’Cats to clash with top-seeded Cougars
For nearly a week, all Trae Seibel and his players could do was wait and pray.
Turns out someone was listening.
And the Bobcats’ 2024-25 season will indeed continue, with Ignacio being one of 32 teams taking part in the CHSAA Class 3A Boys’ Basketball State Tournament. Sure, the Selection & Seeding Committee didn’t do IHS any monstrous favors, but that seems not to matter at all to a squad now seeking to spring the ultimate surprise on the biggest of hardwood heavyweights.
“You know, there’s a big group of teams that are turning in their uniforms today to their head coach … and we weren’t one of them!” said Seibel, following Monday evening’s practice. “We’re blessed to have another week to play, and we took that with gratitude. We’re in the tournament, so let’s go prepare to take on the number-one team in the state, and give them everything that we can give them.”
Sneaking in just ahead of 33rd-ranked Estes Park and 34th-ranked Parachute Grand Valley, Ignacio was given the No. 32 seed and will next travel north – all the way to Loveland to face top-seeded Resurrection Christian at 4 p.m. Friday, March 7. First place in the Patriot League this winter with a 10-0 mark, the Cougars stand 23-0 overall and are riding a 37-game winning streak since a ten-point loss last January 27 to Thornton-based, non-league 4A Riverdale Ridge.
Included in said streak, of course, is a 76-61 victory over Englewood Kent Denver in last season’s Class 4A State Championship – after RC had lost the ’23 grand finale to Broomfield Holy Family. And while much talent which played in those two contests has since graduated and moved on, much still remains and will certainly be something RC can lean upon should the ’Cats (11-12 overall, 4-8 3A/4A Intermountain) start taking command.
Now-seniors Ty Yoder (19 points versus KD; 10 versus HFHS), Cade Crutcher (18 points versus the Sun Devils; 12 versus the Tigers) and Graham Riggs (nine versus Kent Denver) are all back for the Cougars and will be looked-to leaders. And Seibel knows that for his gents to even have a chance on Resurrection Christian’s home court, there’s one essential thing the ’Cats must do, but several times this season have struggled with.
“You know, today was our ‘shooting’ practice where we just put up at least a thousand shots and turned music up … . I wanted the boys to feel loose,” Seibel said. “Yeah, we want to be disciplined – that’s going to be a big part of our game plan going in on Friday; in order to beat a number-one team you have to be ultra-disciplined – but I also wanted the boys to understand that in order to even compete with these guys, we’ve got to knock some shots down.”
“We have yet to find a game where they’re all hot,” he continued. “In the six games that we lost by under five points, we couldn’t find the bucket. Look at the time we lost to Bayfield by one; we missed six shots in the last ten seconds! So I’m like, ‘Guys, let’s shoot the ball today’ and practice went well. It was fun.”
On the other side of the Region I bracket, 16-seed Lyons (13-9 overall) will take on No. 17 Colorado Springs St. Mary’s (15-8) Friday at 5:30 p.m.; the day’s two surviving squads will then square off the next afternoon at 2 p.m.
“Our kids are excited,” declared Seibel. “You know, not many teams get an opportunity to go play the number-one seed … so we’re going to prep for it, we’re going to be ready for it, and then we’ll see what happens!”
“We have every chance because we’re in. If we’re not in, we don’t have a chance.”
LAST TIME OUT
Pit this week against unbeaten Resurrection Christian, the Bobcats closed out regular-season play Tuesday night, February 25, hosting unbeaten Centauri. And for most of the first half, as well as the fourth quarter, Ignacio flew right with the Falcons. But thanks to a strong third quarter, CHS managed to turn a 20-14 halftime lead into a 36-19 advantage which grew slightly to 46-28 after four quarters inside IHS Gymnasium.
Ambrose Valdez and D.J. Hendren each scored eight points to pace the ’Cats, and Trace Crane scored four. Charley Pargin, Cayson Burcham, Lincoln Gillespie and Marquise Cibrian each scored two points.
Carson Bagwell scored 19 points to lead Centauri (now 23-0, 12-0 IML), and Jace Haslett booked 12.