AURORA | Capsule preview look at the 2020 Class 5A boys state basketball first round playoff matchup between No. 37 Hinkley and No. 28 Mountain Range set for Feb. 26, 2020 (full bracket, schedule):
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or [email protected]: @aurorasports. FB: Sentinel Prep Sports
2020 CLASS 5A BOYS FIRST ROUND CAPSULE
NO. 37 HINKLEY (14-9) AT NO. 28 MOUNTAIN RANGE (13-10), 6:30 P.M.
Breakdown: Hinkley and Mountain Range meet for the first time since a regular season contest during the 2015-16 season that saw the Thunderbirds prevail 64-59. …Hinkley qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016 and hasn’t tasted a playoff victory since a first round win over Rocky Mountain back in 2003. …Mountain Range is back in the postseason after missing out last season.
HINKLEY: Coach Wondame Davis continues to guide the Thunderbirds back to competitiveness as they have gone from three wins in his debut season of 2017-18 to six last season and now to 14 with a state playoff berth. Hinkley has its most victories since the 2011-12 season and could surpass that with a postseason win. …Junior SG/W Jeremiah Warren has been a major offensive component for the Thunderbirds with double-digit scoring efforts in 20 of the team’s 23 games for an average of 14.7 points per game keyed by 49 made 3-pointers. Senior G Tjai Jackson has also been productive from the perimeter with 40 triples that have boosted his scoring average to 13.3 points per game and he also leads the team in steals with 2.4 per game. Senior F Jeremiah Taylor is a force on the interior who nearly averages a double-double (9.8 points, 9.2 rebounds) per game and also is good for 1.5 blocked shots per game. Senior PG Xavion Davison leads the team with 3.7 assists per game and averages 9.5 points per game to boot.
MOUNTAIN RANGE: Coach Jordan Carter has helped the Mustangs add a whopping nine wins to their total from the previous season and make a return to the postseason. Mountain Range shook off a five-game losing streak in Front Range League play — where it finished in a logjam in the middle of the conference standings — to split its final four games. …The Mustangs feature a trio of double-digit scorers in senior F Logan Dexter (14.6 points, team-best 6.7 rebounds) — who had two 32-point outings in the final weeks of the season and has knocked down 52 3-pointers — junior F Connor Hindson (13.7 points per game) and junior G Truman Chambers (10.2 points per game to go with team-best 3.6 assists).
WINNER GETS: The Hinkley-Mountain Range winner advances in the Kent Smith Region into a second round matchup with No. 5 Grandview (17-6) in a game scheduled for 3 p.m. Feb. 29. Neither team faced the Wolves this season.
