In moves that were smart for competition as well as sunshine, Aurora girls basketball teams headed to warmer climes for tournaments that sent them into winter break.
Vista PEAK and Cherokee Trail took part in the Tarkanian Classic — an annual large gathering of quality teams from across the country in Las Vegas — while Grandview (last season’s Class 5A state champion) made its traditional trek to Phoenix for the Nike Tournament of Champions.
All three teams finished 3-1 and gained experience that could pay off when the winter season resumes in Colorado in early January.
Coach Howard Payne’s Vista PEAK team and coach Tammi Traylor-Statewright’s Cherokee Trail team both were part of the 16-team Sapphire Division — which included another Colorado team in Castle View, plus squads from from California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Wyoming — and very nearly met each other for the championship as both reached the semifinals.
The Bison were the only team to reach the finals, however, and they finished as the tournament runner-up after a hard-fought 72-68 defeat Thursday at the hands of Coronado, out of Henderson, Nevada. Vista PEAK — which enters the winter break with a 5-5 record — defeated Foothill, Nevada (54-30), Desert Hills, Utah (56-37) and West Jordan, Utah (61-57) on its way to the championship game.
The same Coronado team kept Cherokee Trail out of the championship game with a 37-31 win in the semifinals, which was the first and only time the Cougars tasted defeat in the opening portion of the season.
Cherokee Trail bounced back from the loss with a 58-44 win over West Jordan to reach break at 9-1 (giving it just one win less than its entire 2021-22 season). The Cougars also dispatched Clark, Nevada (57-23) and Brighton, Utah (63-53) in the first two rounds.
Grandview also was a third-place finisher as it took that spot in the Dan Wiley Division of the Nike Tournament of Champions, which included another Colorado team (Doherty) along with teams from Alaska, Arizona, California, Utah and Washington.
Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves capped a 3-1 showing at the tournament with a 56-35 win over Olympia, Washington, in the third-place game Thursday in a good bounce back from a 42-39 loss to Alemany out of Mission Hills, California. Grandview also defeated West Torrance, California (69-36) and Canyon, California (46-32) in its first two games.
Grandview heads into winter break at 5-3.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
