4A First Round Standouts

<p>Wednesday marked the first round of the state tourney where there were plenty of big time performances. Here are six of the top performers in the first round in the 4A tournament. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Daryn Whisman --Discovery Canyon</strong></p> <p>Discovery Canyon barely escaped in a pick em’ game over Mountain View in the first round of the playoffs behind junior guard Daryn Whisman. Whisman is averaging 16.6 points on the season and has been scoring in a variety of ways but when the team needed him most he stepped up and gave them his best game of the season with 25 big points in their 64-63 win. Whisman knocked down 3-pointers, finished at the rim and set up teammates for easy baskets which ensured the win. He only missed one free-throw on the night as he went to the charity stripe seven times and was the go-to scorer on the night. His contagious play led to others stepping up and feeding off of him and that allowed the Thunder to win. Discovery Canyon can’t get comfortable as they are now up against one of the best teams in the entire state in a Longmont team that is undefeated on the season so Whisman will have to have yet another game and prove that Discovery Canyon is here to stay.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jayden “Butters” Villeda – Pueblo Central</strong></p> <p>Senior guard Jayden Villeda did all that he could to try and get a first-round victory when his Pueblo Central Bulldogs came up short in a 67-68 loss to Golden on Wednesday. He averages 9.1 points a game on the season but had things going for him when he dropped 26 points on the night to almost take down to Demons. He had it going from deep as he went 4-6 from beyond the arc and also was very efficient inside as well. He was finishing at the rim and penetrating the defense for easy baskets and also dished it off to the open man at the rim which had him lead with five assists. The Bulldogs defense was the difference in the game as they forced turnovers with active hands and ran on the break. They almost were able to win behind a big game from Villeda and I am sure that he will use this experience as a way to prepare for the upcoming AAU season as well as next year where Pueblo Central will surely be a team to look out for.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Randall Days -- Widefield</strong></p> <p>Days finished with 19 points on the night and that was all while making only one 3-pointer. He made it a point to get inside and make his presence felt. He was aggressive from the opening tip and where Battle Mountain went wrong in their close 62-59 defeat was they did not try and limit his touches inside and also decided to foul him on a night that he had everything going. He finished a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe. He is versatile as he does a bit of everything but it has been his consistency scoring that has put Widefield in this position. He has been on a scoring run as he has finished the season scoring in double-digits in 11 straight games and has challenged himself to step up on the defensive end as well as an on-ball defender. He has been a constant these past couple of seasons and is enjoying his junior season as he has shown improvement there as well. Cheyenne Mountain got the best of Widefield to open the season, now with Days ready to go they might possibly get a different result.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Jackson Hayslip -- Greeley Central</strong></p> <p>The Senior guard for Greeley Central finished with 26 points on the night and was not afraid to shoot the ball. He was a player that demanded the ball and got it done in multiple ways as he was inside-out. He knocked down two of his three 3-pointers but also made it a point to attack the paint. He got to the free throw line for a game high 10 free-throws where he knocked down six of them and made it difficult on the defense as they had no answers for him. He also got in on the action as he had six steals and also six rebounds. Jackson had been having a stellar season as he averages 20.9 on the season as the leading scorer and seen that play make its way to the playoffs. The Wildcats won 58-41 over Pueblo South and showed that they have a team that is ready for the next round where they hope they get some of the same stuff from Hayslip in the next round.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Eugene (Eddie) Whitmore – Sierra</strong></p> <p>Senior forward Whitmore was masterful in the Stallions 74-65 win over Sand Creek on Wednesday. He has been a consistent force for Sierra and has strung along a few good games in a row and with a win or go home game on the line he came to play. He had 23 points on the night to lead Sierra and also showed why he has been one of the most consistent big men in Colorado Springs this year. He got to his spots and finished. He also was strong on the boards as he had eight rebounds in the game and started the break. He is a stretch wing with tons of energy that spaces the floor and also gives his all and Sierra will be a team to watch come round two. They will need all that they can get and with a Senior like Whitmore leading the charge they might be able to keep advancing.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Thomas Abbey Jr. – Thomas Jefferson</strong></p> <p>Thomas Jefferson is a team that when they are clicking is a very strong group. They have multiple guys that can step up and be the leading scorer on any given night and have a balanced team and approach each night out. In their 59-32 beating over Frederick it was Abbey Jr. that stepped up as the high score man which was a great sight to see as TJ is a team with some solid scorers. On a night that the Spartans could not get much to fall it was Thomas that got going with 17 points. He was very efficient on the night as he knocked down his sole 3-pointer and only missed three shots on the night. He also led the game in steals with four as he was very active with his hands. With the way that the team is set up with pretty good size and strong guards having a guard like Abbey Jr. can make the Spartans even more versatile.</p>