AURORA | The pace of the fast-moving Class 5A boys state basketball tournament got slowed down a bit due to weather, but resumes Tuesday with Great 8 contests. Here’s a look at each of the three matchups involving Aurora teams:
NO. 7 GEORGE WASHINGTON (11-3) AT NO. 2 REGIS JESUIT (14-1), 4:30 p.m.
Breakdown: Regis Jesuit’s season ended in the Great 8 round of last season’s Class 5A state playoff — and its previous two other trips as well — so the Raiders are determined to get through to the Final Four for what would be the first time in a decade. Coach Ken Shaw’s Regis Jesuit team bounced back from an overtime loss to Chaparral (another team still alive in the Great 8) to win its two playoff games in convincing fashion, downing Loveland 86-60 and Doherty 79-36. Senior Blakeley Stoughton led the Raiders in scoring in their postseason opener with 23, while fellow senior Michael Wolf poured in 29 in the Sweet 16, while several other Regis Jesuit players reach double digits in those two games. George Washington also dropped its regular season finale (to another Great 8 team in ThunderRidge), then followed it with two playoff wins, downing Heritage (60-54) and Mullen (69-55). Winner gets: The George Washington-Regis Jesuit winner moves into the semifinals against the winner of the Great 8 matchup between No. 11 Rock Canyon and No. 3 Rangeview.
NO. 9 EAGLECREST (11-4) AT NO. 1 CHERRY CREEK (16-0), 6 p.m.
Breakdown: Eaglecrest broke a streak of three straight seasons coming to an end in the Sweet 16 when it knocked off eighth-seeded Mountain Vista 80-70, which came following a 74-62 win over Ralston Valley in the opening round. Coach Jarris Krapcha’s Raptors earned the chance for a third meeting on the season with Cherry Creek and will look for their first victory after taking 66-57 and 83-76 losses, the latter coming in the regular season finale. Senior Ty Robinson scored 27 points in the Sweet 16 victory, while junior Mostapha Elmoutaouakkil added 20 and the pair also led the way against Ralston Valley as they combined for 40 points. Cherry Creek has posted playoff wins over Lakewood (86-61) and Smoky Hill, which took it all the way to the brink in an 80-75 Bruins win. Senior Julian Hammond III, a University of Colorado signee, has averaged 21 points per game in the postseason and scored 65 points in the two games against Eaglecrest this season. Winner gets: The Eaglecrest-Cherry Creek winner moves into the semifinals against the winner of the Great 8 matchup between No. 5 Chaparral and No. 4 ThunderRidge.
NO. 11 ROCK CANYON (10-4) AT NO. 3 RANGEVIEW (15-0), 6 p.m.
Breakdown: Rangeview is in the Great 8 for the third straight season and has not lost a postseason contest since a second round game in the 2017-18 postseason after winning the state championship the next season and making it to the Final Four a year go before the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the semifinals. Coach Shawn Palmer’s Rangeview team eased past Columbine 73-49 in the opening round, then staved off a challenge from Fountain-Fort Carson in a 70-61 Sweet 16 victory. Senior Devin Philio led the way in scoring in the postseason opener, while senior Josh Wyatt scored 19 points to top four players in double figures in the win over Fountain-Fort Carson. The Raiders played two games that were decided by two points this season and one came against Rock Canyon back on Feb. 1, a 46-44 victory. All four of the Jaguars’ losses have come to teams still alive in the Great (George Washington, Chaparral and ThunderRidge in addition to Rangeview) and they have four straight overall, including playoff wins against Overland (69-38) and Fossil Ridge (78-75 in overtime). Rock Canyon, which is playing the postseason without DeAngelo Horn, a transfer from Smoky Hill, has been led in scoring in both playoff games by Nick Fallin, who is coming off a 35-point effort against Fossil Ridge. Winner gets: The Rock Canyon-Rangeview winner moves into the semifinals against the winner of the Great 8 matchup between No. 7 George Washington and No. 2 Regis Jesuit.
