The No. 3 ranked Windsor Wizards are slated to face off against the No. 2 ranked Vista Peak Prep Bison in the semi finals of the CHSSA state playoffs this Thursday, March 7. This comes after a 74-68 win against Lewis Palmer in the Great 8 on Friday, March 1.
The game against Lewis Palmer was the Wizards’ 17th straight win, and they now find themselves just two wins away from the ultimate goal of a state championship. Last season the Wizards lost in this very Final Four game, but coach Jon Rakiecki (staff) has no plans of repeating that: “We’re not going to show up like that. We will make sure we don’t show up like that. We’re on a mission. We trust each other, and we’re playing well.”
Not only is this the same round they lost last year, but it is also a rematch against Vista Peak, as they handed the Wizards a 65-48 loss the first time they played on Dec. 14. Since then, the team has really found its stride and is not only on a 17-game win streak but has been blowing out their opponents, as games have not even been close for the most part. The team feels they have improved since the first matchup against the Bison. “We’ve grown a lot as a team since then. I think our whole aspect has changed, how we play offensively and defensively. We have to play how we can and make a few defensive adjustments and we should be good to go,” forward John Backhaus (11) said.
The Wizards have had three months of development since the last game against Vista Peak and feel that they have improved. “I feel we are a completely different team now,” forward Johnnie Reed (12) said. Since that game, the team is 19-1 and did not lose in conference play en route to a conference championship. “That game (Vista Peak) was kind of an eye opener for us on what we needed to do and get better at, and now I feel we are a new team,” Reed said.
The team has had players step up in the last couple months, such as Brady Kingsley (10) and Deacon Schmitt (10), who have stepped into key roles during the win streak. “A lot of our guys have figured out what their roles are on the team. A lot of the guys know what they’re supposed to be doing on the court as of back then they might’ve not known exactly what was needed. I think now we’re all working together,” Madden Smiley (10) said.
Smiley leads the team in points and assists per game, and the offense runs through him. Smiley is coming off of a 29 point and 11 rebound performance in the Great 8 game against Lewis Palmer.
Kyree Polk, a 6 ’10 senior forward for Vista Peak, led the team with 18 points in the first matchup against Windsor. The team has been focusing on defense especially in practice leading up to the matchup and will need to try to keep Polk in check to succeed. “We’re going to have to try to keep a hand on him,” Smiley said.
The Wizards are slated to have their hands full in Thursday’s game, but a win will have them one win away from their first basketball state title in 100 years. Reed said he believes this team has what it takes to win it all because “nobody cares who gets the credit, nobody’s selfish, we just want to win. There’s no personal agenda on a championship team and I don’t think we have any — we just want to win.”
The game will take place at the Denver Coliseum on Thursday, March 7, at 12:45. If they win, they will play the winner of the Northfield vs. Mesa Ridge game and that championship will take place on Saturday. There is strong belief within the team that they have what it takes to win it all and finally bring home a state championship trophy for the basketball program.
