SPORTS

Regional round is next for Eagle Ridge

BY STEVE SMITH < SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM>

FORT LUPTON -- The idea of “going with your strength” paid off for the Eagle Ridge Academy boys basketball team Feb. 24.

The Warriors controlled Denver School of Science/Technology from start to fi nish in a 61-47 win that sent Eagle Ridge to the regional playoff round next week.

“We got the ball inside,” said Christian Seifert, who stands 6 feet 7 inches tall. “We started hitting a few outside shots, but really? Just working the ball inside is what we do good. It’s what we’ve done all season. We’ve never had height like this before. It’s a big advantage.”

Cameron Seifert led the Warriors with 20 points. Christian Seifert was next with 14. Isaiah Garcia and Hunter Hill added eight. Asher Sikle led the Raptors with 16 points. Jaylen Johnson and Johnson Asamonye were next with eight.

“We played well on both ends of the fl oor,” Hill said. “We worked well as a team and came together. We played our game the whole game. There were a lot of things we could improve. But all-around, it was a solid win against a well-known program.”

ERA didn’t need the outside game against the Raptors. The Warriors made just one basket from 3-point range. ERA outscored DSST-GVR 13-2 in the last fi ve minutes of the fi rst half to settle the issue.

“The boys played real hard. We had an advantage of taking care of the rebounds,” said ERA coach Jay Powell. “That’s a good safety net to have. Defense has been our focus this year, limiting teams’ second-chance opportunities.”

Seifert was pleased with his game and his ability to do some damage under the basket. He also was pleased with the unselfi sh play of his team.

“I know we’ve had a lot of talent,” Seifert said. “Since our freshman year, we knew one year we were going to fi gure this out. We knew we were going to do really well this year. We can get to the state championship.”

“We thought of ourselves as one of the best teams kin the league. Now we’re proving it,” Hill said. “We’ve had some rough games. But as long as we play our style of basketball, I think we can beat any team in the state.”

Powell was pleased with his team’s intensity. But he also pointed out the need to continue to play good defense.

“We’re trying to get the boys ready to play at the next level, the ones that have that ambition,” Powell said. “Kids watch Steph Curry and James Harden and think all you have to do is shoot 3s and play offense. If you want to play at the next level, you have to show coach you can play defense. We played defense very well in the fi rst half and held them to 14 points. If we can lock in like that., we are going to be a tough team to beat.

“They have their abilities and attitudes,” Powell continued. “I love kids of this generation, the same reason they all drive us nuts. It’s funny when we were growing up, we heard our parents tell us, ‘We think we know everything.’ And now we’re in that same situation.”

Eagle Ridge eventually won the district championship by beating Fort Lupton 65-49 Feb. 25.

Denver School of Science/Technology-Green Valley Ranch’s Johnson Asamonye draws a crowd of Warriors’ defenders in the forms of Cameron (CJ) Seifert, 24, and Hunter Hill, 0, during a Colorado/Confl uence League district tournament semifi nal in Fort

Lupton Feb. 24. PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH

NEXT UP

Eagle Ridge Acadeny drew the eighth seed in this week’s regional plato round and will host Platte Valley at 5 p.m. Friday, March 4. The winner plays either Highland or DSSTGreen Valley Ranch Saturday, March 5, in the round of 16. If ERA wins, the Warriors will host the March 5 game

ERA’s girls team drew the 31st seed in the girls 3A regional tournament and will travel to University HIgh School for a 5:30 p.m. game March 4. The winner faces either Coal Ridge or Resurrection Christian March 5 in the round of 16.

Boys basketball: Ravens advance to Sweet 16 – barely

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

It took every bit of Anthony Chavez’s record-setting nine threepoint baskets and 29 total points and a game-winning layup from Marcus Hinh to send Riverdale Ridge’s boys basketball team to the Sweet 16.

The Ravens squandered a 10-point, fi rst-quarter lead, rallied from a nine-point defi cit in the second half and held off Thomas Jefferson 69-67 in the second round of the state 4A boys basketball tournament Feb. 26. The game was in Thornton.

In addition to Chavez’s scoring outburst, the Ravens’ Ryan Leopold scored 24 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Jathan Alston added eight. The Spartans’ top scorer was Will Perkins, who tossed in 17 points. Armon Baker, Doren Sacha and Josiah Gordon chipped in with 12 points.

After Hinh’s game-winning layup, the Spartans had three chances to win the game. All three chances missed the mark.

“Man. That’s once in a lifetime,

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Prairie View’s Buckalew moves on to Ottawa

BY STEVE SMITH SSMITH@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

Prairie View’s Ashton Buckalew picked a college that has an interesting mascot .. a river otter.

But he didn’t pick Ottawa (Kansas) University for the school nickname.

“I chose Ottawa because it was the greatest decision for me and my family,” he said. “I loved the coaching staff, along with the environment of the program.”

His official visit included a chance to meet some of his new teammates “which made me fall in love with the school.”

“I was already kinda leaning towards Ottawa University,” he said. “But the visit is really what pushed me towards committing.”

Buckalew led the ThunderHawks with an average of nine tackles per game in 2021. He played in half the team’s games. He drew interest from other schools before making his choice.

Buckalew wants to get into the sports management field “...and, hopefully, go to work for a professional sports team.”

COVID has made recruiting difficult for many high-school athletes. Playing in a half a season because of COVID in 2020 didn’t help Buckalew.

“It was definitely hard to make film when I was only able to play half a season,” he said. “It was also hard not having the in-person contact with college coaches.”

Buckalew isn’t scared or nervous about what’s to come .. “just excited to play football for another four years and go to school.”

“Thank you to everyone who helped along the way of my highschool career,” he said.

Prairie View’s Ashton Buckalew carries the fl ag for his team this season and will be

heading to Ottawa University for college football in the fall. PROVIDED

Boys basketball: Rebels end PVHS’ season

LITTLETON -- Columbine High School’s boys basketball team hit six, 3-point baskets in the third quarter, then held off a fourth-quarter Prairie View High School rally to beat the ThunderHawks 84-75 in the opening round of the state 5A boys basketball tournament Feb. 23.

Tyson Roberts led PVHS with 30 points. Dominic Marrujo scored 29, and Rashawn-Salinas Johnston had 17. Tyler Casey led the Rebels with 23 points. Ty Afraimi scored 18, Wesley Jones contributed a dozen, and Levi O’Brien scored 11.

The Rebels doubled their six-point halftime lead by the end of the third quarter. PVHS cut what was a 20-point lead to four with a minute to play. But CHS sank seven of eight free throws to pull out the win.

“We prepared for two of their shooters, No. 11 (Casey) and No. 13 (Afraimi),” PVHS coach Damien Romero said. “All the fi lm we watched, I didn’t see them shoot like that. Our defense? We could have pressed up a little bit more. It went against our game plan of protecting the paint. But overall, I’m proud of my guys. We didn’t give up, we continued to battle. We showed the perseverance we built all year.”

For more on the game, visit www. thebrightonblade.com.

Prairie View’s Orlando Campbell fi nds an open teammate as Columbine’s Levi O’Brien defends during the fi rst round of the state 5A boys basketball tournament in Littleton Feb. 23. PHOTO BY STEVE SMITH

District tournament basketball

Eagle Ridge Academy downed Aurora West College Prep Academy 49-16 in the fi rst round of the Colorado/Confl uence leagues’ district basketball tournament Feb. 22.

Lupita Martinez scored fi ve points for AWCPA. No stats were available for Eagle Ridge.

ERA advanced to the regional playoffs with a 47-20 win over Strive Prep SMART Feb. 24 in Fort Lupton. Megan Derby led the Warriors with 16 points. Julia De Lorenzo added 10. Jonae Harris scored 10 points to lead the Pirates.

ERA won the district tournament title by beating Denver School of Science/Technology-Byers 29-17 Feb. 25 in Fort Lupton. Oceanna Solis scored 12 points for the WArriors. DeLorenzo was next with six.

State 4A tournament basketball

Riverdale Ridge’s girls basketball won its fi rst-ever state basketball tournament game. RRHS topped Evergreen 48-37 on the Cougars’ fl oor Feb. 22. No stats were available.

Windsor put an end to the Ravens’ season Feb. 25 with a 66-32 win on the Wizards’ fl oor. No stats were avalable.

Baseball camp

Regis University’s baseball coaching and staff will be conducting a clinic at Brighton High School from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, March 19.

Campers will receive a T-shirt, a ticket to Regis’ game against Adams State at 2;30 that afternoon, the chance to shag balls during batting practice before the game and a chance to run the bases after the game.

The cost is $50. Register at https://tinyurl.com/yc695pda

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TRIVIA

1. GEOGRAPHY: How many countries are also cities? 2. MOVIES: Which character was the fi rst princess in a Disney movie? 3. WEATHER: What kind of cloud produces rain, thunder and lightning? 4. LITERATURE: What were the names of the four daughters in “Little Women”? 5. PSYCHOLOGY: What fear is represented by the condition called “ablutophobia”? 6. ANATOMY: What are the gaps between nerve cells called? 7. TELEVISION: Which longrunning, daytime soap opera is set in Port Charles, New York? 8. LANGUAGE: What does the Latin phrase “non compos mentis” mean in English? 9. U.S. PRESIDENTS: Which president introduced the Social Security program?

10. ANIMAL KINGDOM:

What is a young llama called?

Answers

1. Three: the city/states of Vatican City, Monaco and Singapore 2. Snow White

3. Cumulonimbus

4. Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy 5. Fear of bathing 6. Synapses 7. “General Hospital” 8. Not of sound mind

9. Franklin Roosevelt

10. A cria

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