With roughly three weeks left before the end of the Colorado prep basketball regular season, storylines are starting to take shape. Here’s a look at five each for the boys and girls.
Boys
1. Rangeview redux: The Raiders and head coach Shawn Palmer were two wins away from an unbeaten championship season in 2020 before COVID-19 cut things short. Now a new cast of characters, led by senior transfer LaDavian King (16.5 points), sophomore Archie Weatherspoon (13.6) and 6-foot-5 freshman Marceles Duncan (14.1), have Rangeview (16-0) more than halfway there. The Raiders have already beaten Fruita Monument, Kent Denver, Northfield, Denver South and Grandview, but a rough-and-tumble 6A City League offers no days off. Still, the opportunity to finish what Obi Agbim & Co. started five years ago is out there.
2. Braketa Family affair: These are heady days in Arvada, where the Mustangs are off to their best start in program history (15-0 going into Saturday) as they eye their first trip to Denver Coliseum in 17 years. The engine powering what’s arguably Chris Braketa’s best team in eight seasons as R.V. head coach: his sharpshooting sons Caiden and Tanner, who’d made a combined 90 3s entering Saturday’s game vs. Arvada West while averaging 35.0 points and 9.6 assists on 46.6% shooting from the field. Tanner, a Northern Colorado commit, is the lone senior among R.V.’s top six scorers, so the Mustangs might just be getting started in Class 6A.
3. Mr. 2000: Valor Christian senior Cole Scherer put on a show leading the Eagles to the 6A title inside Denver Coliseum last winter, and the encore has been even better. The 6-foot-2 Eastern Washington commit entered the weekend leading the state at 29.1 points per game — to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.4 blocks on 54% shooting. If Scherer keeps that scoring pace up, a run at 2,000 career points isn’t out of the question. Only 13 players have crossed that threshold in state history. Scherer needed 277 after 15 games to be the 14th. Doable — but only if he and the Eagles (12-4) can make it back to the Coliseum.
4. Mesa Ridge three-peat?: A Grizzlies program that hadn’t won a single state title before 2023 is now chasing a 5A three-peat at No. 2 in the CHSAA RPI. Senior guard Bryce Riehl (18.2 points, 4.5 steals, 2.3 assists) is as productive as ever, even with his brother Tevin off to college, and the Grizzlies have won 14 straight since opening the season with a loss at Liberty. A one-point win over Lewis-Palmer, which just knocked off 5A contenders Lutheran (14-3) and Discovery Canyon (13-4) back-to-back, is getting better with age. But 5A remains wide open.
5. Denver’s best hope: Could it be … Denver West? The Cowboys haven’t reached the championship round since 1950 and have three winning seasons in 20 years, but they’re 14-1 with a solid six-man rotation led by 6-foot-4 senior Jeremiah Parker, who averages a double-double at 18.2 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. Kent Denver is No. 1 in the 4A CHSAA RPI, with West at No. 6 — the highest of any DPS boys program. Next week’s back-to-back vs. DSST: Conservatory Green (10-5) and DSST: Green Valley Ranch (10-5) should indicate whether these Cowboys are for real.
Girls
1. All-Americans: Grandview’s Sienna Betts and Peak to Peak’s Alexandra Eschmeyer became the 11th and 12th Colorado girls to be named McDonald’s All-Americans this week. But the seniors have another thing in common: They both have a shot at joining the exclusive 2,000/1,000 club. Only 11 girls have scored 2,000 points in state history, and just two of those girls — Grandview’s Michaela Onyenwere (2013-17) and Fowler’s Cari Jensen (1996-2000) — also grabbed 1,000 rebounds. Betts (1,314) and Eschmeyer (1,069) already have the boards. The hard part is crossing 2,000 points. Betts was the closest entering the weekend at 1,758, with Eschmeyer at 1,726. Both need long playoff runs. With Betts’ Wolves the top-ranked team in the 6A CHSAA RPI, the UCLA commit likely has the best shot.
2. Filling it up: Riverdale Ridge junior Brihanna Crittendon’s assault on the CHSAA record books has continued even after the Ravens jumped from 4A to 6A. The 6-foot-3 forward passed the 2,000-point mark last week and is averaging 26.8 points per game, keeping her on pace to chase Tracy Hill’s 42-year-old scoring record (2,934) next winter. Last year’s 4A champions are hanging tough at the 6A level, posting an 11-5 record that includes losses to Grandview (62-53), Legend (64-58) and Cherry Creek (68-65). Crittendon’s biggest hurdle might be getting enough games to get there.
3. Going for two: Valor Christian may be No. 2 in the 6A CHSAA RPI, but the defending champs have every reason to believe they’re still the best team in the state. The Eagles (14-2) have beaten six of the top 10 teams in the 6A RPI, including No. 1 Grandview and No. 5 Broomfield, and haven’t lost to a Colorado team in nearly a full calendar year. Forward Peyton Jones has made “the leap” as a junior, putting up averages of 25.3 points and 3.9 steals on 55% shooting, and Pepperdine commit Quinn VanSickle is as dangerous as ever. A third state title in five years is in play.
4. Rare Air: The last two Air Academy seasons ended in similarly heartbreaking fashion with the Kadets squandering double-digit leads in the Coliseum — including last year’s Final Four loss to Northfield. But Kansas commit Tatyonna Brown (19.7 points, 8.2 rebounds) and junior Kinley Asp (13.2 points, 3.8 assists) have Air Academy 17-0 and No. 1 in the 5A CHSAA RPI, including a win over 6A power Pine Creek. Is this the year the Kadets end two-time defending champion Roosevelt’s run of dominance? Is Mullen, which dropped down to 5A, or Mead lurking?
5. D’Evelyn undaunted: Talented seniors Peyton Marvel and Macy Scheer graduated last spring, yet Chris Olson’s girls basketball machine continues to churn on. The Jaguars entered the weekend 16-0 and No. 2 behind fellow unbeaten University in the 4A CHSAA RPI. D’Evelyn has fallen a game short of a 4A championship each of the last two winters, including an undefeated run to the 2023 final that ended in heartbreak vs. Holy Family. Can this group, led by super sophomore Colleen Monahan (16.3 ppg), finish the job? Don’t be surprised if the Jags are in the mix — again.
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