Colorado Winter in Review: Colorado Springs Metro League

<p>Now that we are a month removed from the winter basketball season, let’s put a bow on it by looking back at how things shook out in each of Colorado’s conferences. Here’s a snapshot of the past season’s action in the Colorado Springs Metro League.</p> <p><u>How it all shook out</u></p> <p>Fountain-Fort Carson (18-8, 10-2) took control of the Colorado Springs Metro by going 3-1 against the next two teams in Palmer (13-10, 8-4) and Liberty (13-11, 84) during the conference season. Boosted by a one-two punch of seniors Isaiah Robinson (19.3 ppg) and Darien Meyers (18.0), Palmer secured the No. 2 spot in the league by going 2-0 against Liberty and finishing the regular season on a three-game win streak that included dubs against Doherty and Pine Creek. Despite losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Palmer, Liberty still finished with a solid 8-4 league record largely thanks to the efforts of standout seniors Sean Bohuslavsky (17.4 ppg) and Dailin Smith (13.9).</p> <p><u>Who made it the farthest</u></p> <p>The postseason was unkind to the Colorado Springs Metro teams, as Fountain-Fort Carson was the only club to advance out of the first round in the 5A state tournament. It is worth noting, however, that Coronado reached the 4A Sweet 16 as a No. 44 seed with juniors Ladarius Mays (16.5 ppg) and Brycen Scherr (12.0) doing damage in the postseason. In 5A, Fountain-Fort Carson made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual champion Rangeview. Trojans junior Keyshawn Maltbia was fantastic in the playoffs, averaging 19.7 points in three games, and seniors Rashon Barron and James Sanders more than held their own.</p> <p><u>Several more who stood out</u></p> <p><strong>Grant Wilkinson, 6-1, PG, Pine Creek, 2019:</strong> Boy, did he ever do a bit over everything for the Eagles. Over 20 games, the two-sport standout (baseball and basketball) averaged 15.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 3.1 steals a night.</p> <p><strong>Lucas Moerman, 6-10, F/C, Doherty, 2020:</strong> Keep an eye on this guy next season, he’ll be hard to miss. The big man averaged a double-double with 12.9 points and 11.6 rebounds as a junior and figures to be among the top returning players in the conference next winter.</p> <p><strong>Peyton Westfall, 6-0, SG, Pine Creek, 2020:</strong> He was a bit streaky but when his shot was on, he could really knock down shots. He averaged 11.1 points a game and shot 40 percent from 3-point range.</p> <p><strong>Bryce McKee, 5-9, G, Coronado, 2019:</strong> For an undersized guard, he sure put up some crazy numbers. Scoring 10.7 points a game, he also averaged 6.0 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.6 steals.</p> <p><u>An underclassman to watch</u></p> <p><strong>Schaefer Reichart, 6-0, G, Doherty, 2021:</strong> He only played in 14 games but averaged 9.1 points, 2.3 assists and 3.4 rebounds when he was in the rotation. Keep an eye on his fellow sophomore teammate Brody Gish, as well, as these two have the potential to develop into a powerful duo.</p> <p><u>A quick, way-to-early look to 2019-20</u></p> <p>With Palmer losing Robinson and Meyers, that’s a lot of firepower to replace. Liberty also losing a talented pair of seniors is Bohuslavsky and Smith. With Maltbia returning, it’s hard to pick against the Trojans entering next season as the favorites to repeat in the CS Metro. But apart from Wilkinson, Pine Creek’s entire roster was juniors this season, including Westfall and talented teammate Max Lofy (9.0 ppg), so the Eagles could be a threat if they can put it all together in 2019-20.</p>