Basketball MVP options abound throughout Colorado

VIDEO: Cade Carroll (Buena Vista) highlights against Rye

The 2017-18 basketball season is beginning a fast wind-down toward the postseason. With roughly three weeks remaining in the regular season, everything starts to ramp up a notch at this point.

While this season may not have some of the flashy numbers of years past, there is no shortage of worthy MVP candidates across the five classifications for both boys and girls programs.

Here is a quick look at some potential Player of the Year candidates in each classification, with information based on reported statistics to MaxPreps.com:



Class 5A
Boys
• Daylen Kountz, Sr., Denver East – The Angels got off to a 13-2 start after rolling in their Denver Prep League opener, and Kountz has been the driving force. The senior has been playing some of his best ball this month, scoring a season-high 31 points Monday in a victory over Eaglecrest (Aurora). Kountz leads 5A at 23.4 points and is also averaging four assists and two steals a game.
• Sam Masten, Sr., Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) – The 6-foot-3 guard helped the Jaguars remain undefeated through the first 15 games. Masten's line – 21.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists – shows his versatility on the floor. Masten is shooting 59 percent from the floor on the year.
• Ronnie Degray III III, Jr., Chaparral (Parker) – The Wolverines had won 13 of their first 16 games headed into Tuesday night, with the 6-6 Degray handling his share of the load. Degray is averaging 18.8 points and 6.3 rebounds, shooting 61 percent from inside the arc.

Girls
• Delaynie Byrne, Sr., Ralston Valley (Arvada) – The Mustangs are riding a 13-game winning streak, with the only loss coming in the season opener by three points to defending champion Grandview (Aurora). Byrne leads 5A with 21.1 points a game and is adding 8.1 rebounds as well. She has scored at least 20 points in each of the team's past eight games.
• Alyssa Jimenez, Jr., Horizon (Thornton) – Jimenez has the Hawks sitting at 14-1, with the only loss coming out of state. She's averaging 17.5 points, four assists and nearly four steals a game, and has scored in double figures in each of the team's 15 games. Typical of Hawks guards, Jimenez is an anchor on defense as well, with at least five steals in seven games.
• Camilla Emsbo, Sr., Lakewood – Emsbo was a first-team all-state pick as a junior, helping the Tigers reach the 5A title game. As a senior, she is averaging 16.9 points while shooting a remarkable 72 percent, and has seven double-doubles in her past 11 games. She has also blocked at least six shots in five games during that stretch.



Class 4A
Boys
• Adam Thistlewood, Sr., Golden – Thistlewood has been the model of consistency for the Demons during his tenure there, and the 6-7 hybrid has still found a way elevate his game this year. At 22 points a game the senior ranks third in 4A, and he averages 8.5 rebounds as well. Two of his best games this season came in a loss to Lewis-Palmer and a narrow victory over Longmont, two of the top teams in the class.
• Joel Scott, Jr., Lewis-Palmer (Monument) – Scott was impressive as a sophomore in helping the Rangers reach the 4A title game. He's taken the next step this season, averaging 18.6 points and 7.3 rebounds as Lewis-Palmer started 13-1.
• Trent Dykema, Sr., Silver Creek (Longmont) – The 6-4 guard has been all over the place for the Raptors, even as the team has skidded a bit as of late. Dykema leads 4A in scoring at 24.6 points, and he averages nearly eight rebounds, three assists and three steals a game. Dykema has been to the free-throw line 139 times in 13 games, where he's shooting 82 percent.

Girls
• Makena Prey, Sr., Golden – Two of the top bigs in the state reside in Jeffco in Prey and Evergreen's Claudia Dillon. Prey has been on point for Golden, averaging 21.5 points and 11.3 rebounds for the Demons, who are 14-1. Prey, who is shooting 61 percent, also averages 3.5 assists.
• Izzy Hren, Sr., Holy Family (Broomfield) – Hren has quietly put together one of the best all-around performances this season for the second-ranked Tigers. The 5-9 guard averages a double-double at 16.4 points and 11.2 rebounds, but she also goes for nearly seven assists and more than four steals a game. She has a pair of triple-doubles to her credit this season, and was two assists away from a quadruple-double against Green Mountain (Lakewood) in early December.
• Chloe Welch, Sr., Mesa Ridge (Colorado Springs) – It's hard to overlook Welch and the Grizzlies, who are riding a nine-game winning streak. Welch averages 16.8 points and 9.5 rebounds, and dishes out nearly six assists a game. Three times this winter she has recorded nine assists.

Class 3A
Boys
• Bodie Hume, Sr., Sterling – After helping lead the Tigers to the 3A championship last March, Hume has picked up where he left off. The 6-8 senior is averaging 20.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists and nearly two steals a game for undefeated Sterling. He has three double-doubles, and three games with at least five assists.
• Seth Fuqua, Jr., The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs) – Fuqua is no stranger to big numbers, having averaged 25.7 and 24.8 points, respectively, his first two seasons. But the Coursers are 11-1 this season, with Fuqua averaging nearly 27 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists. In the team's lone loss to Colorado Academy, he went for 27 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals.
• Cade Carroll, Sr., Buena Vista – While the Demons have struggled at 5-7 overall, it's the play of Carroll that has been a bright spot. The senior leads the state in scoring at 32.8 points a game, shooting 72 percent overall, and has three games with at least 40 points. The 6-5 guard also averages 10 rebounds and has four games with at least five steals.



Girls
• Megan Engesser, Jr., Colorado Springs Christian – Engesser was one of two underclassmen chosen as first-team all-state last winter. The 5-9 junior leads 3A at 22.3 points a game, adding 7.1 rebounds, 4.5 steals and more than three assists a game. She has topped 30 points on three occasions, is shooting 90 percent from the free-throw line and has three games with at least seven steals.
• Cali Clark, Soph., Lamar – Clark was the other underclassmen on that list after helping Lamar capture the state title. Clark averages a double-double at 16.6 points and 10.6 rebounds to go with nearly four steals. She had 23 points, 17 rebounds and five steals in the team's victory over John Mall (Walsenburg) last Thursday.
• Morgan Lewis, Sr., Pagosa Springs – Lewis is third in 3A in scoring at 17.8 points for the Pirates, and she is close to a double-double at 9.4 rebounds. She also has 28 assists, 23 blocks and 22 steals to her credit.

Class 2A
Boys
• Carlos Parra, Sr., Del Norte – A second-team all-state selection as a junior, Parra has helped the fourth-ranked Tigers to 10 wins in 12 chances. The forward averaged 31 points a game before the break (Del Norte has not reported stats from its four games in January), including a 47-point outburst in the season opener. Parra shot 89 percent from the free-throw line during that span as well, and averaged nearly seven rebounds and three steals a game.
• Bradley Carnes-Clabey, Sr., Crowley County (Ordway) – The top-ranked Chargers started the year 12-0, with the 6-4 Carnes-Clabey averaging a double-double at 14 points and 10.4 rebounds. In a victory over Calhan early in the year, the senior finished with 16 points, 17 rebounds, six steals and four assists.
• Noah Sarria, Sr., Clear Creek (Evergreen) – The Golddiggers are hanging in at 9-3 this year, with the play of their 5-10 shooting guard a big reason why. Sarria's 28.9 points is second in 2A, and he's done it while shooting 65 percent from the floor. He scored at least 30 points in six of the team's first seven games, erupting for 40 points on 11-of-18 shooting against West Grand (Kremmling).

Girls
• Chasey Blach, Sr., Yuma – Blach and teammate Cody Robinson are neck-and-neck in scoring for the top-ranked Indians at nearly 16 points a game. But the 6-foot post does the bulk of her damage around the basket as she averages 13.5 rebounds. In a victory over Wray in mid-December, Blach went for 24 points and 24 rebounds – 14 of which came on the offensive end.
• Megan Roberts, Sr., Dayspring Christian (Greeley) – A volleyball standout for the Eagles, Roberts is showing her prowess on the basketball court as well. The 5-11 senior averages a double-double at 21.8 points and 11.9 rebounds, and is a ball-hawk as well with more than five steals a game. In December, Roberts was one rebound away from being in the 20-20 club.
• Avionne Gomez, Sr., Ignacio – The Bobcats are 10-0 to start the season, with Gomez getting the job done offensively and defensively. The senior averages 16.9 points, but also goes for 4.6 steals a game (Gomez has at least six steals in four games). She also shoots 87 percent from the free-throw line.

Class 1A
Boys
• Isaac Borchers, Sr., Creede – Third-ranked Creede is off to a 12-0 start, and the 6-2 Borchers has stayed true to form. The senior is averaging 18 points a game – his season high is 24 points, which came in his previous two games. He's also averaging 8.1 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.2 steals for the Miners.
• Logan Sircy, Sr., Peetz – Like the Miners, Peetz is also undefeated. Sircy, who helped lead the Bulldogs to the 6-Man state football title, averages 17.8 points, 3.1 assists and 3.7 steals. In a 67-49 victory over 2A's third-ranked Sedgwick County, he scored 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting and had five assists.
• Arthur Rodriguez, Sr., Sierra Grande (Blanca) – Rodriguez is a threat on offense and a force on defense for the Panthers. His 30.1 points lead 1A, and he is adding 9.9 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.2 steals. Rodriguez has poured in at least 32 points in five of the team's past six games.

Girls
• Jessica Slane, Sr., Sangre de Cristo (Mosca) – At 12-1 overall, the Thunderbirds are rolling into the final few weeks of the regular season. Through 10 recorded game, Slane was averaging 18.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, 5.2 steals and 4.1 assists. She has two games this season with at least 10 steals.
• Micayla Isenbart, Sr., Kit Carson – The Wildcats are so loaded it isn't easy to focus on one individual, but Isenbart's season stands out. The 6-1 guard leads the team in scoring (13.7 points), assists (4.8) and steals (3.6).
• Alli Keisel, Sr., Fleming – Keisel has helped the Wildcats start and stay strong, averaging 18 points in eight games. The senior has added 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 steals. In a victory over currently fourth-ranked Briggsdale in December, Keisel scored 22 points and added nine rebounds and four steals.