Games of the weekend: Opening Week

<p>We had what we chose for games of the week for the opening week but with 3A starting this week and us getting a few looks at teams already we take it into the weekend slate to see is out there. Here are my picks for the games of the weekend as I expect these all to be close games. </p> <p><strong>Legend versus Boulder</strong></p> <p>For Legend, it was a close-fought game against the Raptors that seen their first loss of the season, but they competed and showed that they can match up with anybody. Legend came out a bit timid but found a rhythm and defended well to stay in the game. It is a balanced team led by solid guard play in Cam Le Van and Tanner Lamb and the two combined for 22 points in the opening game but they also had Garret Siebert have a great start to the year as he had a game-high 16 points. They have a team that can get it going inside with Siebert and also knocks down shots and when they start putting it all together will be a team that has a chance against any team in the state. </p> <p>Boulder is a team that just came off of a win against Chatfield and had multiple players standout. Senior big, Pete Boyle led the way with 16 points. He knocked down two 3-pointers and also got inside of the defense and made them pay. Caleb Wehmuller had 13 points and Adam Sessions and Giles Schmid also were solid contributors as well. This will be a slugfest of a game as both have guards that get after it as well as inside scorers who play with a purpose. This will come down to the 4th quarter. </p> <p><strong>Thunderridge versus Smoky Hill</strong></p> <p>Both teams took a loss in their opening game, the Grizzlies fought and competed against preseason ranked Top-5 team in the state in Overland. They had an up and down game but saw their team show off a bit of resiliency as they fought back to make it a game but came up short. A good thing moving forward for the Grizzlies was what they saw from their big men. Against a top-two big man in the state, the Grizzlies bigs were what led the way. Junior big, Nolan Marold put up 17 points in the game. He was a force down low and made sure that he was going to secure the rebound and go up with it. Another big man that stood out was Tommy Crawford who will be a tough player to defend this season. Garrett Arnold and Bennett Mather will have to make sure that they impact this game early on if they want a chance at winning. Guard play will be crucial for both teams here.</p> <p>Smoky Hill’s loss came as a bit of a shocker but credit to Highlands Ranch. The Buffaloes have a deep team where each player can grab the rebound and go, they can play inside and out and with them not being a really big team they find a way to create mismatches. They have one of the best backcourts in the state with Quentin Rock and Jalen Weaver. But with big games from Jordan Whitaker and Anthony Harris Jr, they will be an even more dangerous team. I expect this to be a chess match type of game where both teams feel each other out early and then make a move later in the game. Thunderridge has the size and will need their guards to step up and Smoky has the guards but need to have answers for the size. This should be a good one.  </p> <p><strong>Douglas County versus Cleveland Central Catholic </strong></p> <p>Douglas County picked up a win in Colorado and had a few new players emerge to lead the way which is a much-needed development for that team. The best part about their new players stepping up is that they are all young. Sophomore guard Jaeton Hackley put up 18 points in the opening game and showed that he can carry the scoring load. AJ Jackson is also another sophomore who has played well to begin the season and they have also leaned on Senior leadership in Tim Broom. After a Colorado win, they traveled to Cleveland, Ohio for a tournament and picked up a 66-63 win over East Tech. They are 2-0 on the year and play against an undefeated Cleveland Central Catholic on Saturday. Big test for them where they will have to be at their best.</p> <p><strong>Lutheran versus Coal Ridge </strong></p> <p>And so it begins. This will be Lutheran’s most anticipated season in quite possibly school history and the time has finally come for them to show exactly why they have been pegged as one of the favorites. The player that everyone is excited to see is freshman sensation Baye Fall. Fall is a 6’11 phenom who is one of the best rim protectors in the state. He moves well, can knock down mid-range jumpers and will direct plenty of traffic which should open things up for the other standouts around him. The other players that I feel will have a great season is junior guard Tommy Apodaca who is a two-way leader with high upside when aggressive and 6’7 junior big Mamadow Sow. Sow brings additional size and is a strong bruiser. He grabs boards and is not easily moved. This will be a stout defensive team that might not score a ton of points but will make things extremely difficult for others.  </p> <p>Coal Ridge is coming off of a great season in which they finished 19-5. The sad thing is their three top scorers and best players graduated. This is a season that they will surely take a step back but starting off the season with a big challenge like this is good for the young team out of New Castle. Austin Gerber will surely have his hands full this season but should be a player that steps up and shows what he has.</p>