4A Playoff Preview: Guy Gibbs Region
Heading into the season it was known that the 4A class was going to be a fun class full of exciting games, close competition and surprises and it hasn’t let us down yet. Heading into the second round of the playoffs, there are still many questions that’ll have to be answered before we crown a team state champs. As a result, we’ll be taking a look at each region as who we believe will win it and who else might surprise us.
Guy Gibbs Region:
Who is in it:
Golden, Mountain View, Pueblo Central, Ponderosa, Roosevelt, Harrison, Pueblo West, Pueblo East, Discovery Canyon, Glenwood Springs, Mesa Ridge, Green Mountain
Who will win it?
Golden for me and it’s not even close. They’re the No.3 seed so they got the first-round bye and a week to rest up and watch film on their matchups and I fully expect them to come out and dominate all the way until the final 4. It all comes down to them being one of the best teams in 4A and I think with it all on the line I’m unsure there’s a player in all of 4A that can stop Adam Thistlewood. He’s up to 23 points, 8 rebounds a game and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down any time soon. If him, Jack Moore and Collin Mulligan can get in a rhythm this will be a very tough team to beat and have a chance to win it all, it all starts with their big man who I expect to be on the all-tournament team.
Surprise team?
This is a stacked region and Pueblo West has been spectacular this year and can honestly shock a team, but when you look at a real team that can surprise I really like this Mesa Ridge team. They’re led by Deven Nelson who can turn it on at any time and I expect him to be a standout player that many people finally get to see at the coliseum if they can get it done early. They’re a team that has multiple key players that makes it hard to key in on a specific player and this is a reason for their success. Adonis Wallace, Devon Ricketts, DJ King and Zac Ring all showed they’re players that you also have to worry about and if this team could get all their key pieces going at the same time they could be one of the most dangerous teams in the tournament.
Upset in the first round: No. 38 Discovery Canyon beat No. 27 Pueblo East convincingly by a score of 75-49.
Key Game in the Second Round with a prediction:
No. 22 Mesa Ridge at No. 11 Glenwood Springs
I know Mesa Ridge is a surprise team that could possibly upset a team and they get that early as they go up against a very talented Glenwood Springs squad. Mesa will need Deven Nelson to dominate on both ends of the floor and prove he’s one of the elite players in the state. This is not an easy road for Grizzlies and it’ll take a collective effort if they plan on winning. The team that they’re up against is 19-4 and is the No. 11 seed. That should tell you all you need to know about how strong a field this is this year. It’s a loaded bunch that went undefeated in their league and they’ll attempt to ride that momentum into the playoffs. They have three players, AJ Crowley, Angel Garcia and Aaron Smith who are averaging virtually the same numbers (12 points a game) through the season as they’re a three-headed monster. This should be a tight played game where the stars step out and showcase themselves and I’m siding with an upset of Mesa Ridge squeaking by Glenwood Springs.
Key players to watch for out of this region: Deven Nelson, AJ Crowley, Angel Garcia, Aaron Smith, Adonis Wallace, Devon Ricketts, Adam Thistlewood, Jack Moore, Brexton Butcher, Nico Martin, Connor Hawk, Donta Dawson, Orlando Westbrook, Marcus Winston, Alex Telles, Nate Davis