5A Tournament Preview and Predictions: Chauncey Billups Region
The Chauncey Billups Region of the Class 5A State Tournament, which this season includes the George Washington team Billups played for before starring at Colorado and then in the NBA, has an enticing mix of squads with varying styles of…
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Continue ReadingThe Chauncey Billups Region of the Class 5A State Tournament, which this season includes the George Washington team Billups played for before starring at Colorado and then in the NBA, has an enticing mix of squads with varying styles of play.
It includes the league champions in the Continental League (Overland), the JeffCo (Chatfield) and the Denver Public (George Washington).
Below is a look at the top four seeds, as well as a breakdown of each of the four first-round matchups:
Byes
No. 1 ThunderRidge (20-3)
The Grizzlies, last year’s state runners-up, are on a roll as they enter the tournament, winners of six straight and 11 out of their last 12. They hung on for a share of the league crown by virtue of a 65-61 overtime victory over Mountain Vista last Friday.
Next up: ThunderRidge will host the winner of Lincoln and Legacy on Saturday.
No. 2 Chatfield (21-2)
It could be argued that the Chargers deserved a top seed after winning 12 straight games and rolling through JeffCo play at a perfect 14-0. They are state title contenders.
Next up: Chatfield will host the winner of Aurora Central and Heritage at 6 p.m. Saturday.
No. 3 George Washington (15-8)
After a few early bumps in the road, the young and highly talented Patriots have righted the ship, having won the always-tough DPL with a perfect 8-0 mark.
Next up: George Washington will host the winner of Greeley West and Douglas County on Saturday.
No. 4 Cherry Creek (14-9)
The Bruins will lean on the experience of senior leaders Will Haflon and Hayden Parr as they begin what they hope will be a deep run.
Next up: Cherry Creek will host the winner of Rampart and Loveland on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Wednesday’s first-round matchups
No. 9 Legacy (13-10) at No. 8 Lincoln (14-9), 7 p.m.
The Lancers earned a home game in the state playoffs by virtue of a three-game winning streak to close the season. Lincoln is chock-full of experience at various positions. They have good size, a heady point guard in Jamison Washington and a versatile and athletic wing in Umar Jalloh, who can guard multiple positions. Legacy senior guard Tyler Converse leads the team in scoring and assists and has a chance of heating up as quickly as any team in the tournament. The Lightning won three of their last four in the regular season, including a 61-58 victory over rival Broomfield last Thursday.
Players to watch
Legacy
Tyler Converse, 6-2 senior guard. The talented unsigned 2016 player is averaging 15.7 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists and has really improved his stack as perimeter defender.
Dalton Royer, 6-4 senior forward. Royer gives the Lightning a strong post presence, averaging 9.8 points and a team-leading 5.7 rebounds per game.
Lincoln
Jamison Washington, 6-2 junior guard. One of the state’s top point guards in the 2017 class, the lefty Washington is averaging 14.3 points and 3.5 assists per game. He keys a strong transition game for the Lancers and can be tough to handle on the perimeter. Should be very intriguing to see he and Converse match up.
Umar Jalloh, 6-6 junior wing. Jalloh is highly athletic and can finish with authority at the rim through contact. He battles hard on the glass, averaging a team-high 6.2 rebounds to go with 13.3 points.
Rene Melendez, 6-3 senior guard. Melendez is a tough, solid player who contributes in just about every area of the Lancers. Brings strong IQ and veteran experience to the squad, averaging 11.8 points and 4.8 rebounds.
Prediction: Lincoln
No. 12 Loveland (5-18) at No. 5 Rampart (16-7), 6 p.m.
Rampart, which finished second in the Colorado Springs Metro League (9-3) behind Doherty (11-1), played Loveland in the season-opener, winning 67-34 behind a 22-5 spurt in the third quarter. The Rams are a talented, big and experienced team that won five straight games before a non-conference, one-point loss to talented Legend on Saturday. Loveland got into the playoffs by virtue of a stunning overtime victory over Greeley West on Thursday.
Players to watch
Loveland
Ayden Eberhardt, senior guard. The Wyoming-bound quarterback has also been the basketball team’s top scorer at 9.3 points per game.
Ben Newton, 6-1 senior forward. Newton has scored 14 points in each of his last four games, and he had a season-high 29 in a narrow loss to Fossil Ridge on Feb. 5.
Avery Rembao, freshman guard. One of the state’s top freshman, Rembao, who plays with Colorado Premier, had a huge basket late to help Loveland pull off the upset of Greeley West.
Rampart
Jackson Ehrlin, 6-8 junior forward. One of the state’s top big men in the 2017 class, Ehrlin has been a force down low for the Rams, averaging team-highs in scoring (14.1) and rebounding (8.4).
Cal Zeb Roberson, 6-4 junior guard. Roberson is playing some his best basketball of the season, averaging 15.2 points over his last six games.
Kole Cerjan, 6-8 senior forward. Another big presence down low, Cerjan averages 8.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
Prediction: Rampart
No. 10 Heritage (7-16) at No. 7 Aurora Central (17-6), 7 p.m.
The Trojans, whose only loss in East Metro Athletic League play came at the hands of undefeated Rangeview, enters the playoffs with the dynamic senior backcourt of Elijah Coleman and LaDaruis Thomas hoping to end their careers with a deep playoff march. Aurora Central has non-league victories this season over playoff teams Thomas Jefferson, Denver South, Highlands Ranch and Fruita Monument, among others. Heritage made the playoffs with a strong push to close the season, winning three out their last four games.
Players to watch
Heritage
Jack Peck, 6-3 senior guard. Peck is one of the top unsigned 2016 players in the state, averaging 18.3 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. The Eagles try to free him up by moving him around the court, and Peck has the ability to score in multiple ways, whether he’s handling the ball, coming off screens or catching off the ball. Real solid skill set.
Jordan Jimenez, 6-1 freshman guard. Jimenez has been one of the state’s top first-year players, averaging 6.1 points and 3.1 rebounds for the Eagles.
Walker Andrew, 6-4 senior guard. Averaging 9.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.
Aurora Central
LaDarius Thomas, 6-1 senior guard. Our top-rated unsigned point guard in the 2016 class, Thomas has had a stellar season scoring and distributing the basketball. He’s averaging an eye-popping 18 points, 6.4 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. Few players in the state affect their team in so many ways to that high of a degree.
Elijah Coleman, 6-2 senior guard. The Black Hills State-signee is the Trojans top scorer at 19.2 points per game. He’s twice poured in 29 points in a game, and he’s shooting 35 percent (35-of-101) from 3-point range.
Kelsey Williams, 6-3 senior guard. After sitting out the first half of the season as a transfer, the talented guard has been a big boon for the Trojans, averaging 9.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game.
Prediction: Aurora Central
No. 11 Douglas County (8-15) at No. 6 Greeley West (18-5)
Though the record didn’t always show it, Douglas County made big strides this season under second-year coach Earl Boykins. The highlight was a 12-point upset of Mountain Vista 11 days ago that showed these Huskies can give just about anyone problems if all cylinders are running. Still, they have a tough upset bid in store against a Greeley West team that is surely motivated after suffering an upset at the hands of Loveland last week. The Spartans are talented, experienced team with two college-bound seniors and an impressive freshman point guard leading the way.
Players to watch
Douglas County
C.J. Cetta, 6-3 senior forward. Cetta was our Prep Hoops Colorado Combine King back in September for his stellar performance at our first event. He’s carried those skills into a final high school season that has seen him average 12.1 points and 7.4 rebounds while guarding multiple positions.
Davon Walker, 5-7 point guard. Walker has made a splash in his debut high school season, strongly running the point while averaging 9.8 points and 2.1 assists per game. He made a huge statement in the upset of Mountain Vista, scoring a season-high 26 points. Bright future for the young point guard.
Solomon Stark, 6-0 junior guard. Though he has been a little quiet of late, Stark is capable of big production. He averaged 20 points during the Huskies’ 3-0 start to the season.
Greeley West
Cordell Gillingham, 6-2 senior guard. Headed to Concordia (Neb.) to start his college hoops career, Gillingham wants to first cap off what has been a special season with a deep postseason run. He’s averaged 15.7 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.8 assists this season.
Connor Thompson, 5-11 senior guard. Thompson is also headed to the Cornhusker State, where he will play for Nebraska Wesleyan next year (along with other Colorado products Cole Robinson and Henry Cooper). Thompson has averaged 14.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists for the Spartans.
Andre Sepeda, 5-7 freshman guard. When we first saw Sepeda back in June, West coach Brett Coepfil had a feeling the pint-sized guard would be able to have an immediate impact for his team. That has certainly been the case, as he’s averaged 7.1 points and 2.5 assists while playing with poise at the position.
Darren DeLaCroix, 6-3 junior forward. DeLaCroix gives the Spartans a strong post presence at 10.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.
Prediction: Greeley West