CHSAA state basketball: Class 5A Great 8 scouting report
A look at each of the Class 5A Great 8 matchups set for Thursday at the Denver Coliseum:
BOYS
No. 1 Air Academy (23-2) vs. No. 8 Pueblo South (19-6)
Time: 10:15 a.m.
Players to watch: AA — Corbin Garver, 6-5, sr. (18.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 1.6 bpg); Noah Hellem, 5-9, jr. (15.1 ppg, 1.5 spg); Grant Featherstone, 6-5, sr. (12.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.5 apg). PS — Maurice Austin, 5-8, jr. (27.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 5.5 spg, 5.4 apg); Mateo Esquivel, 6-1, sr. (12.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.3 bpg); Ray Aragon, 5-8, sr. (11.1 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.6 spg).
What to know: The Kadets enter the Great 8 riding a 19-game winning streak, with all 19 of those victories coming by double digits, including a 61-48 win over Pueblo South. That’s the closest any 5A opponent has come to beating Air Academy, which has only lost to 6A Arapahoe and Valor Christian. South hasn’t lost since falling to the Kadets on Jan. 10, ripping off 13 straight with the state’s No. 2 scorer, Maurice Austin, looking to take the Colts back to the championship round.
No. 4 Mead (21-4) vs. No. 5 Frederick (24-1)
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Players to watch: ME — Tucker Mills, 6-6, sr. (18.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.2 apg); Dominic McLawrence, 6-4, jr. (13.0 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg); Nick Basson, 6-3, sr. (11.8 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.5 spg). FR — Luke Justice, 5-9, sr. (22.6 ppg, 3.2 apg, 1.8 spg); Matias Aldana, 6-5, sr. (12.6 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.8 apg, 1.8 bpg); Harry Singh, 6-1, sr. (11.1 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.9 spg).
What to know: A year after reaching the Final Four, Frederick returns to Denver Coliseum with the highest-scoring offense in the 5A bracket (79.6 points/game). A one-point loss at Riverdale Ridge is the Golden Eagles’ lone blemish. The senior-laden group has played just one 5A Great 8 team, however, but that just so happened to be a 76-70 season-opening win over Mead. All four of the Mavericks’ losses came to 4A or 5A Great 8 teams: Frederick (once), Windsor (twice) and 4A Holy Family (once).
No. 2 Mesa Ridge (25-0) vs. No. 7 Dakota Ridge (21-4)
Time: 1:15 p.m.
Players to watch: MR — Tevin Riehl, 6-0, jr. (14.3 ppg, 4.5 apg, 2.6 spg); Bryce Riehl, 5-11, so. (13.2 ppg, 4.1. rpg, 2.5 spg); Cyprus Woodley, 6-1, sr. (9.5 ppg, 3.7 apg, 2.8 spg). DR — Ethan Berninger, 6-4, so. (13.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg); Trevor Fuller, 5-11, sr. (10.4 ppg, 2.5 apg, 1.6 spg); Alex Rodriguez 6-0, sr. (8.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 1.9 spg).
What to know: Three years removed from a two-win 2019-20 season, Mesa Ridge is the last unbeaten left in 5A thanks in large part to the stingiest defense (41.28 points allowed/game) in the bracket. With four wins over teams playing in the Coliseum this week — Pueblo South (once) and 4A quarterfinalists Classical Academy (twice) and Pueblo Central (once) — they are battle tested. Dakota Ridge, unbeaten against 5A competition this season, is one win shy of its most in a single season since 2014-15.
No. 3 Windsor (21-4) vs. No. 11 Longmont (18-7)
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Players to watch: WI — David Hageman, 6-3, sr. (19.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.8 apg); Clayton Wright, 6-2, sr. (9.8 ppg, 2.2 apg); Madden Smiley, 6-4, fr. (8.1 ppg, 1.7 apg, 1.5 spg). LO — Reese Pearson, 6-1, sr. (13.0 ppg, 2.2 spg); Cole Corner, 6-2, jr. (12.5 ppg, 3.5 apg, 3.5 rpg); Kaden Rose, 5-11, sr. (12.1 ppg, 2.6 apg, 1.7 spg).
What to know: Despite entering the tournament as a double-digit seed, Longmont coach Jeff Kloster has his Trojans in the Great 8 for the eighth time in nine years. The Trojans upset sixth-seeded Lewis-Palmer last weekend to avenge last year’s quarterfinal loss to the eventual 4A champions. Next up is a rugged Windsor squad that split its two-game season series with the Trojans and also knocked off fellow 5A quarterfinalist Mead twice and 6A quarterfinalist Denver East in a season-opening overtime win.
GIRLS
No. 1 George Washington (21-4) vs. No. 8 Glenwood Springs (18-7)
Time: 11:45 a.m.
Players to watch: GW — Mya Cotto, 5-7, sr. (13.1 ppg, 1.9 spg); Jaida Redwine, 5-8, sr. (12.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 2.9 spg); Gianna Whiteside, 6-0, jr. (12.4 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 2.4 spg, 1.9 bpg). GS — Joslyn Spires, 5-7, sr. (13.6 ppg, 4.0 spg, 2.7 apg); Mattea Enewold, 5-9, sr. (9.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.1 bpg); Tori Taylor, 5-10, sr. (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.2 spg).
What to know: A year after a disappointing second-round exit, the Patriots are back in the Great 8 for the second time in three seasons. Outside of a four-game losing streak around Christmas — three losses to out-of-state teams, the other to 6A No. 1 Valor Christian — GW has beaten every opponent it’s faced by double digits. Since losing threw in a row at the start of January, Glenwood Springs has won 11 of 13, and avenged its worst loss of the season, 61-31 at Green Mountain, in the Sweet 16.
No. 4 Windsor (18-7) vs. No. 5 Mead (20-5)
Time: 7 p.m.
Players to watch: WI — Hailee Wright, sr. (13.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.2 apg, 2.2 spg); Reyleigh Hess, so. (10.8 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.1 spg) Samantha Darnell, sr. (9.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 5.0 apg, 4.7 spg). ME — Kyra Haan, 5-7, sr. (14.9 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.3 spg, 3.4 apg); Darby Haley, 5-6, so. (9.8 ppg, 2.1 spg); Charlotte Brennan, 5-6, sr. (9.1 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.6 spg).
What to know: After reaching the 4A title game in back-to-back seasons under coach Karin Nicholls, Windsor is back in the Great 8 with a chance to take the last step. A rugged schedule that included eight games against Great 8 teams across 4A-6A should has the Wizards ready. A familiar foe awaits: Windsor eliminated Mead from the 4A Final Four a year ago, and the two rivals split their regular-season series, with Windsor taking the first game 67-39 and Mead the second 71-70 in overtime.
No. 2 Roosevelt (23-2) vs. No. 7 Air Academy (17-8)
Time: 8:45 a.m.
Players to watch: RO — Ryanne Bahnsen-Price, 6-0, so. (14.4 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.3 spg); Kyla Hollier, fr. (13.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.1 spg); Madison Moyers, 5-10, jr. (12.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 2.3 spg); Brooklyn Meza, 6-0, jr. (11.9 ppg, 6.8 rpg). AA — Caitlin Kramer, 6-2, jr. (26.5 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 3.0 spg, 2.0 apg); Lydia Flowers, 5-11, so. (10.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.7 apg, 1.9 spg).
What to know: The Rough Riders return to the Great 8 for the second year in a row, and they’re bringing the highest scoring offense (70.3 points/game) in the 5A bracket with them. Between losses to 6A quarterfinalist Cherry Creek (46-29) and 4A quarterfinalist Riverdale Ridge (70-57), Roosevelt won 21 straight in the regular season. Air Academy is making its first Great 8 appearance in four years and will be a tough out with the state’s No. 3 scorer (Caitlin Kramer) capable of scoring form anywhere.
No. 3 Durango (22-2) vs. No. 11 Canon City (19-6)
Time: 4 p.m.
Players to watch: DU — Mason Rowland, sr. (17.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 3.5 spg); Halle Peterson, sr. (8.0 ppg, 4.1 rpg). CC — Lorelai Murphy, 5-6, so. (9.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.6 spg); Zoe Kies, sr. (8.9 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.4 spg, 1.0 bpg); Alexi Till, so. (7.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 3.3 spg, 2.9 apg).
What to know: This one is all but guaranteed to be a defensive slugfest with the bracket’s top two scoring defenses in Durango (28.5 ppg) and Canon City (33.72 ppg) set to face off. Canon City caught a break when No. 27 Frederick upset No. 6 Palmer Ridge in its quadrant of the bracket, and the Tigers didn’t squander it, dropping Frederick 46-39 in the Sweet 16. A trip to the Final 4 will have to be earned against Durango’s deliberate style. The Demons have allowed an opponent to break 40 points in a game just three times all season, and only Farmington (N.M.) topped 50 in Durango’s season opener.
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