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The CHSAA Class 2A State Basketball Championships bracket turned out exactly the way Ignacio High School head coach Chris Vladez thought it would.
IHS (21-2) will be the No. 3 seed and play No. 6 Rye at 8:30 p.m. Thursday in Pueblo.
“We’ve probably been in that spot for the last month and a half, two months,” Valdez said. “We didn’t expect to go up with two undefeated teams in front of us. I looked at all the winners (Saturday) and put them in the same bracket.”
Resurrection Christian is the top seed vs. No. 8 Burlington, and defending state champion Sanford will be the No. 2 seed against No. 7 Holyoke.
No. 4 Simla plays No. 5 Meeker in the other game.
“There was only one upset,” Valdez said. “Highland probably should have been here instead of Holyoke.”
Valdez has a familiarity with the Rye team they’ll face. He and head coach Jim Hale are good friends.
“Great program and a great coach,” Valdez said of Rye. “We’re pretty comparable.”
The Bobcats enter this year’s tournament in a drastically different position than 2014. Last season, IHS was undefeated and the clear No. 1 seed with everyone gunning for the Bobcats.
Now they’re flying a little more under the radar.
“I think it’s the pressure of being undefeated and never playing in a state tournament,” Valdez said. “It’s a really big gym. You’ve got seats under the basket, and the depth perception is different than any arena in our area.”
IHS is guaranteed three games in Pueblo. The Bobcats will lose a chance at a state title if they lose once, but they will play for third, fifth or seventh if they lose.
kgrabowskI@durangoherald.com
