AURORA | At least one Aurora area boys basketball team will play at the Denver Coliseum and others could join by the time the Sweet 16 round of the Class 5A and 6A playoffs end Saturday evening.
A 6A matchup that pits two area programs — No. 7 Smoky Hill and No. 10 Regis Jesuit — will assure local representation in the Great 8, while No. 8 Eaglecrest is also in the hunt on the other side of the bracket, while Vista PEAK Prep (the No. 2 seed in the 5A playoffs) also have a chance to secure one of the coveted spots.
All four area teams left after Wednesday’s first round (which saw No. 16 Overland No. 30 Rangeview go down to defeat) will play in town, as the Buffaloes, Raptors and Bison all have hosting honors in games that are all scheduled to be played at 1 p.m.
UPDATED CLASS 6A BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD/SCHEDULE, HERE
UPDATED CLASS 5A BOYS BASKETBALL PLAYOFF SCOREBOARD/SCHEDULE, HERE
The Smoky Hill-Regis Jesuit matchup pits two programs that both appeared at the Denver Coliseum last season, as the Raiders made it to the Final Four and the Buffaloes to the Great 8 before they were eliminated. Only one of them will make it back, as they will meet in the postseason for the third time since 2003, with each team owning a win (Regis Jesuit in a first-round meeting in 2003 and Smoky Hill in a 2014 second round contest).
Coach Anthony Hardin’s 18-6 Smoky Hill team — the Centennial League Challenge champion — defeated No. 26 Horizon 66-57 in the opening round. Sophomore Carter Basquez paced the Buffaloes with 17 points, while senior Ray Gasaway added 14 and junior Lorenzo Contreras 13.
Regis Jesuit (16-8) — under veteran head coach Ken Shaw, who previously coached at Smoky Hill — handled a challenge from No. 23 Pine Creek in a 75-64 first round victory. The Regis Jesuit-Smoky Hill winner heads to the Feb. 29 Great 8 round at the Denver Coliseum to play either No. 2 Mountain Vista or No. 15 Monarch.
Eaglecrest made to the Great 8 in 2021 and 2022, but got derailed by eventual state champion Denver East in the Sweet 16 round last season. Coach Jarris Krapcha’s Raptors put themselves in position to make a return with a 59-49 win over No. 25 Castle View in the first round in a game that saw junior LaDavian King score 25 points and junior Garrett Barger add 11.
The Raptors will play host to No. 9 Ralston Valley as the two programs meet in the postseason for the second time in four seasons. Eaglecrest prevailed in an opening round matchup in the opening round of the 2021 postseason. The Raptors-Mustangs winner heads to the Feb. 29 Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum to play either No. 1 Broomfield or No. 17 Fruita Monument.
Vista PEAK Prep (20-4) has a chance to accomplish program history if it can post a win against No. 15 Discovery Canyon (17-7), as the Sweet 16 round has stopped the Bison three times when they played in 4A (2014, 2016 & 2017) and last season in 5A.
Coach Keenon Clement’s Vista PEAK Prep team picked up a 76-35 home win over No. 31 Palisade in the opening round with a balanced effort that has become typical this season. Eleven different players got in the scoring column as seniors Javon Lowman (16 points), James Brown III (12) and Kyree Polk (10) led the way.
The Bison will play Discovery Canyon for the second straight season and third time in 12 years. They won last season in the first round, while they lost to Discovery Canyon in the first round back in 4A play in 2013. The winner of this matchup will be part of the March 1 Great 8 round at the Denver Coliseum to go against No. 10 Montrose or No. 7 Ponderosa.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
