Three days remain in pursuit of Colorado boys hoops glory

It's time for the main event.

The final weekend of the boys state basketball postseason has arrived, and with it comes one last push for a championship. Three fast-paced days await the remaining teams and their fans, starting Thursday with quarterfinal action in Class 3A, 2A and 1A.

The Final 4 is Friday in all five classifications, followed by championship Saturday. Two defending state champions are still alive in pursuit of a second consecutive crown: Denver East (5A) and Sanford (2A).

In a few short days the events will begin to unfold. Here is a look at each classification:

Class 5A

Of the four teams still remaining, three are No. 1 seeds and the fourth is the defending state champion.
The first semifinal pits Eaglecrest (Centennia) (21-5) vs. ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) (23-3), the Centennial League vs. the Continental League. Eaglecrest used a 17-0 second-half run to put away Legend (Parker) in the quarterfinals. Raptors sophomore Colbey Ross led the team with 23 points and older brother Elijah Ross added 19.

ThunderRidge faced league rival Chaparral (Parker) for the third time this season and avenged a late-season loss with a 52-47 victory. The Grizzlies hit eight free throws down the stretch to return to the Final 4, led by Zach Pirog's 21 points.

"This is how playoff games should be played," ThunderRidge coach Joe Ortiz said after the game. "We just want to survive, and we did."

Eaglecrest won the 5A title in 2013. ThunderRidge last advanced to the semifinals in 2009.

"It's been awhile, but it's our seventh (Final 4 appearance)," Ortiz said. "We've had a bunch."

The other semifinal is a rematch of the same round a year ago, when Denver East toppled Overland (Aurora) on its way to a state crown. This time around, Overland (21-5) is the favorite. The Trailblazers belted Horizon (Thornton), Grand Junction and Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) in the previous three rounds by an average of 28 points, doing it with a balanced lineup.

Denver East (17-10) was a No. 6 seed when the tournament started, but the Angels eliminated the top three seeds in its region – including No. 1 Regis Jesuit in the Great 8. Senior Brian Carey is averaging nearly 24 points a game in the postseason.

Class 4A

Just call it the lone unbeaten vs. the Pikes Peak region trifecta.

Only one top seed made it through unscathed to the 4A Final 4, and that's undefeated Longmont (26-0). The Trojans kept their perfect record intact after rallying in the fourth quarter to edge Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) by one point in the quarterfinals.

Kolton Bachman hit the winning shot in the final seconds as Longmont overcame a late four-point deficit. The Trojans haven't been in the semifinals since 2010, and will face Colorado Springs Metro champion Sierra (Colorado Springs), which topped Pueblo South last Saturday. The Stallions (23-3) haven't lost a game since Dec. 13 and are seeking their first state championship since 2010.

Senior Tevion Thompson averaged 16.5 points a game during the regular season.

In the other semifinal, Pikes Peak League rivals Air Academy (US Air Force Academy) (22-4) and Lewis-Palmer (Monument) (19-7) will duel for the third time this season (the teams split the first two meetings.)

Air Academy knocked off top-seeded Golden 45-41 in the quarterfinals, overcoming a five-point halftime deficit. Senior David Louthan leads three players who average in double figures at 17.2 points a game.

Lewis-Palmer upended top-seeded Denver South in the Sweet 16 and took down D'Evelyn (Denver) in the Great 8 on two late free throws. The Rangers won back-to-back titles in 2012-13, and junior Jonathan Scott averages nearly 19 points a game.

Class 3A

It shouldn't come as a surprise that four of the final eight teams remaining in the 3A field come from the Metro League, which has claimed six of the past seven titles. The tournament takes place at Lockridge Arena on the Colorado School of Mines campus in Golden.

Top-seeded Faith Christian (Arvada) (22-2), which won five championships in a row from 2008-12, takes on Metro foe Jefferson Academy (Broomfield) (18-6) in the Great 8. The Eagles have downed the Jaguars twice already this season, and Faith is coming off a Sweet 16 victory over 2013 champion Pagosa Springs.

Colorado Academy (Denver) (18-6), the runner-up a year ago, draws upstart Bayfield (13-10) on Thursday. The Wolverines upset No. 5 The Pinnacle (Westminster) in the first round before handling Eaton the next night. Seniors Preston Hardy and Conner Kennedy and junior Zane Phelps have provided the punch for Bayfield.

On the other side of the bracket, No. 2 Colorado Springs Christian (23-1) takes on Alamosa (18-5). CSC has won 12 in a row and is coming off a 46-point victory in the Sweet 16; Alamosa, which fell to the Lions earlier this year, eliminated a pair of Western Slope League teams in the first two rounds.

Third-seeded Lutheran (Parker) (20-4), which competed in 2A a year ago, meets Brush (13-11). Brush, which was the No. 22 seed, pulled off consecutive upsets of No. 11 Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village) and No. 6 Sterling to advance. Brandon Crocker led four Lutheran players in double figures in a Sweet 16 victory over Bennett with 21 points.

Class 2A

There were no real surprises in the 2A regional round, and the field will be especially competitive when action gets underway Thursday at CSU-Pueblo.

Undefeated Resurrection Christian (Loveland) (24-0) meets Burlington (18-5) in the quarterfinals, with the winner drawing either Simla (22-2) or Meeker (22-1) in the semifinals.

Defending champion Sanford (24-0) draws Holyoke (16-8), which advanced in a two-overtime thriller with Merino behind 36 points from senior Tito Fierro. The other quarterfinal will see Ignacio (21-2) against Rye (21-3).

Class 1A

Unlike its 2A counterpart, the 1A field did see an upset in regional play as Peetz (15-9) knocked out previously undefeated Arickaree/Woodlin. The Bulldogs' reward? A quarterfinal matchup with No. 1 Sangre de Cristo (Mosca)(23-0) at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.

Casey Barrett led Peetz with 23 points against Arickaree/Woodlin and Cody Wilson added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Fourth-seeded Ouray (18-3) meets No. 5 Fleming (17-4) in another quarterfinal. In the lower portion of the bracket, No. 2 Holly (20-3) faces Prairie (New Raymer) (16-7), and third-seeded Jim Elliot Christian (Englewood) (21-2) and versatile Tanner Smith goes up against South Baca (18-3).