Colorado 3A, 2A, 1A high schools begin boys basketball postseason play

In each classification there are several teams that are expected to make deep playoff runs, and others that could emerge as dark horse teams that could offer up some typical March upsets.

Below is a look at the top seeds in each class, along with a few other squads that could make surprising tournament runs during the next two weekends.

Class 3A // Brackets

St. Mary's (Colorado Springs): The Pirates come into the 3A tournament as the top overall seed. Their only loss came to Centauri (La Jara), but they rebounded nicely to win every game they played since. In one four-game stretch they played Colorado Academy (Denver), Manual (Denver) and Resurrection Christian (Loveland) (all top-seven seeds) and won those games by an average of almost 13 points per game. The Pirates are still in search of their first boys basketball title in state history.

Sam Howery could be named as the 3A player of the year due to his efforts on the court. He's averaging 26.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 8.8 assists. Andon Mindrup is averaging a double-double with 15.3 points and 11.7 rebounds.

Sterling: The Tigers dropped their lone Patriot League game to Resurrection Christian but got some payback in the district championship game and beat the Cougars 52-38. Their only other loss this season was to an out of state team, meaning the Tigers are right there in the hunt as a favorite to win the 3A crown this year. If they can string together five more wins, they would win their first 3A title since 2017.

They have just two players averaging double-digit scoring numbers, and Jackson Keil leads the way with 20.7 per game. His 7.3 rebounds per game are also a team best. He's one of three players, along with Dylan Diorio and Ryder McConnell, to dish out three assists per game, which has been crucial to getting the offense in rhythm.

Aspen: The Skiers might be a hard team to judge. They haven't lost a game all season, but it's tough to truly measure the toughness of their schedule from this season. Still, they have to be regarded as a threat to make a tournament run considering they have a lot of experience in winning games and absolutely no experience losing them. Aspen has played in one state championship game (2010), but it lost to Faith Christian (Arvada).

They have a heavy dose of senior scoring with Shae Korpela leading the way with 17.3 points per game. Braden Korpela adds 14.2 and Porter Lee has 13.7. The team overall is a mixture of freshmen and sophomores, which could be the perfect blend with the experience needed in a playoff atmosphere.

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH

Centauri: The Falcons are the only team to beat St. Mary's, which gives them instant credibility when games begin Friday. Baron Holman is the team's leading scorer at 17.4 points per game and Mason Claunch adds 10.3.

Highland (Ault): The Huskies aren't hosting this weekend but they are easily one of the teams hitting the road that could advance to next week's Great 8. As a team, they average nearly 80 points per game, and Hyatt Tolle handles the bulk of their scoring with 17 points per game.

Manual (Denver): Despite a few losses during the regular season, Manual always figures out how to compete for a title. Having one of the most dynamic players in the state in Jordan Reed helps. Reed is averaging 30.5 points and 8.9 rebounds.

Class 2A // Brackets

Yuma: An overtime loss to Eaton in December is the only game that Yuma has failed to win this season. The Indians have played sound basketball and have every intention of getting back to the 2A Final 4 for the fifth year in a row. They won back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019 and had another in 2016, so they're getting hungry for championship gold.

Clay Robinson leads the team in several stat categories, including points (17.4), rebounds (6.5) and steals (3.0) per game. Beau Tate has provided a complementary role by scoring 9.3 points and grabbing 6.4 rebounds per game.

Limon: After reaching the 2A championship game last year, the Badgers are hopeful in putting together another quality state tournament appearance. Their only losses to 2A teams have come against Denver Christian and Strasburg, but Limon avenged the loss to the Thunder by getting them in the district championship game. The Badgers have played for a 2A title three times in the last decade, but they are searching for their first state basketball title since 1964.

Brady Rockwell has shined on both ends of the court for Limon. He leads the team with 13.1 points per game and also averages two steals. Jordan Rockwell is the only other player to average more than 10 points per game, and Eli Weisensee is the team's leading rebounder at seven per game.

Sanford: A three-game losing streak early in the season planted the seeds for a little bit of doubt, but Sanford turned its season around in a big way. It won 14 of its past 15 games, several by sizeable margins. After getting upset by Ignacio in the 2A quarterfinals last season, Sanford has no intention of leaving anything to chance this postseason.

McCray Larsen nearly averages a double-double with 12.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Through the course of the season, he postedd seven double-doubles. As a sophomore, Cash Caldon has shown himself to be a great secondary scoring option as he averages 9.2 points. He scored a season-high 19 in a win over Trinidad in January.

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH

Mancos: The Bluejays finished the regular season 18-3 and had a few high-quality wins, Sanford being among them. Connor Showalter has been one of the best 2A players in the state all season, averaging 23.2 points and 11.8 rebounds.

Thomas MacLaren School (Colorado Springs): Losing just two games this season is enough to make people pay attention. The Highlanders have only gotten better the deeper into the season they have played. Michael Brophy will be a tough player for anyone to defend as he scores 23.1 points per game.

Vail Mountain: The Gore Rangers would probably be seeded a bit higher if wasn't for an overtime loss against Caprock Academy (Grand Junction) and a three-point loss to Meeker. Still, they have played good basketball this season, and Cole Pattison has been a big reason why. His 16.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game set the tone for the team.

Class 1A // Brackets

Evangelical Christian (Colorado Springs): The Eagles take the No. 1 seed in their region despite a loss to Simla in their district championship game. It was just the second loss of the season for ECA as they have been among the best basketball teams in the state. The Eagles were the No. 13 seed in last year's state tournament but had to withdraw from play after advancing to the quarterfinals.

Michael Mann given the Eagles steady production, averaging 12.3 points and 7.2 rebounds. Michael Kim has demonstrated great court vision as he leads the team with five assists per game, and his defensive effort has been crucial for the Eagles as leads them with three steals per game.

Granada: In just over a week, Granada gave fans two thrilling games against McClave. The Bobcats dropped the season finale but got revenge in the district championship game. They're hoping to at least get back to the state semifinals where they lost to eventual state champion Belleview Christian (Westminster) last year.

Dominic Coleman has put together a solid all-around effort as he scores 14.3 points, dishes out 4.8 assists and swipes 3.2 steals. John Hainer and Maddox Coleman are also averaging at least 13 points per game, and Hainer has a team-high 6.4 rebounds to go with that scoring average.

Sierra Grande (Blanca): The Panthers are the No. 2 seed in Region 3 despite finishing the regular season undefeated. They have won their last eight games by at least 28 points and have put up some impressive offensive numbers through the course of the season. After failing to make the state tournament last year, they're hungry to make a deep playoff run in 2022.

To make that run, Isiah Chairez will have to maintain the high level of play he has had all year. He averages 21 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.3 steals, all of which are team highs. He's getting some scoring help from Brian Ontiveros (10.9 PPG) and Lennie Valdez (9.0 PPG).

OTHER TEAMS TO WATCH

Briggsdale: The Falcons have sustained long winning streaks this season but do have a few losses on the ledger. They head to regionals after falling to Merino in their district championship game. Briggsdale has five players averaging double-digit scoring numbers, with sophomore Tanner Fiscus leading the way with 14.9 points per game.

Caprock Academy: Close losses to Vail Christian (Edwards) and Meeker in January shouldn't reflect what the Eagles are capable of at this point in the season. They've won 12 straight games, and Jonathon Abshear has proven himself a playoff-ready player as he averages 16.7 points and 9.4 rebounds.

McClave: The Cardinals have suffered some fairly disappointing losses this season, but they also have some significant wins that can't be ignored. Beating someone like Granada in a district championship atmosphere could be just what they need to battle their way through regionals and then the state tournament. Eduardo Verdu is McClave's leading scorer at 16 points per game.