A look at each of the teams in the Class 6A, 5A and 4A Final 4 at Denver Coliseum this weekend:
BOYS
Class 6A
Friday at Denver Coliseum
No. 1 Mountain Vista (24-2) vs. No. 4 Denver East (24-2), 4 p.m.
No. 7 Regis Jesuit (20-6) vs. No. 3 Fossil Ridge (24-2), 12:45 p.m.
Favorite — Mountain Vista: The Golden Eagles have just about everything you want in a championship contender. Size? Six-foot-9 Caden Stevens is a shot-blocking menace. Depth? Eight players have appeared in 25-plus games. Experience? Six of those eight are seniors. All that’s missing? Mountain Vista’s never reached a title game before, let alone won it.
Challenger — Fossil Ridge: A year removed from reaching the 5A title game, the SaberCats are back in the Final 4 with a chance to finish what last year’s team started. Senior post Nick Randall (22.1 ppg, 9.2 rpg, 1.7 bpg) is the clear No. 1 option, but with five players averaging two-plus assists a game, this is a team that strikes from all angles.
Dark horse — Denver East: Only one other team in the state can get up and down the floor like East, and the Angels just ended their season (Smoky Hill). With 24 consecutive wins, including one over Mountain Vista Jan. 17, nobody is hotter than D’Aundre Samuels (21.8 ppg, 6.6 apg), Austin Mohr (15.8 ppg, 60 3s), high-flying Gil Gonzalez (9.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and East.
Underdog — Regis Jesuit: Senior guard TaRea Fulcher’s late-game wizardry (game-winning shots in the Sweet 16 and Great 8) is undeniable. The Raiders’ mental toughness (fourth-quarter rallies in both season-saving wins) is unquestionable. And that rabid and rowdy student section? Absolutely formidable. But how long can Ken Shaw’s team keep walking a tightrope?
Class 5A
Friday at Denver Coliseum
No. 1 Air Academy (24-2) vs. No. 5 Frederick (25-1), 5:45 p.m.
No. 2 Mesa Ridge (26-0) vs. No. 3 Windsor (22-4), 7:15 p.m.
Favorite — Air Academy: The Kadets haven’t just beaten every 5A team they’ve played this winter. They’ve beaten all but one of them (Pueblo South in the Great 8) by double digits. A group that shares the ball like Air Academy (18.8 apg) without giving it away (10.7 tpg) is always a tough out, especially one that shoots (37.5% from 3) and defends as well as the Kadets.
Challenger — Mesa Ridge: The most stifling defense left in the 5A bracket (41.8 points allowed per game) is also the only one that’s yet to be beaten. The Grizzlies have won 12 in a row by double-digits, and sophomore point guard Bryce Riehl (25 points, 10-of-11 shooting, four assists, four steals) looked awfully comfortable in the Coliseum last week.
Dark horse — Windsor: The Wizards have arguably the most impressive win of the bunch, having knocked off Class 6A Final 4 qualifier Denver East in overtime in December. They’ve also won 21 of 22 since a 1-3 start, with star guard David Hageman (19.4 ppg, 2.9 apg) scoring in double figures every game this season.
Underdog — Frederick: In a bracket as wide open as this, it feels silly to label anyone an underdog. Throw in the fact that the Golden Eagles have lost once all season and have the most potent offense left playing in Denver this weekend — yes, that includes Denver East — and it’s downright dumb. Enjoy the bulletin board material, Luke Justice (22.4 ppg) and Co.
Class 4A
Thursday at Denver Coliseum
No. 17 Holy Family (15-11) vs. No. 4 Eagle Ridge Academy (21-5), 12:45 p.m.
No. 2 Resurrection Christian (22-4) vs. No. 6 Lutheran (18-8), 4 p.m.
Favorite — Resurrection Christian: Sophomores Ty Yoder (17.5 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Cade Crutcher (13.0, 2.7 apg) form an electric backcourt for the highest seed left in the 4A boys bracket, and 6-11 junior Jacob Barker is a shot-altering force in the paint. Since starting the season with three straight losses, the Cougars have won 22 of 23.
Challenger — Eagle Ridge Academy: If the past is the best indicator of future success, one could argue Eagle Ridge is the favorite given the Warriors’ December wins over Resurrection Christian (59-52) and Lutheran (66-58). With five players averaging double-figure scoring, led by 6-6 senior forward Hunter Hill’s 18.3 ppg, this team has options.
Dark horse — Lutheran: The Lions showed resiliency rallying from four points down in the final 1:15 of regulation to knock off No. 3 Alamosa in the Great 8. Between 6-9 junior Hunter Caldwell and 6-8 freshman Kade Speckman, the Lions have the size to match Resurrection Christian. Avoiding a slow start, which plagued them in a Jan. 14 loss to the Cougars, will be critical.
Underdog — Holy Family: The lowest seed of any team left at the Coliseum this week, it’s only natural to list the Tigers in this spot. Until, that is, you look at what they did over the last two weeks: throttling No. 1 Kent Denver 80-53 in the Sweet 16, and dropping No. 8 Colorado Academy 60-43 in the Great 8. Thanks to a rugged regular-season schedule, this team is dangerous.
GIRLS
Class 6A
Friday at Denver Coliseum
No. 8 Arapahoe (20-6) vs. No. 4 Monarch (25-1), 2:15 p.m.
No. 2 Cherry Creek (22-4) vs. No. 11 Grandview (17-9), 11 a.m.
Favorite — Grandview: Sometimes, it boils down to who has the best player. If that’s the case, there’s nobody better than 6-3 sophomore Sienna Betts, the Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year and No. 5 sophomore nationally in the ESPN HoopGurlz rankings. With touch around the hoop and passing vision on the perimeter, she’s a threat from anywhere.
Challenger — Cherry Creek: The Bruins’ defensive dismantling of Doherty in the Great 8 wasn’t pretty, but it was effective. Tianna Chambers and A’neya Chambers are lockdown defenders, and fellow sophomore Braelynn Barnett is a handful in the post. After splitting their first two games vs. Grandview, Creek must get its free-throwing shooting right to win the rubber match.
Dark horse — Monarch: The Coyotes emphatically avenged their only loss of the season in the Great 8 (62-44 over Regis Jesuit) and beat the top-seeded team left in the bracket, Cherry Creek, on Dec. 16. The Bruins were without PG Tianna Chambers, however, giving seniors Natalie Guanella (15.7 ppg), Amelia Rosin (11.4) and Arezo Safi (10.6) something to prove.
Underdog — Arapahoe: The Warriors’ upset of No. 1 seed Valor Christian in the Great 8 was no fluke. Sharpshooting guard Gianna Smith (18.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) drew audible gasps from the Coliseum crowd with her exquisite ball-handling. With the sophomore playing alongside seniors Sydney White (12.5 ppg, 3.1 apg) and Emily Thomas, Arapahoe’s perimeter talent is undeniable.
Class 5A
Thursday at Denver Coliseum
No. 8 Glenwood Springs (19-7) vs. No. 4 Windsor (19-7), 5:45 p.m.
No. 2 Roosevelt (24-2) vs. No. 3 Durango (23-2), 7:15 p.m.
Favorite — Windsor: The Wizards get the nod in the top spot if only one for reason: they’ve been here before … twice. Despite losing its top four scorers from a year ago, Windsor is one win away from reaching the championship round for the third season in a row. With big, bad Mullen no longer in the way, the path to a title is clear.
Challenger — Roosevelt: The highest remaining seed has a win at Windsor on its resume and 24 wins in 25 games. Still, the Rough Riders are entering uncharted territory, with this their first Final 4 trip since 2008. With four players averaging double-figure scoring, led by sophomore Ryanne Bahnsen-Price (14.3 ppg) and freshman Kyla Hollier (14.0), they have the firepower.
Dark horse — Durango: If defense wins championships, there’s no team better suited to win the 5A title than Durango. The Demons haven’t allowed more than 41 points in a game since their season opener. Of course, they also have scored more than 50 only twice since the start of January. Expect a grind.
Underdog — Glenwood Springs: The Demons caught a break with No. 1 George Washington missing offensive fulcrum Jaida Redwine in the Great 8, and they were more than capable of taking advantage. Since starting 7-5, the senior-led squad has won 12 of 14, with one of those losses an OT thriller at No. 3 Durango. A trip to the title game would be the program’s first.
Class 4A
Thursday at Denver Coliseum
No. 1 Holy Family (23-3) vs. No. 4 Lutheran (23-3), 2:15 p.m.
No. 2 D’Evelyn (26-0) vs. No. 3 University (24-2), 11 a.m.
Favorite — Lutheran: The Lions have wins over two of the other three teams left in the bracket, knocking off No. 3 University 46-37 in its own gym on Jan. 5 and topping Thursday’s Final 4 opponent Holy Family 43-31 at home Jan. 30. Their only losses have come against programs from larger classifications. So why are they the lowest seed remaining? We have no idea.
Challenger — Holy Family: All three of the Tigers’ regular-season losses came to teams playing inside the Coliseum this week — Windsor and Roosevelt in 5A and their upcoming Final 4 opponent Lutheran in 4A. It’s that last one that likely sticks in the Tigers’ craw, given that they led 21-15 at halftime, then scored just 10 points the rest of the way.
Dark horse — D’Evelyn: Doubt the unbeaten Jaguars at your own peril. Junior guard Peyton Marvel stole the show in a Great 8 showdown with Riverdale Ridge, scoring 36 points on 10-of-17 shooting. And the Jags showed fantastic discipline limiting the damage from national recruit Bri Crittendon. Two more performances like that, and D’Evelyn just might win its first state title.
Underdog — University: Once again, a stacked bracket comes down to splitting hairs. So, despite the Bulldogs entering Thursday riding an 18-game win streak with a 1,000-point scorer (senior guard Taryn Kravig) leading the way, we must defer to their only two losses, both of which came to teams in the Final 4: Lutheran (46-37) and Holy Family (47-28).
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