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Coliseum city clash: What to know about Fossil Ridge-Fort Collins basketball in Great 8

chris abshire, fort collins coloradoan
·3 min read

Live updates, score:Colorado Great 8 basketball features Fossil Ridge-Fort Collins city rivalry

Savor this one if you're a basketball fan in Fort Collins.

It's an unprecedented clash of city rivals in the Denver Coliseum, as No. 3 Fossil Ridge faces No. 6 Fort Collins at 1:15 p.m. Saturday, March 4 (morning session) in the Class 6A Great 8.

The game is a rematch of their Jan. 31 instant classic, when Fort Collins pulled off a 55-52 road upset over Fossil Ridge.

The Lambkins and SaberCats meet again, this time with bigger stakes and a Class 6A Final 4 berth on the line.

Here's what to know about this boys basketball crosstown showdown in Denver:

How to watch and follow the Great 8 game

The game will be streamed live on the NFHS Network's CHSAA page, nfhsnetwork.com/associations/chsaa. A subscription is required to watch. Monthly passes are $11.99, and annual passes are $79.99.

The game will also be broadcast live on the radio on 1310 AM and online at 1310kfka.com.

You can also follow @ChrisAbshire and @ColoradoanSpts on Twitter for coverage and updates during and after the game.

How to see the game in person

Session tickets are $12 for adults or $9 for students/seniors/children and can be purchased through CHSAA (via AXS). All tickets are general admission.

Parking in paid lots around the Denver Coliseum is $12.50 online, or $15 for day-of parking. Parking passes are valid for a full day.

The Denver Coliseum, at 4600 Humboldt St., has a capacity of 9,300 for basketball.

History of the teams

First of its kind:There's never been a city boys basketball game like Fort Collins-Fossil Ridge in the Great 8

Series history: Fossil Ridge leads the all-time meetings 14-7, but the series is tied at 6-6 since 2015.

Recent Great 8 history: This is Fossil Ridge's third trip to the Great 8 since 2014 and the SaberCats' second in a row. It's Fort Collins' first Great 8 appearance since 2017 and just the Lambkins' second since 1988.

State-title history: Fossil Ridge has never won a basketball state championship, but has runner-up finishes in 2014 and 2022. Fort Collins has won four state titles (1941, 1944, 1945, 1954) but has no Final 4 appearances since 1977.

Coaches:

Fort Collins, Fossil Ridge resumes

Team, season records:

  • Fossil Ridge is 23-2 (14-1 Front Range League), the No. 3 seed in Class 6A and is looking for a second consecutive state championship game appearance.

  • Fort Collins is 22-3 (14-1 FRL), the Class 6A No. 6 seed and owned the tiebreaker over Fossil Ridge for the FRL regular-season title with that Jan. 31 win.

How they got here:

Team stats:

  • Points per game: Fossil Ridge (72.5), Fort Collins (70.8)

  • Points per game allowed: Fossil Ridge (45.8), Fort Collins (54.4)

Leading scorers:

  • Fossil Ridge: Nick Randall (21.8 points per game), Matthew Boldt (9.2), Colin Hayes (9.0), Domenic Leone (8.9)

  • Fort Collins: Luke Wagstaff (20.0), Jayce King (18.7), Jamar Mitchell (13.0), Joe Cottingham (7.7)

Other metrics:

  • MaxPreps ranking: Fossil Ridge (3), Fort Collins (8)

  • RPI ranking: Fossil Ridge (4), Fort Collins (5)

  • CHSAA seeding index: Fossil Ridge (3), Fort Collins (6)

This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Colorado Great 8 basketball: How to watch Fossil Ridge-Fort Collins