Cracking into crowded Colorado Class 2A boys basketball field will be a tough job

Given that his team won 18 games a year ago, Resurrection Christian (Loveland) boys basketball coach Bruce Dick believed big things could be in store for his squad this season.

But there were some questions. The Cougars weren't among the final eight teams in the state tournament last March, and coming into this season the roster included six sophomores.

So how is that Resurrection Christian is sitting at 14-0 with three weeks remaining in the regular season and is currently ranked first in Class 2A in the CHSAANow.com polls?

"The biggest key for us right now has been our team chemistry," Dick said. "It's just superior to what it was a year ago. We also have very good depth, and the team play has just been in my opinion, very, very high.

"We really try to make a bigger and better effort this year of our guys being more spiritually-minded. We talk so much about character and obviously we talk about our faith – that certainly has been an important role on this year's team as well."

Resurrection Christian's surge into the final weeks of the regular season has been among the highlights for a deep 2A field thus far. The class boasts three undefeated squads – more than any other classification in the state – with defending state champion Sanford and Meeker both sitting at 12-0. Fourteen teams have at least 10 victories.

"It's always strong around the state. Sometimes you're fortunate enough to win some games," Meeker coach Klark Kindler said. "There are so many good teams and so many good players and so many good coaches – you know it's always going to be very competitive."

It was the Cowboys who ended Resurrection Christian's season a year ago, 79-73, in regional play. It was Meeker's first trip to the quarterfinals since placing third in 2009.

The Cowboys lost two of their top three scorers to graduation, but senior Raul Lopez and junior Kash Atwood have paced a balanced attack by scoring 12 points a game. Junior Ty Dunham and senior Cade Rowlett aren't far behind.

Kindler said he was unsure if scoring would be an issue coming into the season, but the younger players have filled that void. The team has continued to build off what it accomplished a year ago.

"I think it's huge," he said. "The success we had last year at the end of the year, I think that made the kids hungry to try and continue that success this year."

Resurrection Christian's motivation came from a different place. After back-to-back appearances in the Great 8 – including a semifinal run in 2011-12 – the Cougars came up short last winter.

"We knew we had enough talent. It's just disappointing we couldn't pull it out and go as far as we wanted," Cougars senior Luke Mondt said. "The guys said ‘we're going to stay focused this whole year and try to get as far as we can and hopefully get a state championship.'"

The way Resurrection Christian is playing, hunting down the school's first hoops title is a real possibility. The Cougars score nearly 85 points a game and have four players averaging in double figures in points: sophomores Tanner Ervin (19.9), Michael Stevenson (14.8) and Kyle Lahr (11.1) and junior Luke Fick (14.4).

Ervin, who grew 6 inches from his freshman season, has made the most of his opportunities. The guard poured in 30 points in consecutive games in January, victories over then-unbeaten Highland (Ault) and 2014 runner-up Akron.

"He's just a kid that players love to play with," Dick said. "He complements everybody else's game on the floor."

Mondt drew the challenge of slowing down two of 2A's top scoring threats, Highland's Kadyn Hicks and Akron's Jared Clarkson. Both players average roughly 24 points a game but were limited to 15 each against Resurrection Christian.

"Our coach wants us to be focused on defense. He always says if you play defense, then the offense will come," Mondt said. "Clarkson and Hicks are both phenomenal players … if we're shutting them down, then our confidence is going up so much on the offensive side that it's just hard to stop us."

Sanford, which upended top-seeded Ignacio and Akron on its way to a state title last season, hasn't missed a beat this year either. The Indians won't be an easy out, while teams like Ignacio, Highland and a handful of others hope to have a say as well – especially with current 3A No. 1 Lutheran (Parker) no longer in the 2A field.

Dick said there are a number of good teams out there, including some squads that have multiple losses. To advance back to the state tournament, Resurrection Christian would have to get past a regional opponent that comes from the 2A/1A Lower Platte League, where Yuma, Akron, Holyoke and 2A newcomer Caliche (Iliff) reside.

"That's our concern because that's the region we're up against," Dick said. "We really don't look around the other parts of the state. We feel like if we get to Pueblo and we're playing those teams, we'll be prepared."