Week 2's Games of the Week

Heading into the second week of the season with plenty of big-time performances. There were a few upsets and also teams starting to get back into the flow. Here are games this week that we are making sure to check out this week. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Monday</h2> Rock Canyon v. Rangeview We like this one because Rangeview is on a tear. Their huge winning streak continues, and they get another challenger that matches up well with them, and they get to prove themselves. [player_tooltip player_id="916972" first="Cade" last="Palmer"] is playing out of his mind right now and does not look to be slowing down. He is averaging 23.5 points a game and is coming off of a 23-point performance on a very efficient 9-13 shooting night. He hit six 3-pointers and has been getting help from his teammates. [player_tooltip player_id="618892" first="Elijah" last="Thomas"] and Devin Phillio are two players that have assisted in both the scoring department as well as filling in the gaps. Thomas put up 17 points in their game against Columbine, with Phillio putting up a team-high 12 rebounds. With those three getting it done for the scoreboard and teammates doing their job, Rangeview is a team as bought-in as any team in the state. Coach Palmer continues to shine. Rock Canyon is coming off of a win against a tough Boulder team. Senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="916991" first="Nick" last="Fallin"] is starting to find a rhythm and will need to continue scoring the ball with sophomore guard Gavin Hershberger also doing everything he can to lead the way, even as an underclassman. The Jaguars will need more from [player_tooltip player_id="759285" first="Chris" last="Schlesinger"], [player_tooltip player_id="916984" first="Quint" last="Geck"] and transfer [player_tooltip player_id="759260" first="Deangelo" last="Horn"] as they are all players capable of going off at any given moment. Getting them on the same page will be key. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Tuesday</h2> Strasburg v. Sterling There is certainly offensive firepower in this one as Strasburg has gotten off to a 2-0 start of the season with their three Seniors: Collin Russell (25.0 ppg), Daniel Alvarado (17.0 ppg), and Trystan Graf (10.0 ppg), leading the way. That group plays for one another, gets everyone involved, and is locked in on both sides of the court so far to begin the season. On the other side is Sterling, who has built a small dynasty of a team that must be taken seriously as of late. Sterling took a loss in-game and will look to bounceback. The Tigers are led by Junior standout Jackson Kiel who put up 15 points in their first game. Senior forward Tucker Myers started the season with a 13 points, 13 rebound performance, and will look to build on that momentum against a team that likes to get out and run. This should be a fun and high scoring affair. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Wednesday</h2> Frederick v. Windsor Frederick is an entertaining bunch, and although it has only been two games, to have six players –SIX that are averaging double-digits, then it isn’t easy to prepare for a team that shares the ball and gets everyone involved. At the head of the Warriors is Senior do-it-all guard [player_tooltip player_id="916993" first="Iziayah" last="Elize"] (15.5 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="1050949" first="AJ" last="Hutchinson"] (11.0 ppg). They are bringing the offensive power while also controlling the pace and getting involved on the boards. They have talented players around them, such as Ilan Marinoff (11.0 ppg) and a junior trio of J.J Heil (14.5 ppg, 6.0 spg) and Jacob Conway, who has been the teams most balanced player with 12.5 p, 5.0 r, 3.5 a and 3.5 steals a game. They will need everyone to step up if they plan to keep the ball rolling. On the other side, Windsor is a team that we said to keep an eye on this season, and they looked spectacular in their only game this season. [player_tooltip player_id="916987" first="Ben" last="Hageman"] (23 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and five steals) and [player_tooltip player_id="966339" first="Jaden" last="Kennis"] (25 points, four rebounds and two steals) both played exceptionally well to start the season and will be the players that the team relies on. They are both locked in defensively, and the game comes to them a bit slower where they are dissecting defenses. With sophomore standout [player_tooltip player_id="972414" first="David" last="Hageman"] (10 points, seven rebounds, and five assists) and senior guard Kobe Green (11.0 points and five rebounds) also getting in on the action; this Wizards team is a group to watch. I am expecting elite guard play in this game and a battle in the backcourt. One team will suffer their first loss of the season. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Thursday</h2> Douglas County v. Mountain Vista It’s firepower against firepower. I do not know if any team in the state had an opening week as Mountain Vista did. To not only schedule but beat two teams in the Top-10 to begin the season on a back-to-back was something to see and went to show the type of leader that [player_tooltip player_id="759207" first="Ben" last="Bowen"] is. Bowen is a Top-3 player in the state, and the Wyoming commit proved it. Bowen averaged 21 points, six rebounds, and six assists. He has elevated his game and improved as a facilitator. [player_tooltip player_id="918911" first="Henry" last="Gamble"] has been his tag-team duo and the junior combo-guard/wing has stepped his game up. Gamble is averaging 13.5 points a game and has provided the outside shooting to space the floor. With those two playing as great as they have been and everyone else buying in, there is no telling how far this team can go. This will be a fun one. On the other side is a dangerous Douglas County team that has the personnel and is getting the chemistry down as well. The top point guard leads the Huskies in the 2022 class, [player_tooltip player_id="759278" first="Jaeton" last="Hackley"], and everything that we saw in the summer was on display in the first game. Hackley put up 20 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and recorded four steals for good measure. He is an unselfish and fearless leader that I think makes the jump this season. Alongside him is [player_tooltip player_id="1029180" first="Keegan" last="Phillips"] and Ty Nettles who both offered offensive relief. They both put up 12.0 points apiece and will be crucial on both ends of the floor moving forward. We know what type of scorers and help Hackley has around him, and this is a game where they can prove that they truly belong. This is MY personal pick for the game of the week and one I am most excited to watch. <h2 style="text-align: center;">Friday</h2> Lewis-Palmer v. Doherty Battle of two of the Springs best going at it in one roof. Doherty looks different but has had the same results of winning. Both teams are undefeated to begin the season and finding some footing. For Doherty, [player_tooltip player_id="916971" first="Schafer" last="Reichart"] has been as good as advertised and looks like the player that we expected him to look like come senior season. He is scoring at will at 19.0 points a game but the 7.3 rebounds to go along with it lets us know that he is physically back. He is being aggressive and assertive, and that is what they need. His brother, [player_tooltip player_id="1019153" first="Andrew" last="Reichart"], is injured, so others have needed to step up and fill that void. [player_tooltip player_id="916999" first="Brody" last="Gish"] (15.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id="770454" first="AJ" last="Guiao"] (11.3 ppg) have done just that. The Spartans have an older core that knows what is expected of them. They do not take the opposition lightly and have a talented young guard [player_tooltip player_id="921099" first="Christian" last="Drummond"](9.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and 3.7 apg) coming up the ranks as well. Doherty will need their core to continue playing at a high level, and they should be able to make some noise. On the other side, for Lewis-Palmer, although they are without their best player, [player_tooltip player_id="1046034" first="Cameron" last="Lowe"], for awhile they have managed to keep the boat steady. Lewis-Palmer remains deep as they always have, and with Eddie Speller (18.0 ppg and 6.0 rpg) and [player_tooltip player_id="965754" first=" Colin" last=" Westfall"] (11.5 ppg) leading the way with help from [player_tooltip player_id="1050938" first="Noah" last="Ragsdale"] (9.5 ppg) and Brady Jones (8.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg) chipping in as well they should be able to match up with just about anyone. This will be a game of adjustments. One team is guard-heavy, and the others have bigs that can get inside and have their way. Expect a back and forth affair.