4A Playoffs – Sweet 16- Guy Gibbs Region
The second round of the 4A state playoffs went pretty much exactly how we expected it to go as the higher seeds cruised out to victories. But, the sweet 16 holds good and even matchups as we can even expect an upset or two with the way that these teams have been playing. Let’s take a look at each region and who we expect to see keep going.
Guy Gibbs Region:
Who is in it:
Golden, Mountain View, Pueblo Central, Ponderosa, Roosevelt, Harrison, Pueblo West, Pueblo East, Discovery Canyon, Glenwood Springs, Mesa Ridge, Green Mountain
Who will win it?
The best team in this region is Golden and it’s going to be hard to knock them off their high horse. They’re the No. 3 seed in the tournament and with the way that Adam Thistlewood is playing, there aren’t many things you can do to stop him, you’ll have to limit at best. He’s putting up 23 points, 8 rebounds a game and 69-34 blowout against Pueblo Central it was hard for Adam to get in a rhythm, it was 18-3 after the first quarter and 39-15 at the half so there was plenty of rest for their star player. He finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds before taking a seat and it was Jack McLaughlin and Llya Bubukin that picked up the slack and had themselves a good game showcasing that Golden can call on other players if they have to. Jack Moore has been a consistent player for the Demons and they’ll ty and get him back into a flow where he’s taking over games as he once was. Last game was such a lopsided win and that’s an indication of having a good team that’s ready to try and win a championship.
Surprise performance?
Mesa Ridge is the No. 22 seeded team in the tournament, but if you saw the way that they annihilated Green Mountain and No. 11 Glenwood Springs you wouldn’t guess it. This isn’t your ordinary No. 22 seed as they’re capable of upsetting a few teams along the way and that segues into our next point of a possible upset. They’re a fast paced, high scoring team that’s putting up 72.5 points a game and Deven Nelson has been leading the way. He’s up to 16.2 points a game and is coming off a game where he finished with 25 points to lead all scorers. DJ King and Zac Ring combined for 28 points and this team just keeps going, one basket at a time. This is a strong region and to see Mesa Ridge come out and play the way they’re playing calls for some entertaining basketball that we can’t get enough of. Next game I expect Devon Ricketts to also contribute in major ways and show that this is a team that gets it done as a group with multiple guys all chipping in. I really like this Mesa Ridge team and they have a chance to keep it going.
Most likely upset:
Mesa Ridge over Pueblo West
No. 22 Mesa Ridge is a team that plays as a team and they have to as their style of play is a lot different than what teams are used to. They’re a team that pushes the ball down your throat each possession and if Pueblo West gets caught by surprise trying to adjust early, they might find themselves down early and in a hole, that may be too hard to get out of. Pueblo West isn’t a team that you just think you have an advantage over as they went 18-6 this season, good for the No. 6 overall seed. This is a team that led by Nieyem’e Smeyer Williams at 15.4 points a game. He put up 20 points against Pueblo Central and kept up his solid play. Pierre Taylor is averaging 13.5 points a game and had 14 points in their last game, this is a duo that’s capable of willing the team to victories but if there’s an upset, this is the one as Mesa Ridge just might be too hot and playing too well for a team to beat, if they were to upset this team I wouldn’t be shocked.
Key players to watch for out of this region: Nieyem’e Smeyer Williams, Pierre Taylor, Jacob Wilkinson, Deven Nelson, Adonis Wallace, Devon Ricketts, Adam Thistlewood, Jack Moore, Joe Madsen, Connor Hawk, Justin Babb, Brennan Hicks