3A boys: Deck seems stacked for C.S. Christian

John Rosa, Special to the Rocky

Published March 13, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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At 6-foot-9, Taylor Broekhuis is a pretty intimidating figure even before he laces up a pair of basketball shoes.

Put him on the court and the fear factor grows exponentially. Whether it's lighting up the scoreboard on the offensive end or swatting shots on defense at a pace that would make Dikembe Mutombo proud, Broekhuis is one of most dominant players in Class 3A basketball.

Add fellow senior Matt Baarts, and the advantage Colorado Springs Christian enjoys is almost unfair.

Broekhuis averages 17.7 points, 13 rebounds and 5.6 blocked shots a contest and gives the Lions a presence in the paint that most Class 5A clubs only can dream about.

At 6-6, Baarts is a force inside. He is an adept ballhandler, too, and has a great touch from the outside. He averages 14.4 points and 8.2 rebounds, giving the Lions one of the best frontcourts in the state.

As good as those two players are, though, Lions coach Alan Karg believes other players might determine how far the Lions (21-3) advance at the state tournament at Moby Arena on the Colorado State University campus.

"Taylor and Matt are two special players, without a doubt," said Karg, in his 10th season as head coach. "The supporting cast on this team has really grown up in a hurry."

That cast includes point guard Mike Shugart, who is averaging about 10 points a contest, along with Carter Mohnssen and Tucker Veltkamp.

With Broekhuis and Baarts shutting off the middle, and with the other three clamping down on the perimeter, the Lions have held six of their past seven opponents to fewer than 40 points a game.

"Our defense has really been key to our success in the last half of the season," said Karg, who led the Lions to the 2003 state title.

The Lions, who placed fourth at state the past two seasons, open against Kent Denver (18-6) at 1:15 p.m. today. The teams played earlier this season, with the Sun Devils pulling out a 42-41 victory.

"It was a great game, a real defensive struggle," Karg said. "We couldn't hit our free throws at the end of the game and it cost us. We've reversed that trend recently, so we'll see what happens."

Aspen (22-2)

* Cory Parker, a 6-foot-7 senior, has led the Skiers in scoring, rebounding and assists in each of his four seasons. Parker, who recently signed with Drake University, is averaging 20.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists this season. The Skiers also get good production from 6-8 senior Michael Taylor (12.6 points, 5.5 rebounds).

Colorado Springs Christian (21-3)

* The Lions, led by twin towers Taylor Broekhuis (6-9) and Matt Baarts (6-6), are one of the most feared teams in the field. After starting the season 1-2, they have reeled off 20 wins in their past 21 games. One of those early losses was to Kent Denver on Dec. 12.

Eaton (22-2)

* The defending state champion Reds lost two of their final three regular-season games. Before that, they had won 32 in a row. The Reds handed Faith Christian its only loss, 62-59 on Jan. 5. All-state forward Seth Lobato, a 6-6 junior, leads the team with averages of 14.8 points and 9.7 rebounds but gets plenty of help from senior Lance Korell (13.8 points) and Cody Ball (10.6 points).

Faith Christian (22-1)

* Faith Christian's only two losses the past two seasons, a span of 51 games, have come against Eaton, including a 55-53 setback in the semifinals last year. The Eagles have a balanced attack, led by 6-6 senior Jobi Wall, who averages 15.9 points. Wall is dangerous inside the paint as well as on the perimeter and is shooting 45.6 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Chase Grabau (11.3 points) and Nick Gill (10.3) are consistent scorers.

Kent Denver (18-6)

* The Sun Devils enter having won nine of 10, including 46-41 against second-seeded Platte Valley last weekend. Ben Stewart, a 6-7 senior, scored 20 in that win and he averages 18 a game to lead the team. Stewart had 19 points against Colorado Springs Christian earlier this season. Holt Dunlap averages 10.5 points.

Roaring Fork (19-5)

* The Rams are no strangers to Moby Arena, having finished fifth last season after back-to-back second-place finishes in 2005 and 2006. Matthias Weissl, a 6-2 exchange student from Austria, has developed into a top offensive threat, pouring in 21.7 points a game. Six-foot-8 senior Torrey Udall is one of the best big men in Class 3A, averaging 17.6 points and 10.9 rebounds.

Valley (11-12)

* The Vikings, the most perplexing team in the field, lost six consecutive games to start the season but ended up handing Eaton its first loss in 33 games. Valley played its first six games without standout forward Jarrod Huwa, who had a spiral fracture in his right hand. Since returning, Huwa is averaging 17.7 points.

Yuma (20-4)

* Yuma is led by player-of-the-year candidate Justin Coughlin, a 6-8 senior who has signed to play at the University of Denver. Coughlin shoots better than 61 percent from the floor, including 33.3 percent from beyond the three-point line (36-for-108). He averages 22.2 points and 12.5 rebounds and has scored 30 points or more six times this season.

* SCHEDULE

QUARTERFINALS

In bracket order

Today, Moby Arena, Fort Collins

[1] C.S. Christian (21-3) vs. [3] Kent Denver (18-6), 1:15 p.m.

[1] Eaton (22-2) vs. [3] Roaring Fork (19-5), 10:15 a.m.

[1] Faith Christian (22-1) vs. [7] Valley (11-12), 5:30 p.m.

[1] Aspen (22-2) vs. [2] Yuma (20-4), 8:30 p.m.

SEMIFINALS

5:30 and 8:30 p.m. Friday, Moby Arena

CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS

10:15 a.m. and 1:15 p.m. Friday, Moby Arena