Scouting Thursday’s Great 8 games at Denver Coliseum
BOYS No. 1 Fruita Monument (25-0) vs. No. 8 Eaglecrest (18-7)
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Players to watch: FM — Daniel Thomason, 6-6, jr. (16.5 ppg, 7.3rpg, 2.2apg); Jhett Wells, 6-3, so. (15.0ppg, 4.7 rpg, 2.1 spg, 1.0 bpg); Max Orchard, 6-2, sr. (11.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.4 apg). EAG — Ladavian King, 6-2, jr. (17.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, .3.8apg); Garrett Barger, 6-9, jr. (11.8ppg, 6.4rpg, 0.8 bpg); Sirdevin Roberts, 6-2, sr. (8.1ppg, 4.5rpg).
What to know: A few eyebrows were raised when the Western Slope’s Fruita Monument, a program that last won a state title in 1983, earned the top seed in the 6A bracket. The Wildcats played just one Great 8team this winter (5A Northfield), but they are the only unbeaten left at the Coliseum. Now comes their toughest test to date: An Eaglecrest squad that’s been on the big stage before — this is the Raptors’ second Great 8bid in three years — and features a talented tandem in King and Barger.
No. 5 Rock Canyon (20-5) vs. No. 4 Thunderridge (20-5)
Time: 10:15 a.m.
Players to watch: RC — Kasen Lehman, 6-5, jr. (15.1 ppg, 2.0apg); Mac Terry, 6-4, sr. (14.9ppg, 5.4rpg, 4.4apg); Nolan Kliewer, 6-8, sr. (8.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg). TR — Andrew Crawford, 6-6, sr. (14.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 5.2apg); Charlie Spann, 6-5, sr. (19.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.0 bpg); Tommy Wight, 6-8, sr. (14.7 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 2.5 apg).
What to know: A pair of Continental League rivals meet in a rematch of a Jan. 26 game claimed by Rock Canyon, 4844. The Jaguars held T-ridge to 36% shooting that night and finished 3-3against 6A Great 8teams this winter. This is their third straight trip to Denver Coliseum, with the previous two visits ending in the quarterfinals. The Grizzlies are looking for their third state title in four years under Joe Ortiz, who recently claimed his 500th coaching win. Led by the Cu-bound Crawford, the Grizzlies are again long, talented and deep.
No. 2 Mountain Vista (21-4)
vs. No. 7 Smoky Hill (19-6)
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Players to watch: MV — Cal Baskind, 6-1, jr. (18.7 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.8 spg); Oliver Junker, 6-5, so. (11.6 ppg, 11.2 rpg, 3.3 bpg); Jacob Hoefs, 6-2, sr. (11.6 ppg, 5.3 apg, 2.1 spg). SH — Kevin Sylla, 6-8, sr. (13.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.0 bpg); Kaylan Graham, 6-5, jr. (12.7ppg, 3.5rpg, 2.3apg); Carter Basquez, 6-6, so. (11.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 4.4 apg).
What to know: A year after both teams were eliminated by eventual 6A champion Denver East, Mountain Vista and Smoky Hill return to the Coliseum. Mountain Vista went through a gauntlet to get here, going 5-3against Class 6A/5A Great 8teams, with junior guard Cal Baskind on a tear since Feb. 2with averages of 25.1points and 3.7assists on 46.5% 3-point shooting. Smoky counters with a long, athletic lineup that’s developed a knack for winning tight games: Three of the Buffs’ last four wins came in OT, including a 70-61thriller over Regis Jesuit in the Sweet 16.
No. 6 Valor Christian (23-2) vs. No. 3 Chaparral (20-5)
Time: 1:15 p.m.
Players to watch: VC — Cole Scherer, 6-2, jr. (21.6 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 4.1 apg); Eli Kim, 6-1, sr. (12.6 ppg, 2.0 apg); Brady Wynja, 6-6, jr. (10.1ppg, 9.4rpg). CH — Gavin Carter, 6-2, sr. (22.4ppg, 4.8rpg, 3.9apg); Christian Williams, 6-2, fr. (15.4ppg, 4.6rpg, 2.4apg); Luke Howery, 6-3, fr. (6.2ppg, 5.9 rpg, 3.6 apg).
What to know: Two of the state’s most efficient scorers face off in this one, with Valor’s Scherer (21.6ppg on 50% shooting) and Chaparral’s Carter (22.4, 52%) set to trade haymakers in an afternoon showdown. Both teams enter the Coliseum red hot, with Valor winning 14straight since suffering a two-point loss at Smoky Hill on Jan. 8, and Chaparral on a 10-game heater that saw the Wolverines lock up first place in the Continental League — easily the toughest, deepest league in the state.
GIRLS No. 1 Cherokee Trail (23-2) vs. No. 9 Mullen (17-8)
Time: 4 p.m.
Players to watch: CT — Damara Allen, 5-10, sr. (11.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.7 spg); Delainey Miller, 5-10, jr. (11.2 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.3 apg); Madeline Gibbs, 5-11, jr. (8.6 ppg, 3.7 rpg). MU — Makenzie Jones, 5-11, fr. (12.8ppg, 5.6rpg, 2.4apg); Allison Schwertner, 6-3, sr. (12.0ppg, 6.0rpg, 1.1bpg); Tatum Jones, 6-2, jr. (6.6ppg, 4.7rpg).
What to know: Mullen arrives in the Coliseum fresh off a 49-45upset of two-time defending 6A champion Grandview — a game that saw the freshman Jones make a star turn with 15points, seven rebounds and five assists on 5-of-8shooting. Next up is a Cherokee Trail squad led by Allen, a UTSA commit, that’s 21-0against Colorado teams this season. That includes a 6-0mark against 6A Great 8 squads, with two of those wins coming against Mullen by a combined margin of 32 points.
No. 12 Rock Canyon (20-5)
vs. No. 4 Valor Christian (20-4)
Time: 11:45 a.m.
Players to watch: RC — Brooke Harding, 5-10, jr. (13.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.8 apg); Sarah Davis, 5-7, sr. (11.9 ppg, 2.1 apg, 2.1spg); Sienna Pillsbury, 5-9, sr. (9.8ppg, 6.3rpg,
2.5 spg). VC — Quinn Vansickle, 5-8, jr. (18.6 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.5spg); Peyton Jones, 5-11, so. (14.7ppg, 2.3spg); Rylie Beers, 5-10, jr. (10.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.6 apg).
What to know: A year after top-seeded Valor Christian fell to Arapahoe in a Great 8upset, the Eagles return to the Coliseum looking to advance to the Final Four for the fourth time in five years. Vansickle is as consistent as they come, having scored in double-digits in all 24of Valor’s games. Defensive-minded Rock Canyon, which has won seven straight, figures to put that streak to the test. While Valor is 0-2against 6A Great 8teams, Rock Canyon is 0-3 with the margin of defeat 17.0 points.
No. 2 Cherry Creek (21-4)
vs. No. 7 Regis Jesuit (18-7)
Time: 7 p.m.
Players to watch: CC — Tianna Chambers, 6-0, jr. (16.0 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.0 spg); A’neya Chambers, 5-10, jr. (9.0 ppg, 3.8rpg); Braelynn Barnett, 6-1, jr. (7.4ppg, 4.5rpg). RJ — Hana Belibi, 6-0, sr. (17.8ppg, 8.4rpg); Coryn Watts, 5-7, sr. (16.2 ppg, 4.6 apg, 2.6 spg); Jane Rumpf, 6-2, jr. (9.5 ppg, 8.0 rpg).
What to know: The Bruins’ talented Class of 2025trio of the Chambers girls and Barnett have reached the Great 8and Final Four each of the past two seasons. Now it’s time to take the last step. Outside of two narrow losses to Cherokee Trail, the Bruins are 19-1against Colorado teams this winter, including a 60-56 win at Regis on Jan. 9 that saw Tianna Chambers score 23points on 8-of-16shooting. Regis is 11-2since then, with the Harvard-bound Belibi scoring 37over the past two games.
No. 6 Horizon (23-2) vs. No. 3 Legend (23-2)
Time: 8:45 a.m.
Players to watch: HOR — Morgan Ives, 5-6, sr. (12.4ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.4 apg); Natalie Thornton, 5-6, sr. (12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4apg); Kaitlin Schumann, 6-4, jr. (7.1ppg, 7.9rpg, 2.3 bpg). LEG — Mason Borcherding, 6-1, jr. (12.4 ppg,
8.0 rpg); Katie Lamb, 5-8, sr. (10.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.3 apg); Maley Wilhelm, 5-7, jr. (9.4 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 3.8 spg).
What to know: Two of the hottest teams in 6A meet in the lid-lifter for the state tournament inside the Coliseum. Legend has not only won 13 in a row, but it previously beat Horizon 70-53 back on Nov. 30 with five players scoring in double-figures. The Titans have just one contested loss on their resume (52-42at C.T.), but also find themselves in uncharted territory making their first Great 8trip in program history. It’s a similar story for Horizon, which has won 16straight and is back in the Coliseum for the first time since making four straight trips from 2016-19. All four of those ended in the Great 8.