Saturday’s prep roundup: Coronado scores second road win this week to advance to round of 16
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Coronado 59, Palisade 56
At Palisade: Since Wednesday, Coronado has traveled some 1,100 miles in consecutive trips to the Western Slope. And the Cougars won’t be complaining when the bus fires up Wednesday and heads north to Longmont.
Jalen Austin hit a tiebreaking jumper in the final minute, and Brycen Scherr scored a team-high 22 points as No. 44 Coronado (9-16) stunned 12th-seeded Palisade to advance to the 4A round of 16 for the first time in some 15 years.
Next up for the Cougars is a tilt at No. 5 Mead on Wednesday.
“I’d rather be traveling than staying home,” Cougars coach David Thomas said. “We played in a 5A league, and every team we played was bigger than us. We’ve just learned how to scrap and play within ourselves. We’ve hit a rhythm. We’re going in and playing teams that are ranked higher than us, but we know we’ve seen everything there is to see.”
Earlier this week, Coronado (8-16) knocked No. 21 Rifle out of the playoffs after a 66-62 win.
Palisade held a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
F-FC 64, Arvada West 54
At Arvada: Rashon Barron scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in the first half and James Saunders added 15 to lead No. 19 Fountain-Fort Carson past No. 14 Arvada West for the Trojans’ first journey into the 5A round of 16 since 2012.
Keyshawn Maltbia chipped in with 12 points for F-FC (18-7), which will travel to Aurora on Wednesday to play third-ranked Rangeview.
The Trojans set the tone with a 15-7 first-quarter run and led by as many as 12 in the first half.
Sierra 64, Pueblo West 56
At Pueblo West: Imani Grigsby’s 3-pointer with 2:07 left gave Sierra the lead for good, and Eddie Whitmore poured in a game-high 20 points as the No. 27 Stallions knocked No. 6 Pueblo West out of the 4A playoffs.
Isaiah Wilburn added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Stallions (14-11), who next will meet former league foe and No. 11-ranked Cheyenne Mountain in a round of 16 game Wednesday.
Sierra outscored the Cyclones (19-5) by a 24-15 margin in the fourth quarter.
Cheyenne Mountain 88, Widefield 76
At Cheyenne Mountain: Nicholas Bassett led four scorers in double figures with 23 points, Javonte Johnson eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau, and No. 11 Cheyenne Mountain sizzled from the floor in a 4A second-round victory over No. 22 Widefield.
Johnson, a junior, entered the game with 999 career points and added 19 for the Indians (19-5), who also got 17 points from Jaedn Harrison and 13 from Brad Helton.
Cheyenne Mountain connected on 54 percent of its shots from the field and jumped out to a 28-15 lead in the first quarter and never trailed.
Tim Mewborn had 27 points and Randall Days added 20 to pace Widefield (15-10), which trailed by as many as 15 and pulled to within 73-69 in the fourth quarter but got no closer.
Harrison 55, Alameda 52
At Harrison: Donta Dawson scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Aumiere Shedrick added a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 10 Harrison built a big lead and held off No. 23 Alameda for the Panthers’ first playoff victory since 2011.
Harrison (20-4) will host No. 26 Golden in a round of 16 game Wednesday after the Demons’ road win at No. 7 Glenwood Springs earlier Saturday.
The Panthers led 28-13 at halftime but saw that advantage reduced to only six points heading into the fourth quarter.
Longmont 78, Discovery Canyon 48
At Longmont: No. 2 Longmont began defense of its 4A state title in emphatic fashion in blowing out No. 34 Discovery Canyon.
It wasn’t a runaway from the start, though. The Thunder (11-14), who was led by Daryn Whisman’s 19 points and 12 more from Zack Anderson, trailed just 18-13 after the game’s first eight minutes.
Longmont took command with a 20-9 edge in the second quarter, and carried a 59-32 cushion into the fourth quarter.
Lewis-Palmer 69, Ponderosa 52
At Lewis-Palmer: Matthew Ragsdale scored a season-high 28 points and tied a career best with six 3-pointers, and Joel Scott added 24 points to power No. 1 Lewis-Palmer into the 4A round of 16.
The Rangers (24-0) will host No. 17 Greeley Central (16-9) on Wednesday.
Lewis-Palmer held a 29-21 lead at halftime but took control after a 20-7 run in the third quarter.
“At halftime, we talked about staying disciplined,” Rangers coach Bill Benton said. “And hitting the offensive boards a little harder.”
Greeley Central 54, TCA 49
At The Classical Academy: Micah Lamberth had a team-high 20 points, Kade Walker added 15, but No. 16 TCA struggled early in a 4A second-round playoff loss to No. 17 Greeley Central.
The Titans (17-7) trailed 25-20 at halftime but cut the deficit to just one point heading into the fourth quarter.
Steamboat Springs 61, Canon City 30
At Steamboat Springs: No. 30 Canon City (15-10) managed only eight points in the first half and never recovered in a 4A second-round loss to No. 3 Steamboat Springs.
St. Mary’s 58, Manitou Springs 56
At Pueblo Central: Sam Howery and Gabe Calhoun each scored 14 points as St. Mary’s rallied from a 20-point deficit to down Manitou Springs in the 3A Tri-Peaks League tournament’s third-place game.
Luke Stockelman added 12 points for the Pirates (17-5), who trailed 31-11 early in the second quarter but outscored Manitou Springs by a 41-22 margin in the second half.
Isaiah Thomas and Joah Armour both scored 13 points to lead the Mustangs (11-12).
Simla 35, Peyton 29
At City Auditorium: Simla, the top seed in the 2A District 8 tournament, used a 15-5 run in the fourth quarter to rally past No. 3 Peyton (14-8) and claim the title.
Thomas MacLaren 52, Dolores Huerta Prep 48
At City Auditorium: Fourth-seed Thomas MacLaren took third place at the 2A District 8 tournament after holding off Dolores Huerta Prep.
The Highlanders (9-11) led by 10 early and held a 25-22 advantage at halftime.
ECA 50, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 36
At City Auditorium: Jason Holt led all scorers with 24 points to lead Evangelical Christian Academy to the 1A District 7 championship.
Brayden Hekkers added 10 points for the Eagles (18-3), who led by three at halftime but broke the game open with a 19-7 run in the third quarter to extend their winning streak to 13 games.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Salida 47, Manitou Springs 36
At Pueblo Central: Manitou Springs (14-8) fell short in the third-place game at the 3A Tri-Peaks League tournament.
Simla 33, CSS 26
At City Auditorium: Second-seeded Simla stopped No. 4 Colorado Springs School (14-8) in the 2A District 8 championship game, the Kodiaks’ second loss to the Cubs in nine days.
Peyton 34, Calhan 20
At City Auditorium: No. 1 Peyton (17-5) rebounded from Friday’s semifinal loss to Colorado Springs School at the 2A District 8 tournament with a wire-to-wire win over third-seeded Calhan (12-10) in the third-place game.
Saturday’s prep roundup: Coronado scores second road win this week to advance to round of 16
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Coronado 59, Palisade 56
At Palisade: Since Wednesday, Coronado has traveled some 1,100 miles in consecutive trips to the Western Slope. And the Cougars won’t be complaining when the bus fires up Wednesday and heads north to Longmont.
Jalen Austin hit a tiebreaking jumper in the final minute, and Brycen Scherr scored a team-high 22 points as No. 44 Coronado (9-16) stunned 12th-seeded Palisade to advance to the 4A round of 16 for the first time in some 15 years.
Next up for the Cougars is a tilt at No. 5 Mead on Wednesday.
“I’d rather be traveling than staying home,” Cougars coach David Thomas said. “We played in a 5A league, and every team we played was bigger than us. We’ve just learned how to scrap and play within ourselves. We’ve hit a rhythm. We’re going in and playing teams that are ranked higher than us, but we know we’ve seen everything there is to see.”
Earlier this week, Coronado (8-16) knocked No. 21 Rifle out of the playoffs after a 66-62 win.
Palisade held a 41-39 lead into the fourth quarter.
F-FC 64, Arvada West 54
At Arvada: Rashon Barron scored 10 of his team-high 16 points in the first half and James Saunders added 15 to lead No. 19 Fountain-Fort Carson past No. 14 Arvada West for the Trojans’ first journey into the 5A round of 16 since 2012.
Keyshawn Maltbia chipped in with 12 points for F-FC (18-7), which will travel to Aurora on Wednesday to play third-ranked Rangeview.
The Trojans set the tone with a 15-7 first-quarter run and led by as many as 12 in the first half.
Sierra 64, Pueblo West 56
At Pueblo West: Imani Grigsby’s 3-pointer with 2:07 left gave Sierra the lead for good, and Eddie Whitmore poured in a game-high 20 points as the No. 27 Stallions knocked No. 6 Pueblo West out of the 4A playoffs.
Isaiah Wilburn added 18 points and eight rebounds for the Stallions (14-11), who next will meet former league foe and No. 11-ranked Cheyenne Mountain in a round of 16 game Wednesday.
Sierra outscored the Cyclones (19-5) by a 24-15 margin in the fourth quarter.
Cheyenne Mountain 88, Widefield 76
At Cheyenne Mountain: Nicholas Bassett led four scorers in double figures with 23 points, Javonte Johnson eclipsed the 1,000-point plateau, and No. 11 Cheyenne Mountain sizzled from the floor in a 4A second-round victory over No. 22 Widefield.
Johnson, a junior, entered the game with 999 career points and added 19 for the Indians (19-5), who also got 17 points from Jaedn Harrison and 13 from Brad Helton.
Cheyenne Mountain connected on 54 percent of its shots from the field and jumped out to a 28-15 lead in the first quarter and never trailed.
Tim Mewborn had 27 points and Randall Days added 20 to pace Widefield (15-10), which trailed by as many as 15 and pulled to within 73-69 in the fourth quarter but got no closer.
Harrison 55, Alameda 52
At Harrison: Donta Dawson scored 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, Aumiere Shedrick added a double-double of 10 points and 13 rebounds, and No. 10 Harrison built a big lead and held off No. 23 Alameda for the Panthers’ first playoff victory since 2011.
Harrison (20-4) will host No. 26 Golden in a round of 16 game Wednesday after the Demons’ road win at No. 7 Glenwood Springs earlier Saturday.
The Panthers led 28-13 at halftime but saw that advantage reduced to only six points heading into the fourth quarter.
Longmont 78, Discovery Canyon 48
At Longmont: No. 2 Longmont began defense of its 4A state title in emphatic fashion in blowing out No. 34 Discovery Canyon.
It wasn’t a runaway from the start, though. The Thunder (11-14), who was led by Daryn Whisman’s 19 points and 12 more from Zack Anderson, trailed just 18-13 after the game’s first eight minutes.
Longmont took command with a 20-9 edge in the second quarter, and carried a 59-32 cushion into the fourth quarter.
Lewis-Palmer 69, Ponderosa 52
At Lewis-Palmer: Matthew Ragsdale scored a season-high 28 points and tied a career best with six 3-pointers, and Joel Scott added 24 points to power No. 1 Lewis-Palmer into the 4A round of 16.
The Rangers (24-0) will host No. 17 Greeley Central (16-9) on Wednesday.
Lewis-Palmer held a 29-21 lead at halftime but took control after a 20-7 run in the third quarter.
“At halftime, we talked about staying disciplined,” Rangers coach Bill Benton said. “And hitting the offensive boards a little harder.”
Greeley Central 54, TCA 49
At The Classical Academy: Micah Lamberth had a team-high 20 points, Kade Walker added 15, but No. 16 TCA struggled early in a 4A second-round playoff loss to No. 17 Greeley Central.
The Titans (17-7) trailed 25-20 at halftime but cut the deficit to just one point heading into the fourth quarter.
Steamboat Springs 61, Canon City 30
At Steamboat Springs: No. 30 Canon City (15-10) managed only eight points in the first half and never recovered in a 4A second-round loss to No. 3 Steamboat Springs.
St. Mary’s 58, Manitou Springs 56
At Pueblo Central: Sam Howery and Gabe Calhoun each scored 14 points as St. Mary’s rallied from a 20-point deficit to down Manitou Springs in the 3A Tri-Peaks League tournament’s third-place game.
Luke Stockelman added 12 points for the Pirates (17-5), who trailed 31-11 early in the second quarter but outscored Manitou Springs by a 41-22 margin in the second half.
Isaiah Thomas and Joah Armour both scored 13 points to lead the Mustangs (11-12).
Simla 35, Peyton 29
At City Auditorium: Simla, the top seed in the 2A District 8 tournament, used a 15-5 run in the fourth quarter to rally past No. 3 Peyton (14-8) and claim the title.
Thomas MacLaren 52, Dolores Huerta Prep 48
At City Auditorium: Fourth-seed Thomas MacLaren took third place at the 2A District 8 tournament after holding off Dolores Huerta Prep.
The Highlanders (9-11) led by 10 early and held a 25-22 advantage at halftime.
ECA 50, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 36
At City Auditorium: Jason Holt led all scorers with 24 points to lead Evangelical Christian Academy to the 1A District 7 championship.
Brayden Hekkers added 10 points for the Eagles (18-3), who led by three at halftime but broke the game open with a 19-7 run in the third quarter to extend their winning streak to 13 games.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Salida 47, Manitou Springs 36
At Pueblo Central: Manitou Springs (14-8) fell short in the third-place game at the 3A Tri-Peaks League tournament.
Simla 33, CSS 26
At City Auditorium: Second-seeded Simla stopped No. 4 Colorado Springs School (14-8) in the 2A District 8 championship game, the Kodiaks’ second loss to the Cubs in nine days.
Peyton 34, Calhan 20
At City Auditorium: No. 1 Peyton (17-5) rebounded from Friday’s semifinal loss to Colorado Springs School at the 2A District 8 tournament with a wire-to-wire win over third-seeded Calhan (12-10) in the third-place game.