Put a little more emphasis on the word sweet when you consider the 16 teams remaining in the Class 4A boys state tournament.
You like surprises? Pueblo South, one of the No. 1 seeds, is gone after getting thrashed by eighth-seeded Widefield – an intriguing dark horse along with Pueblo East.
Experience? All of last season’s final four teams – Thomas Jefferson, Harrison, Golden and Longmont – are still alive.
Rivalries? Got ’em, both young and old. Broomfield and Silver Creek will continue their budding Northern League grudge, and longtime Colorado Springs rivals Sierra and Harrison will lock horns.
Standout individuals worth the price of admission? Absolutely. Check out 2005 player of the year Pierre Allen (from Thomas Jefferson), scoring machines Devon Beitzel (Centaurus), Curtis Ashe (Sierra) and Kendall Banning (Silver Creek), silky smooth guard Travess Armenta (Longmont) or the big-man tandem of Andrew Hooper and Spencer Gardner (D’Evelyn).
How about that mysterious high seed you probably haven’t seen? Try No. 2 Battle Mountain, from the snowy reaches of Minturn.
Need an excuse not to get off your couch and watch some hoops? Haven’t got one, as the four sites – Denver, Pueblo, Greeley and Grand Junction – have the state pretty well covered.
“Playtime is over,” TJ coach Grant Laman said.
The defending champion Spartans (15-9) are a big reason the Guy Gibbs Region, based at the University of Northern Colorado, is the marquee foursome this week. TJ faces 2005 semifinalist Longmont (17-7) tonight and could get a rematch Saturday of last season’s semifinal if top-seeded Golden (16-8) gets past Liberty (17-7).
“They certainly put all the experience in one side,” Laman said.
Golden coach John Anderson calls the group “loaded,” but he is more concerned with getting his team to forget about its high seed.
“I told them to start acting like an eight seed again,” Anderson said.
The Demons get an intriguing matchup with Liberty tonight. Both teams have good depth, size, outside shooting and guards who can change the tempo.
But the Demons have grit. Expect them to settle in to their us-against-the-world mentality and to push the limit physically.
“We always play to the level of competition,” Anderson said. “Some people look at that as a curse and I look at it as a blessing, because there are some darn good teams out there.”
In the Jim Baggot Region, based at Metro State, Beitzel leads the Warriors (18-6), who are fresh off setting a school record Saturday against Fountain-Fort Carson. Beitzel, a senior, broke his mark of 45 points by shooting 19-for-19 from the foul line to finish with 47.
“He’s going at a heck of a pace,” Centaurus coach Mike Leahy said.
Centaurus faces surprising No. 6 Pueblo East (15-9), which drilled Cheyenne Mountain to advance. Top-seeded Broomfield (18-6) will try to beat rival Silver Creek (19-6) for the second time this season.
The ties run deeper in the Ron Shavlik Region, based at Colorado State’s Pueblo campus, where Sierra coach Brent Garretson will be opposite a former student in Harrison coach Jerry Austin. Garretson coached Austin throughout junior high and again as a junior and senior.
Sierra (16-8) beat Harrison (16-9) in the regular season, making this game unusual.
“As far as I know, I don’t think we’ve ever played Harrison in the playoffs,” Garretson said.
Garretson said the Stallions have been lifted by Ashe, who had 26 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists and six steals in Saturday’s win over Pueblo Central.
Ralston Valley (19-6) is the next target for Widefield (14-9).
Mesa State in Grand Junction hosts the Bill Weimar Region, the only region to go according to plan.
Top-ranked D’Evelyn (20-4) will take on No. 4 Greeley Central (17-7) and No. 2 Battle Mountain (21-2) faces third-seeded Evergreen (17-7).
