The march to the Final Four starts with No. 29.
A resurgent year for the Durango High School boys basketball team resulted in the team’s first 5A/4A Southwestern League title in 10 years and a 20-3 overall record. Add in a strong RPI, and the Demons earned the fourth seed in the Colorado High School Activities Association Class 4A Boys Basketball State Tournament.
That designation came with a first-round bye and a chance to host up to three tournament games leading up to the Final Four at the Denver Coliseum. First comes a matchup at 4 p.m. Saturday against No. 29 Elizabeth High (12-12), which maintained a steady lead and held off No. 36 Niwot to earn a 73-69 home win in the opening round Wednesday.
Here’s a look at the matchup:
No. 4 Durango
Mascot: Demons
Head coach: Alan Batiste, 7th year
Colors: Red, white
Enrollment: 1,110
Record: 20-3, 5A/4A SWL champions
Leading scorer: Kyle Kirkpatrick, 14.7 points per game
Rebound leader: Steven Wyman, 6.6 per game
Assist leader: Zach Geauthreaux, 1.3 per game
Points per game: 53.04
Points allowed per game: 42.43
Roster: No. 2 Malik Liggins, sr.; No. 3 Zach Geauthreaux, sr.; No. 4 Jordan Shefferd, sr.; No. 5 Kyle Kirkpatrick, sr.; No. 10 Kobe Szura, sr.; No. 11 Seth Johnson, jr.; No. 15 Tyler Ruetschle, sr.; No. 20 Liam Southwick, sr.; No. 21 Weston Simmons, sr.; No. 22 Steven Wyman, sr.; No. 23 Javier Quezada, sr.; No. 30 Will Meyer, jr.; No. 31 Cullen Robinette, so.; No. 32 Josh Whidden, sr.
No. 29 Elizabeth
Mascot: Cardinals
Head coach: Eric Steinert, 1st year
Colors: Red, white
Enrollment: 764
Record: 12-12, 5th in Colorado Springs Metro League
Leading scorer: Gage Smith, 12 points per game
Rebound leader: Garett Hawkins, 8 per game
Assist leader: Gage Smith, 4.9 per game
Points per game: 59.92
Points allowed per game: 59.04
Roster: No. 1 Vincent Weber, fr.; No. 2 Jacob Bohler, jr.; No. 11 Matthew Seidl, sr.; No. 13 Cody Brown, jr.; No. 15 Tanner Gonzales, sr.; No. 20 Jake Speicher, jr.; No. 21 Carson Tolley, sr.; No. 24 Drew Francis, so.; No. 25 Josh Thompson, sr.; No. 31 Colin Steinke, jr.; No. 34 Garrett Hawkins, jr.; No. 40 Wyatt Thies, sr.; No. 41 Gage Smith, jr.; No. 43 Nicholas Ball, so.
