5A First Round Preview: Kent Smith Region
It’s playoff time! The Colorado Class 5A state tournament is set to kick off with the first round on Wednesday. A total of 16 games will be played, and they will determine who will face each of the four teams…
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Continue ReadingIt’s playoff time! The Colorado Class 5A state tournament is set to kick off with the first round on Wednesday. A total of 16 games will be played, and they will determine who will face each of the four teams that received first-round byes in each of the four regions.
Let’s take a look at each first-round matchup in the Kent Smith Region:
First-round byes: No. 4 Overland, No. 5 ThunderRidge, No. 13 Eaglecrest, No. 12 Ralston Valley
No. 29 Horizon (15-8) vs. No. 36 Bear Creek (13-10), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Bear Creek took a beating in the Jeffco League but the Bears won their last three games of the regular season. They don’t typically put up big points totals but the Bear Creek boys, led by Grant Karger (13.9 ppg) and Jayden Martinez (11.3), have only allowed an average of 54.1 points per game and will look to hold down the host Hawks. If that’s the Bears’ best chance to win, they’ll want to focus on Alex Lawrence (14.4 ppg) and try to limit his 3-point production since he’s averaging 38 percent from long range.
No. 20 Legend (14-9) vs. No. 45 Aurora Central (15-8), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
It has been a while since Aurora Central has been in the tournament and the Trojans would obviously like to hang around a while. That will largely be determined by the play of the Trojans’ top seniors Malachi Owens (15.7 ppg) and Kaleb Atherly (14.7), and of course the host Titans. Legend is 7-3 on its home floor and has allowed an average of just 54.4 points through its 23 regular-season games. If the defense is there and Legend shooters like Sufyan Elkannan (13.7 ppg) and Caleb Tamminga (10.4) are hitting perimeter shots, the home crowd could be in for a treat.
No. 28 Poudre (15-8) vs. No. 37 Pomona (12-11), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Poudre has a couple of players with some truly eye-popping numbers. First, there’s 6-foot-4 point guard Jack Fisher, who averages 22.3 points a game and shoots 41 percent from 3-point range. Then, the Impalas have 6-foot-8 power forward Damian Forrest, who puts up 19.6 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.3 blocks a night. Those two account for nearly 70 percent of their team’s scoring. But the Pomona Panthers counter with a three-headed monster of their own in Trevor Baskin (16.5 ppg), David Ross (13.9) and Isaiah Tshimanga (12.1). Someone is going to have a big night.
No. 21 Denver East (16-7) vs. No. 44 Gateway (15-8), Wednesday, 7 p.m.
At 78.6 points per game, the Denver East Angels are the highest-scoring team in all of Class 5A. Just our luck, Gateway is among 5A’s top defensive clubs and has held its 23 regular-season opponents to an average of 51.8 points a night. In a good old fashioned strength-on-strength matchup, the visiting Gateway Olympians will also be trying to deal the Angels their first home loss of the season. Denver East senior Kwane Marble (19.0 ppg) alone is worth the price of admission for this one.