Games of the week: February 5th-10th
The week that is February 5th-February 10th brings a pretty good slate of basketball capped off by great games on Thursday, both in the Denver metro area as well as Colorado Springs. It’s tough to keep up with so many games and wanting to go see them all, so here is who Prep Hoops Colorado deems as games of the week.
Monday
George Washington versus Thomas Jefferson
To start the week off we have a pretty good game out of the Denver Prep League in the Patriots versus the Spartans. GW has been on a tear as of late, in fact, their last loss was exactly a month ago so that shows you the type of basketball they’ve been playing. Their a team that gets it done with a new player each and every night which showcases their depth and also makes it hard to prepare for, rather its Xavier Cooper, Jon’il Fuggett, Tre Pierce, Mo Diallo or Devon Jones, somebodies going to step up and take over the game and the Spartans will have their hands full with this bunch.
For the Spartans, it’s been lots of grind it out games. They’re 12-7 on the season but 3-1 in league play. They’re led by sophomore sensation Darius Hornbuckle who’s averaging 13.9 points a game and as well as senior Kahlil Clark who’s putting up a whopping 11.9 points and 10.3 rebounds a game. These two are having a great year and giving the Spartans a chance each time out.
Tuesday
Denver East versus Doherty
Finally, another great game to get out to and watch Denver East in action. They’ve been so good this year that it’s almost a waste to make a trip to see them dominate a team. Daylen Kountz has been as good as advertised and making the most of his senior year as he’s putting up 22.8 points a game. Alongside him has been Kwane Marble who has been having an excellent season. He’s putting up 16.2 points, 5.2 rebounds a game and showing massive improvement in his junior year. This is the top duo in the state and every chance you can see them play in a competitive game, go see it.
Doherty has started out league play a perfect 9-0 and a win of this magnitude against a top team in the state will bolster their already strong resume. It seems as if they’re always on Prep Hoops game of the week now and a good reason for that are Kyrele Benford, Joe Golden, Joshua Walker and Alijah Bates. This team has been picking up their play and finding out ways to progress as the season continues, they’re scoring in bunches and averaging 69.2 points a game while also defending at a high level, this will surely be the game of the night and possibly game of the week and one that you don’t want to miss. I expect a high scoring back and forth affair.
Chaparral versus Thunder ridge
Chaparral is coming of their most impressive game of the year as they knocked off the then only undefeated team in 5A Rock Canyon Jaguars 73-57. The best part, they were without one of their top players Joseph Dalton and still made it happen, how? Ronnie DeGray III. Ronnie finished with 27 points and 10 rebounds and was too much for the RC big men. He controlled the game and kept the defense second guessing all night. Alongside him was Bryce Matthews who had 18 points and five rebounds of his own. He had a dunk that tore down the roof and showed that when called upon, he’ll step up. Tanner Giles and Kobe Sanders set the tone for the game and controlled the pace and there was nothing that the top team in the state could do. They’ll have their hand full for another game and can show that maybe, just maybe, they’re the top team in the state and another win here can show that, but it won’t come easy.
Thunder Ridge isn’t going to go out without a fight. They’re a Top-5 team that’s sitting at 18-1 on the season and 6-0 in league play. They’re one of the best coached teams and are a disciplined bunch that plays hard every possession. They have strong bench play from players that will be pretty good for years to come and a very solid senior unit. The Grizzlies are led by Kaison Hammonds, Justin Mccaw, Tyson Cruickshank and Austin Holt, but have contributors that can fill in if need be. This is a game that could come down to the very last shot, unsure who it is I’d pick to win here.
Thursday
Highlands Ranch/ Rock Canyon
Rock Canyon is coming off of their first loss on the season against Chaparral as the team just couldn’t get in a groove and missed PLENTY of shots. They had no answer for Ronnie DeGray and as a result were blown out, so this is a tough spot to be in if you’re Highlands Ranch as they’ll probably see an angry Sam Masten. In the loss, Masten still put up 25 points but went 8-of-19 from the field. He’ll probably get back to his efficient ways and get the Jaguars back to scoring and defending at a high level, it wasn’t too good a game for Blake Williams as Chap came him at bay, Gilbert finished with 16 points and was the only other player to assist Masten on the scoring load and to beat a pretty good Highlands Ranch squad, they’ll need more.
Highlands Ranch is 15-5 on the season but the bulk of their losses have come in league play as they sit at 4-3 currently and now welcome in the No.1 team in the state in a rivalry game, this game matters. They aren’t a team that puts up a bunch of points so defense will to be their strong point. Brandan Sullivan (20.9 pts, 8.0) and Thomas Hammond (8.7 pts, 4.8 rebs) will need to be at their best if they want a shot at knocking down a team that’s coming off of a disappointing loss.
Rampart versus Doherty
Want to talk about a team on a roll, Rampart has won five straight games and are sitting at 14-5 on the season. They’re up against another talented Colorado Springs team and look as if they’re preparing for a run come tournament time. Dawson Carper has been phenomenal as of late as he’s put up 20 or more points in four of the last five games and doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon. Xavier Johnson and Josh Kavalec have also been putting together some good games in a row and they all seem to be on the same page building chemistry as the season moves along. They’re ready for this game and it’ll be an interesting one because the team they’re up against, just as prepared.
Doherty will have their hands full this week as they have Denver East earlier in the week then cap it off with a Colorado Springs battle. They’ve been showcasing their depth and ability to compete with any team in the state. One of the things I don’t like is the way that they play down to the level of their competition, but with Denver East and Rampart in the same week, expect to see a very competitive and entertaining Doherty unit that has the ability to beat any team any night.