Plenty to look for as hoops season rolls on

Through the opening weeks of the winter sports season, local fans caught a glimpse of what the new year could hold for boys basketball. That small sampling of games, however, also led to some exciting questions concerning the sport in the area.

A look at some headlines that may emerge:

How far can Kyle Blauch take the Panthers?

Through its first six games of the season, Boulder has been able to put together an impressive 4-2 record, including its two singledigit losses to Denver East and Arvada West. Much of that success has fallen into the hands of the Panthers’ 6-foot-7 star, senior center Kyle Blauch, who sits at third in Class 6A with 21.3 points per game and second in rebounds with 12 per game. This year, he has a little help on the scoring end thanks to senior guard Riley Stein (15.8 ppg) and junior guard Cole Morrow (13.7 ppg), as the Panthers look to make some noise in conference play.

How high can the Eagles fly?

Coming into the new year, Broomfield’s boys were ranked No. 11 in a stacked 6A list, according to CHSAA’S Selection & Seeding Index. The Eagles continued their trend of strong gameplay during the nonleague portion of their schedule, including an impressive 77-71 victory over No. 16 Overland. While the team tends to rebound by committee, it has been able to rely on a few solid scorers to continue to add ticks to the win column. Junior Andrew Effland leads that category with 14.1 ppg, but juniors Joey Cook and Blaes Kane are right on his tail with 13.9 and 10.9 points, respectively. Their road forward won’t be easy, however, as all but one of their remaining regularseason opponents ranks within the top 50 in CHSAA’S Index.

Who will reign supreme in the NCAC?

Last year, the Northern Colorado Athletics Conference proved one of the toughest boys basketball leagues in the state. Holy Family illuminated that notion by sprinting through the postseason toward a Class 4A state title following a bit of a rocky run through its largely-5a