5A Sweet 16 Preview and Predictions: Ball and Billups Regions

The march to the Coliseum is about to begin. The Class 5A State Tournaments continue on Wednesday night with four tantalizing Sweet 16 matchups. The winners will advance to Saturday's Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum. In the Ray C. Ball and Chauncey Billups Regions, it's been all chalk. Every top seed has advanced in those regions, setting up some top-notch matchups. Below we break down all four matchups comprising those two regions, with the Bill Weimar and Jim Baggot preview set to release later today. <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 1.1em;"><strong>Ray C. Ball Region</strong></span></p> <strong>No. 4 Boulder (18-6)  at No. 1 Overland (21-3), 7 p.m.</strong> The Panthers have enjoyed their fair share of success this season against some of the state’s most athletic teams. They toppled George Washington earlier this season and beat Far Northeast last Saturday by establishing their pace, working for efficient shots and limiting transition opportunities. Overland presents a different challenge entirely. The Trailblazers are playing their best basketball of the year, which is a scary proposition for opponents. Padiet Wang, who joined the team midseason after spending the first semester at a prep school, has been a versatile and athletic piece who seems to have fit in perfectly to Overland’s blitzing style. Other under-the-radar players like Tyler Stevenson have given the Trailblazers waves of athletic depth that are difficult to weather and prepare for. De’Ron Davis, the state’s top big man, has been content to distribute amid double- and triple-teams this season, and with so many weapons around him to lighten the load, that’s been a winning formula. Jack Boyle, Peter Chopra and Ben Posthumus, will all take their turns on the Indiana-bound big man. Taking the ball out of Davis’ hands at least forces Overland to depend a little more on its perimeter game, albeit a strong one with the likes of Reggie Gibson and Jervae Robinson knocking down shots. Boulder will undoubtedly have to find ways to create open perimeter looks for sharpshooter Landon Taliaferro, as well as Luke Wilson and Bill DiScipio, because easy inside looks can be hard to come by against the long, shot-blocking Davis. <strong>Prediction:</strong> Overland <strong>No. 3 Rock Canyon (20-4) at No. 2 Doherty (21-3), 7 p.m.</strong> It’s going to be a loud night in Sparta. Rock Canyon travels to Colorado Springs on Wednesday to play the red-hot Spartans in one of the state’s most electric atmospheres. It has been a special season for Doherty, which has turned from underdog to title threat with a winning blend of strong chemistry, diverse and talented scoring options and defensive intensity. There may not be a better matchup in the Sweet 16 than that between Doherty shooting guard Dalven Brushier and Rock Canyon counterpart Sam Masten. Brushier, a 6-3 unsigned senior who has drawn significant Division II attention, averages 18.7 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. Masten, a sophomore, leads Rock Canyon at 17.8 points per game. Both are highly-skilled, well-framed guards who use strong basketball IQ to create space and angles to the basket, and both can really knock it down from outside and scrap on the defensive end. Both teams are deep and can turn to numerous scoring options -- Doherty’s point guard Brevin Brimble can take over a game, and Canyon’s Isaac Hirsch impacts games in as many ways as we’ve seen from a player this season -- but it wouldn’t be surprising to see this game come down to a handful of final possessions, with Brushier and Masten being asked to make big plays. In a game that could very well come down to the buzzer, we’re giving the slight edge to that team with the roaring crowd at its back. <strong>Prediction:</strong> Doherty <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 1.1em;"><strong>Chauncey Billups Region</strong></span></p> <strong>No. 4 Cherry Creek (15-9) at No. 1 ThunderRidge (21-3), 7 p.m. </strong>We like the big man matchup in this one between a pair of talented seniors. Cherry Creek’s 6-6 Hayden Parr is strong and versatile, able to step out behind 3-point range and hit with consistency. That allows the Bruins to open up driving lanes for the likes of Dimitri Stanley and Will Halfon, Jalen Meeks and Ammon Johnson. ThunderRidge, meanwhile, has been one of the state’s hottest teams. Their big man, 6-8 Stetson-bound Clay Verk, has filled in very nicely for last year’s 7-foot standout Zach Pirog, who is now at Omaha. Verk leads the Grizzlies in scoring (16.8 points per game) and rebounding (7.1) this season. He is capable of hitting consistently from mid-range and has even shown at times he can knock it down from 3. Too much collapse onto these big men though could lead to opportunities for some dynamite shooters in this game. Creek’s Halfon (19.3 points per game) and ThunderRidge’s Brady (11.8) are two of the state’s top long-range shooters and both are unsigned 2016 guards. It could be very intriguing to watch if those two get hot. These teams seem to match up very well. In the end, we think ThunderRidge -- with its defensive length keyed by Cory Seng, Austin Mueller and Kaison Hammonds -- will be just a little too much for the visitors to overcome. <strong>Prediction:</strong> ThunderRidge <strong>No. 3 George Washington (16-8) at No. 2 Chatfield (22-2), 6:30 p.m.</strong> Nothing like a rematch between two talented teams with a trip to the Great 8 on the line. The Patriots and Chargers met way back on Dec. 2, an 88-83 victory for Chatfield that was an early message in a season that ultimately included a perfect march through the JeffCo League. Chatfield did what it does best in that game -- spread the wealth. Senior Riley Welch and junior Joe Miks scored 19 points apiece, junior Mike Vrabel scored 17 and senior Cameron Pearson added 14. Sophomore Daylen Kountz, who recently received offers from Portland State and Wyoming, led GW with 25 point in that game, sophomore Jon’il Fugett scored 20 and junior Jervay Green added 19. In short, these teams both are playing fantastic basketball, keyed by strong, talented backcourts. Familiarity can breed contempt, and look for the every inch to be a battle on the perimeter. This one should a close, high-scoring affair similar to that meeting three months ago, between we think the confidence the Patriots are playing with will be enough to pull of the mild upset. <strong>Prediction:</strong> George Washington