Takeaways from Class 4A
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The Class 4A rankings in Colorado saw a shakeup Monday following a flurry of upsets last week. The top three teams are again from the 5A/4A Northern Colorado Athletic Conference, but are scrambled in this week’s edition. Standout forward Ben…
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Continue ReadingThe Class 4A rankings in Colorado saw a shakeup Monday following a flurry of upsets last week.
The top three teams are again from the 5A/4A Northern Colorado Athletic Conference, but are scrambled in this week’s edition.
Standout forward Ben Hageman Ben Hageman 6'3" | PF Windsor | 2021 State CO has Windsor as the new No. 1 after the Wizards responded from a loss to Erie early in the week with wins against Mead and Holy Family. Longmont follows in second, up a spot thanks to a dominant win over Mead Friday night. And the Mavs, who’ve been ranked No. 1 dating back to early last season, lost to both of those aforementioned and are third.
Here are three takeaways from the 4A classification with two weeks to go.
Holy Family proves disparity in the classification
The Tigers, who were unranked last week, slide into the 15th spot after proving the lead catalyst in the classification’s shakeup.
Esrom Abraha scored 22 and Eric Quintana added 16 points in their win over Longmont Monday. Jackson Ward then led all scorers with 17 points Wednesday as they knocked off No. 8 Erie.
They finished the week with a tight loss to Windsor.
Holy Family was prime for something of a rebuilding season with only three players on roster with varsity minutes in 2020, per coach Pete Villecco.
But sophomore Quintana has played well at the point guard position, admirably taking the torch from the pass-master himself, Dom Nellis, who graduated.
And then there’s Ward, who had minutes last season but has taken a giant leap in his game. Through nine games, he has been highly efficient on the offensive end, hitting 59 percent of his shots while averaging 12 points per game.
Longmont proves the ever-disruptor
The Trojans lost earlier in the week to Holy Family, but perhaps had the most impressive win of the week in 4A as they held the Mavs to their lowest point total since 2013 in a 47-32 win.
They, their 6-9 star in Eddie Kurjak Eddie Kurjak 6'8" | PF Longmont | 2021 State CO , are a menace.
Quick hands led to a midcourt steal in the opening quarter for Kurjak against Mead, and that transitioned into a one-handed, poster-worthy dunk. Good stuff.
Kurjak’s interior defense that night consisted of block after block while holding Mead’s talented big, James Shiers James Shiers 7'1" | C Mead | 2022 State CO , to just two field goals and nine points. He, meanwhile, finished 8-of-13 shooting for 17 points.
Lewis-Palmer looks prime for another deep run
The No. 5 Rangers have three seniors ranked inside the state’s top 2021 prospects in Eddie Speller Jr. (49th), Colin Westfall Colin Westfall 6'1" | SG Lewis-Palmer | 2021 State CO (52nd) and Noah Ragsdale Noah Ragsdale 5'11" | PG Lewis-Palmer | 2021 State CO (69th).
Winners of four of five, the three are averaging double-digit points. Westfall hasn’t found his touch from deep as of yet this season but is scoring 16 PPG while hitting on 84 percent of his free throws. Earlier in the month, he had 30 points in a loss to 5A Doherty.
Speller, meanwhile, is shooting 61 percent while scoring 15.4 PPG. Ragsdale is at 12.2 PPG.