5A Tournament Preview and Predictions: Ray C. Ball Region
It’s almost that time. The Class 5A playoffs begin on Wednesday, and in the Ray C. Ball Region sits top-seeded Overland, which will try to make it back-to-back state titles in Colorado’s highest classification. The Trailblazers, though, have plenty of…
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Continue ReadingIt’s almost that time. The Class 5A playoffs begin on Wednesday, and in the Ray C. Ball Region sits top-seeded Overland, which will try to make it back-to-back state titles in Colorado’s highest classification.
The Trailblazers, though, have plenty of teams in their region alone trying to prevent that from happening.
Below we take a look at each first-round game in the region:
Byes
No. 1 Overland (20-3)
The Scoop: The Trailblazers, after wading through some mid-season adversity, appear to be peaking at the right time after securing a share of the Centennial League title.
Next up: Overland will host the winner of Liberty and Westminster on Saturday.
No. 2 Doherty (20-3)
The Scoop: The champions of the Colorado Springs Metro League have only lost once since Jan. 4.
Next up: Doherty will host the winner of Lakewood and Grand Junction at 6 p.m. Saturday.
No. 3 Rock Canyon (19-4)
The Scoop: The Jaguars narrowly missed a share of the Continental League crown with late-season losses to Regis Jesuit and Legend, but they have showed during a special season that they are capable of challenging any team in the state.
Next up: Rock Canyon will host the winner of Arapahoe and Rocky Mountain on Saturday.
No. 4 Boulder (17-6)
The Scoop: The Front Range League champions were sharpened for this playoff run with a non-conference schedule of top-notch 5A opponents, and their experience could make the Panthers dangerous.
Next up: Boulder will host the winner of Far Northeast and Bear Creek on Saturday.
Wednesday’s first-round matchups
No. 9 Westminster (12-11) at No. 8 Liberty (11-12), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: A recent victory over Colorado Springs power Doherty shows that Liberty can be a dangerous squad, led by athletic and talented senior point guard T.J. Clark. Westminster has an undersized but tenacious point guard of its own in Elijah Martinez, who isn’t afraid to step up and take big shots.
Players to watch
Westminster
Elijah Martinez, 5-7 senior guard. Martinez handles the ball well under pressure and can break down a defense with his penetration. He’s hit 46-of-135 3-point shots.
Elijah Paculan, 6-0 senior guard. Averaging 13.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.
Freddy Gomez, 6-2 sophomore forward. Gomez gives the Wolves a skilled post presence, who is averaging 10.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Liberty
T.J. Clark, 5-11 senior guard. Clark has great leaping ability and a quick burst toward the basket. He’s averaging a team-high 18 points per game and is coming of back-to-back 29-point outings in late January.
Cameron Mihaly, 6-6 senior forward. The Lancers’ big post man is averaging 7.7 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
Mozamil Doria, 6-2 sophomore guard/forward. Averaging 8.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
Prediction: Liberty
No. 12 Bear Creek (8-15) at No. 5 Far Northeast Warriors (17-6), 7 p.m.
The Scoop: The fast-paced Warriors, with their speed, length and athleticism, are the kind of team that can be dangerous this type of the year if they are able to insert their will on opponents. FNE is the only team to beat Longmont in the regular-season the last two years, and they also hold wins over Denver East, Lincoln and Aurora Central this season. Bear Creek finished sixth in the eight-team JeffCo League, making massive improvement over an 0-14 league mark last season.
Players to watch
Far Northeast Warriors
Sekou Cisse, 6-4 senior guard/forward. The tough, versatile Cisse is leading the team in scoring (14.6) and rebounding (5.5)
Melek Bar, 6-4 senior guard. The under-the-radar Bar is a hidden gem who could have a coming out party in the tournament. He’s long and skilled, averaging 11.6 points per game.
JoVon Nelson, 5-11 freshman guard. One of the top freshman in the state, Nelson has been a key weapon running the show for the Warriors, averaging 8.6 points, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals per game.
Bear Creek
Max Bailey, 6-0 senior guard. Bailey is averaging 11 points in his last three-games, including 17 in recent competitive loss to Dakota Ridge.
Jordy Aranda, 6-4 senior forward. Averaging 7.4 points and a team-leading 4.9 rebounds per game.
Prediction: Far Northeast
No. 10 Grand Junction Central (17-6) at No. 7 Lakewood (14-9)
The Scoop: Lakewood finished fourth in tough JeffCo League and has compiled wins this season over Legend, Mountain Vista and Arvada West. The Tigers are a sharp-shooting squad that gets long-range contributions from numerous spots, none more so than junior Kolton Peterson, one of the top players in the 2017 class. Grand Junction Central finished in a tie for third in the Southwestern League and enters the playoffs having won three straight games.
Players to watch
Grand Junction Central
Zach Labine, 6-4 senior forward. The lengthy Labine is in the middle of the best stretch of his career. He’s averaged 24 points over the last four games (3-1), including a career-high 28-point output in a victory over Fruita Monument last week.
Kyle Blair, 6-0 junior guard. Blair can light it up in a big way from long range. He’s shooting 40 percent (60-of-149) from deep this season.
Koby Steves, 5-9 junior guard. A rare four-sport standout (he also plays baseball, football and tennis), Steves keeps the pace flowing for Central with 3.6 assists per game to go along with his 8.7 points.
Lakewood
Kolton Peterson, 6-2 junior guard. Peterson is averaging 20.4 points per game to go along with 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists. He’s shooting a superb 46 percent (72-of-156) from downtown, and he needs every little time to get his shot off.
Jacob Storey, 6-7 junior forward. Storey’s improvement has been one of the biggest reasons for the Tigers’ success this season. He’s averaging 16.6 points per game (up from 12.3 last year) to go with 4.8 rebounds per game.
Dallas Bailey, 6-3 junior guard. The versatile guard is averaging 10.6 points, a team-leading 5.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Prediction: Lakewood
No. 11 Rocky Mountain (11-12) at No. 6 Arapahoe (11-12)
The Scoop: The Warriors are an experienced bunch that competed tough throughout the year in the cutthroat Centennial League. They have a strong group of upperclassmen who weathered a disappointing season one year ago and are now poised to make some noise in the tournament. They also have one of the state’s best juniors in lefty wing Kyle Lukasiewicz. Rocky Mountain tied for eighth in the 13-team Front Range League and is a fairly young team. Its top two scorers are underclassmen.
Players to watch
Rocky Mountain
Xavier Johnson, 6-2 sophomore guard. Johnson has a strong frame at 180 pounds and is tough on the attack, averaging a team-high 10.2 points per game.
Joe Urynowicz, 6-2 freshman forward. Urynowicz has had a strong debut season, averaging 8.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.
Beni Williams, 6-5 senior forward. The big man averages a team-leading 6.4 rebounds to go with 6.1 points
Arapahoe
Kyle Lukasiewicz, 6-5 junior. We have seen Lukasiewicz plenty since June and he continues to improve. He has always been able to create space and get to the basket with effortless motion, but the growth of his jumper has helped be an even more complete player.
Ryan King, 6-2 senior guard. King is a player who makes smart plays and competes well on defense. Averaging 10.4 points per game.
Joseph Kleeman, 6-0 senior guard. Kleeman does a little bit of everything for the Warriors averaging 9.0 points (third on the team), 3.7 rebounds (second) and 2.8 assists (first).
Prediction: Arapahoe