Colorado Winter in Review: East 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 East Metro.</p> <p><u>How it all shook out</u></p> <p>Led by senior Brayden Schlitt (16.3 ppg), the Brighton Bulldogs (19-6, 9-1) had an excellent season and finished with just one conference loss. But that lone defeat, a 78-34 loss to conference champion (and state champion) Rangeview on Jan. 5, made it clear who was top dog in the East Metro. Behind runner-up Brighton, both Vista PEAK, led by junior AJ LaCabe, and Prairie View had solid showings during the league season, posting matching 7-3 records.</p> <p><u>Who made it the farthest</u></p> <p>Well, this is an easy one. That would be the 2019 5A state champion Rangeview Raiders. These boys entered the postseason bracket as the No. 3 seed and defeated No. 2 Mountain Vista in the Final 4 before taking down No. 1 Chaparral in the championship game. On the way to the program’s first state title since 1985, the Raiders averaged 71.0 points per game and were paced by seniors Quincey Jewett (15.6 ppg) and Jodaun Dotson (12.5 ppg) at the offensive end of the floor. Watch out for the Raiders next season, as they have a solid core returning that includes junior Christopher and Christian Speller.</p> <p><u>Several more who stood out</u></p> <p><strong>Dalton Knecht, 6-4, SG, Prairie View, 2019:</strong> The senior led the league with 21.0 points per game and shot 47 percent from the field while playing in all 24 of his team’s games.</p> <p><strong>Mario Pacheco, 5-9, G, Northglenn, 2019:</strong> The East Metro’s second leading scorer, he averaged 18.2 points a night over 19 games for the Norsemen.</p> <p><strong>Ricky Poole, 6-0, G, Thornton, 2019:</strong> A two-sport athlete who also competes in track and field, his athleticism was on full display all season long while he averaged 17.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.3 steals per game.</p> <p><strong>Malachi Owens, 5-10, G, Aurora Central, 2019:</strong> Another talented scorer in a conference full of them, he put up 15.8 points a night while also bringing down 4.5 rebounds despite standing just 5-foot-10. He combined with senior teammate Kaleb Atherly (14.9 ppg) to provide over 30 points a game.</p> <p><u>An underclassman to watch</u></p> <p><strong>Curtis Stovall, 6-0, G, Vista PEAK, 2021:</strong> Already at 6-foot as a sophomore, he averaged 10.6 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and will be battling with other East Metro youngsters like Prairie View’s Dominic Marrujo (2022), Rangeview’s Cade Palmer (2021) and Adams City’s Jaxson Asterino (2021) for years to come.</p> <p><u>A quick, way-to-early look to 2019-20</u></p> <p>As previously mentioned, Rangeview might be graduating Jewett and Dotson but the Raiders’ cupboard is far from bare. The Spellers are studs and it will be fun to see what they do as seniors, and how Rangeview can work off the momentum of ending the 2018-19 season on a 19-game win streak.</p>