Colorado state boys basketball tournament ready to tip off

With six losses on its ledger and a less accomplished tradition than many of the other teams in its own league, the Overland (Aurora) boys basketball squad and second-year coach Danny Fisher were prepared for a little bit of a letdown during Sunday's Colorado High School Activities Association's annual Selection Show.

When the Class 5A brackets were released, however, Fisher and the Trailblazers found out they had earned one of the tournament's four No. 1 seeds, a designation they'll gladly accept.

Denver East, Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) and Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) also earned No. 1 seeds in the tournament, which gets underway Wednesday night.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 5A state tournament bracket

"'We were really feeling we could have been as low as a 3 seed," said Fisher, whose team earned the top seed in the Bill Weimer Region after going 17-6 and winning the Centennial League. "There are so many teams that are good.

"You look at Regis (Jesuit), who finished pretty low in their league, but they have a head-to-head against us. We were kind of assuming we'd be a 2 or a 3, so to get that one it shows the respect they had for our league and for our last seven games in particular."

There's no question that Overland has been playing as well as anyone in the state during the past three weeks, notching victories over defending champion Eaglecrest (Aurora), a No. 2 seed in the Ray Ball Region, Arapahoe (Centennial), a No. 3 in the Chauncey Billups Region and city foe Grandview,  No. 3 in the Jim Baggot Region, during a seven-game winning streak.

After a tough stretch where they lost three of four games following the holiday break, the young Trailblazers seem to be hitting their stride just in time for the postseason.

"We have a sophomore coaching staff, so I feel like most of our problems derive from the coaching staff," said Fisher, who has a 32-16 record in two years with the team. "We've matured as a staff and as a team so much. The young guys we depend on have gotten so much better and tougher."

Overland is led by sophomore sensation De'Ron Davis, a highly coveted 6-foot-10 center who is averaging 15.6 points, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game. Junior Austin Conway (10.1 points) and senior T'Aren Williams (8.0 points) can also pack a scoring punch, and they have the ability to shut down teams defensively.

Fisher said the region provides plenty of potential stumbling blocks along the way to the Coors Event Center and a berth in the final four. Among the challenges include second-seeded Rangeview (Aurora) and Colorado State-bound senior guard Jeremiah Paige, and a scrappy Aurora Central club that is a possible second-round opponent.

"We're going to have to continue to defend at a high level," Fisher said. "Small things plague us, like free throw shooting, so we'll have to be solid as a team there. But if we're prepared to guard, be tough and make our free throws, I feel pretty good about our chances."

Denver East and Fossil Ridge earned their No. 1 seeds by not losing an in-state game all season, while Mountain Vista garnered a top seed after capturing the Continental League crown.

The Class 4A tournament also gets underway Wednesday night, with Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), Thompson Valley (Loveland), D'Evelyn (Denver) and Pueblo South earning No. 1 seeds.

D'Evelyn has one of the best one-two scoring punches in the class behind Grant Witherspoon and Ty McGee, who both average a shade less than 20 points per contest. Thompson Valley's only loss was to Fossil Ridge, and the Eagles have a force down low in 6-5 senior Collin Smith.

Pueblo South is riding a 21-game winning streak, and the Colts have one of the most balanced attacks in the state with four players averaging in double figures (Brian Pratt, Jared Baros, Maleek Johnson and Trey Parker).

Valor Christian has been knocking on the championship door for several seasons. This might be the year the Eagles break through. They're led by San Francisco-bound Chase Foster (20.9 points), and their only loss in Colorado came against Rangeview.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 4A state tournament bracket