Teams around the state get a fresh start as 2019-20 season gets underway
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It hasn't quite been nine months since the 2018-19 boys basketball season ended with a bang.
The final chapter of the season was written March 9, and each story was just as good as the one before it. There was Rangeview (Aurora) capturing its first Class 5A state championship and its first title since winning 3A in 1985. Lewis-Palmer (Monument) overcame consecutive losses in the 4A title game to claim its fourth state championship.
Manual (Denver) rose to the top for the first time since 1991, taking the 3A state championship. Yuma was the only school to defend its championship, going back-to-back in 2A. Finally, De Beque won its first-ever state title, going undefeated on its way to the 1A crown.
The 2019-20 winter campaign got rolling Monday night as teams returned to the hardwood looking to write their own stories. Only time will tell if those will live up to last winter, but the next few months will certainly be compelling.
With the season underway, here is a look at 10 games to watch over the next few weeks in December before winter break:
Class 5A
• Overland (Aurora) (0-0) at ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) (0-0), 7 p.m., Dec. 5Overland dives into the season headfirst, taking on
Regis Jesuit (Aurora), ThunderRidge and
Fairview (Boulder) 
Graham Ike, Overland
File photo by Derek Regensburger
this week. The contest with the Grizzlies is a rematch from last season's quarterfinals, with the Grizzlies dominating in the victory before falling to Chaparral (Parker) in the semifinals. Overland won 19 games a year ago, and the Trailblazers return a force in 6-foot-10 senior
Graham Ike, who averaged 17.6 points and 12 rebounds as a junior.
Hezekiah Swanson averaged 13.2 points as a junior. … ThunderRidge was a balanced team last winter, but the Grizzlies graduated their three leading scorers.
Nolan Marold and
Garrett Arnold averaged right around seven points each as sophomores.
• Grandview (Aurora) (1-0) at Rangeview (Aurora) (0-0), 7 p.m., Dec. 6The meeting of the previous two 5A state champions also happens to be a rematch of a quarterfinal game last March. Rangeview downed the Wolves 49-39 on its way to the state title. The Raiders return leading scorer
Christian Speller and graduated only two seniors. Four players appeared in all 28 games, and each of those four is back. … Grandview graduated leading scorer and rebounder Dayne Prim, but
Caleb McGill averaged 11.4 points as a junior. The Wolves opened the season Monday with a 51-47 victory over Doherty (Colorado Springs).
Class 4A
• Centaurus (Lafayette) (0-0) vs. Lewis-Palmer (Monument) (0-0), 5:30 p.m., Dec. 5These two teams also met in the quarterfinals last March, with Lewis-Palmer rolling to the victory on its way to
Owen Koonce, Centaurus (left)
File photo by Derek Regensburger
the state title. The Rangers went undefeated last season, but the team also graduated nine seniors. That leaves a new crop of talent to shoulder the load going into this month. … Centaurus returns leading scorer
Owen Koonce from an 18-win team. Koonce averaged 18.5 points and 5.6 rebounds as a junior, though the Warriors also lost the majority of their roster to graduation.
• Mead (Longmont) (0-0) at Longmont (0-0), 2 p.m., Dec. 14Longmont was unbeaten going into the 4A title game before falling to Lewis-Palmer. The Trojans had won it all the year before, and had a strong senior class leading the way. Longmont has
Dallas Dye back after he went for 8.7 points and 7.3 rebounds as a junior. … Mead won 22 games and reached the quarterfinals, but the Mavericks couldn't find a way to get a third victory over Holy Family. Four players averaged right around 12 points, with
Nick Jacobs and
Will Maher returning.
• Thomas Jefferson (Denver) (1-0) at Harrison (Colorado Springs) (0-0), 7 p.m., Dec. 16Two teams that had impressive showings in the 4A state tournament last season as double-digit seeds look to start the season strong. The Spartans opened play Monday with a 73-58 victory over Sierra (Colorado Springs). The team reached the third round as the No. 25 seed last winter and played No. 9 Centaurus hard before falling 62-60.
Darius Hornbuckle averaged 14.3 points as a junior. … Harrison was picked as the preseason favorite in the CHSAANow.com poll. The Panthers went 21-5 last season, reached the quarterfinals and nearly knocked off Longmont in a 64-63 contest.
Donta Dawson averaged 17 points and 6.5 rebounds as a sophomore, one of several underclassmen who saw plenty of playing time.
• Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) (0-0) vs. Pueblo East (0-0), 7 p.m., Dec. 20Cheyenne Mountain reached 20 victories last season for the first time since 2013-14, making it to the quarterfinals before falling to Pueblo East. The Indians get the chance to face the Eagles again in non-league play, and
Javonte Johnson is back for his senior season after averaging 22.4 points and 9.6 rebounds as a junior. … Pueblo East struggled at the end of the regular season but turned it on in the playoffs, defeating No. 3 Steamboat Springs in the third round and then the Indians to make the semis.
Darnell Kindred averaged nearly 12 points a game as a junior for the Eagles, and
Jaxson Herring was impressive as a sophomore at nearly nine points and more than six rebounds a game.
Class 3A
• Sterling (0-0) at Faith Christian (Arvada) (0-0), 4 p.m., Dec. 21Sterling was so close to getting back to the state championship for the second time in three years, but the Tigers fell to eventual champion Manual in overtime in the semifinals. Four players averaged more than nine points a game, but only
Axel Henry returns. … Faith Christian has a new coach in former Eagles standout Abram Ziemer, who replaced longtime coach Andrew Hasz. Ziemer takes over a team that won 17 games and returns its top two scorers in
Caleb Ruter (16.4 points) and
Isaiah Kroll (13.0 ppg).
Class 2A
• Wray (0-0) at Yuma (0-0), 1 p.m., Dec. 7Yuma didn't drop a game to an in-state team last season, going 25-2 on its way to a second consecutive 2A
Clay Robinson, Yuma
File photo by Ray Chen
championship. Gone is leading scorer Jakob Chrisman, who averaged a double-double, but
Clay Robinson averaged 11.1 points as a freshman. … Wray's 13-10 record may not have looked all that impressive, but the Eagles very nearly upset Limon in regional play before falling 55-53 in overtime. Three players averaged more than 11 points a game, and all three return:
Justin Pecar (13.7 points, 8.9 rebounds);
Samuel Uyemura (13.2 ppg); and
Junior Arambula (11.0 points, 5.3 assists).
• Limon (0-0) at Fowler (0-0), 8 p.m., Dec. 20Speaking of the Badgers, they are coming off a second consecutive football championship. Limon won 22 games last season, reaching state and eventually placing fifth.
Camden Smithburg led the team with 16.2 points a game as a sophomore, and
Kory Tacha averaged more than 10 points a game. … Fowler was the third seed in the state tournament last March, falling to Yuma in the semifinals and placing third.
Val Leone averaged 14 points and nearly seven rebounds a game as a sophomore, and
Johnathan Mobbley went for 11.1 points and 8.4 rebounds as a junior.
Class 1A
• Merino (0-0) at Haxtun (0-0), 2 p.m., Dec. 7These two teams met in the third-place game of the 1A state tournament after falling in the semifinals. Haxtun came away with a two-point victory to close out the season, but was hit hard by graduation. The Bulldogs will be very young this winter. … Merino was junior-heavy last season, though it did lose leading scorer Nathan Batt. Cade Conger and Tanner Hutt each averaged more than eight points a game as juniors.
