Colorado Preps Weekly

With spring sports beginning their practices last week and competitions looming on the horizon, basketball is about to wrap things up. Last week saw regional contests in the 1A and 2A classes, while 3A got its State tournament underway.

Sterling's boys are the #2 seed in the Class 3A tournament and the Tigers are a team on a mission. Longtime mentor, Mike Holloway, is in his final season on the bench and the Tigers are trying to send him out with another State title. They began the tournament with a 60-18 win over #31 Prospect Ridge Academy, as Jackson Keil led for Tigers in double figures with 21 points.

He would more than double that output the following day, as Sterling defeated #15 Eaton 92-50 in Holloway's final home game. Keil hit on 11 of 12 three-point shots in establishing a new program single game record of 45 points. The Tigers led 61-17 at halftime in that win. They will face #7 Manual in a quarterfinal on Thursday at DU. Sterling won the regular season meeting 60-57 and have won three straight against the Thunderbolts. They've taken six of the last seven in the series.

Manual earned that rematch with Sterling by defeating #26 Brush 83-72 in the opening round. Cesar Hinojos powered the Beetdiggers with 31 points and 12 rebounds in the loss.

Yuma, Limon, Crowley County and Wray all qualified for the 2A state field, with the first three all winning regionals on their home courts. Yuma had little trouble dispatching Dawson School (64-17) and Vail Christian (90-57). Clay Robinson scored 31 for the Indians in the regional final win.

Limon cruised past Calhan 74-28 in their regional semifinal, but the Badgers had to overcome a halftime deficit in the final against Meeker. The Badgers trailed 27-23 at the intermission, but came back to outscore the Cowboys 23-14 in the second half, securing the 46-41 victory.

Crowley County had two drama-filled outings over the weekend, as the Chargers got 28 points and 21 rebounds from Terrance McNeil in Friday's 60-47 win over Lake County. The senior backed that up with 19 and 12 in a 52-41 win over Cedaredge, who had defeated Holly 64-62 the night before. Gunner Hughes led all scorers on Saturday with 22 points.

Wray earned its state bid on the road, as the Eagles went through Plateau Valley (59-24) on Friday. That win gave the Eagles a shot at the regional host, Heritage Christian, on Saturday. A three-point bucket by Chris Arambula gave the Eagles a late 54-51 lead and Joey Uyemura added two free throws to make it 56-51. Those two charity tosses would prove to be the game-winners, as Heritage Christian hit a three in the closing seconds.

Holyoke also made a regional final, as the Dragons ousted Byers 47-43 in a semifinal at Sanford. The Dragons fell to the hosts, 61-39 on Saturday.

Yuma is the top seed for the State bracket that will play out at the Budweiser Event Center in Loveland this weekend. The Indians open with #8 Lotus School on Thursday, while fifth-seeded Wray takes on #4 Denver Christian in the other quarterfinal in the top side of the bracket. Crowley County is seeded seventh and the Chargers face #2 Limon in the opening round.

Granada, McClave, Haxtun and Merino all made their way into the Class 1A State bracket over the weekend, with only Merino having to win more than one game to do so. The Rams came from behind to defeat Idalia 57-47 in a regional semifinal, setting up a rematch with Briggsdale in the regional final. Merino had beaten the Falcons a week earlier to claim the District 4 crown. The Rams needed overtime this time around, but they punched their ticket to State with the 63-58 decision.

Haxtun, who finished third in the District 4 tournament, earned a bye into regionals. The Fightin' Bulldogs used a 13-3 run down the stretch to knock out Simla, 60-50. Three Fightin' Bulldogs scored double figures, led by Owen Knode with 17. Michael Gerk added 16. Each grabbed 10 rebounds to record double-doubles.

Granada, the top seed in the south region, got pushed by Springfield in their final on Saturday, but the Bobcats pulled away for a 62-48 victory. Springfield had defeated Cotopaxi 48-39 in the semifinals.

McClave watched rival Wiley earn a 47-30 semifinal victory over Primero, setting up their third match-up in a three week span. They had split the first two meetings, with Wiley taking the first (44-39) and McClave taking the district contest (39-30). Wiley led the rubber match 18-16 at the half, but the Cards fought back in the second half and took the win, 47-42.

Granada received the #3 seed for State and will face Haxtun in Thursday's quarterfinal at UNC. Merino, the seventh seed, drew #2 Evangelical Christian in the quarters. McClave is the #5 seed, and the Cards will meet Caprock Academy on Thursday. Caprock is making its first-ever state appearance after they ousted Denver Jewish Day in regionals. Sierra Grande, the lone unbeaten team in the class, is the top overall seed, and the Panthers will face #8 Dove Creek. The Bulldogs are in the field for the first time since 1971 after they bounced the defending champ, Belleview Christian, in regionals.

Lamar made the most out of hosting a region in the Class 3A girls bracket last weekend. The Savages, seeded eighth, took care of #25 Denver West (67-41) in the opening round, with Abby Robbins scoring 19 points and Brooklyn Robbins chipping in 19 points and 14 rebounds. B. Robbins turned in another double-double against Eaton, registering 22 points and 10 rebounds, while A. Robbins went for 11 points and 14 rebounds, helping Lamar overcome a 34-29 deficit after three quarters. The Savages outscored Eaton 18-9 in the fourth to advance to the Great 8 with the 47-43 win. They will face #1 Platte Valley in the quarterfinals on Thursday at DU.

Seven of the top eight seeds in 2A advanced to this weekend's state tournament in Loveland, with only Wiggins upsetting the apple cart. The Tigers eked out a 50-44 victory over Gilpin County on Friday and they punched their ticket to state by bumping host Soroco 43-37 on Saturday. It's the first trip to state for the Tigers since 2002. They will face #1 Sanford in the quarters. Sanford took out Burlington (42-25) and Akron (50-26) to get to State.

Holyoke blasted Dolores Huerta Prep (73-15) and Denver Christian (66-31) to earn the #2 seed in this week's bracket. Kristin Vieselmeyer went for 25 and 10 in the semifinal and followed that with 22 and 12 in the final. The Dragons open State play against #7 Dayspring Christian.

Limon dominated Fowler (66-32) on Friday, as Jordyn Tacha recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds to lead a balanced attack. Wray got 24 points from Karly Godsey in its 78-57 win over Meeker, setting up a rematch of the 2021 state title game. Limon, who won the crown last season, got 33 points from Trista Marx, outdueling Godsey's 27, to claim the 67-60 victory. The Badgers are seeded third for State and will open with Peyton.

Upsets were hard to find in Class 1A, as five of the six teams to receive byes in Region 2 and Region 3 advanced to State. HERstory was made in the other contest, as Lone Star, the #4 seed, reached State for the first time in program history after the Longhorns bounced #3 Merino from Region 2, 50-39. Alivia Weathers, who had recorded 18 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists, and four steals in a 58-34 semifinal win over Elbert, led the way against Merino with 22 points and seven assists.

The Longhorns received the #8 seed and will face top-seeded Briggsdale in the opening round on Thursday at UNC in Greeley. The Falcons had no trouble dispatching Stratton on Saturday, 68-19. The Falcons are 2-0 this season against Lone Star, taking wins of 64-31 and 68-49.

A familiar face could await the winner of that contest in the semifinals, as fourth-seed Fleming takes on #5 Sangre de Cristo in the other quarterfinal in the top of the bracket. Fleming had to come from behind to eliminate Idalia 38-35 in their regional final. Kally Kirkwood tallied 19 points for Fleming in the win. Idalia reached the final by beating Kiowa 55-38 on Friday. Camren Morris recorded 43 points, 16 rebounds and nine steals in the two games for the Wolves.

McClave is the #3 seed in the bracket after the Cards took a 35-25 victory over South Baca in Region 3. South Baca took out Centennial 64-49 in the semifinals, with Jami Quick registering 32 points and 18 rebounds. She was held to 8 and 6 by McClave, who got a double-double of 10 and 11 from Anna Beckett. The Cards open with #6 Dove Creek on Thursday.

Cheyenne Wells is making its first trip to state since 1978 after the Tigers took care of Sierra Grande, 57-23 in their regional final. The Tigers got scoring from 10 of the 11 players who saw action, including a game-high 12 from sophomore Izzy Trevino-Lopez. They drew #2 Flatirons Academy, the defending state champion, in the quarterfinals.