A look at each of the Class 6A Great 8 matchups set for Thursday at the 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, 7.3 rpg, 2.2 apg); Jhett Wells, 6-3, so. (15.0 ppg, 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, .3.8 apg); Garrett Barger, 6-9, jr. (11.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 0.8 bpg); SirDevin Roberts, 6-2, sr. (8.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg).
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 8 team 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 8 bid 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, 2.0 apg); Mac Terry, 6-4, sr. (14.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 4.4 apg); Nolan Kliewer, 6-8, sr. (8.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg). TR — Andrew Crawford, 6-6, sr. (14.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 5.2 apg); 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, 48-44. The Jaguars held T-Ridge to 36% shooting that night and finished 3-3 against 6A Great 8 teams 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. (12.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 2.3 apg); 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 5-3 against Class 6A/5A Great 8 teams, with junior guard Cal Baskind on a tear since Feb. 2 with averages of 25.1 points and 3.7 assists 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 70-61 thriller 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. (10.1 ppg, 9.4 rpg). CH — Gavin Carter, 6-2, sr. (22.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.9 apg); Christian Williams, 6-2, fr. (15.4 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 2.4 apg); Luke Howery, 6-3, fr. (6.2 ppg, 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 (21.6 ppg 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 14 straight 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. (12.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 2.4 apg); Allison Schwertner, 6-3, sr. (12.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 1.1 bpg); Tatum Jones, 6-2, jr. (6.6 ppg, 4.7 rpg).
What to know: Mullen arrives in the Coliseum fresh off a 49-45 upset of two-time defending 6A champion Grandview — a game that saw the freshman Jones make a star turn with 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists on 5-of-8 shooting. Next up is a Cherokee Trail squad led by Allen, a UTSA commit, that’s 21-0 against Colorado teams this season. That includes a 6-0 mark 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, 2.1 spg); Sienna Pillsbury, 5-9, sr. (9.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2.5 spg). VC — Quinn VanSickle, 5-8, jr. (18.6 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.5 spg); Peyton Jones, 5-11, so. (14.7 ppg, 2.3 spg); 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 8 upset, 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 24 of Valor’s games. Defensive-minded Rock Canyon, which has won seven straight since a four-game skid at mid-season, figures to put that streak to the test. While Valor is 0-2 against 6A Great 8 teams, 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.
Related Articles
Haley from the Heavens: Mead’s PG helps Mavs girls rally late; reach hoops quarterfinals
Keeler: Carl Mattei is back at Regis Jesuit on Friday, three years after “painful” Raiders divorce — only it’s with upset-minded Denver East: “I’ve moved on.”
Boys hoops: Monarch’s Van Nellessen dunks Denver South into season-ending loss
2024 Colorado state basketball tournament brackets, results
Ponderosa’s Tyler Eise cruises to another state title in dominant fashion, earning Class 5A’s Most Outstanding Wrestler
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, 3.8 rpg); Braelynn Barnett, 6-1, jr. (7.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg). RJ — Hana Belibi, 6-0, sr. (17.8 ppg, 8.4 rpg); 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 2025 trio of the Chambers girls and Barnett have reached the Great 8 and 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 19-1 against Colorado teams this winter, including a 60-56 win at Regis on Jan. 9 that saw Tianna Chambers score 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting. Regis is 11-2 since then, with the Harvard-bound Belibi scoring 37 over 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. (12.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 4.4 apg); Natalie Thornton, 5-6, sr. (12.1 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.4 apg); Kaitlin Schumann, 6-4, jr. (7.1 ppg, 7.9 rpg, 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 (52-42 at C.T.), but also find themselves in uncharted territory making their first Great 8 trip in program history. It’s a similar story for Horizon, which has won 16 straight 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.
Want more sports news? Sign up for the Sports Omelette to get all our analysis on Denver’s teams.