AURORA | The city has only one school that plays boys and girls basketball in Class 4A — Vista PEAK — but making the postseason will be tougher for it in the future.
A proposal to keep the 4A boys and girls state tournaments at 48 teams went down to defeat at Thursday’s Colorado High School Activities Association Legistlative Council meeting, giving way to a 32-team field for at least the next two seasons.
Travel issues and a preponderance of blowouts in the first round were among the driving forces in the change in 4A. The Jeffco League submitted a proposal to keep the playoff field the same size — citing the fact more teams will join the classification next year — but it went down by a 38-32 vote.
“I don’t like it; I heard it was coming, but two years ago our playoff loss really propelled us to the good year we had this year,” Vista PEAK boys basketball coach Josh Brenning said of the change.
“With the new format, we would not have had that experience,” he added. “I think 4A’s getting a raw deal.”
Indeed, Brenning’s team finished 9-15 and lost to Discovery Canyon by 20 points in the first round of the 4A state tournament in 2012-13, but in part used the lessons learned during a 19-6 record this season that ended in a loss to eventual state champion Pueblo East in the Sweet 16. The Bison received a first-round bye by virtue of winning the Colorado 7 championship.
The Vista PEAK girls suffered an 88-39 loss to Pueblo County in the first round of the 4A tournament this season and fell to Longmont 65-18 in 2012-13, when it made the postseason despite a 3-20 regular season record.
Aurora’s other 10 schools compete in 5A, which has a 48-team state tournament bracket.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel
