has the ability to make a splash. Look no further than a 76-74 victory over Smoky Hill last Wednesday. Like other teams in the region, the Mustangs have offensive balance with three players averaging at least 11 points a game. Senior
Christian Davis leads the way at 14 points a game.
Daniel Carr, Regis Jesuit
File photo by Gint Federas
Top seed: No. 2 Mountain Vista
Overview: The Golden Eagles dropped only two games all year and closed the season with narrow victories over
Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) and ThunderRidge. Senior
Ben Grusing leads three players scoring in double figures at 16 points a game. … Seventh-seeded Smoky Hill had its share of exhilarating victories and tough losses in the Centennial League, but the Buffaloes have the capability of beating anyone they play. Senior
Kenny Foster is one of the state's elite, and junior
Quinten Rock has had a number of big games as well. … Regis Jesuit is obviously dangerous for all of the reasons mentioned above, and is playing as well as any team at this point in the season. …
Greeley West would have a long haul out west to make if the Spartans win their opener, with No. 15
Fruita Monument waiting. Greeley West won 17 games, and has a balanced lineup paced by senior
Andre Sepeda.
Lower seed to watch: No. 23 Highlands Ranch doesn't have the flashiest record, and the Falcons were only 4-6 in Continental League play. But the Falcons defeated Rock Canyon 49-48 behind 14 points from
Tristan Hurdle in the regular-season finale and lost to Regis Jesuit by only five points the game before. Highlands Ranch is a young squad, as well, with only one senior and a strong core of juniors.
Larry Farmer Region
Top seed: No. 3
Rangeview (Aurora)Overview: If the region plays out according to plan and seed, all eyes would be on a potential quarterfinal matchup between No. 3 Rangeview and defending champion and sixth-seeded
Grandview (Aurora). The two teams played Dec. 13 – a 67-65 Grandview victory. The Raiders went 21-2 this winter, and senior
Quincey Jewett enters the playoffs averaging 16.6 points and 11.7 rebounds a game. … Grandview won a highly competitive Centennial League despite some late bumps. Senior
Dayne Prim has the Wolves looking to defend their 5A crown. …
Boulder endured a nine-game losing streak early in the season, but finished second in the Front Range. The Panthers upended No. 8 Fairview by 10 points in the season finale behind 23 points from
Tyler Turner …
Fountain-Fort Carson won the Colorado Springs Metro League and could give
Arvada West a challenge, should the Trojans win their opener.
Lower seed to watch: Rock Canyon enters the postseason on a two-game losing streak, but the No. 11 Jaguars lost four of their five league games by a combined nine points. Rock Canyon also handed Grandview a loss early in the season. Senior
Jaylen Eikenberg averages 14.6 points and nearly five assists a game.
Kent Smith Region
Top seed: No. 4
Overland (Aurora)Overview: Centennial League rivals Overland and
Eaglecrest (Centennial) can't seem to get away from each other. The two teams are in line for a potential Sweet 16 matchup, which would be the third this winter. The Trailblazers won the two in the regular season and enter the playoffs riding a seven-game winning streak. Juniors
Graham Ike (17.6 points, 11.7 rebounds) and
Hezekiah Swanson (13 points, 5.2 assists, 2.4 steals) have done some heavy lifting for Overland. … Eaglecrest dropped its final two games, but the Raptors have a balanced offense, paced by senior
Aaron Bokol (17.8 points, 6.2 rebounds). … Two of No. 5 ThunderRidge's three league losses came by a single point, and another non-league loss to Smoky Hill went three overtimes.
Denver East ran the table on the Denver Prep League, and averages nearly 79 points a game. Senior
Kwane Marble went for 19 of those points a game.
Lower seed to watch: Like Highlands Ranch, Legend endured some ups and downs in the Continental League. The Titans dropped three of their final five games, but those two victories came against Regis Jesuit and Chaparral. Senior
Sufyan Elkannan averages nearly 14 points a game.
Class 4A
Ron Vlasin Region
Top seed: No. 1
Lewis-Palmer (Monument)Overview: Not only did Lewis-Palmer run the table on the regular season, but only one team – Liberty, back on Dec. 11 – finished within 10 points of the Rangers during a game. Seniors
Joel Scott (18.4 points),
Matthew Ragsdale (17.3 points) and
Ethan Forrester (10.9) have Lewis-Palmer looking poised to make a run at the 4A title. …
Wheat Ridge won only six games a year ago, but the Farmers bounced back and captured the Jeffco League title this winter. The Farmers are the No. 8 seed, with four players scoring in double figures. …
Centaurus (Lafayette) ran into undefeated
Longmont twice during the season, but the Warriors can use that – as well as playing Lewis-Palmer and No. 4 Holy Family – to their advantage. The No. 9 Warriors won't be an easy out, as junior
Owen Koonce leads the team with 18.1 points a game. …
Jackson Hayslip averages 20.7 points a game for
Greeley Central, which took Longmont to overtime in the season finale.
Lower seed to watch: Thomas Jefferson (Denver) played a 5A-heavy schedule, and stayed close in a number of its losses. The Spartans struggled at times in the Denver Prep League, but hung with No. 13
Lincoln (Denver), among others. Junior
Darius Hornbuckle averages 14.4 points for TJ.
Darius Hornbuckle (4), Thomas Jefferson
File photo by Jeffrey Tucker
Larry Brunson Region
Top seed: No. 2 Longmont
Overview: Like Lewis-Palmer, the Trojans finished the regular season without a blemish. The defending state champions have a strong core of seniors, led by
Beck Page (14.5 points),
Calvin Seamons (12.8 points) and
Brady Renck (11.6 points, 7.5 assists). … No. 7
Glenwood Springs, along with No. 3
Steamboat Springs and No. 12
Palisade, is giving the Western Slope League a lift. The Demons were 11-1 in league, and played tough in a five-point loss to Longmont. Senior
Chano Gonzalez averages 15.6 points a game. … No. 10
Harrison (Colorado Springs) just missed out on a 20-win regular season. The Panthers were 15-1 in league play, with senior
Donta Dawson averaging more that 16 points a game. … No. 23
Alameda (Lakewood) is enjoying its best season in more than a decade after going 17-6. Four players average at least 10 points a game.
Lower seed to watch: Pueblo Central finished second to Pueblo West in the South Central League and even gave the Cyclones a run during the second meeting Feb. 5. The 15th-seeded Wildcats also upended No. 10 Harrison earlier in the year. Senior
Nico Martin paces the offense at 16.1 points a game.
Guy Gibbs Region
Top seed: No. 3 Steamboat Springs
Overview: Speaking of Steamboat Springs, the Sailors put up 20 victories during the regular season. Senior
Mac Riniker averages 18.6 points, nine rebounds, four assists and 3.5 steals. Steamboat Springs closed on a nine-game win streak. …
Pueblo West swept through the South Central League, winning 19 games overall. Three players (
Julian Lucero,
Taylor Harris and
Logan Garcia) are each averaging right around 12 points a game. …
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) is also enjoying a resurgence. The Indians earned their most victories in five years, with junior
Javonte Johnson averaging nearly 23 points and 9.4 rebounds a game.
Lower seed to watch: No. 19
Evergreen was one of only three teams to defeat
Mead (Longmont) during the season, and the Cougars split with league champion Wheat Ridge. That included a 13-point victory over the Farmers on Feb. 12. Sophomore
Griffin Lauritano leads Evergreen at nearly 14 points a game, and four players average more than five rebounds.
Richard Tate Region
Top seed: No. 4
Holy Family (Broomfield)Overview: It's tight at the top between Tri-Valley League foes Holy Family and Mead, which captured the Nos. 4 and 5 seeds. Mead won the league title, defeating the Tigers twice along the way. In fact, after dropping three of their first four games, the Mavericks won 19 consecutive games to close the regular season. Four players average right around 12-13 points a game, with senior
Jax Wilke going for 13 points and 8.4 rebounds. … Holy Family enters the playoffs at 19-4. A senior-heavy lineup is paced by
Tanner Baird (16.2 points) and
Kyle Helbig (14.1 points, 8.2 rebounds). … Palisade dropped two leagues games each to Steamboat Springs and Glenwood Springs. … No. 20
Montrose dropped three of its games to 5A's Fruita Monument, but the Indians also picked up big victories over Harrison and Glenwood Springs early in the year.
Lower seed to watch: Lincoln's schedule was 5A-heavy, but the Lancers still finished with 17 victories and took second in the Denver Prep League. An offense that averages nearly 69 points a game makes it tough on opposing defenses, and senior
James Felton (17.8 points, 7.1 rebounds) has been tough to slow down.
