It could be a whiteout in more ways than one when the Vail Christian boys basketball hosts the Class 2A Region 8 Tournament in Edwards this weekend.<\/p>\n
The Saints are hosting Dolores Huerta Prep tonight at 5:30 at the Wheeler Athletics Center with Fowler taking on Clear Creek at 7:15 p.m., and the winners facing each other on Saturday at 1 p.m. with a trip to the Elite Eight on the line.<\/p>\n
Since it\u2019s the first time Vail Christian has hosted a regional in school history, Saints fans are asked to wear white and there might be more of a whiteout than intended, given the weather forecast for the weekend.<\/p>\n
Of course, everyone at Vail Christian wishes for a safe trip up to Edwards for all three visiting squads, but sitting in a little traffic wouldn\u2019t be the worst scenario from the Saints\u2019 perspective.<\/p>\n
Last year, Vail Christian headed to the Eastern Plains and Byers (153 miles). In other postseason journeys, the Saints have been to Gunnison (156 miles), Olathe (177 miles) and Delta (167 miles). That\u2019s a way of saying, \u201cThere\u2019s no place like home.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe shoe\u2019s been on the other foot,\u201d Saints coach Sheldon Kuhns said. \u201cIt\u2019s a nice benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dolores Huerta enters tonight\u2019s game with a 15-7 record having gone 6-1 in the Black Forest League, a circuit centered around Colorado Springs and Pueblo.<\/p>\n
The Panthers, from Pueblo, and the Saints have nothing resembling a common opponent\u00a0as Saints primarily played its nonconference schedule against larger Western Slope schools.<\/p>\n
Charles Winston (No. 5) leads Dolores Huerta with 14 points per game, followed by fellow junior Xavier\u00a0Gomez (No. 4) with an average of 13.7. Senior Angel Salinas (No. 15)\u00a0averages 11.7 points per game and is Dolores Huerta\u2019s leading rebounder.<\/p>\n
While Kuhns has seen some film of the Scorpions, the bigger emphasis is within\u00a0the Vail Christian camp, rather than the opponent.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest thing for me is routine,\u201d Kuhns said. \u201cObviously, it\u2019s a playoff game with larger ramifications, but we\u2019ve made practice look similar. We\u2019re just going to do our regular home game routine.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fowler and Clear Creek play in the nightcap of the playoff doubleheader. While it is forbidden to look past any opponent in the playoffs, Saints fans may remember Clear Creek from last year\u2019s first-round playoff win.<\/p>\n
Fowler is the favorite against Golddiggers. The Grizzlies\u00a0won the Santa Fe League with a 12-1 record but lost to Holly in the District 6 Tournament finals. As a result, Fowler, the No. 4 team in the 2A rating-percentage index with an 18-4 record, is a very good team on the road, and would probably be the pick were it to face the Saints. If you\u2019re wondering, the Saints (16-6) are No. 19 in the RPI, but hosting because they won the District 5 Tournament.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe intentionally didn\u2019t watch (Fowler) as\u00a0a team\u00a0because we are focusing on Dolores,\u201d Kuhns said. \u201cIf we are fortunate enough to win, we\u2019ll focus on (Fowler) on Saturday morning. We\u2019re getting ready to play Dolores Huerta.\u201d<\/p>\n