First Round Matchups To Look For In 6A

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>13 ThunderRidge vs 20 Eaglecrest</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Grizzlies are led by walking double-double himself [player_tooltip player_id='1577941' first='Andrew' last='Crawford']. [player_tooltip player_id='1577941' first='Andrew' last='Crawford']<strong> </strong>is a player that can stretch the defense with his ability to knock down the three ball, also being able to battle inside grabbing boards better than most bigs in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1577941' first='Andrew' last='Crawford'] has the ability to explode on the offensive side of the ball and can create mismatch problems for most teams as he is the second leading scorer on his team averaging 19.8 points per game.<strong> </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1577941' first='Andrew' last='Crawford'] will look to get going early and make it difficult on the Raptors from the opening tip. [player_tooltip player_id='1626716' first='Joshua' last='Ray'] for the Raptors figures to draw this tough matchup but [player_tooltip player_id='1626716' first='Joshua' last='Ray'] is a player known for his defensive abilities. In the last couple of games [player_tooltip player_id='1626716' first='Joshua' last='Ray'] has been thrust into a larger role due to a key player being out and he has taken that role in stride. [player_tooltip player_id='1626716' first='Joshua' last='Ray'] hustles on defense getting back in transition not giving up easy buckets, can cut to the basket and get an easy dunk or can kick it out on an offensive rebound keeping the position alive. This should be a tightly contested game as both teams can put up points in a hurry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>15 Fountain-Fort Carson vs 18 Arvada West</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Trojans are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1715226' first='Antonio-Joseph' last='Martinez'] who is a good knock down shooter and can create shots for himself. When he finds his spot on the court he is confident and will let it fly. [player_tooltip player_id='1715226' first='Antonio-Joseph' last='Martinez'] is more of an outside perimeter player and has that shooters touch. He is also a good free throw shooter, leading the team shooting it at 79% so is definitely dangerous when it gets down to crunch time. His ability to shoot from the outside will help the trojans as they will likely need to shoot the wildcats out of the zone. The wildcats are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1285117' first='Carson' last='Nichols'] who is a swiss army knife when it comes to the multiple ways he can attack you on both sides of the ball. On the defensive side of the ball the wildcats swarm as a unit and pressure the ball handler in half-court and in transition, [player_tooltip player_id='1285117' first='Carson' last='Nichols'] is 3rd on his team in steals as he is averaging 1.2 steals per game. On the offensive side [player_tooltip player_id='1285117' first='Carson' last='Nichols'] can either drop a dime, hit an occasional three pointer or get to the basket finishing in traffic and getting himself to the line. [player_tooltip player_id='1285117' first='Carson' last='Nichols'] is a well rounded player and will make it a tough matchup for whoever draws his name. The wildcats will look to keep this a low scoring affair as they thrive in tightly contested games.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>4 Denver East vs 29 Arapahoe</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Warriors are a balanced team that depends on their defense but are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1578209' first='Quinten' last='Gardner'] who is a pest in the passing lanes. He is averaging 1.7 steals per game and can come up with some blocks as well making it tough to score on the inside when he is around. [player_tooltip player_id='1578209' first='Quinten' last='Gardner'] is leading the Warriors in scoring but he is a player that can help the team in multiple ways. In a game against Mullen he was able to score chip in on the boards and get steals and against the Angels he will need to be able to do it all as well to help his team advance to the next round. The angels are led by [player_tooltip player_id='1420173' first='Daundre' last='Samuels'] who is considered by some to be the best guard in the state. [player_tooltip player_id='1420173' first='Daundre' last='Samuels'] has been on a tear lately and is stuffing the stat sheet in the process. He has been in the passing lanes as he is averaging 5 steals a game and can really score the ball as well as he is averaging 21.4 points per game. The Angels have been able to get their second and third options to score the ball but [player_tooltip player_id='1420173' first='Daundre' last='Samuels'] is the maestro holding the strings. Will look for [player_tooltip player_id='1420173' first='Daundre' last='Samuels'] to turn some heads and make a statement for why he is a top guard in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->