4A teams destined for a bounce-back year

Failing to meet expectations, struggling to close out games, and disappointing playoff losses are part of the high school basketball game we’ve come to love. The highest of the highs and the lowest or the lows are all things both players, parents, and coaches experience in this sport. What truly defines a good team is how they react to the said challenges and how they will overcome that adversity the following season. These three 4A teams are who you can expect to overcome that adversity and make a comeback in each of their ways.

Riverdale Ridge High School | 20-21 Record: 6-8

The 4A Long Peaks league has a new dark horse and its name is the Riverdale Ridge Ravens. An abundance of familiar faces is set to return for the Ravens as they look to make a big name for themselves in the 21-22 season. The majority of their losses came from winning teams and teams you’d expect them to lose to, but what should ultimately please their coaching staff is that these games were winnable. Ryan Leopold, Anthony Chavez, and Mj Nuce are a few key contributors to the Ravens as they all averaged 10 or more points a game last winter. Most of their team contribute in one way or another and can score in a variety of different ways. A head coach’s dream is to be able to continue to work with the same group of guys to start what they set out to finish and luckily that dream has come to fruition. Riverdale will most likely find their way into the post-season and have the potential to make a major upset in the first few rounds. 

Falcon High School | 20-21 Record: 8-7

While finishing with a record of 8-7, you can’t help but feel Falcon should’ve performed better than their record shows. No one is complaining about a winning season but this team was an offensive juggernaut who can be a legitimate 4A contender. Led by one of the top players in the 2022 class Mason Black Mason Black 6'4" Falcon | 2022 CO , the Falcons failed to close out six of its seven losses which came from five points or less. Collectively the team shot 39% from three and 59% in total demonstrating scoring is inevitable for them. These numbers also indicate that the supporting cast around Mason Black Mason Black 6'4" Falcon | 2022 CO and Mason Hamlin Mason Hamlin 6'1" | SF Falcon | 2022 State CO is there and that the 8-7 record was a fluke. This team is destined for a big year and should be looked at as one of the favorites to bring home the 4A championship this year. 

Golden High School | 20-21 Record: 13-3

When we think of bounce-back season we usually refer to a team improving its record from the previous season. Although this is true for most bounce-back teams I’ve written about, the case for Golden is a little different. Entering the post-season as the 11th seed out of 32, Golden was most likely the youngest team of them all. Defeating Summit High School in the first round was a huge statement for the Demons even though Summit was ranked below them. Summit was a sleeper coming into the post-season last year and with a huge win over them, Golden showcased signs of possibly upsetting Steamboat Springs (16-1) in the second round. Sadly Steamboat Springs got the better of them by 13 points sending Golden home. Adjusting to the playoff atmosphere is a hard thing to do especially for young guys. The upside of having them experiencing it is they know what to expect next time around. With such a young group with high motors and a good general sense for the game, Golden is set to have a bounce-back year in this year’s upcoming post-season.