5A Sweet 16 Preview: Chauncey Billups Region
The action is intensifying in the 5A state tournament, with the Sweet 16 set to tip off Wednesday night. There are heavyweights still chasing the ultimate prize, with all four top seeds advancing to within a game of the Elite 8.
There are also a couple 20-plus seeds who have reached this stage with no designs on slowing down. Will Wednesday bring us more upsets? Who will shine for their team on the biggest stage so far this season? Who is headed to the Denver Coliseum for what they hope will be three more games?
We’re about to find out the answers to those questions. For now, let’s preview the action heading into this week’s big showdowns:
5A Chauncey Billups Region
No. 15 Rampart (18-6) at No. 2 ThunderRidge (22-2), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: ThunderRidge bounced back from its lone in-state loss to pound Liberty 93-50 in the first round. The Grizzlies are a team built for the playoffs behind coach Ortiz, with strong depth and versatility that makes them hard to defend. With lengthy, quick players at all five positions, they have also proven difficult to score against all season.
Rampart, too, has caused problems thanks to its size. Jackson Ehrlin, a 6-9 forward bound for Division II, and Dawson Carper, a 6-11 junior, give the Rams the biggest front line in the state. The two were stellar in a 67-47 second-round win over Cherokee Trail, totaling 40 combined points and 32 rebounds. That is some major production.
Matchup To Watch: Rampart’s twin towers vs. ThunderRidge front court. Cherokee Trail was no match for the size of the Rams. It will be interesting to see how Ortiz deploys his versatile defense to counter the two bigs. The Grizzlies’ tallest rotation player is 6-5 guard Corey Seng. Expect T-Ridge to help and recover a lot, working to deny deep post entry.
X-Factors: Kaison Hammonds, ThunderRidge; Cal Zeb Roberson, Rampart. The game won’t be all decided down low of course. Hammonds is one of the most talented players in the state and Roberson, an athletic 6-4 senior guard, will have his work cut out for him in helping to defend Hammonds while also taking some pressure off Rampart’s bigs.
Moving On: ThunderRidge gets all it can handle from Rampart before moving on to the Sweet 16.
No. 10 Cherry Creek (16-8) at No. 7 Chatfield (23-1), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: All the Chargers have done this season as win, their lone loss coming way back at the beginning of December. Now, Chatfield gets a chance to prove its record is no fluke by countering a talented team from the state’s top league.
Cherry Creek has an athletic backcourt duo in junior Dimitri Stanley and senior Jalen Meeks who have continued to lead the team. They were excellent in Creek’s second-round win over talented Denver South. The duo combined for 41 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. These two will need to be at their best against the free-flowing Chatfield offense that turns just about anyone on the court into a weapon by constantly cutting and moving the ball.
Matchup To Watch: Creek junior guard Dimitri Stanley vs. Chatfield senior guard Joe Miks. Stanley, one of the state’s very best football players, often uses the athleticism that makes him so great on the gridiron to lock down on the defensive end. If he can keep Miks off the 3-point line and limit his touches, that may somewhat disrupt Chatfield’s free-flowing offense.
X-Factors: Rashon Johnson, Cherry Creek; Lucas St. Germain, Chatfield. Johnson can cause problems in transition. Germain can be deadly from 3-point range when he gets cooking.
Moving On: Chatfield will get a chance to play for a second straight Final Four berth, advancing to the Elite Eight to face ThunderRidge.