Saturday’s Preview of Colorado Teams in the Tarkanian Classic
A few Colorado teams are in Las Vegas, Nevada competing in one of the prestigious tournaments in the country thats brought out some of the best teams across the states to display their stuff. Six Colorado teams went out to compete, two will be competing for a bracket championship, two will be facing each other. Here’s a look at how the teams have fared so far and whats to come on Saturday.
GW vs. Overland
Another state, same story for the Overland Trailblazers—tough game, another close loss. This time they fell 59-62 to Rancho Christian (CA). They did however get their first win of the season in a 75-60 win over Woodrow Wilson (DC) so there has been some positive about their trip to Vegas. They’re in a revenge spot on Saturday as they traveled hundreds of miles to face-off against a team that they truly felt as if they should’ve beaten weeks ago when they go against in-state foe George Washington. Tucson Redding and Daijon Smith were the only two players to finish in double digits in their last game but it wasn’t the best overall game for the Trailblazers so they’ll surely be anxious to get back to playing and will be more than ready to avenge themselves.
GW beat Bingham (UT) 59-54, but fell to Pasadena (CA) 55-67. Jon’il Fugett and Xavier Cooper will be ready to get back into a groove when they face off against a team that they rallied back to beat a few weeks ago in Overland. Tre Pierce had his best game of the year against the Trailblazers and will try to duplicate that performance in Las Vegas. Devin Carter, Xavier Cooper and Jon’il Fugett weren’t as effective the first time around so they’ll be looking to get going and showcase that the last win was no fluke.
Valor Christian vs. Bountiful
Valor won a close one against Oak Ridge, but since then has been on the wrong end of blowouts. First against Sierra Vista (NV) as they lost 63-86, then a 53-75 beating against a talented Kinkaid School (TX) squad. They now go up against Bountiful (UT) that’s coming off of a one point loss, so they’ll be up for the task of finishing off strong. They’re led by Brig Willard (15.3 pts, 3.8 rbs) and Isaac Kame. Jeremy Randle and Roger Rosengarten is going to have to bring all they have to start a streak and finish things off in Vegas on the winning side of things. Expect to see a better game defensively than we’ve been seeing from the Eagles and a hard fought battle.
Chaparral vs. GW Carver (AL)
The third California team is the charm. Chaparral went to Vegas undefeated and went through a tough two game losing streak falling 49-50 to Camarillo (CA), then 63-61 to John Muir (CA), before finally getting back to playing like their usual selves against Maranatha (CA) when they won 78-58. Ronnie DeGray III was back to dominating the boards and being aggressive on the offensive end as he finished with 32 points. Kobe Sanders and Tanner Giles also played well and turned things around for the Wolverines.
They will now face off against a GW Carver team that lost two games to open up the tournament, including a five-point loss to in-state Grandview. As long as the Wolverines are staying aggressive, they can put themselves in a position to win this game and get ready to finish off the tournament on the right foot. Expect another big Degray III game as he enters his bid for all tournament team.
Grandview vs. Southwind (TN)
Grandview blew out Durango (NV) 75-43 on Thursday as Dayne Prim went for 24 points. He followed that game up with a double-double of 10 points, 12 rebounds as the Wolves squeaked by with a 54-52 buzzer beater by Devon Walker against Sheldon High School (CA). Ben Boone led the way with 17 points as he hit timely shots, rebounded well and steered the ship as the Wolves looked like they were going to let the game get away from them due to costly turnovers.
On defense, Andrew Turner has been on a defensive tear as he’s been tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player and has been holding his own. The Wolves faceoff against Southwind (TN) on Saturday at 1:20 PM PST and will need to get back to valuing each possession and taking care of the basketball. They are one of two Colorado teams playing for bracket championships on Saturday.
Denver East vs. Culver City
East took their undefeated record to Sin City and through three games, remain undefeated. They handled Desert Pines 60-43, got by a pesky Desert Vista (AZ) squad 68-64 and beat Salem Hills (UT) that same night 63-58. Daylen Kountz and Kwane Marble have been the driving force as expected for the Angels but they’ve also received some help from Clayton Finley-Ponds. Kountz finished with 27 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists proving he’s one of the top players in the country. Marble added 23. They’re the other Colorado team playing for a bracket championship on Saturday against Culver City (CA) who has a top player of their own in Tevian Jones who is averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds a game. This should be a good battle for the Angels and a game worth watching.