AURORA | A look at some of the key games tournaments and happenings in the week ahead in Aurora prep sports, Dec. 22-24, 2016:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
• The Grandview girls basketball team wraps up play at the Nike Tournament of Champions Dec. 22 as the Wolves finish off a run at the 20th edition of the prestigious tournament in Phoenix. Should Grandview advance to the championship game of the Joe Smith Bracket, it would play at 4:30 p.m. Dec. 22 at Mesquite High School, while the third-place game is set for 1:30 p.m.
• A pair of boys basketball games is set for Dec. 22 for Aurora teams, including a doozy of a local matchup between Smoky Hill and Vista PEAK. Filled with athleticism, but short on size, the host Bison were off to an undefeated start after winning their Bison Bash and the Ponderosa Invitational followed by a solid non-league win over Lewis-Palmer, while Smoky Hill and its predominantly big lineup enter at 6-2. Regis Jesuit caps a very difficult schedule in the first half with a road trip to play at 6:30 p.m. against Fort Collins, which just returned from finishing second in the Gatorade Division of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, while Cherokee Trail pays a visit to Brighton for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
• Former Regis Jesuit swim star Missy Franklin returns to Aurora on Dec. 22, as the five-time Olympic gold medalist will appear at her old high school at 6 p.m. to sign copies of the new book — Relentless Spirit — which she co-authored with her parents D.A. and Dick Franklin. The event is scheduled for 6-8 p.m. at the Z Theatre at the school’s Steele Center building and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Books will be available for purchase and will be the only thing the Franklins will sign. More info at tattereredcover.com.
• The final action of the opening portion of the 2016-17 winter sports season is Dec. 23 with a pair of Aurora boys basketball teams taking to the court. In a matinée, Hinkley pays a 1:30 p.m. visit to play at George Washington, which was undefeated in Colorado play before taking part in the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas. The Thunderbirds had their two-game slate at Mullen canceled due to weather Dec. 17, so they had a 10-day break between games before they lost at Far Northeast Warriors (formerly Montbello) on Dec. 20. Also on the docket is Cherokee Trail playing host to ThunderRidge at 7 p.m. in the second game of a back-to-back for the Cougars, who won five of their first six games. The visiting Grizzlies come in at 8-1 after losing their first game in the Eastbay Division final at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas.
• The winter hiatus for prep sports begins officially on Dec. 24 as boys and girls basketball, girls swimming, wrestling and ice hockey teams will be out of competition and will be required to take a few days off from practicing. Aurora teams return to regular season play starting Jan. 2, with league play beginning shortly thereafter.
