AURORA | Capsule preview look at the 2025 Class 5A boys state basketball first round playoff matchups involving an Aurora teams set for Feb. 25, 2025 (full bracket, schedule):
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2025 CLASS 5A BOYS BASKETBALL FIRST ROUND CAPSULES
NO. 38 AURORA CENTRAL (11-12) at NO. 27 PUEBLO EAST (16-7), 6 p.m.
BREAKDOWN: Aurora Central is back in the postseason for the first time since the 2022 season, when it was part of the then-4A postseason and lost on the road at Roosevelt. The last postseason victory for the Trojans came the season before that, as they beat Palisade to open the 2021 4A playoffs and lost to Windsor in the Sweet 16. Coach Marcus Shelton’s team finished in third place at the Colorado League tournament to conclude the regular season with a 67-42 win over Adams City that snapped a four-game losing streak. …For the season, Aurora Central (which averages 51.6 points per game) is paced offensively by junior guard Alex Flores, a 1,000-point career scorer in three varsity seasons who is averaging a career-best 18.3 points per game, while sophomore Deon Davis Jr. is next at 9.0 points per game. Senior Christ Tah, a transfer, has come on later in the season and averages 6.8 points per contest, while sophomore guard Ual Yonas is next at 6.0. Senior Gabou (Ben) Camara has emerged as a defensive key and leads the team in rebounding at 6.9 per contest (just in front of Davis Jr.’s 6.8) plus 2.7 blocked shots per contest. The Trojans yield an average of 54.8 points per contest and have been better on that end of the floor of late in Shelton’s estimation. …Pueblo East missed postseason play last season, but bumped its win total from seven in 2023-24 to 16 this season. Coach Mike Massaro’s Eagles bring a six-game winning streak into the postseason and defense has been a big reason, as they have allowed a maximum of 50 points during the win streak and yield just an average of 43.3 points defensively for the season. Pueblo East’s offense generates an average of 49.4 points per contest and is led by a duo of double-digit scorer in seniors Jaden Garcia (13.4 ppg) and Izaiah Trujillo (12.5 ppg). Trujillo also leads the team in rebounding at 8.0 per contest, just in front of junior Enzo Pecoraro (7.7 points, 6.9 rebounds). …The teams have two common opponents this season as both defeated Englewood (Aurora Central won 62-50 and Pueblo East won 45-39) plus Skyview (which Pueblo East topped 49-33 and Aurora Central swept in Colorado League play with wins of 48-40 and 54-44. …WINNER GETS: The Aurora Central/Pueblo East winner moves into a second round matchup on Feb. 28 at No. 6 Windsor (17-6).
NO. 40 GATEWAY (9-14) AT NO. 25 SAND CREEK (17-6), 6:30 p.m.
BREAKDOWN: Gateway missed out on the postseason last year after it made the 2023 5A postseason, when it was the No. 32 seed in the 32-team tournament and lost to Air Academy in the first round. The Olys last playoff victory came in the 2011 5A postseason when they defeated Rocky Mountain in the first round before they lost to Fruita Monument in the second round. Coach Nicholas Dixon’s Olys sat on the outside of the playoff picture going into the last week-plus of the regular season, but won their last four games and claimed the Colorado League tournament championship (which brought an automatic postseason spot) with a 57-56 win over top-seeded Thornton. …For the season, Gateway has generated an average of 52.7 points per game and feature a trio of of double-digit scorers in senior Ahmed Mohammed (12.7 ppg), junior Nicklaus Smith (12.3 ppg) and senior Bryan Lozano (11.1 ppg). Sophomore transfer Seven Carter is next in the scoring column at 7.9 points per game, while senior Deven Vaden paces the team in rebounding at 7.1 per contest, Smith dishes out 4.8 assist per game to top the squad and Lozano comes up with 2.9 steals per contest to lead the way. Defensively, Gateway has given up an average of nearly 64 points per game, but cut that to 47.8 per contest on its current winning streak. …Sand Creek is back in the playoffs after a first-round exit last season, as it lost to eventual 5A state champion Mesa Ridge. Coach Jeff Cooks’ Scorpions — who placed third in the multi-classification Colorado Spring Metro-North conference — snapped a two-game losing streak with a victory over Elizabeth in their regular season finale. Sand Creek has won with offense often as it averages 63 points per game and gives up 51.6 per contest. The Scorpions spread out the offense with six players who average 7.0 points per game or more with only one double-digit scorer in senior Elijah Brotherns (13.9 ppg), though senior Matthew Starks (9.6 ppg) and senior Josh Kotto (9.3) are close as well. The trio also paces the team in rebounding, led by the 5.9 from Starks — who also paces the team in steals at 2.7 per game — and Kotto leads the way with an average of 2.5 assists per contest. Sand Creek has good size, led by 6-foot-6 senior Wuol Chak (8.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1 blocked shot per contest). …The teams had only one common opponent this season and both lost to Ponderosa (Sand Creek lost 54-47 while Gateway fell 80-47). …WINNER GETS: The Gateway-Sand Creek winner moves into a second round matchup on Feb. 28 at No. 8 Severance (18-5).
