Four games to watch in the CHSAA 5A Playoffs 1st Round

Games get started on Tuesday evening, March 9th, and there are plenty of games going around the state as it is the opening round of the CHSAA tournament. With there being 32 teams, there are plenty of games to tune into. Here are some of our favorite matchups. Cherry Creek v. Lakewood Smoky Hill v. Horizon Mountain Vista v. Monarch Eaglecrest v. Ralston Valley Regis v. Loveland Valor Christian v. Doherty George Washington v. Heritage Denver East v. Mullen Douglas County v. Rampart Fossil Ridge v. Legend Valor Christian v. Doherty ThunderRidge v. Rocky Mountain Fairview v. Chatfield Chaparral v. Vista Peak Rock Canyon v. Overland Rangeview v. Columbine Fountain Fort-Carson v. Silver Creek <h3>Smoky Hill v. Horizon</h3> If I had to choose one game to go to on Tuesday evening, my choice would be the Buffaloes vs. the Hawks. For Smoky Hill, they are a team that wants to run, run, run, and they force the opposing team to pick up the pace. Having solid guard play in Brayden Maldanado (18.2 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="916959" first="Jordan" last="Whitaker"] (19.2 ppg) has Smoky Hill as a dangerous team that can light up the scoreboard. They have inside and out scoring and run the break to perfections, but neither scorer is shy about getting their shots up. Down low, they have [player_tooltip player_id="918900" first="Anthony" last="Harris Jr"]. that appears to be catching his rhythm at the right time. He is a force on the boards (9.6 rpg) and mixed with grasshopper. He is an elite athlete that makes this team a bit different, and with those three playing well can get past a scrappy Horizon team. Their guards lead horizon, and it'll be fun to see them match up with another set of guards that can match their will. Horizon is led by a junior backcourt trio of [player_tooltip player_id="717063" first="Xavier" last="Harris"] (16.2 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="618866" first="Esmond" last="Griffin"] (11.9 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="618888" first="Tabor" last="Robison"] (11.7 ppg). Those three have a mature calmness to their game, feed off of one another, and have each others back on the defensive end, which will have this as a game to watch for sure. With Coby Jiminez (11.8 ppg & 8.6 rpg) back in the mix, it will open up the rest of the floor for Horizon. Expect this game to come down to whoever controls the tempo likely wins the game. I expect it to be a fun one and high-scoring. But definitely for the guards to go at it. <h3>Valor Christian v. Doherty</h3> This is one of the most balanced games in the state and is worth the drive. I will surely be tuning into this game as it has two similar teams that are constructed the same way going at it. For Valor, it comes down to their two combo-guards [player_tooltip player_id="770409" first="Amondo" last="Miller"] (17.5 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="759248" first="AJ" last="Kula"] (14.0 ppg) carrying the load and attempting to get off to a hot start. When those two are on, it’s lights out for opposing teams, but if you can limit what Miller does, then the Eagles come down to Earth with their performances. Both of those players are dangerous in the open court and finish at and above the rim; they are not afraid to take shots, do not turn down many looks, and are solid on both ends of the court. They’ll try and overwhelm Doherty with their size. Doherty has a balanced effort around do-it-all wing/combo-guard [player_tooltip player_id="916971" first="Schafer" last="Reichart"] (17.3 ppg) and his hands will certainly be full in this one. He is against two players tailor-made to match up with him, and this will be a solid test to see where he fares. [player_tooltip player_id="916999" first="Brody" last="Gish"] (12.6 ppg) will have to also step up as he will have a battle on his hands and [player_tooltip player_id="921099" first="Christian" last="Drummond"] and [player_tooltip player_id="770454" first="AJ" last="Guiao"] will have to be the difference-makers in the game. Having so much depth can give the Spartans an advantage, but they will need the others to step up to pull off the win. Expect this to be a game where it comes down to the final quarter, and whoever comes up with the most stops in the 4th will likely win the game. This game will tell us a lot from an evaluation standpoint. <h3>Denver East v. Mullen</h3> This is a game of the unknown as so much is contingent on who does and does not play. For the Angels, it has been lots of back and forth about who is available with [player_tooltip player_id="770414" first="Boston" last="Stanton"] sitting for a majority of the season, [player_tooltip player_id="770444" first="Tom" last="Connelly"] being in and out of the lineup and [player_tooltip player_id="1053581" first="Aguir" last="Dawam"] is also unlikely to play. What we do know is that East’s talented backcourt of [player_tooltip player_id="759275" first="Quis" last="Davis"] (16.5 ppg & 7.8 apg) and [player_tooltip player_id="1020179" first="Michael" last="Jackson"] (7.4 ppg) will be ready to play no matter what the conditions are and have plenty to prove. They will like to be at full strength but if not, have the pieces in place to still make a push. For Mullen, it starts and ends with [player_tooltip player_id="770427" first="Brayden" last="Carter"] (20.5 ppg & 8.5 rpg), and he is a very skilled big man that lets the game come to him. The Mustangs pull out a zone that is difficult to break and control the pace that way, and with Carter down low, feast on opposing teams, slowly. The 6’8 standout does what he wants on the floor, and with a frontcourt running mate of [player_tooltip player_id="618872" first="Micah" last="Leslie"] (10.5 ppg), they have what it takes to control down low. They will need [player_tooltip player_id="618874" first="Josh" last="Lopez"] (9.9 ppg) to step up and carry the load for the guards as he will certainly have guards on the other side coming for him. Expect this game to come down to pace and outside shots. If East does not find a way to slow down Carter and hit outside shots, they can fall. If they do, they should advance and get back reinforcements. <h3>Douglas County v. Rampart</h3> This’ll undoubtedly be the most entertaining game of the entire 1st round, and it sucks that both are so far away to not be able to see it. The good thing is we will be able to stream it, and I can only imagine all of the highlight plays that will come from this one. I expect this to be a high-scoring affair where both teams continue to go at it. For the Rams, it’s a rematch from a game two weeks ago in which Rampart will want to avenge their loss. Rampart does not feel as if they played up to their capabilities in it, and their top players will be looking to bounce back. Rampart has a senior trio of [player_tooltip player_id="917002" first="Tyler" last="Edwards"] (15.8 ppg), [player_tooltip player_id="917015" first="Cole" last="Bowen"] (14.2 ppg) and [player_tooltip player_id="1138320" first="Danta" last="Wydra"] (14.2 ppg) all looking to go out with a bang. Rampart relies on those players to step up on the offensive end but also come up with stops. They’ll have their hands full in this one with a solid set of guards on the other end, but they know that. Stops will be the name of the game for them and having multiple guys step up. For Douglas County it is the [player_tooltip player_id="759278" first="Jaeton" last="Hackley"] show. The junior guard is at 19.2 points and 5.9 assists a game. As solid as he is, he is not the most important player in the game. What they can get from [player_tooltip player_id="1029180" first="Keegan" last="Phillips"] and [player_tooltip player_id="1143879" first="Ty" last="Nettles"] will determine if the Huskies get by a tough opponent. We know what to expect from Hackley, but Douglas County’s X-factors come into play. Both of those players are capable of exploding, so they will need to step up for them to win the game. I expect an even closer game than the last time they played and for Rampart to push Douglas County to the edge. How they respond in the second half will determine the outcome of the game.