Games of the Week: Dec. 17-21st
Before some of our student-athletes head out for the Tarkanian Classic we have some solid games in-state to take a look at for the week. Here is a list of our best games.
Monday
Vista Peak vs. Prairie View
This is just an interesting game all around although it’s not two of the state’s top teams going at it is two of the state’s most interesting teams. Vista is a team trying to find themselves and really struggle with consistency. They have had up games, they have had down games but remain intriguing. They are a young bunch that just can’t close out games. Vista Peak is led by AJ LaCabe at 10.7 points a game as well as Jaerron Hunter at 9.8 points and 2.7 steals a game but they also have other contributors such as Curtis Stovall, Sayo Owolabi and Teon Thomas that could also get it done. This is a group that could get it done they just have to come together and start clicking as a team.
On the other side of them is a team that is almost the same team. Very exciting, can get up and down and has other players that can also distribute. The thing is, they have a star player that gets them there. Dalton Knecht has been one of the state’s best players this year as he is putting up 19.3 points a game while being the focal point of the defense. He can light up the scoreboard from beyond the arc, mid-range or also get to the paint and has great size. He will need additional help on the scoring load and that can come in players such as Senior guard Josh Barnes, Junior Gadge Ware and also Freshman sensation Dominic Marrujo. As soon as they step up this team will start to get things going. Expect a high scoring one here.
Tuesday
Columbine vs. Legend
What a game this one will be and might just have to be the game of the week for two teams that are on a collision course for not only entering the top 10 but really being a part of the state’s top teams. Columbine has been incredible to start the year as they are led by University of Colorado bound Luke O’Brien that leads the team in almost every single category including 18.2 points a night. A pleasant surprise for them has been big man Cody Ramming who is leading the team at 7.8 rebounds a game and is a physical force to be reckon with. These two have dominated and have the Rebels as one of the state’s top teams and don’t look to be slowing down anytime soon.
Legend is on a mission this year. They have and Sufyan Elkannan has set his claim as one of the state’s best dark horse candidates at Mr. Basketball. Elkannan is leading the team in scoring (20.0 ppg) and rebounds (5.8 rbg) and has been the vocal leader as well as a bunch that’s ready to surprise. True point guard Cam Le van has the perfect complement to Elkannan as he has been finding the slashers, kicking it out to the shooters and also has been breaking down the defense and creating mismatches with his high I.Q. With Tanner Ellis, Caleb Tamminga and Garrett Siebert coming into their own this group has what it takes to make a deep run in the tournament. It starts with a good matchup against a solid Columbine group. Try and get out to this one if you can.
Doherty vs. Rock Canyon
Doherty is a team that fights until the final whistle and gives you their best each night out, they just have to pull it together and finish these games off if they want to make some noise. They are just coming off of a nail-biting loss to the state champions this past week which should have their heads held high and be ready to turn things around and it starts with one of the most difficult teams to go up against in Rock Canyon. Rock Canyon slows you down with guards Jaylen Eikenberg, Jalen Ashley and Grant Figueroa that also get after you on the offensive end as well so it will be up to Lucas Moerman and Braedon Jackson of Doherty to combat that with their aggressive ways as well. If the Spartans do not allow for Rock Canyon to control their pace they have a chance at it but Rock Canyon is so good at switching things up and forcing the other team’s hands that it plays into how they want them to. Whoever wins the inside battle wins the game but I expect this one to be a low scoring tight game.
Wednesday
Regis vs. Smoky Hill
Of course, this game is a good one, it’s always great. Two of the state’s best teams going at it. For Regis it is a team that is solid from top to bottom, they just have to show up when it counts and win one of these big games. Down low they have Matt Wheelock and Daniel Carr who has been on a tear. This is a big man duo that has great size but provides great spacing. Carr is up to 21.4 points and 12.1 rebounds a game and is having one of the best years out of any big in the state. Regis will have their hands full in a guard battle and will need Jamil Saffiedine to be a bit more aggressive than he has been. He is at 10.9 points and 4.1 assists a game and has to be able to get to his spots and also defend at a high level as on the other side he will be up against the best guards that Regis has seen to start the year.
Smoky Hill has the guards to go after any team in the state. Kenny Foster is at a remarkable 28.2 points and 7.5 rebounds a game and surely looks like the best player in the state. It’s not even the halfway point for teams and he almost surely have Mr. Basketball in the bag as he is producing at a very high level and is a highlight each night out. He is having a special year and just has to continue playing at this level. The perfect tandem alongside him is Quinten Rock who is having an MVP year for himself in a true point guard role. He is one of the best guards in the state and his 14.0 points and 7.8 assists a game proves just that. He has gotten everyone involved and really goes at whoever it is that is in front of him. He can knock down any shot, get inside the lane and disrupt the defense as well as defend at a high level and will be a highly sought-after player with the campaign he is having this year. I am excited about this game here and it will be a great battle from start to finish.
Thursday
Thomas Jefferson vs. Cherry Creek
Thomas Jefferson is a team that is underachieving and it needs to turn around fast because this is a very talented bunch that has the pieces to be pretty good. They have a guard that can truly light it up in Darius Hornbuckle that can distribute the ball but is really a basket. He finds his spots and is comfortable being the go-to guy. He has solid range as he can come down and shoot it but is also an above average ball handler that can create. He is leading the team at 17.5 points but also assists at 2.3 a game and needs to make sure that he is involving others if they plan on getting on the right track. James Abbey has stepped up to the plate and provides another player that can score when needed when the defense is focused on Hornbuckle and the Spartans also have a solid big in Logan Cecil that is one of the toughest players to defend in the paint based on pure size. They will have a tough task against a Cherry Creek team that believes they belong at the top.
Cherry Creek boasts one of the best underclassmen in the state in Julian Hammond III. He is at 21.7 points and 4.2 rebounds a game and is not afraid of the moment. He scores, defends, rebounds and gives his all each time down and is having an incredible year no matter the classification. Sebastian Cole has been able to impact the game in multiple ways as always as he also helps on the board and can also break down a defense and dish it off to the open man and with Myles Purchase and buzzer-beating Jake LeFebre also contributing in the ways they are it looks like this Bruins team is for real and will be a team to look at for multiple years. I like what they have built that way and thing that they will prove themselves in the Cherry Creek classic.