AURORA | A look back at some of the key games, tournaments and happenings in Aurora prep sports from Dec. 12-18, 2023:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
THE WEEK PAST IN AURORA PREP SPORTS, 12.12-12.18.23
MONDAY, DEC. 18: Vincent Cieslak scored a goal and had two assists for the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team in a 6-2 win over Chaparral at Big Bear Arena. Edison Barnes and Dhilan Paranjape had a goal and assist apiece and Easton Sparks made 18 saves. …The Smoky Hill boys basketball team improved to 2-0 at the Hardwood Invitational in Oregon with a 58-52 win over Skyview (Washington). …The Grandview boys basketball team lost 71-50 on the road at Valor Christian despite 10 points from Cole Holtman and eight apiece from Breven Anderson and Jalen Dourisseau. …Playing in the same Joe Smith Division bracket at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix, the Cherokee Trail girls basketball team opened with a 61-52 victory over Springfield (Oregon), while Grandview dropped a 60-47 contest against Desert Vista (Arizona). …Playing in the Sapphire Division of the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas, the Vista PEAK Prep girls basketball team rolled past Mt. Eden 65-16….The Overland and Gateway girls basketball teams played their openers at the Northglenn Tournament and the Trailblazers raced past Pomona 66-39, while the Olys fell to Standley Lake 64-12.
SATURDAY, DEC. 16: The Eaglecrest boys basketball team played for the championship of the Curtis Winter Classic in Washington and ended up on the short end of a 60-54 contest. Garrett Barger led the Raptors with 14 points, while Sir Devin Roberts had 12 and Lucas Kalimba 10. …The Cherokee Trail boys basketball team got an 18-point effort from Amari Chandler, but fell to Heritage 53-45 in the championship game of the Chatfield Charger Challenge tournament. …James Brown III and Devontay Bursey scored 17 points apiece for the Vista PEAK Prep boys basketball team, which kept rolling with a 79-49 win over Eagle Ridge Academy. …Hayden Von Boeckman tallied 17 points and six other players for the Gateway boys basketball team scored six points or more in the Olys’ 65-33 road win at Hinkley. Erick Perez paced the Thunder with 11. …Grandview finished sixth and Rangeview eighth in the Cherry Creek Christmas Classic boys basketball tournament with losses to Arapahoe (42-38) and Fairview (68-65), respectively. Archie Weatherspoon V had 18 points, Mareon Chapman 14 and Elijah Denney 10 for Rangeview. …The Gateway girls basketball team earned its first win of the season with a 57-21 home win over Hinkley. …The Grandview boys wrestling team placed 14th at the rugged Reno Tournament of Champions in Nevada. Jonathan Montes Gonzales claimed sixth place in the 150 pound weight bracket for the Wolves. …Garrett Reece of the Regis Jesuit boys wrestling team won the 150-pound championship at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament as he went 6-0 with three wins by fall, two by major decision and one by decision. The Raiders also got top-eight places from Richard Avila (eighth at 113) and Ryan Curran (fifth at 157) to place 20th among 84 scoring teams. Chance Matthews (138) finished fourth, Cooper Matthews (106) fifth and Ryan Everhart (144 pounds) sixth for Cherokee Trail, which was 16th. …The Eaglecrest girls wrestling team finished 6-1 in duals and placed third at the Flatwater Fracas tournament in Nebraska. Chasey Karabell (100 pounds), Natalie Replogle (135) and Emma Roberts (235) finished 7-0 in the matches. … Amelia Bacon of the Vista PEAK Prep girls wrestling team recorded five wins by fall and then won the 125-pound bracket championship with a major decision at the Northern Colorado Christmas Classic. Taryn Holloway lost by fall after four wins by pin at 190 pounds to place second for the Bison, who were tied for 24th among 62 scoring teams. Regis Jesuit had no placers and finished 33rd. … Austin Katz scored two goals and had an assist, while Dominic Suchkov had a goal and two assists for the Cherry Creek co-op ice hockey team in a 7-0 win over Kent Denver at the University of Denver. …Avery Osgood had the only goal for the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team in a 6-1 road loss against the Poudre School District.
FRIDAY, DEC. 15: The Overland boys basketball team earned a quality home win with a 70-66 defeat of previously unbeaten Rock Canyon. Siraaj Ali led the Trailblazers with 23 points, while Dontae Graham added 10 and Ronald Henry nine. …The Eaglecrest boys basketball team edged Seattle O’Dea 63-61 in the semifinals of the Curtis Winter Classic in Washington. …Braylen Thomas scored 24 points and Jordan Mitchell had 11 — including a big tip-slam in a key juncture — as the Cherokee Trail boys basketball team topped Arvada West 72-62 in overtime in the semifinals of the Chatfield Charger Challege. …Jalen Dourisseau had a team-high 12 points, while Breven Anderson had nine and Cole Holtman eight as the Grandview boys basketball team topped Rangeview 46-40 in a consolation semifinal at the Cherry Creek Christmas Classic. Mareon Chapman scored 13 points and Archie Weatherspoon V 12 for the Raiders. …Coryn Watts poured in 29 points and Hana Belibi scored several of her 23 at the free throw line in the closing stretch for the Regis Jesuit girls basketball team in its 66-60 home win over parochial school rival Mullen. …The Overland girls basketball team fell from the ranks of the unbeaten with a 70-50 home loss to Rock Canyon. Destiny Moore led the Trailblazers with 17 points. …The Vista PEAK Prep girls basketball team outscored Arvada West by nine points in the fourth quarter of a 53-52 home win. …Eric Burggraf (Grandview) had a hat trick and Owen Kulczewski (Grandview) had a goal and an assist as the Cherry Creek co-op ice hockey team downed Summit 6-2 on the road.
THURSDAY, DEC. 14: The Vista PEAK Prep boys basketball team dominated the second half on its way to a 65-48 home win over Windsor in a key 5A contest. Kyree Polk led the Bison with 18 points, while Javon Lowman had 17, Alante Monroe-Elazier 13 and Julian Carrizales 11. …LaDaivian King tallied 24 points for the Eaglecrest boys basketball team, which held off North Thurston 60-53 in the opening round of the Curtis Winter Classic in Washington. …The Cherokee Trail boys basketball team opened the Chatfield Charger Challenge with a 92-50 win over Pomona, fueled by 19 points from Braylen Thomas and 17 from Alonzo Rodgers. …Despite 16 points from Ka’Mari May and 10 from Camron Crisp, the Aurora Central boys basketball team fell to host Mullen 71-41 in the Mullen Christmas Classic. …The Eaglecrest girls basketball team exploded in its first home game, as six players scored eight or more points in a 80-13 victory over Brighton. Jada Bobb tallied 16 points, Shyann Farbes 14, Kaydence Waymire 11 and Brooklyn Bickerstaff 10. …Jamaea Johnson Gonzalez racked up 26 points for the Aurora Central girls basketball team in a 58-12 win over Aurora West College Prep in the Aurora Winter Classic. …Dashawn Jenkins won both his matches by fall at 113 pounds for the Smoky Hill boys wrestling team, which topped Abraham Lincoln 43-36 and George Washington 54-27 in a tri-dual. …Maddie Patterson recorded two wins, both pins, for the Smoky Hill girls wrestling team, which split a tri-dual with Abraham Lincoln (losing 24-12) and George Washington (winning 19-18). …The Smoky Hill girls swim team picked up its first win over Arapahoe in a long, long time with a 106-80 home dual win fueled by two wins apiece, from Mya Noffsinger and Cameryn Walkup. …Ava Zadigan and Emme Metzmaker won two events apiece and five others took firsts plus a relay sweep for the Cherokee Trail girls swim team in a 146-39 dual win over Eaglecrest. …Ian Beck had two goals, Parker Brinner a goal and three assists and Easton Sparks had a shutout with 18 saves as the Regis Jesuit ice hockey team blanked Mountain Vista 6-0.
WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13: The Overland boys basketball team challenged powerhouse ThunderRidge on the road before falling 68-59. …In its last game before heading out for another out-of-state tournament to close the first portion of the season, the Grandview girls basketball team rolled past Fort Collins 59-27 on its home floor. …Karson Chaney tallied 16 points, Delainey Miller had 13 and Madeline Gibbs 10 for the Cherokee Trail girls basketball team in a thorough 65-15 road win at Heritage. …The Rangeview girls basketball team hung with host Broomfield until the late stages of a 48-36 defeat.
TUESDAY, DEC. 12: Elijah Denney made two free throws in the final minute of overtime and finished with 10 points to help the Rangeview boys basketball team earn a 38-36 win at Grandview. Mareon Chapman (nine points) hit a big 3-pointer late that helped send the game to overtime and the Raiders overcame the Wolves, who got 11 points from Alex Riddick. …The Smoky Hill boys basketball team held off a challenge from Horizon for a 73-69 home win. …Damarius Taylor scored 23 points, Alec Roumph added 15 and Eric Fiedler 11, but the Regis Jesuit boys basketball team had a lead slip away in the fourth quarter of a 67-61 home loss to Valor Christian. …James Brown III and Alante Monroe-Elazier tied for team-high honors with 17 points apiece, while Julian Carrizales added 11 and Kyree Polk 10 for the Vista PEAK Prep boys basketball team in a 72-43 home win over Centaurus. …Alejandro Flores went for 27 points and Camron Crisp 23 as the Aurora Central boys basketball team cruised past Prairie View 80-47. …Hana Belibi passed the 1,000-point mark for her career in the midst of a 35-point effort to help the Regis Jesuit girls basketball team to a 78-72 home win over Valor Christian in a powerhouse clash. Coryn Watts added 18 and Jada Hodges also reached double figures with 13. …The Overland girls basketball team reached its season-high offensive output in an 83-25 win over Englewood. …The Smoky Hill girls basketball team got into the win column for the first time with a 58-7 win at Hinkley that saw Sophia Allen’s 14 points lead the way. Hala Abdiriahman added 12 points and Zariah Williams contributed 10.
