Season Recap: Front Range League (5A)
The boys’ basketball season ended prematurely, a thudding blackout to credits after an unpleasant cliff hanger. But while the season’s finality wasn’t much a finality at all due to the advance of the coronavirus and the cancellation of the remainder…
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Continue ReadingThe boys’ basketball season ended prematurely, a thudding blackout to credits after an unpleasant cliff hanger.
But while the season’s finality wasn’t much a finality at all due to the advance of the coronavirus and the cancellation of the remainder of Colorado’s high school basketball tournaments, there was still plenty of intrigue to look back on.
Let’s revisit league play from across the state in 2019-20 — what players blossomed and what teams led the way. Let’s start with the 5A Front Range League.
Who won league in ’19-20
Fairview finished 12-0 in league and claimed the crown for a third straight year. The Knights avenged last year’s loss to up-and-coming Boulder in the final week of the regular season to clinch, and then reached the 5A Final Four before things were called off.
The Panthers finished second in league at 11-1 followed by Horizon (9-3), Broomfield (9-3), Fossil Ridge (8-4), Fort Collins (6-6), Rocky Mountain (5-7), Mountain Range (5-7), Monarch (5-7), Legacy (5-7), Loveland (1-11) Poudre (1-11) and Greely West (1-11).
Boulder, Mountain Range and Broomfield eventually made the Sweet 16 before bowing out. Horizon, Fossil Ridge and Rocky Mountain reached the second round.
Five players who shined in the winter
Pete Boyle, 2020, F, Boulder
The son of CU coach Tad Boyle helped propel Boulder into the Sweet 16 touting the kind of basketball smarts you’d expect from his lineage as well as a heady presence on both side of the court.
Of course, Boyle’s numbers (9.5 points per game, 5.1 rebounds) wouldn’t blow you away, but the Panthers relied on their depth of scoring to beat teams with no player on roster in the league’s top 20 scorers. Instead, the senior could be gritty, could be clutch — was always in the thick of it.
Greysen CarterAgainst ThunderRidge during the regular season, he helped contain prized junior prospect Nolan Marold Nolan Marold 6'7" | C Thunderridge | 2021 State CO in the post despite being vastly smaller. In consecutive games late in the regular season, he hit four 3s against both Horizon and Loveland to help lead the Panthers into a showdown against Fairview for the title.
Greyson Carter Greyson Carter 6'4" | SF Fairview | 2021 State CO , 2021, F, Fairview
Carter crashed the party as a junior, putting up 17.5 points per game on 58 percent shooting. He had nice touch from deep, was aggressive to the rim, led fast breaks and finished third in scoring in the Front Range League.
In pure domination, he had 22 points by the second quarter en route to a career-most 35 points against Chatfield at the beginning of the new year. He just shook it off, though, and said he wanted to get better for his team.
Which is nice and all — and probably true, too.
[player_tooltip player_id="770437" first="Colton" last="Gillingham"]Considering Carter can also hit mid-90s with his fastball in baseball, the athletic junior’s abilities on the court may only climb in 2021.
Colton Gillingham Colton Gillingham 6'0" | CG Greeley West | 2021 State CO , 2021, G/F, Greeley West
Gillingham led the league in scoring with 19.3 points per game on 46 percent shooting. Among them, he hit 50 3s on 43 percent shooting and shot 79 percent from the free throw line.
He was the shining star on a team that failed to make the postseason. Good news for Greeley West, it’ll likely have him back next year.
Jalen Page Jalen Page 6'5" | SF Fairview | 2020 State CO , 2020, F, Fairview
The BoCoPreps.com and league player of the year is perhaps the most talented and most unselfish player in the Front Range League. “The best player on the best team,” Broomfield coach Terrence Dunn said. His biggest weakness, meanwhile? “His humility.”
The 6-foot-5 forward attempted less than 10 shots in 18 of his 26 games but had a crucial impact in just about all of them. His coach, Patrick Burke said, whatever the Knights needed to win a game — a big shot, critical rebound, a calming presence — Page was the guy to step up.
[player_tooltip player_id="526680" first="Jalen" last="Page"]Grant Swenson Grant Swenson 6'2" | CG Broomfield | 2020 State CO , 2020, G, Broomfield
Swenson averaged 14.7 points and was the driving force for the Eagles’ improbable run to the Sweet 16. In perhaps his most notable act, he played on an injured foot while returning for his team’s second round game against favored Pine Creek. He finished 8 of 10 from the field and hit a game-winning 3 over a defender with a tenth of a second remaining.
Who made all-conference in ’19-20
First team
Jalen Page Jalen Page 6'5" | SF Fairview | 2020 State CO , Fairview
Greyson Carter Greyson Carter 6'4" | SF Fairview | 2021 State CO , Fairview
Brock Wisne Brock Wisne 6'9" | PF Colorado Prep | 2022 State CO , Horizon
Ryan Collins, Broomfield
Daric Conkright Daric Conkright 6'2" | CG Horizon | 2020 State CO , Horizon
[player_tooltip player_id="915334" first="Grant" last="Swenson"]Tyler Turner Tyler Turner 6'2" | CG Boulder | 2020 State CO , Boulder
Luke Yoder Luke Yoder 5'10" | CG Fossil Ridge | 2021 State CO , Fossil Ridge
Aidan Kuhl Aidan Kuhl 6'0" | SG Rocky Mountain | 2022 State #245 Nation CO , Rocky Mountain
Raymond Johnson, Fort Collins
Colton Gillingham Colton Gillingham 6'0" | CG Greeley West | 2021 State CO , Greeley West
Grant Swenson Grant Swenson 6'2" | CG Broomfield | 2020 State CO , Broomfield
Logan Dexter, Mountain Range
Second team
Jimmy Starry Jimmy Starry 6'1" | CG Boulder | 2021 State CO , Boulder
Grant Page Grant Page 6'2" | CG Fairview | 2022 CO , Fairview
[player_tooltip player_id="770375" first="Tyler" last="Turner"]Gavin Poxson Gavin Poxson 6'4" | SF Legacy | 2021 State CO , Legacy
Pete Boyle, Boulder
Braiden Dishman Braiden Dishman 6'6" | PF Fossil Ridge | 2021 State CO , Fossil Ridge
Sam Carlson Sam Carlson 6'4" | CG Monarch | 2021 State CO , Monarch
Joseph Naddy, Rocky Mountain
Matt Chen, Monarch
Silas McCurnin, Poudre
Mike Cover, Fossil Ridge
Cully Sehr, Legacy