By: Tyler Kellam ’18 and Caleb Meriweather ’20
See the 2018 Set Tournament Brackets HERE
Richard Tate Region
Two premiere, high-powered, offensive teams will face off, both with less than five loses; No. 2 ThunderRidge Grizzles, with an exceptional 22-1 record, hosts the 7th seeded Doherty Spartans. The Grizzles swept the Continental league, which is composed of four top ten teams, and Doherty No. 7, has also swept the Colorado Springs Metro league with a record of 12-0, only having four total loses on the season (19-4).
Key Matchup :
- Kasion Hammonds vs. Kyrele Benford
- Hammonds is averaging 16ppg, and is the centerpiece of the Grizzles offense and defense, as he goes they go. Benford is a big guard, at 6’5 he’s an imposing force down-low and intimidating to smaller guards
- Going to be a fun one as these two duke it out
Chauncey Billups Region
No. 3 Chaparral Wolverines headlines the Billups region, with an overall record of 19-4, the young group of sophomores and juniors have come into their own and proven why their a force to be reckoned with, as the No. 6 Grandview Wolverines look to keep their late season success after ending the regular season 21-4.
Key Matchup :
- Ronnie DeGray III vs. Dayne Prim
- Leading the team in points, rebounds, steals, and blocks (20, 7, 2, 2) DeGray is the the catalyst of Wolverines offense, coming off a 38 point, 9 rebound performance against Mountain Vista, DeGray looks to keep it going against the tactful Dayne Prim who leads the Wolves in the same categories with 13pts, 6reb, and 1 steal a game
Maceo Brodnax Region
A rematch for the ages, the No. 5 George Washington Patriots play host to the Buffaloes of No. 13 Smoky Hill. George and Smoky met back in December which ended in a Buffaloes victory 61-52. Leading their teams in points per game, George’s Jon’il Fugett (12.2) and the rest of the Patriots looks to wipe away the bad tastes in their mouths from early December, as Smoky’s Kenny Foster (22.7) wants to keep the wins rolling and get to the Final Four.
Key Matchups :
- Jon’il Fugett vs. Quinten Rock
- The quick, strong, defensive minded Fugett will make it tough on Rock as these 12ppg point guards will try to find a way to will their team to a victory. Fugett, who had 18 in their first meeting back in December will undoubtedly have another great game and Rock who had 15 in round 1 will look to take his shots and have another big game
- D’Auntray Pierce vs. Will Becker
- It’s the Battle Of The Bigs, George’s 6’7 Pierce and Smoky Hill’s 6’9 Becker will try and remain dominant in the paint, with both center’s averaging around 3.5 blocks pregame, it’ll be tough for each team to score in the paint. Whoever wins the paint battle between these two, could more than likely determine the winner of the game
Chuck Williams Region
The Rock Canyon Jaguars with an outstanding (22-2) record has really had an electrifying year. Ranked No.1, Rock Canyon has shown a lot of potential to becoming a championship team. The Overland Trailblazers with a record of (15-9) has also had a stunning year, with the Trailblazers ranked No. 8, looking to put up a fight as the underdogs. Rock Canyon has really been a team that shoots the ball very well and shuts down teams with their defense is looking to take on Overland who is a team that finishes at a really high rate, but will also play a very aggressive and scrappy defensive game.
Key Matchups:
- Sam Masten vs. Daijon Smith
- The vigorous shooter, Sam Masten has played consistently played great, who by the way leads his team in points per game, rebounds per game, and assist per game, meanwhile, Daijon Smith finds spectacular ways to get the ball in the basket at a high rate. But Daijon Smith is not only very strong offensively but is a huge threat defensively averaging about 2 steals per game