5A Great 8: Matchups

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>1. Air Academy vs. 8. Pueblo South</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These teams have already matched up once earlier this season when Air Academy won 61-48. In the first matchup Air Academy's size and depth proved to be too much as [player_tooltip player_id='1137823' first='Maurice' last='Austin'] was the only player on his team to score above double digits. Air Academy has the deepest and tallest team across the board making them a very hard team to face up against. Pueblo South will need Mateo Esquivel and Ray J Aragon to step up on the offensive end to take pressure off of Maurice. The CSU Pueblo commit [player_tooltip player_id='921102' first='Corbin' last='Garver'], is the leader of Air Academy doing a bit of everything from the wing for his team. [player_tooltip player_id='1284469' first='Finn' last='Horsfall'] and [player_tooltip player_id='972417' first='Grant' last='Featherston'] have been steady workhorses for the team on both ends of the floor. [player_tooltip player_id='1137808' first='Noah' last='Hellem'] has provided knockdown shooting and his classmate [player_tooltip player_id='1137807' first='Max' last='Howery'] has been a good floor general for the team. This will be a good rematch from two of the top teams from Southern Colorado.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2. Mesa Ridge vs. 7. Dakota Ridge</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This is the only matchup that is not a rematch from this season and may be the most anticipated matchup of the day. Mesa Ridge has yet to lose a game this season and this may be their toughest matchup yet. Both of these teams do a good job of getting multiple players involved showing off their depth. Mesa Ridge plays with a chip on their shoulder led by junior G Tevin Reihl. Tevin and his brother Bryce both provide knockdown shooting and intense defense. Dakota Ridge is led by standout sophomore 6'3 W [player_tooltip player_id='1369821' first='Ethan' last='Berninger']. Ethan has great size and shooting ability for a sophomore, and has improved his scoring ability getting downhill. [player_tooltip player_id='1159005' first='Trevor' last='Fuller'] has been a standout scorer for Dakota Ridge, accompanying him are his classmates [player_tooltip player_id='1194780' first='Alex' last='Rodriguez'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1427090' first='Carson' last='Evans']. Alex is a good PG who does a good job of getting teammates involved and Carson is a versatile guard who does a good job doing the dirty work. Cyprus Woodley has the potential to be a difference-maker in this game due to his scoring and passing ability. There will be a good match-up down low between [player_tooltip player_id='1754397' first='Isaac' last='Pullig'] and Trei Ginn. This game should be a battle between two teams who have had great seasons.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>3. Windsor vs. 11. Longmont</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Windsor and Longmont have matched up twice this season each of them winning one game. Longmont is led by junior guard [player_tooltip player_id='1577968' first='Cole' last='Corner'] who missed the first part of the season with an injury but has come back strong. Cole is a knockdown shooter and has been doing a good job rebounding and leading the team in assists. Windsor is led by senior CG [player_tooltip player_id='1577977' first='David' last='Hageman'], who has been on a tear the second half of the season as Windsor has not lost since matching up with Longmont at the beginning of January. David has been able to effectively sway the game on both ends of the floor and has improved his overall offensive game. Senior Reese Pearson is a smooth bucket-getter who is another senior having a superb season and will need to have a big game to help Longmont. Colby Shuck has been one of my favorite glue players due to his team-first mentality and high IQ on the hardwood. This will be a good match-up between two Northern teams, it will take a lot to stop Windsor's bug winning streak!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>4. Mead vs. 5. Frederick</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mead and Frederick are generally close to each other but are in different conferences, so they have only played once for their first game of the season. Frederick took home the win in their first matchup as [player_tooltip player_id='1420272' first='Luke' last='Justice'] took over the game with his electric scoring. This will be a match-up between two of the best seniors on the offensive end between Luke and [player_tooltip player_id='969439' first='Tucker' last='Mills']. The Omaha-Nebraska commit is a lengthy scorer who can exploit matchups on smaller guards or slower bigs. In their first matchup [player_tooltip player_id='1432263' first='Matias' last='Aldana'] did a very good job of guarding Tucker when he was playing before facing foul trouble. In the last round, [player_tooltip player_id='1369791' first='Dominic' last='McLawrence'] stepped up and had a huge game, if he can continue to step up that will help Mead a ton. Another player to look out for on Mead is SG [player_tooltip player_id='1284601' first='Nick' last='Basson'] who can score in bunches. Frederick has a scrappy two-way PG [player_tooltip player_id='1577997' first='Harry' last='Singh'] who has been a great piece for this team due to his energy and team-first mentality. This should be a very good match-up between unofficial rivals.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->