Sterling boys hoops prepares for playoffs

Sterling boys basketball put together a strong enough resume to earn the No. 11 seed for the Class 4A state tournament. On Wednesday, they’ll begin their postseason journey when they host No. 22 Coal Ridge, who will be traveling from clear across the state.

Throughout their 16-7 run through the regular season, the Tigers enjoyed strong offensive production from junior Ethan Thyne and junior Colin Linn, who netted 14.3 and 13.7 points per game, respectively.

The team rebounded the ball well with 30.5 boards per game, and shared it nearly as well with 12.3 assists per game. They didn’t fashion themselves as thieves quite as much, only securing 8.4 steals per game.

The Tigers placed second in the 4A Patriot League (10-2 record) behind the undefeated Resurrection Christian, which undoubtedly contributed to their high seed. Second-seeded Resurrection Christian, No. 18 Eaton and No. 23 Berthoud rounded out the Patriot League representation in the 4A state tournament.

Coal Ridge, on the other hand, will be entering the first round with a 13-10 record and second place in their own Western Slope League (9-5). They, too, boast two players averaging double-digit scoring in Lochlan Wade (11.6 points per game) and Ben Simons (11 points per game).

They even rebound (31.2 per game), assist (13.5 per game) and steal (11.5 per game) the ball a bit better than the Tigers. No. 10 Aspen, No. 24 Steamboat Springs, No. 26 Summit, No. 29 Delta and No. 31 Basalt will join them in the postseason from the Western Slope. The Tigers shouldn’t estimate a team coming from such a tough league.

Tip-off for Wednesday’s contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Should the Tigers pull out the victory, they’ll then move on to play the winner of No. 6 Riverdale Ridge and No. 27 The Classical Academy on Saturday.