Updated Top-10 in 4A heading into the week

<ol> <li>Mead</li> <li>Windsor</li> <li>Longmont</li> <li>Lewis-Palmer</li> <li>Erie</li> <li>Evergreen</li> <li>Pueblo Central</li> <li>Pueblo South</li> <li>Montrose</li> <li>Centaurus</li> </ol> Mead is top dog as their winning streak continues. The Mavericks are 3-0 on the season and have a dangerous trio of [player_tooltip player_id="918899" first="James" last="Shiers"] (16.3 ppg & 10.3 rpg), [player_tooltip player_id="918902" first="Elijah" last="Knudsen"] (15.3 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="921097" first="Nick" last="Basson"] (14.7 ppg) leading the way and ready to run the table. Mead has a balanced attack with 3-point specialists firing away and the 6’11 Shiers grabbing and finishing on misses. Mead is still a younger team but knows what it takes to win games. Windsor has been one of the surprise teams in the state and has an argument at No.1 in all of 4A. They will soon be able to stake their claim with an intense battle set up in the next week, but in the mean time, they have to continue growing. Windsor is blowing teams out and getting a better feel for one another, and with Senior guards [player_tooltip player_id="966339" first="Jaden" last="Kennis"] (25.0 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="916987" first="Ben" last="Hageman"] (22.5 ppg & 7.5 rpg) leading the way, there may not be a better backcourt duo in 4A. They have also gotten additional help in Kobe Green (13.5 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="972414" first="David" last="Hageman"] (10.0 ppg & 7.0 rpg), who have provided attention off of their star players. The Wizards are set up for success, and I am excited to see them respond to their first real challenge. Longmont is a bunch that has only been challenged once so far in their buzzer-beating win in their first game and have not looked back since. Their duo of Keegan Patterson (18.0 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="965739" first="Eddie" last="Kurjak"] (15.5 ppg) have been enough to blow teams out, and when Longmont is out and running, they are a fun bunch. Kurjak is an athletic rim-runner that plays above the rim for high flying dunks, and Patterson has attacked the rim relentlessly, and that has kept him around the FT line. The Trojans are set for a more challenging next few games, so it will be interesting to see how they are when tested. They are undefeated on the year and ready for whatever comes their way. Lewis-Palmer falls a bit after their 83-78 loss to 5A Colorado Springs team in Doherty, who just recently cracked the Top-10 but showed their resilience and resolve in that game. Lewis-Palmer is still without their best player and still continues to trek through. [player_tooltip player_id="965754" first="Colin" last="Westfall"] has been great for the Rangers as he is putting up a team-high 16.0 points a game. He and [player_tooltip player_id="1050938" first="Noah" last="Ragsdale"] (12.2 ppg) have handled the guard duties and have made sure to score as well as get others involved in the game with Eddie Speller Jr. (15.4 ppg) and Brady Jones (11.6 ppg & 6.2 rpg) manning the middle and scooping up essentially every board. Teams will be hard-pressed to beat this team at full strength come playoffs. Erie has a brutal next week as they are in their difficult portion of the season. They are 3-0 on the year and feel as if they belong, so now is the time to prove it. The Tigers are led by Kevin Loy (16.7 ppg), and he cannot be denied. He gets to where he wants on the floor and scores in bunches. Kayan Hargrave (14.7 ppg) and Jordan Nguyen (11.7 ppg & 5.0 apg) have shown up, and they have a cohesive unit with an identity. As long as they continue sharing the ball and getting others involved, then they are a team that will continue to get it done. Solid group that comes in at No. 5. Evergreen has only one loss on the year, which was against a Top.3 team in Longmont on a buzzer-beater. Their wins, however, are against some very talented teams. They have beat Thomas Jefferson, Golden, and Wheat Ridge, who all are capable of putting some big games together, and with [player_tooltip player_id="916974" first="Griffin" last="Lauritano"] at the helm averaging 18.0 points and 6.7 rebounds a game, you will be hard-pressed to see a defender that can shut him down. He works hard on both ends of the floor and has worked great alongside Jackson Mott (11.0 ppg) and Jared Stiller (6.4 rpg) to continue getting the Cougars on the right foot. Evergreen has a chance to move up in the rankings with an intense week upcoming. Pueblo Central has one loss on the year, but it was against a talented Fountain Fort-Carson team in which they gave a valiant effort. The Wildcats have a capable 1-2 punch in Senior Adonis Reynolds (17.8 ppg) and standout sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="969431" first="Kadyn" last="Betts"] (17.3 ppg) that are leading the way offensively with a surrounding cast that understands what is needed to win. Pueblo Central has been pulling off some close wins, learning on the fly, and is a team that I feel will be ready for whatever circumstance comes playoff time. This is a team to watch. Pueblo South is set up for success, not only now but for the future. They have a talented young bunch that has come in hot to begin the year. They are 5-0 on the season, and their trio of [player_tooltip player_id="618889" first="Tarrance" last="Austin"] (23.2 ppg), Ray J. Aragon (13.2 ppg), and freshman Maurice Austin (11.2 ppg, 6.2 apg & 5.6 rpg) have been able to carry the way. Those players know their role and are locked in on both ends of the floor. They have players around them who also star in their role, and the Colts play the correct way. Montrose is 4-0 on the season, and their strength of schedule is the only thing that is holding them back from being higher is their strength of schedule. They have not played any team that is ranked or close to being ranked but have easily beaten everyone in their way. Junior, [player_tooltip player_id="967537" first="Luke" last="Hutto"] is off to another hot start (16. 0 ppg & 10.0 rpg) and has had help from [player_tooltip player_id="918926" first="Trey" last="Reese"] (12.3 ppg). That is a group that has been playing together and knows how to read one another. Centaurus jumps into our Top-10 for the first time this year as the Warriors have gotten off to a 4-1 start, and their only loss was a close one against a team in the Top-5. Centaurus has played well on both ends of the floor and has relied heavily on seniors Mario Everett (11.3 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="917026" first="Dashiel" last="Walker"] (8.3 ppg). Junior wing John Lewicki (10.8 ppg) has consistently scored the ball and stepped up on the offensive end. Centaurus has one of the toughest next two weeks out of any team in the entire state, so it will tell us all that we need to know about this team.