AURORA | A look back at some of the key games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports between Feb. 17-23, 2016:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
Two Aurora basketball teams — the Rangeview boys and Grandview girls finished the regular season undefeated — and both left no doubt with decisive victories in their finales on Feb. 19.
The unanimous No. 1 team in the Associated Press Class 5A boys basketball poll, Rangeview rang up its second-highest point total of the season with a 102-57 victory over visiting Gateway. Tyrei Randall scored 21 points, Elijah Reed added 20 and Elijah Blake 11 to pace the Raiders, who finished the regular season 23-0, secured the EMAC championship and wrapped up a No. 1 seed in the 5A playoffs.
Ranked No. 2 in the AP 5A girls basketball poll behind ThunderRidge, Grandview handled Overland 83-26 to seal its 23-0 regular season and wrap up another Centennial League title.
Junior Michaela Onyenwere scored 15 points in limited action in the clinching victory, whiel freshman Allyah Marlett added 12 and junior Lenzi Hudson had 10.
Coach Josh Ulitzky’s Wolves sit just one win shy of tying the program record of 24 wins set in 2012-13 and matched in 2013-14 when the program made back-to-back appearances in the 5A Final Four.
• The Cherokee Trail and Regis Jesuit girls basketball teams made their way through the first round of the Class 5A girls state basketball tournament on Feb. 23, as both posted decisive victories on their home floors. The fifth-seeded Raiders had little trouble with No. 12 Westminster in a 79-27 victory, as Elle Bevis and Emma Wrede scored 12 points apiece and Ezekia Johnson also got into double figures with 10. The seventh-seeded Cougars weathered the shot-shooting start of Gateway’s Carmen Ramey (19 first-half points) and eventually pulled away for a 72-47 victory over the 10th-seeded Olys. No. 12 seeds Eaglecrest (at Fairview) and Overland (at Chaparral) and No. 10 Rangeview (at Castle View) all went down to defeat. Full 5A girls state basketball results, here.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Feb. 23, here.
• Both playoff-bound ice hockey teams including Aurora players — Regis Jesuit and Cherry Creek — finished the regular season with quality wins on Feb. 20. The Raiders capped an 18-1 regular season with a 6-1 victory over Dakota Ridge, a state semifinalist last season, as Eamon Duffy and Andre Dugas each scored two goals and Jack Kilkenny dished out three assists. The Cherry Creek co-op team got goals from Rhys Phelps and Danny Taggart (Grandview) and Joe LoSasso (Rangeview), plus two assists from Taggart in a 3-2 win over Mountain Vista, the top seed from the Peak Conference. Scout Stalcup (Eaglecrest) made 20 saves.
• Seven Aurora wrestlers earned their way onto the medal podium at the conclusion of the three-day Class 5A & 4A state wrestling tournaments on Feb. 20 at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Cherokee Trail junior Max Gonzales became the program’s first state finalist and he finished second at 220 pounds, with teammates Seth Bogulski (170) and Ezequiel Silva (182) taking third and fourth at their respective weights. Grandview had a trio of placers as well, led by senior Joshua Vigil-Harrison (third at 285 pounds), plus freshman Fabian Santillan (113) and senior Tanner Patterson (138) each in fourth. Hinkley’s Ben Rhoton placed sixth at 106 pounds. Twenty-seven of Aurora’s 36 total state qualifiers won at least once in the championship or consolation bracket. Final team scores and final day results for Aurora wrestlers, here; complete state results for each of Aurora’s 36 wrestlers by weight, here.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Feb. 20, here.
• The Vista PEAK girls and boys basketball teams both claimed outright or shared Colorado 7 league championships with a sweep of visiting Fort Morgan in the regular season finale for both teams on Feb. 29. The Bison girls lost a two-point decision at Fort Morgan on Jan. 8 and got payback with a two-point win in the rematch, as they rallied from a double-digit deficit for a 39-37 victory. Seniors Jaylynn Johnson (eight points) and Allie Johnson (seven points) led the way for Vista PEAK, which finished 18-5. The Vista PEAK boys had less trouble, as the Bison built an 18-point lead at halftime and maintained a comfortable advantage to the end of a 69-54 victory to win their third consecutive C7 title. Four Vista PEAK players cracked double figures in Te’Rae Johnson (19), Marquise Johnson (16), Dylan Holt (12) and Alex Hawkins (11).
• The Gateway girls basketball team claimed second place in the final EMAC standings behind Brighton with a 49-44 victory at rival Rangeview on Feb. 19. Senior Ashley Ramey scored 19 points and twin sister Carmen Ramey contributed 14 as the Olys avenged a 15-point loss to the Raiders at the Heritage Holiday Hoopla tournament on Dec. 18 and got into double figures in the win column with their 10th victory of the season.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Feb. 19, here.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Feb. 18, here.
• The Overland boys basketball team posted a 72-57 win over visiting Cherokee Trail on Feb. 17 in a battle of teams ranked in the top 10 in the final Associated Press Class 5A boys basketball media poll of the regular season. The second-ranked Trailblazers got double-digit scoring efforts from seniors De’Ron Davis (16 points), Jervae Robinson (15), Tyler Stevenson (11) and Padiet Wang (10) to overcome a 24-point effort from David Thornton for the 10th-ranked Cougars, who played without starting point guard Jaizec Lottie due to injury.
• Aurora prep sports scoreboard for Feb. 17, here.
