Colorado Winter in Review: Continental League

<p>Now that we are a bit over 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 Continental League.</p> <p><u>How it all shook out</u></p> <p>An incredible three teams in this league – Chaparral (23-5), Mountain Vista (24-3) and ThunderRidge (21-6) – won over 20 games this past season, yet none of them were the conference champion of the regular season. That honor went to the Regis Jesuit Raiders, who went 15-9 on the season but claimed the Continental title by a game over the others with a 9-1 record in league play. The Raiders had a great season riding 6-foot-9 senior Daniel Carr, who averaged a double-double with 19.8 points and 11.4 rebounds, and a senior-heavy lineup that also featured the likes of Jamil Saffiedine (12.3 ppg), Matt Wheelock (10.0) and Payton Egloff (8.2).</p> <p><u>Who made it the farthest</u></p> <p>This category was amazingly as competitive as the regular-season Continental title race. Three of Colorado’s four 5A Final Four teams – Chaparral, ThunderRidge and Mountain Vista – hailed from the Continental. It was Ben Grusing (2019, 15.9 ppg) and the Mountain Vista Golden Eagles who emerged from the semifinals to reach the state championship game and eventually finish runner-up to Rangeview after being ranked No. 1 in the state for most of the winter. After winning 15-16 games for three straight seasons, this was a breakout campaign for the coach Robert Wood and Mountain Vista, and the Golden Eagles got it done with excellent defense and great seasons from Grusing, senior Simon May (11.9 ppg), junior Rhys Pulling (10.4) and others.</p> <p><u>Several more who stood out</u></p> <p><strong>Chase Hettinger, 6-5, G/F, Castle View, 2019:</strong> Making a bid for league MVP, he led the Continental in scoring with 22.1 and also averaged 3.2 assists and 3.2 rebounds while leading the Sabercats to a first-round bye in the postseason.</p> <p><strong>Kobe Sanders, 6-0, PG/SG, Chaparral 2020:</strong> Named to the CHSAA All-State First Team, he scored 16.3 points a night for the Wolverines and will potentially be the top player in the league next season.</p> <p><strong>Brendan Temple, 6-5, G/F, Douglas County, 2019:</strong> Tough, physical and frequently above the rim, Temple averaged 17.6 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting 36 percent from long range alongside senior teammate TJ Boykins (15.6 ppg).</p> <p><strong>Jaylen Eikenberg, 5-10, PG/SG, Rocky Canyon, 2019:</strong> A versatile guard, to be sure, he averaged 14.0 points, 4.8 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game to catalyze the Jaguars.</p> <p><strong>Austin Holt, 6-5, PG/SG, ThunderRidge, 2019:</strong> The senior is a big reason the Grizzlies played in 27 games this past winter, as he averaged 11.9 points but also 2.2 assists and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 37 percent from 3-point range.  </p> <p><u>An underclassman to watch</u></p> <p><strong>Jason Simental, 6-1, G, Highlands Ranch, 2021:</strong> As a sophomore in 2018-19, Simental flashed his immense potential by averaging 11.0 points, 2.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds while playing strong defense in a very tough league.</p> <p><u>A quick, way-to-early look to 2019-20</u></p> <p>This year’s top four of Regis Jesuit, Chaparral, Mountain Vista and ThunderRidge will each graduate a ton of seniors but have been able to remain consistent despite doing so in the past. How Legend develops after going 15-10 and with guard Cam Le Van (2020) returning next winter will be an interesting storyline to watch. Rock Canyon won 17 games this winter and has a solid trio of Jalen Ashley (2020), Nick Fallin (2021) and Jake Hassett (2020) returning. Keep an eye on Highlands Ranch, however, as the Falcons return not only Simental, but also 10 of the 11 players they suited up in 2018-19 including juniors Ryker Cisarik (10.5 ppg) and Tristan Hurdle (10.1).</p>