Games of the Week: Week 8

<p>Make sure to check with the district as plenty of games are being canceled due to weather this week. If they go according to plan, this is what we have deemed as the games of the week. </p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Monday</strong></h3> <p><strong><em>Dolores Huerta v. Atlas Preparatory</em></strong></p> <p>Looking around the state, there is not much going on for Monday. The best game on the day would have to be a 3A vs. 2A battle against two teams we have never taken a look at. Looking at how the teams fared this season it appears that Delores Huerta is led by a senior trio of Isaiah Trujillo (17.4 ppg), Xavier Gomez (16.9 ppg) and Charles Winston (15.4 ppg). They are on 9-2 on the season and are looking for a big win against another team that is off to a decent start. Atlas Preparatory is 9-5 on the year and has a dynamic junior duo that is doing it all for the Gryphons. Atlas slows down the pace but has Bryan Rivera (15.8 ppg) and Junior forward Isiah Johnson who is averaging near a double-double at 12.2 points and 9.7 rebounds a game leading the team. They will need more help if they plan on beating a high scoring team that wants to push the pace and these are players that I will start checking on from time to time.</p> <p>Unsure what to expect but am excited about the results.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Tuesday</strong></h3> <p><em><strong>Montrose v. Fruita Monument</strong></em></p> <p>Montrose has not been spoken about enough. They are 15-3 on the season and at the No. 9 spot in the 4A rankings. They are led by two sophomores that are making a name for themselves and have jumped onto our radars. Sophomore forward Luke Hutto leads the team in points and rebounds at 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds a game and has been a force down low. He is who the offense runs through and he also works hard down there. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/trey-reese/">Trey Reese</a> also has gotten off to a great start this season. He does a bit of everything as he is averaging 9.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 6.4 rebounds a game as well. They will be good for years to come. Senior point guard Sean Alex is the motor for the team and gets the team doing what they are supposed to be. He is at 12.4 points a game and passes the ball well, rebounds and leads the team in steals at 2.4 a game. If he gets off to a great start this team is pretty good.</p> <p>Fruita Monument is on the outside looking in but has pulled off five straight wins., This will be the best team that they have played since the middle of December so this is a great test for them. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/marcus-labonde/">Marcus Labonde</a> has been on a tear in his senior season as he is putting up 21.0 ppg and has 6.1 rebounds and 6.0 assists to go along with it. He gives his team all that he has and they go as he goes. Ian Barnes (9.2 ppg), Cole Savage (9.0 ppg) and Dillon Keithley(8.6 ppg) are all players that are capable of going off at any given moment and if Labonde gets additional help scoring the ball as well as the other players starring in their role this is a game that they could win.</p> <p>Expect a hard-fought battle where the X-factors determine the winner late in the game.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Wednesday</strong></h3> <p><strong><em>Ralston Valley v. Columbine</em></strong></p> <p>This is a battle of two teams in the Top-10 in 5A going at it with very different dynamics but solid size for both teams. For Columbine, of course, we know that it is the <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/luke-obrien/">Luke O’Brien</a> show. The 6’8 wing is putting up one of the best stat lines in the state at 25.3 ppg and also has 11.6 boards a game to go along with it. He has the green light and makes teams pay both inside and out. If he is able to get help from players like Justin Lohrenz(9.7 ppg) Garrett Rogers (9.3 ppg) and Jeff Potts then Columbine has a really good chance at getting the win, but if not, expect Ralston Valley to run away with this one.</p> <p>Ralston Valley (15-2) has a very deep group over there. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/caleb-rillos/">Caleb Rillos</a> (18.0 ppg) is one of the most improved players in the state and can score it in various ways and <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/caden-gigstad/">Caden Gigstad</a> (16.5 ppg) is a guard that applies pressure all game long and is always on the attack. When those two are cooking, not may teams can hang around with them. When you add the production that Walker Brickle and Luke Carlston also add and all of the things that they do that are not shown on the scoreboard then they become that much more dangerous. I really like this team and this will be a statement game for both teams.</p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><strong>Thursday</strong></h3> <p><em><strong>Lutheran v. Sterling</strong></em></p> <p>This is the game to be at and the game of the week in my opinion. You have the No. 2 team versus the No. 3 team going at it as both are off to excellent starts. It hurts my heart that this one is in Sterling. Hopefully, there is streaming for this one.</p> <p>Sterling is 12-2 on the season and one loss was against one of the best Class B teams in Nebraska and the other is against the No. 1 team in 3A in overtime. That team plays well, they play together and they play the right way. Senior guard <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/axel-henry/">Axel Henry</a> is their senior captain and best player on the team as he is putting up 17.2 points a game but he also rebounds (3.9 rpg) and also dishes it out (3.9 apg). He has a talented group around him and understands that as he leads as well as takes the backseat when it's needed. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/brock-shalla/">Brock Shalla</a> (15.9 ppg) just jumped into our newest rankings and is a player that gets after it on both ends of the floor. He is a tenacious defender that is aggressive defensively and on the offensive end can score both inside and out. He rebounds well and is the team's best perimeter defender. He will be tasked with defending the Lutheran guards. Jackson Kiel (13.0 ppg) is one of the best sophomores in the state and is coming off of a great stretch of games. He gives them another scoring option to go through and is a player to watch moving forward. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/dylan-sanders/">Dylan Sanders</a> (13.3 ppg) is also a good X-factor type of player that gets going. They will need everyone to get going if they want to take down a talented Lutheran team.</p> <p>For Lutheran, it begins with one of the state’s most interesting prospects that we have seen in quite some time. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/baye-fall/">Baye Fall</a> is a player that has NBA aspirations and has a legitimate chance of making it. The 6’10 freshman is leading all freshman in the state in scoring at 21.3 points a game and 10.8 rebounds to go along with it. He is also one of the state leaders in blocks at 3.7 blocks a game as he really patrols the paint and is a difference-maker defensively like we have not seen in a while. Mamadou Sow is the second-leading scorer on the team and the 6’7 forward gets inside and does damage. He is also helping on the boards at 5.9 rebounds a game and the offense runs through him at times. <a href="https://prephoops.com/player/tommy-apodaca/">Tommy Apodaca</a> is a guard that has made massive improvements to his game and is one of the best floor generals in the state. He is putting up 10.5 points a game as a player that teams try and keep from attacking the basket and scoring against their top guards as Lutheran’s top ballhandler but he is also a player that gets everyone involved. He is leading all juniors in assists through all classifications at 7.9 assists a game and is a high IQ player that gets after it defensively. The scary thing about this Lutheran team is not one player out of this group has reached their full potential.</p> <p>This will be a really, really, really, good game and if you get a chance to see or stream it – do it.</p>