Colorado Class 5A/4A boys basketball brackets highlight deep, talented groups

It's no secret that teams in the Continental League had to run the gamut this winter. The league was filled with obstacles from night to night, and teams had to prove themselves on a consistent basis.

That talent level showed when the Class 5A boys basketball postseason bracket was released Sunday. Five of the top 10 seeds in the field are from the Continental, including the top three: Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch), ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) and Chaparral (Parker).  Not to be outdone, the Nos. 4 and 5 teams come from the Denver Prep League, and two more in the top 10 are from the Centennial.

In 4A, two of the top four seeds - Lewis-Palmer (Monument) and Falcon - reside in the Pikes Peak League. Pueblo South earned the No. 1 overall seed.

The top 16 seeds in both field earned first-round byes. The other 32 teams tip off first-round play tonight, with second-round games coming Saturday.

The Final Four is set for March 9 at the Denver Coliseum, with the championship games one day later.
Here is a quick look at each of the four regions in 5A and 4A headed into Wednesday's first round, including a potential region-buster (a team seeded outside of the top 10) in each region:

Class 5A
Chuck Williams Region
Top Seed: 1. Rock Canyon
Overview: The past three 5A state champions - Eaglecrest (Centennial) and Overland (Aurora) twice - are in a region that just happens to be led by top-seeded Rock Canyon (21-2). No. 8 Overland (14-9) won the Centennial League crown, and No. 9 Regis Jesuit (Aurora) had four in-state losses that came against four of the top five seeds. The Raiders defeated Overland in the season opener and fell by only five when they met Rock Canyon.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 16 Eaglecrest. The defending 5A state champions took its hits to graduation, and the Raptors (13-10) had some ups and downs this season. But it doesn't pay to overlook a team which lost by only six points to Rock Canyon – a potential Sweet 16 opponent – and by two to No. 3 Chaparral and five to No. 4 Denver East. Eaglecrest also split its series with No. 6 Grandview. Senior Branden Bunn leads the team with 13.1 points a game.

Richard Tate Region
Top Seed: 2. ThunderRidge
Overview: ThunderRidge (22-1) was the No. 2 seed a year ago and reached the Final Four before falling to George Washington (Denver). The Continental League champions ran the table on the league, defeating Chaparral and Rock Canyon in the final 11 days. No. 7 Doherty (Colorado Springs) (19-4) has some added motivation headed into the playoffs after being upset in the second round last winter despite being the No. 6 overall seed. Highlands Ranch and Broomfield earned the other two byes, with Jeffco League co-champion Arvada West and Southwestern League champion Fruita Monument also in the mix.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 23 Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village). The Bruins (13-10) certainly struggled at times this year, but looked like a team starting to figure it out late in the season. While they dropped two of their final three, the Bruins took No. 16 Eaglecrest to overtime before falling by one point, and lost to No. 6 Grandview (Aurora) by only three. The team closed out the regular season with a victory over No. 13 Smoky Hill (Aurora). Senior Dimitri Stanley leads the team at 12 points a game and Darius Price is right behind at 11.7.

Chauncey Billups Region
Top Seed: 3. Chaparral
Overview: Chaparral (19-4) is the favorite to come out of the Billups Region. The Wolverines were 9-1 in the Continental League, with the only loss coming by five points to ThunderRidge, just four days after defeating Rock Canyon. Grandview (19-4) is the No. 6 seed, having won its final six games of the regular season. No. 11 Rampart (Colorado Springs) (17-6) won 10 of its final 12, with the only two losses coming to No. 7 Doherty. Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) has a first-round by and could draw No. 19 Vista Ridge (Colorado Springs) in the second round.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 11 Rampart. Despite those losses to Doherty, the Rams (17-6) still finished the regular season with some momentum. Rampart played Grandview back in December and lost by only nine points, and defeated other region teams like Vista Ridge and Far Northeast Warriors (Denver). Senior Dawson Carper (19.4 points, 9.6 rebounds) leads a strong starting five.

Maceo Brodnax Region
Top Seed: 4. Denver East
Overview: This is the region to watch. From Denver Prep rivals Denver East (20-3) and George Washington (18-5) to other talented programs like Liberty (Colorado Springs) (17-6) and Smoky Hill (16-7), this will be a battle all the way. George Washington defeated East 82-78 in the regular-season finale to win the DPL, and they are two of four league teams in the region. No. 20 Fairview (Boulder) won the Front Range League.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 13 Smoky Hill. From being 4-19 just two years ago to giving Denver East a run in the Sweet 16 last winter, the Buffs are a team that can do some serious damage. Smoky Hill defeated George Washington earlier in the year and split its season series with Grandview, Overland and Eaglecrest. Junior Kenny Foster leads three players in double figures with 17.4 points a game, and senior William Becker nearly averages a double-double at 9.8 points and 10.2 rebounds.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 5A state brackets

Class 4A
Larry Brunson Region
Top Seed: 1. Pueblo South
Overview: Both of Pueblo South's losses came before the break, and were to the No. 2 and 3 overall seeds. Once the Colts (21-2) were at full strength after winning a state football title, the team won its final 15 games of the regular season. Jeffco's second- and third-place teams are No. 8 and 9 in the region, and could meet in the Sweet 16. Defending champion Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) (15-9) and an Evergreen (18-5) team that just beat Valor would make for an interesting matchup. Montrose (17-6) finished second in the 5A/4A Southwestern League.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 17 Elizabeth. The Cardinals (16-7) are a gritty team that finished tied for third in the Colorado Springs Metro. Of the team's five league losses, four came by five points or less. Elizabeth opened the season with a loss to potential second-round opponent Montrose, but won nine of its next 10. That included a victory over the No. 8 team in the region, Evergreen. Senior Gage Smith averages 14.6 points and 6.2 rebounds, and fellow senior Garett Hawkins is at 13.3 points and 9.5 rebounds.

Mark Randall Region
Top Seed: 2. Lewis-Palmer
Overview: This region features a lot of familiarity, with two teams from the Pikes Peak League, three from the Colorado Springs Metro, two from the Tri-Valley and two from the Denver Prep. Lewis-Palmer tops the list as the No. 2 seed after finishing 21-2. Interestingly enough, one of those losses came to No. 15 Palmer Ridge (Monument), a potential Sweet 16 opponent. Silver Creek (Longmont) (19-4) is the No. 7 seed and enjoyed a great season, save for a stretch where it lost three of four. Widefield (Colorado Springs) (19-4) won the CSML and could face a league foe in The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) in Round 2.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 18 Holy Family (Broomfield). The Tigers (15-8) can be difficult to figure out at times, but the team plays tough against good competition. Holy Family lost by only three to No. 1 Pueblo South and by seven to No. 3 Golden. The Tigers won six of their final seven, with the only loss a one-point setback to Windsor. Tanner Baird (16.6 points) and Kyle Helbig (11.9) pace a junior-heavy lineup.

Guy Gibbs Region
Top Seed: 3. Golden
Overview: Golden overcame an early Jeffco League loss to Valor Christian and finished the regular season on an 11-game winning streak to win the league. The Demons (20-3) could have a potential Sweet 16 matchup against a Ponderosa (Parker) team that played in the toughest league in the state, the Continental, against mostly 5A competition. No. 6 Pueblo West (17-6) fell to top-seeded Pueblo South twice, and split with a Pueblo East team that could be its second-round opponent. Glenwood Springs (19-4) captured the Western Slope League crown and is the No. 11 seed.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 22 Mesa Ridge (Colorado Springs). The Grizzlies (16-7) were second in the 4A Colorado Springs Metro and endured a three-game skid late through the league season. But Mesa Ridge finished on a four-game winning streak, averaging 87 points in that stretch. Four players average at least 10 points a game, led by senior Deven Nelson. The team would travel to Glenwood Springs with a victory Wednesday.

Ron Vlasin Region
Top Seed: 4. Falcon
Overview: Falcon (18-5) is the top seed in this region, but the Falcons couldn't have found a tougher road to the Final Four than a potential quarterfinal with fifth-seeded Longmont. The Trojans (21-2) were the state's hottest team until a loss to Skyline (Longmont) in the regular-season finale likely cost them a top-four seed. The Falcons won 14 of their final 16, with the only two losses coming to No. 2 seed Lewis-Palmer. No. 12 Windsor (17-6) won the Tri-Valley League and could stand in Longmont's way.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 20 Mead (Longmont). The Mavericks (14-9) finished third in the Tri-Valley League, but split its season series with Windsor. Mead also defeated D'Evelyn (Denver), the No. 13 seed in the region, and lost to the field's top two seeds by a combined 10 points. Junior Jax Wilke leads the squad at 15.4 points and 7.8 rebounds.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 4A state brackets