Lincoln and senior James Felton have an inside track on the Denver Prep League title. With less than three weeks remaining in the regular season, several league races are up for grabs.
File photo by Jeffrey Tucker
The clock is officially counting down on the regular season for boys basketball teams around the state.
A little more than two weeks remain for programs to lock up league titles and attempt to improve RPI standings. At stake: The eight league champions in Class 5A and nine league champions in 4A earn automatic berths to the postseason. The remaining spots are determined by RPI, and the top 16 teams in both classifications also earn a first-round bye.
In 3A, district tournaments will decide 14 of the 32 postseason berths (two from each district), with the remaining 18 qualifiers again determined by RPI. In 2A and 1A, teams from each district advance to regional tournaments in an attempt to qualify for the eight-team state bracket.
While some of that may seem a bit confusing, what doesn't need clarification is that every victory is that much more important over the next 18 days of the regular season. The majority of leagues are still very much up for grabs – the 5A Continental League, for example (which holds the top three spots in RPI at the moment) has two squads unbeaten in league play and three more with one loss each. Three teams are currently undefeated in 5A's East Metro and Jeffco leagues, and three teams are unbeaten in 2A's District 4.
With a handful of games remaining for each team in league play, here is a quick look-ahead at leagues with close races, as well as leagues where RPI – and attempts to nab a first-round bye – can still be impacted:
Class 5A
Centennial LeagueDefending state champion
Grandview (Aurora) is among the state's hottest teams, having won all eight of its games in 2019. That stretch included victories over three top-10 teams in Centennial League rivals
Overland (Aurora),
Smoky Hill (Aurora) and
Eaglecrest (Centennial). The second-ranked Wolves (13-4, 8-0) are in the midst of their second run-through in the league, with rematches against Overland (11-6, 4-4) and Smoky Hill (14-3, 6-2) coming this week. Eaglecrest (10-7, 5-3) topped the Buffaloes 82-80 last week behind 34 points from
Aaron Bokol. All four teams are ranked in the top 10 in 5A and reside in the top 11 in RPI.
Continental LeagueChaparral (Parker),
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) and
ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) currently occupy the top three spots in RPI, but have to contend with a
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) team that is coming on strong. Chaparral (16-2, 5-0) draws the Raiders (10-7, 4-0) on Tuesday night – Regis Jesuit has won six in a row, including a 30-29 victory over ThunderRidge on Jan. 15. Mountain Vista (16-1, 4-1) still has February dates with both Regis Jesuit and ThunderRidge (14-3, 3-1), and Chaparral meets ThunderRidge on Feb. 8. The league could still go to any of the four programs, though Chaparral could make it difficult for the other teams with a victory over Regis Jesuit.
Denver Prep LeagueThanks to a two-overtime victory over
George Washington (Denver) earlier this month,
Lincoln (Denver) is poised to take control of the DPL if it can get past Denver East on Tuesday night. The 4A Lancers (12-5, 3-0) have won eight in a row, with senior
James Felton leading a balanced offense at 17.6 points per game.
Denver East, which still has GW on the schedule, is getting nearly 21 points a game from senior
Kwane Marble.
East Metro Athletic ConferenceRangeview (Aurora) has been making it look easy as of late, and the Raiders are looking to lock up the East Metro by taking out
Brighton and
Gateway (Aurora) in February. Rangeview (15-2, 5-0), which is fifth in RPI, already defeated Brighton 78-34 in non-league play. Senior
Quincey Jewett is having a monster season at 17 points and 12.2 rebounds a night. The Raiders meeting Gateway (12-4, 4-0) in the regular-season finale Feb. 15. Senior
Kywan Jones leads the Olympians at 14.2 points per game.
VIDEO: Quincey Jewett highlights
Front Range LeagueFairview (Boulder) and
Greeley West, the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the Front Range, tangle Feb. 8 in Boulder with the winner getting a leg-up in the league chase. Fairview (14-4, 7-0) has won seven of eight in 2019 and is sitting seventh overall in RPI. Senior
Mark Dolan (17.6 ppg) leads three players scoring in double figures. Greeley West (14-3, 6-0) is 14th in RPI and looking to move up. The Spartans are riding a six-game winning streak, and
Andre Sepeda leads the way at 16.6 points per game.
Jeffco LeagueAnother tightly contested league race may not be decided until the last day of the regular season.
Arvada West (14-4, 3-0),
Columbine (Littleton) (11-5, 2-0) and
Ralston Valley (Arvada) (13-4, 2-0) have yet to meet up, though that changes Wednesday when Columbine visits Ralston Valley. Arvada West goes to Columbine on Feb. 13, and two days later draws Ralston Valley. The teams occupy spots 9, 10 and 12 in RPI.
Class 4A
Jeffco LeagueA
Wheat Ridge team enjoying its best season in years has a chance to capture the 4A Jeffco title against its biggest rival when the Farmers host
Golden on Feb. 14 in the regular-season finale. Wheat Ridge (15-3, 7-0) has won five in a row and already edged the Demons back on Jan. 16. Senior
Julian Claussen (15.8 ppg) leads four players scoring in double figures. Golden has stayed in the hunt, though, and senior
Ilja Bubukin is averaging 15.3 points per game.
Northern LeagueThe Northern League is essentially a two-team race, with second-ranked and defending state champion
Longmont in the driver's seat. The Trojans face No. 9
Centaurus (Lafayette) (11-5, 6-1) for the second time this season Feb. 5, looking to lock up the league crown. Longmont defeated the Warriors 62-53 on Jan. 15 behind 19 points from
Brady Renck and
Calvin Seamons.
Owen Koonce had 23 points that night for Centaurus, which has won six of seven.
Calvin Seamons, Longmont
File photo by Carl Auer
Pikes Peak LeagueLewis-Palmer (Monument) put itself in control in the Pikes Peak League with a resounding 96-61 victory over
Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs) last week. The top-ranked Rangers (16-0, 8-0) shot 63 percent and had four players score in double figures in taking a two-game lead in the PPL. The teams will meet again Feb. 14 in the regular-season finale, with Cheyenne Mountain (13-3, 5-2) trying to stay in the top five in RPI.
South Central LeagueLike Wheat Ridge and Longmont,
Pueblo West (13-4, 4-0) has a one-game lead in league play and can move one step closer to the South Central crown with another victory over
Pueblo East. The two teams meet again on Feb. 1 – West downed East 73-63 on Jan. 13. Both teams are in the top in RPI, with West riding a six-game winning streak. The Eagles (11-6, 3-1) have won six of seven, with the only loss coming to the Cyclones.
Tri-Valley LeagueA battle of top-five teams went
Mead's way last week, with the Mavericks downing
Holy Family (Broomfield) 50-45 behind a combined 27 points from
Nick Jacobs and
Caleb Ayers. Mead (13-3, 9-0) can control its own fate in the Tri-Valley League, but must face the Tigers (13-3, 8-1) a second time on Feb. 14. The two teams are also in the top four in RPI, with Holy Family third and Mead fourth.
Western Slope LeagueAs is the case with so many 4A leagues, a second go-round could decide things in the Western Slope League.
Glenwood Springs (13-4, 6-0) has a one-game lead on
Steamboat Springs (13-3, 4-1) thanks to a 54-51 victory on Jan. 19. The Demons are currently ninth in RPI, while the Sailors are seventh and ranked eighth overall. Glenwood Springs has won 10 in a row since a five-point loss to Longmont on Dec. 13. Steamboat Springs' other two losses came to top-10 teams in Centaurus and Mead.
Class 3A
Frontier LeagueWhile both teams are sitting in the mid-20s in RPI,
DSST: Stapleton and
Middle Park (Granby) will likely decide the outcome of the Frontier League when the teams clash Feb. 5. Both squads have 10 victories on the year, and DSST-Stapleton's losses have come to the likes of Lutheran, Manual and Faith Christian. The Knights have won six in a row since a one-point loss to Faith Christian, and senior
Andray Thomas Jr. is averaging 18.2 points and 10.8 rebounds. Middle Park has won 10 games in a row behind the scoring of seniors
Jackson Wolle and
Aironas Bilevicius.
Intermountain LeagueDefending state champion
Bayfield (10-5, 5-1) has a one-game lead in the Intermountain with four games remaining, but is sitting 16th in the RPI – trailing leagues foes
Montezuma-Cortez (ninth),
Centauri (La Jara) (10th) and
Pagosa Springs (14th). The Wolverines can make up some ground when they face Cortez and Pagosa Springs for the second time in the next two weeks. Bayfield had won seven games in a row before suffering its first league loss to Centauri on Monday night. Montezuma-Cortez (11-3) has dropped three of its past five games after a 9-0 start.
Metro LeagueSecond-ranked
Manual (Denver) (11-2, 6-0) may have to wait until the regular-season finale to hook up the Metro League crown. The Thunderbolts (currently second in RPI) have already handled
Kent Denver (Cherry Hills Village) (11-2, 4-1) and
Faith Christian (Arvada) (11-4, 5-1) but still have
Lutheran (Parker) (11-3, 5-1) to close out the season. Manual has won eight in a row since a three-point loss to top-ranked Sterling, and senior
Jaedon Bowles is averaging 26.5 points a game. Lutheran dropped its league game to Faith Christian, and still has Kent Denver on Tuesday. Kent Denver is currently third in RPI and lost to undefeated Sterling by only two points last Friday. Seniors
James Doyle (24.1 ppg) and
Coby Gold (21.7) have led the way, but the Sun Devils must close out the season against a Faith Christian team that is sixth in RPI and ended the team's season a year ago.
Tri-Peaks LeagueAnother competitive league is the Tri-Peaks, where four teams have at least 10 victories on the season.
The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs) (12-2, 8-0) has already defeated two of those squads, but the Coursers have to get past No. 9
Colorado Springs Christian on Tuesday in order to stay on top in the league.
Seth Fuqua (23 ppg) and
Dominique Clifford (20.0 points) will look to stay hot against a CSCS program that has won five in a row since a one-point loss to Lamar. Senior
Brandon Pitt paces a high-scoring offense at 18.5 points per game. The Lions are fifth overall in RPI.
Western Slope LeagueOne of the more unpredictable leagues is the Western Slope, where
Delta is the only current unbeaten in league play.
Gunnison – which hosts Delta on Feb. 14 – has one league loss, as do
Roaring Fork (Carbondale) and
Grand Valley (Parachute). An 11-win
Coal Ridge (New Castle) team that is sixth in RPI is 2-3 in league play after a three-game skid in the middle of the month. Gunnison's only league loss came to Roaring Fork, which has a loss to Delta.
Class 2A
District 4One of the most competitive districts in 2A could clear up somewhat in the next two weeks. Currently three teams from District 4 fall in the top eight for RPI, with
Limon (11-2) sitting fifth,
Denver Christian (10-3) sixth and
Byers (10-3) eighth. Denver Christian is riding a 10-game winning streak that includes a victory over Limon, and the Thunder host Byers on Saturday. Limon pays a visit to Byers the following week on Feb. 8, looking to keep pace with Denver Christian in the district. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs have a great chance to make a move as four of the team's final five games come against teams in the top nine in RPI. Three players are averaging at least 12 points a game for Byers.
District 8Peyton (9-2) starts an important stretch Friday as the ninth-ranked Panthers (also ninth in RPI) host No. 8
Simla (8-3) at 8:30 p.m. Both teams are sitting at 4-0 in District 8, with Peyton's upcoming stretch including 3A's No. 4 The Vanguard School, a 10-win
Dolores Huerta Prep (Pueblo) team and No. 6 Byers. Senior
Brendon Younger is averaging 15.2 points a game for Peyton. Simla's three losses have come by a combined 11 points, two of which were to ranked opponents. Senior
Cole Mitchell had 18 points and 10 rebounds in a victory over Dolores Huerta on Jan. 12.
Class 1A
District 2Kit Carson jumped into the 1A rankings after a week in which the Wildcats defeated
Granada,
Stratton/Liberty and
Springfield – gaining a measure of revenge for an earlier loss to the latter. Kit Carson (10-4, 3-0) can close the door on the team still standing in its way in District 2 when it hosts
Cheraw (11-3, 1-1) on Friday. The Wolverines suffered a disheartening overtime loss to
Cheyenne Wells last Friday that knocked the team from the rankings. Kit Carson is currently fifth in RPI, while Cheraw is 12th.
District 3Two teams currently in the top 10 in RPI go head-to-head Friday looking to make a move in District 3.
Walsh (7-4, 1-0) still has seven games remaining and is currently eighth in 1A RPI. Three of the team's four losses have come to teams from Kansas, and the Eagles are ranked fifth in 1A the moment. Springfield is coming off a tough loss to Kit Carson and already has a loss in District 3 play (to
Kim/Branson). The Longhorns' other two losses came to top-ranked
Holly, and a victory over Walsh would give the team a boost. Senior
Beau Dukes had 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in the loss to Kit Carson.
District 8Cornerstone Christian (Westminster) made a big statement by knocking off
Mile High Academy (Denver) – currently ranked first in RPI – last Thursday to remain undefeated. The Bulldogs (13-0) received a combined 37 points from seniors
Eddie Cruz and
Brandt Vos in the 49-39 victory. Cornerstone hosts
Front Range Baptist (Fort Collins) (7-4) on Wednesday night – the Falcons are currently seventh in RPI but are coming off a loss to
Briggsdale.
