The high school basketball playoffs are well under way, and
already there is plenty of excitement among qualified Continental
League teams.
ThunderRidge boys basketball, which finished as the state’s
runner-up in Class 5A last season, returned to the Round of 16 this
year as the Glenn Wilson Region’s No. 3 seed. Heritage, as the No.
5 seed, battled through the first couple rounds to make the Sweet
16, too.
In the girls 5A bracket, ThunderRidge and Highlands Ranch teased
ideas of a rematch of their semifinals game at state in Boulder
last year. The Grizzlies, in the Carol Callan Region, and the
Falcons, in the Sharon Wilch bracket, are both No. 1 seeds who
could face each other again in the semis if they have continued
success.
Chaparral, the No. 2 seed in the Alice Barron Region, and Regis,
the No. 1 seed, have the chance to face each other again in the
Great 8, assuming both teams win in the Round of 16. The two met in
the Final Four last year, when Regis came out on top. Heritage
girls returned to the Round of 16, and the No. 3 seed in the Wilch
region.
Class 5A boys
ThunderRidge
As the No. 3 seed in Wilson, the Grizzlies received a bye from
the first round of state action. In Round 2, T-Ridge played host to
No. 6 Montbello and beat the Warriors 52-49. ThunderRidge entered
the Round of 16 against Green Mountain, the No. 2 seed, at the
World Arena in Colorado Springs with a 16-8 overall record.
Heritage
The Eagles, as the No. 5 seed in Wilson, opened its state
championship hopes against No. 12 Standley Lake. Heritage beat the
Gators 80-66 to face No. 4 Legacy in Round 2. Legacy played host to
the match-up where the Eagles beat the Lightning 55-42. Heritage
advanced to the Round of 16 at Metro State College in Denver
against the No. 1 seed Eaglecrest. The Eagles went into the Sweet
16 with a 14-11 overall record.
Chaparral
The Wolverines made their way out of the first round, but the
end of their season came in Round 2. Chaparral, the No. 9 seed in
the R.W. Truscott Region, opened state playoffs with a win over No.
8 Denver South 73-62. Chaparral advanced to the second round
against No. 1 seed Ralston Valley. Valley sent Chaparral home with
a 51-36 final. The Wolverines finished their season with a 10-15
overall record.
Littleton
Littleton boys had a positive winning season, but it also came
to an end in the second round. The Lions, the No. 6 seed in the Ray
C. Ball Region, beat Loveland in the first round 65-68, but a road
trip to Colorado Springs to face No. 3 Rampart ended things with a
64-37 loss. Littleton finished with a 16-9 overall record.
Mountain Vista
Vista had the same fate as Chaparral. In Round 1, the Golden
Eagles, as the No. 10 seed in the Truscott dance, upset No. 7
Cherry Creek with a 71-50 final. The Eagles didn’t meet the same
success in Round 2 after No. 2 seeded Washington beat Mountain
Vista 84-42.
Class 5A girls
Chaparral
Chaparral had a bye from the first round of the Barron region.
The No. 2 seed played host to No. 7 Poudre and defeated the Impalas
51-49. The Wolverines walked into the Round of 16 at Colorado
School of Mines with a 19-5 overall record and faced the No.
3-seeded Legacy Lightning for a shot in the Great 8.
Highlands Ranch
The three-time defending Falcons are dangerously close to being
referred to as a dynasty as their No. 1 seed in the Wilch region
gave them a bye from Round 1. In the second round, Ranch beat No. 9
Lakewood 80-60. The Falcons advanced to the Sweet 16 at the
Budweiser Events Center in Loveland against No. 5 Rocky Mountain
carrying a 22-2 overall record.
The Eagles return to another shot at the Round of 16 after
receiving a bye from Round 1 as the No. 3 seed in the Wilch show.
In the second round, Heritage defeated the No. 6 Cherry Creek
Bruins handily 74-41. They advanced to the Round of 16 at the World
Arena in Colorado Springs against No. 2 seed Grandview. Heritage
walked into the Sweet 16 with an 18-6 overall record.
ThunderRidge
Making another run for Boulder, the Grizzlies received a bye
from Round 1 as the No. 1 seed in the Callan region. ThunderRidge
played host to Arvada West, the No. 8 seed, and defeated the
Wildcats 57-39. T-Ridge advanced to the Sweet 16 carrying a 21-3
overall record into the Budweiser Events Center to face No. 4
seeded Denver East.
Douglas County
The Huskies played host to Pine Creek in their first round
match-up of the Kaye Garms Region. The No. 8 seeded County beat the
No. 9 Eagles in a close battle 48-45. Advancing to Round 2, County
faced No. 1 Horizon and took it to the Hawks but were sent home for
the season on a 65-56 final.
The Huskies finished their season with a 12-13 overall
record.
Littleton
The Lions’ playoff hopes ended early, qualifying as the No. 10
seed in the Garms showdown. Littleton took a 54-34 loss at the
hands of No. 7 Chatfield to close the book on the Lions’ season.
Littleton finished with an 11-13 overall record.
Mountain Vista
The Golden Eagles won their first-round game in the Barron
region as the No. 11 seed. Vista upset No. 6 Durango with a 56-49
final; however, the Eagles saw the end of their season in Round 2
after the No. 3 Legacy Lightning beat Vista 48-29. Vista finished
its season with a 11-14 overall record.
Ponderosa
After a turnaround season compared to the one prior, Ponderosa
earned the No. 6 seed in the Garms dance and played host to its
first round game where the Mustangs defeated No. 11 Smoky Hill
49-30. No. 3 Grand Junction Central ended the Mustangs season
playing host to Round 2. The Tigers beat Ponderosa 51-47. The
Mustangs finished its season with a 14-9 overall record.
Class 5A
