5A Second Round Preview: Chuck Williams Region

<p>The first round of the Colorado Class 5A state tournament is in the books and the second round is on tap for Saturday. A total of 16 games will be played, and each of the four teams that received first-round byes in each of the four regions will finally enter the fray.</p> <p>With teams set to play for spots in the Sweet 16, let's take a look at each second-round matchup in the Chuck Williams Region: </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 2 Mountain Vista (21-2) vs. No. 34 Rocky Mountain (14-10), Saturday, 2:30 p.m.</strong></p> <p>Ranked No. 1 for much of the season, Mountain Vista enters the fray as the top seed in the Chuck Williams Region. Senior Ben Grusing leads the Golden Eagles with 16 points per game and 6-foot-5 senior Simon May had an excellent regular season, averaging 12 points and 7.8 rebounds a night. Rocky Mountain took down Liberty in the first round behind 29 points from senior Joseph Urynowicz (18.7 ppg) and a solid team effort at the defensive end of the floor.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 15 Fruita Monument (19-4) vs. No. 18 Greeley West (18-6), Saturday, 3 p.m.</strong></p> <p>The postseason gets its first look at Fruita Monument, which is led by junior Marcus Labonde, who averages 14 points, 6.7 rebounds and 6.4 assists per game. The Wildcats also have a trio of players – junior Ian Barnes, senior Reilly Flinn and senior Blake Anderson – who are all averaging exactly 11.9 points a night. No. 47 Cherokee Trail took Greeley West into overtime in the first round, before Andre Sepeda (40 points) and the Spartans pulled ahead. One of the best Greeley West teams we’ve seen in years could give Fruita Monument a run for its money here.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 7 Smoky Hill (18-5) vs. No. 26 Douglas County (12-12), Saturday, 1 p.m.</strong></p> <p>Seniors Brendan Temple (17.4 ppg) and TJ Boykins (14.7) led Douglas County to a win in the first round and the Huskies now find themselves challenging Smoky Hill for a spot in the Sweet 16. In Smoky Hill, the Huskies face senior Kenny Foster (26.7 ppg) and junior Quinten Rock (14.6), a duo that leads a high-scoring group (73.3 average) that can beat anyone when its shots are falling. Smoky Hill sophomores Jalen Weaver, Jordan Whitaker and Maurice Walker II are up-and-coming players to watch.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>No. 10 Regis Jesuit (15-8) vs. No. 23 Highlands Ranch (15-9), Saturday, 1 p.m.</strong></p> <p>Though Regis Jesuit comes in as the 10^th seed, many think the Raiders will make it out of their region. They’ve already beaten No. 2 Mountain Vista once, 60-53 on Feb. 8 at Mountain Vista, as well as No. 1 Chaparral, 64-63 on Jan. 29 at home. Six-foot-9 center Daniel Carr is tough to stop, and Jamil Safieddine and Matt Wheelock give the Raiders a talented trio of seniors atop their rotation. Highlands Ranch gave Regis a run for its money on Feb. 12 and has been playing excellent defense of late.</p>