Games of the Week: Week Two

<p>Week one was a blast as it had some very good teams going at it. What's to love is schools are actually scheduling each other for out of conference play and proving that their team can compete against some of the top teams in the state. Not a ton of ducking each other as there were very solid games to go to each day out fo the week. Week 2 is much of the same as each day has a good game to watch. Here is who I picked for games of the week with each day choosing the best game from that day. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Monday</strong></p> <p><strong>Smoky Hill versus George Washington </strong></p> <p>In my opinion, this is the game of the week and it is exciting that it is the game starting out the week. These are two teams that want to push the pace and get after it and have the personnel to be a high scoring game. I expect there to be plenty of adjustments throughout the game and highlight plays in a likely packed environment. The guard play in this one will be fun as the Patriots have balance and depth and Smoky Hill has a team full of players that can all push the pace and go. For the Patriots, they are led by junior standout <strong>Kendale Johnson</strong>. Johnson can score the ball both inside and out as he is a slasher that punishes defenses on fast breaks. He is leading the team in scoring and assists and although it has been a balanced effort, he is a player that is capable of going for 25+ points in a game and steps up in these big games.<strong> Jarmell Johnson</strong> (11 ppg, 3.0 rpg) was the standout player of the summer with his high soaring fast-break highlights. He can shoot the ball well and will be asked to open up defenses with his jump-shot as teams will be forced to zone the Patriots at times. <strong>Garrett Brown, Darrian Hammons </strong>and<strong> Fred Edmonds</strong> have also gotten off to hot starts for the Patriots and will be X-factors needed if George Washington wants to pull off the win. They are undefeated on the season and will not back down to any team that they are up against.</p> <p>For Smoky Hill, it is their top-5 backcourts in the state with guards that separate them. <strong>Quinten Rock</strong> (14.5 ppg, 4.5 apg) and <strong>Jalen Weaver</strong> (13.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg) are leading the way as they not only score but affect the game in different ways. Offensively they are able to get going in any way. They can thrive in slow games but are willing to push the pace and makes defenders work. <strong>Jordan Whitaker (</strong>8.5 ppg) is starting to look a bit more like himself and the Buffaloes have gotten much-needed contributions in <strong>Maurice Walker II</strong>(11.0 ppg) and <strong>Dylan Sanders</strong> has also given a bit of help off of the bench. <strong>Anthony Harris Jr</strong>. and <strong>Lamarius Royston</strong> return for the Buffaloes in the game and they will be looked at for the size.</p> <p>Expect this to be a back and forth game that sets the tone for the week. I think this will be a high-scoring game that can either stay close or if one team gets rattled early can turn into a blowout. I am not going to lie, I am excited about this one!</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Tuesday</strong></p> <p><strong>Grandview versus Lincoln </strong></p> <p>Grandview is coming off of their first loss of the season against the defending champions and No.1 team in the state. It was a game that came down to the final possession despite <strong>Caleb McGill and Lian Ramiro</strong> being the only two Grandview players that stood out. <strong>Tanner Holtman, CJ Thomas </strong>and<strong> Cade Coles</strong> will have to do more to help, not only in scoring but finding other ways to impact the game. They need to be rebounding, hustling and taking over defensively with a bit of help offensively if they plan on making a deep playoff push. It cannot only be on those two players and this is the game that they prove that they truly do have more.</p> <p>Lincoln is off to a 2-1 start with a loss to Ponderosa but a nice bounce-back against a solid Monarch team. <strong>TJ Bamba</strong> is putting up some of the best numbers in the state as the future Washington State player is at 30 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. He is showing that he can score at ease from all three levels, he is a physically gifted athlete that can dunk the ball, shoot it and also is willing to play sound defense as well. If he keeps this up he will surely be a Mr. Basketball candidate as he and <strong>Ty Foster</strong>( 15 ppg, 6.0 rpg, and 6.5 apg) make up one of the most dangerous backcourts in the entire state. Foster is a high IQ guard that has an edge to him. He dunks the ball, wants to guard the opposing team's best guards and also feels out mismatches. He rebounds well as a point guard and also gets others involved as one of the best unsigned Seniors that the state has to offer. This is a game that will be fun as Lincoln has the guard play to shake things up against Grandview but the Wolves have the size. Lincoln is a team that wants to go, go, go and I do not see Grandview allowing that. Expect a grind it out game that the first team to 30 wins the game yet again.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Wednesday</strong></p> <p><strong>Legend versus Cherokee Trail</strong></p> <p>Legend had an early loss to Eaglecrest but bounced back with two impressive wins after that against two talented teams. <strong>Cam Le Van</strong> has led the way in the scoring department at 15 points a game and while his assists are down to start out the year he is still a player that is capable of taking over games by dissecting the defense and finding the open man. He is a high IQ guard that is surrounded by players such as <strong>Tanner Lamb</strong> (14.3 ppg) and big man <strong>Garrett</strong> <strong>Siebert</strong> (13.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) so it is a team that is capable of winning games inside-out.</p> <p>As for Cherokee Trail, although they are off to a 1-2 start it is a team that has to be taken seriously. Their two losses came in very close games against a talented Mountain Vista team and also a good Boulder team. They lost those two games by an average of three points look to bounce-back with another difficult test in Legend. <strong>Tre Titus</strong> has been one of the surprise standouts in the state. The Senior forward is averaging 20 points a game and also has 3.5 rebounds to go along with it. Alongside him in the frontcourt is <strong>Isaac Tesfaye</strong>. Tesfaye is putting up 16.5 and 7.5 rebounds a game. He is showing that he is a force down low and he competes on every single possession. This is a game that the big men will have to be the difference. Expect a high scoring back and forth affair where the bigs are the high scorers yet again.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Thursday</strong></p> <p><strong>Overland versus Columbine </strong></p> <p>Get your popcorn ready, this is going to be a game where we see two of the top players in the state going at it. No, they will not guard each other although they are both 6’8 but how they get it done is similar; yet different.</p> <p>For Columbine, make no mistake about it, it is all about future Colorado Buffalo<strong> Luke O’Brien</strong>. O’Brien had quite the opening game as he put up 26 points and 16 rebounds in the first game but against a team like Overland, he will have to be ready to see different looks as well as have others step up. We know what he can do but can <strong>Garrett Rogers, Tristan Alward or Jeff Potts</strong> assist him in trying to slay the giants that are a Top-5 team? Their hands will surely be full trying to see it as Overland is a deep bunch that is still finding their own. 6’10 standout <strong>Ike Graham</strong> is the engine for the Trailblazers. He scores down on the block with little to no answers on how to slow him down, he can extend the defense a bit and he has others around him that can make it happen as well. <strong>Vincas Veikalas</strong> is starting to come into his own and with the big man hobbled a bit after a close Thunderridge win he showed that he can get it done when called upon. <strong>Hezekiah Swanson</strong> is back but is still not himself. He is still one of the smarter guards that knows how to win, he gets it to open guys and with players such as <strong>Kaleb Chaney, Trevon Deden</strong> and now <strong>Marcus Cuasito</strong> in the mix they can show off their depth. This is a game that Overland has a chance to make a statement as a favorite, especially if Graham is back healthy and ready. If not, Columbine can prove they belong.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Friday</strong></p> <p><strong>Boulder versus Mountain Vista </strong></p> <p>On a day that looks like it will be driven by tournaments, it is great to see a battle between two talented teams that have started out on the right foot. Boulder has a three-headed Senior monster scoring combo of <strong>Caleb Wehmuller</strong> (12.0 ppg), <strong>Giles Schmid</strong> (11.0 ppg) and <strong>Pete Boyle</strong> (9.0. ppg) and that is without <strong>Tyler Turner</strong> yet having the type of games that he is capable of. They have a close loss to Legend and have Regis and Cherry Creek this week as well. They are not afraid to go up against some of the top teams in the state to prove themselves. This will be a good battle for them an barometer for how they will look this year.</p> <p>For Mountain Vista they have <strong>Reece Kelly</strong> (18 ppg, 8.0 rpg) coming out the gates blazing hot with junior guard <strong>Ben Bowen </strong>(14.5 ppg) and Senior guard <strong>Nathan Miller</strong> (12 ppg) all leading the way. That is a guard trio that can all get going at the same time, play off of each other with great chemistry and all have the ability to score inside and out. They also have Rhys Pulling and underclassmen <strong>Henry Gamble</strong> that play within the system and do whatever it takes to have their team on top. This is a talented bunch that shares the ball, has guards that are interchangeable and impressed in their initial two games. Boulder brings a different type of test so I fully expect this one to come down to the final possession.</p>