Pikes Peak area rankings: CSCS boys continue hold on 3A top spot

PIKES PEAK AREA BASKETBALL RANKINGS

BOYS

5A

1. Fountain-Fort Carson (6-5), No. 1 last week
2. Rampart (8-3), No. 3
3. Liberty (4-5), No. 2

4A

1. Sand Creek (7-0), No. 1
2. Lewis-Palmer (7-2), No. 2
3. (tie) Wasson (8-1), No. 3
           Cheyenne Mountain (8-0), No. 3

3A

1. CSCS (4-2), No. 1
2. James Irwin (5-2), No. 2
3. TCA (4-2), No. 3

2A

1. Peyton (5-1), No. 1
2. Calhan (2-2), No. 2
3. Pikes Peak Christian (3-3), No. 3

NOTES: Fountain-Fort Carson ends its rigorous and travel-filled nonleague schedule with a rare home game against Regis Jesuit on Friday. Then it’s on to league play Jan. 22. Of the Trojans’ 11 games, only one has been at home, with away games at tournaments in Grand Junction, Boulder (with one at Liberty to boot) and Greenwood Village. Rampart won all three games at its New Year’s Classic last week, including a 66-62 win over Pueblo West, which won two games in last season’s 4A state tournament. … 4A league play in the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference starts Tuesday. Discovery Canyon puts its 8-0 record on the line against a Lewis-Palmer squad that not only lost its 34-game winning streak Dec. 20 against D’Evelyn, but suffered another loss two days later at Chaparral. It marked the Rangers’ first consecutive losses since dropping three straight to start the 2009-10 season. The 4A Metro League season commences Thursday. … James Irwin is already 3-0 in the 3A Tri-Peak East standings and continues with a home game against Lamar on Friday. Don’t sleep on the Savages, vastly improved and 3-4 this season after going 2-18 in 2011-12 … 2A Black Forest League leader Peyton returns from an extra-long layoff Saturday at 7-0 Limon, last season’s 1A state runner-up. Peyton managed only one game (Dec. 17) out of three in the weather-shortened tournament hosted at Colorado-Colorado Springs.

GIRLS

5A

1. Palmer (7-1), No. 1 last week
2. Rampart (7-4), No. 2
3. Liberty (6-3), No. 3

4A

1. Mesa Ridge (8-0), No. 1
2. Sand Creek (5-3), No. 2
3. Palmer Ridge (6-1), No. 3

3A

1. St. Mary’s (6-0), No. 1
2. TCA (7-0), No. 2
3. Ellicott (4-3), No. 3

2A

1. Vanguard (8-0), No. 1
2. ECA (5-1), No. 2
3. Peyton (5-1), No. 3

NOTES: Liberty surpassed its win total of last season (5-18) win a win over Coronado on Saturday and has road games at Douglas County and Pueblo South this week to end nonleague play. Pueblo South (9-1) already has knocked off Doherty, Rampart and Fountain-Fort Carson from the 5A Metro League. … Sand Creek, off a road win at Valor Christian, hosts surging Palmer Ridge in the PPAC opener on Tuesday. Mesa Ridge takes its unbeaten record into the first week of Metro League play, when it will play at Harrison on Thursday and Sierra on Saturday. The Grizzlies first will host Legend on Tuesday. … TCA has not allowed more than 35 points during its seven-game winning streak. St. Mary’s senior guard Gabi Florek is the area’s top scorer, averaging 18.8 points. … Keeping with scoring leaders, The Vanguard School’s Bailey Haist is the area’s leading 2A scorer, not far behind Florek at 17.6 points, as the Coursers improved to 8-0 Saturday. The only other 8-0 team in 2A is Akron, the defending state champion. ECA hasn’t played since Dec. 15, a 39-32 loss at TCA. This week, the Eagles return, first against CSCS on Friday, then Saturday at Lutheran, the 2A state runner-up last season.

HOCKEY

1. Doherty (5-2), No. 1

2. Air Academy (5-1-1), No. 3

3. Fountain Valley (4-2), No. 2

NOTES: We hate to put words into others' mouths, but Doherty must be thinking, "Let's play already." The top-ranked team in the region hasn't played a game since Dec. 17, and when the Spartans finally step on the ice on Wednesday, it will have been a span of 23 days between games. And who gets to welcome them back, No. 2 Air Academy. The Kadets have played twice in the new year, notching wins in both games. Will the lag hurt the Spartans? Gazette Preps is slated to be on hand for the showdown. ... Fountain Valley's win over Lewis-Palmer showed how strong the Danes are in the region. But their 6-2 loss a night later to Ralston Valley showed how strong the northern teams are this season.