Wrapping up Thursday’s top action
(Photo credit: Arapahoehoops.com) The third day of the season brought some more big performances. Seems like Colorado hoopers are determined to make our selection of nominees for the first player of the week poll on Monday a difficult one. Here…
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The third day of the season brought some more big performances. Seems like Colorado hoopers are determined to make our selection of nominees for the first player of the week poll on Monday a difficult one. Here is a wrap-up of some of the top games were able to gather information about:
ARAPAHOE 74, MOUNTAIN VISTA 70
Coach Brad Jansen and the Warriors have approached this season with optimism and it appears to have been well-placed. Arapahoe is 2-0 after knocking off talented Mountain Vista 74-70 on Thursday night. James Walsh led the way, scoring 20 points while hitting 5-of-6 3-pointers. Ryan King had 17 points and Kyle Lukasiewicz added 16. Arapahoe overcame a huge game from 6-8 Mountain Vista junior Jake Belknapp, who had 29 points on 10-of-14 shooting and 13 rebounds. Isaac Essien nearly had a double-double of his own with 18 points and nine assists.
ROCK CANYON 53, LIBERTY 39
In a staunch defensive battle, the Jaguars bounced back from an opening-night loss to Eaglecrest with a balanced effort that saw four players tally at least eight points. Isaac Hirsch led the way with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore standout Sam Masten had 12 points and three assists, and Colin Rardin added 12 points. T.J. Clark led Liberty with 16 points.
GRANDVIEW 71, CASTLE VIEW 56
Have a game, LeChaun Duhart. The junior guard accounted for nearly half of the Wolves’ scoring with 33 points that included a 12-of-15 shooting performance at the free-throw line. Six-foot-5 junior center Gage Prim added 21 points for Grandview. Talented uncommitted senior Jake Ellis led Castle View with 21 points.
GOLDEN 64, FREDERICK 59
Ryan Blodgett led a balanced effort for the Demons with 15 points and eight rebounds before fouling out. Cole Harris also had 15 points for Golden, while Kayden Sund and Adam Thistlewood added 10 points apiece. Chelton Lebon paced Frederick with 19 points and six assists.
RANGEVIEW 70, THOMAS JEFFERSON 40
The Raiders opened their season in style with a rout of the Spartans that was predicated on stifling defense. Rangeview surrendered only 3 points in the second quarter after trailing 14-12 at the end of one. Tyrei Randall, perhaps the top uncommitted senior in the state, led the way with 16 points, and Kris Hollins chipped in 10. Xavier Cooper led TJ with 12 points.
DOUGLAS COUNTY 83, HINKLEY 73
Earl Boykins’ squad has the look of a team on the rise. They certainly will be if they continue to get big performances out of 6-foot junior guard Solomon Stark, who followed up a 16-point outing in DC’s opener with a 27-point output in the win over Hinkley. CJ Cetta, king of our combine back in September, added 19 points.
AURORA CENTRAL 48, FRUITA MONUMENT 45
In a tale of two halves, AC led 30-14 at halftime before Fruita made a late charge that pushed the Trojans to the brink. But Black Hills State signee Elijah Coleman had 19 points and made several key plays down the stretch to help AC hold on. LaDarius Thomas added 11 points, four rebounds and five assists. That helped the Trojans overcome a big game from Air Force-bound big man Javen Gumber, who scored 24 points on 9-of-18 shooting and had 11 rebounds.