VIDEO: Rangeview senior Quincey Jewett's highlights against Arvada West. Jewett scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the game. The Raiders are the only team not from the Continental League in the Class 5A semifinals.
If recent history is any indication, trying to predict the outcome of this weekend's boys basketball state tournament is an exercise in futility.
Seeding is never a good indicator. One year ago, the five Colorado state champions were seeded as follows: one No. 2 seed, two No. 5 seeds, a No. 6 seed and a No. 7 seed. In fact, only one top seed (in Class 2A) even made the championship game. The year before that? Three of the five top seeds won titles, along with a No. 2 seed. Go figure.
So, headed into Thursday's Great 8 round in Class 3A, 2A and 1A, and then Friday's semifinals in all five classifications, the only thing for certain is that fans are about to be treated to some quality basketball. Four undefeated teams remain – including two in the 4A Final 4 – and only two of 2018's state champions (4A's
Longmont and 2A's
Yuma) are still alive to defend their crowns.
A deeper dive into the numbers, and the teams, reveals some more fun facts:
* In Class 5A, three of the four teams in the semifinals are from the Continental League. A team from that league hasn't won the 5A championship since Chaparral (Parker) accomplished the feat in 2012.
* In 4A, Longmont and
Lewis-Palmer (Monument) are both undefeated, and those two teams played for the 4A title a year ago. No. 14
Pueblo East is the lowest-seeded team remaining in any of the five classifications.
* In 2A, Yuma is the defending state champion.
Holly is undefeated and in its first season in 2A after winning 1A crowns in 2015 and 2017.
Denver Christian won three consecutive 2A titles from 2011-13.
* Finally, in 1A, No. 8
Prairie (New Raymer) is the only one of the eight remaining teams to have never won a state championship.
Kit Carson claimed 1A titles in 2004 and 2007, and
Haxtun did it in 2005. Undefeated
De Beque, the top overall seed, hasn't won a title since 1998.
All five classifications will decide champions Saturday. With that in mind, here is a quick overview for each class headed into Thursday:
Brackets
At Denver Coliseum
Final 4
Friday, March 8No. 2
Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) (24-2) vs. No. 3
Rangeview (Aurora) (24-2), 7 p.m.
No. 1
Chaparral (Parker) (22-4) vs. No. 5
ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) (21-5), 8: 30 p.m.
Championship: 8:30 p.m., Saturday, March 9
Overview: With three schools from the Continental League in the Final 4, it's up to the East Metro Athletic Conference champion Rangeview to play the role of spoiler. The Raiders are in the semifinals for the first time since 2016 and are coming off a 10-point victory over defending state champion Grandview (Aurora) in the Great 8. Rangeview hasn't won a title in 34 years.
Chaparral is in the semifinals for the first time since winning 5A in 2012. The Wolverines defeated ThunderRidge twice this season, most recently on Feb. 8. The Grizzlies, who made the semifinals for the fourth time in five years,
Joel Scott (left), Lewis-Palmer.
File photo by Carl Auer
last made the finals in 2015. They haven't won a championship since going back-to-back in 2002 and 2003.
Mountain Vista is in the Final 4 for the first time since 2014. The Golden Eagles have played three tight games in the postseason and are coming off a 77-72 victory over Smoky Hill behind 20 points from
Ben Grusing.
Class 4A
At Denver Coliseum
Final 4
Friday, March 8No. 1 Lewis-Palmer (26-0) vs. No. 4
Holy Family (Broomfield) (22-4), 4 p.m.
No. 2 Longmont (26-0) vs. No. 14 Pueblo East (17-9), 5:30 p.m.
Championship: 3 p.m., Saturday, March 9
Overview: Lewis-Palmer, coming off consecutive runner-up finishes in 4A, is looking to lock up a title for the first time in six years. The Rangers have outscored their three postseason opponents 219-112 and defeated Final 4 opponent Holy Family by 17 points on Dec. 1.
Longmont won a thriller over Lewis-Palmer in the 2018 title game. The Trojans had to rally last weekend to hold off Harrison (Colorado Springs) 64-63 in the Great 8 to return to the title game. Four players scored in double figures in the victory, a balanced effort the team has brought to the table all season.
Pueblo East, which won the 4A crown in 2014, has won its three playoff games by a combined 11 points. Five players reached double figures in a quarterfinal victory over Cheyenne Mountain (Colorado Springs).
Holy Family won the 3A title in 2014. The Tigers made the semifinals after finally upending Tri-Valley rival Mead in the Great 8 with a 63-54 victory. Holy Family lost to Mead twice during the regular season.
Class 3A
At Hamilton Gym, The University of Denver
Great 8
Thursday, March 7No. 4
The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs) (22-2) vs. No. 5 Delta (20-4), 10:15 a.m.
No. 3 Manual (23-3) vs. No. 11
Resurrection Christian (Loveland) (19-5), 1:15 p.m.
No. 1 Lutheran (19-5) vs. No. 8
DSST: Stapleton (Denver) (19-4), 5:30 p.m.
No. 2 Sterling (23-1) vs. No. 7 Montezuma-Cortez (19-5), 8:30 p.m.
Final 4: 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Friday, March 8
Championship: 6 p.m., Saturday, March 9
Jaedon Bowles, Manual.
File photo by Matt Daniels
Resurrection Christian's belting of Coal Ridge (New Castle) in the second round is the only thing keeping the quarterfinals from having all of the top eight seeds. The Cougars, who made back-to-back appearances in the 2A title game in 2015 and 2016, join Sterling in representing the Patriot League. Lutheran and Manual both made the Great 8 out of the Metro League.
Lutheran played the role of spoiler last winter, upsetting defending champion and undefeated Sterling in the semifinals before falling to Bayfield in the title game. The Lions knocked off both Sterling and Manual last month.
Two of the state's top-scoring seniors are in the bracket. Manual's
Jaedon Bowles is averaging nearly 28 points a game, and The Vanguard's
Seth Fuqua is at 24.6 points a game. The Coursers were also an upset victim of Lutheran in last year's playoffs, but made the quarters this year for the first time.
Delta and Montezuma-Cortez are enjoying the programs' best seasons in more than a decade. Montezuma-Cortez won the 4A title in 2002, but Delta hasn't captured a title since 1945. The Panthers opened this season with a loss to The Vanguard, their Great 8 opponent.
Class 2A
At Budweiser Events Center, Loveland
Great 8
Thursday, March 7No. 1 Holly (24-0) vs. No. 8
Mancos (17-6), 10:15 a.m.
No. 3
Fowler (20-4) vs. No. 6
Byers (17-6), 1:15 p.m.
No. 2 Yuma (21-2) vs. No. 7 Denver Christian (17-6), 5:30 p.m.
No. 4
Highland (Ault) (23-1) vs. No. 5
Limon (20-4), 8:30 p.m.
Final 4: 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Friday, March 8
Championship: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 9
Overview: Holly has won 70 of its past 71 games, the only loss coming in last year's 1A regional tournament. The Wildcats were given their toughest test of the season last weekend in Region 1, holding off Sargent 31-26 to reach the quarterfinals.
Yuma, which doesn't have an in-state loss this season, ran its winning streak to 10 games after defeating John Mall (Walsenburg) in the Region 2 title game. The Indians' Great 8 opponent, Denver Christian, made the field after rallying to upset No. 5 Sanford 36-34 in the Region 5 championship game.
Limon and Byers both had to hold off upstarts in the regional tournament. Limon edged No. 20 Wray by two points in Region 4, while Byers took out No. 26 Telluride in Region 7.
Highland's only loss this season came to 3A's Frontier Academy (Greeley) by three points on Dec. 4. Huskies junior
Tate Bessire scored a season-high 39 points in a 79-73 victory over No. 19 Sedgwick County in the Region 3 title game.
Fowler went more than a decade without a winning season, but the Grizzlies are 55-17 in the past three seasons.
Mancos has its most victories since the 2006-07 season, and has yet to play any of the other seven quarterfinalists. Three players average at least 12 points a game for the Bluejays.
Class 1A
At Massari Arena, CSU-Pueblo
Great 8
Thursday, March 7No. 1 De Beque (22-0) vs. No. 8 Prairie (17-7), 10:15 a.m.
No. 4 Haxtun (16-7) vs. No. 5
Evangelical Christian (Colorado Springs) (19-3), 1:15 p.m.
No. 2
Sangre de Cristo (Mosca) (21-1) vs. No. 7 Kit Carson (15-9), 5:30 p.m.
No. 3
Walsh (18-5) vs. No. 6
Merino (14-10), 8:30 p.m.
Final 4: 5:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., Friday, March 8
Championship: 6:30 p.m., Saturday, March 9
Overview: Upsets abounded during the regional round, with a handful of lower seeds making some noise. Prairie upset Mile High Academy and is in the Great 8 after winning a combined 16 games over the three previous seasons.
Merino ran its winning streak to eight games with a victory over Front Range Baptist (Fort Collins). The Rams started the season 6-10. Walsh needed overtime to upend Cheraw by four points, and Kit Carson took out Springfield by six points.
Undefeated De Beque is looking for its first title in more than two decades. The Dragons have been dominant behind the play of high-scoring sophomores
Brennan Rigsby and
Wes Ryan. De Beque could potentially have its hands full in the semifinals against a Haxtun team that has won six of seven. The only setback during that span was a double-overtime loss to Yuma, and the Bulldogs defeated defending state champion Peetz last weekend.
Sangre de Cristo has won 16 games in a row after a dominant showing against Kim/Branson.
