AURORA | A look back at some of the key games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports from Jan. 17-Jan. 23, 2018:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
The Vista PEAK boys basketball team has gotten on track in a big way lately.
The Bison had a rough opening stretch in coach Keenon Clement’s first season on the bench, but are currently on a four-game winning streak that’s brought them to the cusp of the .500 mark.
Vista PEAK’s biggest win in that stretch came Jan. 20 with a 65-49 victory over a quality Silver Creek team. Senior Te’Rae Johnson came two points shy of his season high with a 26-point effort, while junior Jaerron Hunter (13) and sophomore AJ LaCabe (11) joined him in double figures for the Bison.
• The Vista PEAK girls basketball team is also on the rise and posted a strong 74-54 EMAC win over Brighton Jan. 23. The Bison have won five straight and reached double-digits in wins already. Junior Denali Hughes rang up 27 points — her seventh game with 20 or more points on the season — while sophomore Seairra Hughes added 14 and sophomore Kaya Evans contributed 13.
• The Grandview wrestling team finished in ninth place at the rugged Top of the Rockies Invitational, which concluded Jan. 20 at Centaurus High School. Senior Giovani Federico (120 pounds) and junior Fabian Santillan (126) both dropped tight semifinal matches and rebounded to win third-place matches, while junior Dylan Ranieri (5th at 145) and sophomore Joe Renner (sixth at 182) also made the podium.
• Eaglecrest won the Smoky Hill Invitational wrestling tournament Jan. 20 with a 49-point victory over nine other teams that included Smoky Hill (fourth) and Vista PEAK (eighth). The Raptors had champions in Caeleb Knoll (1o6 pounds) and Tyler Maccagnan (152) and 11 total top-four placers, while junior David Hoage (220) won Smoky Hill’s lone title and freshman Tarrent Thompson (126) took Vista PEAK’s only crown.
• The Overland wrestling team had three champions and five finalists in all on the way to second place at the Kennedy Commander Invitational Jan. 20. Sophomore Grant Bradley (113 pounds), junior Isaiah Bradley (126) and senior Kaelin Chin (195) all finished on top of the podium for the Trailblazers, who had runners’ up in Miguel Mendoza III (132) and Brandon Gustafson (160).
• The Cherokee Trail boys basketball team snapped a three-game losing streak with a gritty 61-59 overtime Centennial League victory at Arapahoe Jan. 19. The Cougars rallied from a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force the extra period and outscored the Warriors 9-7 for the win as Octavian Hymer scored 16 points, Champion Martin added 14 and Deon Barfield had 12.
• Hinkley honored the memory of late dean and basketball coach Roy Swift before the Thunderbirds’ girls basketball game against visiting Thornton Jan. 19. Hinkley players, coaches, faculty and fans wore t-shirts with a quote — “Stay Positive” — attributed to Swift, who passed away unexpectedly Jan. 13.
• The Hinkley boys basketball team earned its first win for new coach Wondame Davis Jan. 19 by closing fast for a 45-42 EMAC road win at Thornton. The T-Birds erased a 12-point halftime deficit as junior Larenzel Jones scored 19 points and senior Casey Sharpe 10.
• Shane Ott, Drew Renner and Wyatt Verity tallied two goals apiece and Ott and Paxton Erickson had five points apiece as the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team posted an 8-2 victory over a strong Dakota Ridge team Jan. 19. Erickson racked up four assists and was one of five goal scorers, Ott registered three assists to go with his pair of goals and goaltender Max Harlan made 10 saves as the Raiders remained undefeated.
• The Regis Jesuit boys basketball team got in the winning column in Continental League play with a 58-55 victory at Douglas County Jan. 18. The Raiders snapped a three-game losing streak as they outscored the Huskies 17-8 in the fourth quarter to get their 12th win of the season. Senior Sam Bannec led the way for Regis Jesuit with 16 points, while junior Jamil Safieddine added 11 and senior Elijah Martinez contributed seven. The Raiders followed that up with a 78-76 overtime win over a strong Doherty team Jan. 19.
• The Aurora Central girls basketball team held off Denver North for a 40-38 victory Jan. 18. The Trojans got 12 points apiece from Aryannah McClain and Divine Ramazani has they won for the third time in five games.
• Senior guard Daijon Smith connected on a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Overland over Grandview 52-51 Jan. 17 and extend the Trailblazers’ strong run in Centennial League play. Smith made up for a free throw miss that would have tied the game seconds earlier with his winning shot. Goy Wang (16), Tucson Redding and Smith (11 each) scored in double figures to get Overland to 7-7 overall after a 1-7 start. Ben Boone scored 12 points to lead Grandview.
