Ball Fever: Early-season boys basketball top-10 matchups, 800 wins, and more

Welcome back, hoop fans. Discussed with the Digital Media Guru, Ryan Casey, that the Fever Crew hadn’t had this much fun in the first three days of the season in a while.

Great getting back in the gyms and feeling the energy of the crowds for our student athletes. If the mid-week report was fun, the end-of-week report won’t let us down with more early season top-10 match ups and one of our top coaches hitting the 800-win mark!

The Look Back

Thursday, Nov. 29

Preseason No. 3 Pueblo West was tested by Palmer but pulled off the 4 point win. Check out the highlights here.
There’s a “super soph” over at GW to keep an eye on and the Fever Crew has been blessed to spend a lot of time with this charismatic young man, Kendale Johnson Jr.. Kendale had “moments” in GW’s loss to Smoky early in the week but bounced back with his usual complete game in the win over Legacy with 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in the Patriots 13-point win.
Another 4A top-10 match up and everyone was curious to see how Cheyenne Mountain’s Javonte Johnson would follow up his early 40-point performance and he didn’t disappoint scoring 22 points and 16 rebounds for another “monsta” double-double as CM raced away from the Pueblo South Colts.
Montbello (FNE) continuing to play well in the Highlands Ranch Tournament earning another win over Meas Ridge 71-49. D Davis Jr. led 14 Warriors in the scoring column with 14 points on the night. Getting everyone involved!
In another top-10 match, this time the 5A version, with No. 6 Overland hosting No. 3 ThunderRidge the Blazers displayed their usual balance with 3 players scoring in double figures but the new look Grizzlies Bailey Verk was the man of the night dropping 23 points in the tough road win!
Player of the Year candidate from 4A No. 1 Lewis-Palmer, Joel Scott, came out swinging with 25 points as the Rangers jumped out 21-3 over D’Evelyn in the first quarter and never looked back wining by 20!
Dennis Pleuss covered Thursday’s 4A top-10 match up which started slow but ended in Coach Lou Vullo’s first win as the head guy for Golden.
Pine Creek big over Sand Creek and the photos are here.
No. 4 Holy Family brings it in game 1 of season beating Sierra by 19.

Friday, Nov. 30

Air Academy got its second tournament win with senior Austin Graham scoring 16 matched by junior Tim Marshall’s 16 in the 2-point win over Pueblo Centennial.
Liberty’s Dailin Smith put up 25 points in the tourney win over Ralston Valley.
Senior Zach Sanders helped Cherokee Trail get back on track with 15 points and 9 rebounds leading FIVE Cougars who scored in double figures vs. Rampart.
Not a double-double this time but Javonte Johnson kept his hot play rolling and Cheyenne Mountain unbeaten early with 22 points and 6 rebounds in the 58-56 win over Sunrise Christian out of Kansas in the Trojan Tournament!
Poudre follows their upset of Denver East up with another solid win over Vista Peak in the Fossil Ridge tourney 64-52.
Sophomore Kendale Johnson Jr. again leading GW with 18 points while senior big man Malik Patton added a 15 point, 12 rebound double-double in lopsided win over Mesa Ridge.
Longmont, No. 2 in 4A, was down at halftime but used a 29-11 third quarter to flip the script on a tough Mead squad winning 77-64.
Our top 10 “theme” continues this week in No. 4 Holy Family taking down No. 10 Golden in tournament play 63-46…impressive early blowout for Holy Family.
Highlands Ranch sends Legacy to 0-4 and improves to 2-1 winning by 8 at home!
Pueblo South will not remain in our 4A top 10 after a tough start this week including this surprising 76-26 beat down by Fountain Fort Carson led by 6’3 Keyshawn Maltbia who had 16 points, 3 steals.
5A No. 5 Denver East started with a surprising loss in game 1 of season but Kwane Marble’s triple double of 21 points helped fix that. FRESHMAN ALERT: East has a solid “frosh” named Langston Reynolds who will be a well know name in CO hoops before it’s done kicking in 17 points, 3 rebounds, & 6 steals!
When you come out ranked No. 2 in the state you will get everyone’s best shot and that’s exactly what Fairview gave host Chaparral before the Wolverines held on for a tight 2-point double-overtime victory. Player of the Year Candidate Kobe Sanders hit a HUGE (deep) 3 that put this game in OT and when mom captures it on twitter that automatically gets into Ball Fever!

https://twitter.com/conniesanders/status/1068758038754934785

Joel Scott has 52 points in his first two games of senior year and has No. 1 Lewis-Palmer looking good early as he tallied 27 points this night in tourney win over Centaurus.
We talked about Thomas Jefferson’s scoring guard Darius Hornbuckle in the mid-week report and he kept his scoring was going with 17 but not enough to stop Castle View in a DOUBLE OVERTIME Denver Tip Off Classic tourney semifinal game. The Sabercats explode in second OT session winning by 10.
Mountain Vista is unbeaten early and riding Ben Grusing’s 20 points per game and throttled Chatfield by 25 points in tourney play!

Saturday, Dec. 1

Only two men can claim 800 victories in the state of Colorado and Rudy “Bubba” Carey is one of them! Our guy Brock Laue on the historic game.
Taylor Harris with 20 points as Pueblo West takes the Pueblo County tourney!
Javonte Johnson with ANOTHER 23 point, 11 rebound double-double but Keyshawn Maltiba led four Trojans in double figure scoring for the tourney win 66-54 for Fountain Fort Carson.
Senior Joseph Urynowicz with a 25 point, 9 rebound effort for Rocky Mountain who closed out the weekend with a win over Chatfield.
Darius Hornbuckle scores 21 and Logan Cecil 17 as Thomas Jefferson finishes the Tip Off Classic with a win over Prairie View.
Poudre finishes off a solid week 1 with a 4-point win over Dakota Ridge in the Fossil Ridge tourney.
Darnell Kindred drops 20 points for Pueblo East in their 4-point tourney win over D’Evelyn.
Zach Krane’s 20 points and Luke Yoder’s 15 pushed host Fossil Ridge to a win on final day of their tourney over Vista Ridge by 4.
Seniors led the way for No. 3 T-Ridge with Austin Holt scoring 16 and Kevin Sax 15 in the 20-point win for the Grizzlies over visiting Doherty.
Ben Grusing poured in 26 points for Mountain Vista who had a strong first week closing out with a 60-46 win over Rock Canyon.
Dachaun Davis Jr. also scored 26 for my beloved Warriors (FNE)! Nice 4-0 start for the Bellos!
Owen Koonce’s 24 points has Centaurus at 2-1 after a 15-point win over Golden in tourney play.
Upset City! Tough week for Highlands Ranch ended nicely with a 9-point win over 5A No. 9 GW Patriots…GW may not be in our top 10 long, folks.
Another top 10 match up and the Fever Crew is always impressed with Overland’s non-conference schedule, always the toughest in the state. That continued Saturday at Regis with an 8-point road win at Regis.
Longmont, No. 2 4A, is on a tear early, folks. Outscoring their first three opponents by almost 100 points week 1 and now 3-0 after thrashing Broomfield.
More? Yes, more 4A top 10 action in No. 1 Lewis Palmer taking down Holy Family behind 21 points from Joel Scott!
Chase Hettinger exploded for 31 points and 3 assists to close out our Ball Fever coverage for this week in the title game of the Lincoln/TJ Denver Tip Off Classic but it wasn’t enough to stop a talent-laden Lincoln Lancers squad who won the title of the inaugural tourney and James Felton finished as tourney MVP.