Winter sports season winding down, basketball and ice hockey coming down the stretch
This week marks the end of the regular season for some of the winter sports for Pueblo’s student-athletes.
Our games of the week to watch this week in Pueblo include key matchups in basketball and ice hockey.
Boys and girls wrestling will all be on the road competing for a spot in the state tournament for their respective sports. Girls' swim and dive state finals will commence this week as well.
Each week, the Chieftain will bring you the must-watch games from all of Pueblo’s home teams throughout the week. Here are this week's games to watch:
(Please note that times are subject to change without notice.)
Boys Basketball
Pueblo South vs. Pueblo Centennial at Pueblo Centennial High School Monday, Feb 5, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Pueblo County vs. Pueblo Central at Pueblo Central High School Monday, Feb 5, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Pueblo East vs. Pueblo West at Pueblo West High School Monday, Feb 5, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Las Animas vs. Swallows Charter at Swallows Charter Academy Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, 7 p.m.
Pueblo West vs. Pueblo Centennial at Pueblo Centennial High School Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Pueblo Central vs. Pueblo East at Pueblo East High School Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Pueblo County vs. Pueblo South at State Fair Events Center Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Elbert vs. Dolores Huerta at Dolores Huerta Prep Friday, Feb 9, 2024, 5:30 p.m.
Walsenburg vs. Swallows Charter at Swallows Charter Academy Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, TBA
Manitou Springs vs. Rye at Rye High School Saturday, Feb 10, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
In boys’ basketball, South and Centennial kick the week off with a matchup while County will visit Central and East visits West on Monday. Thursday sees the Cyclones visiting the Bulldogs and the Wildcats will travel to face the Eagles while the Colts host the Hornets to wrap up the week. As it currently stands, the South-Central League race has the Wildcats in the lead with a 5-1 record overall, with Pueblo South behind them at 4-2, while East, West and County are all tied at 3-3.
More: How backyard games helped shape Dominic Mauro's basketball career
Ice Hockey
Palmer vs. Pueblo County at Pueblo Plaza Ice Arena Wednesday, Feb 7, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Durango vs. Pueblo County at Pueblo Plaza Ice Arena Friday, Feb 9, 2024, 4 p.m.
The County Hornets hockey team has their best record in over four years and is on the brink of returning to the playoffs for the first time since the 2018 season. With two more home games this week, the Hornets could move up in the rankings with some key wins.
Girls Basketball
Widefield vs. Pueblo South at Pueblo South High School Monday, Feb 5, 2024, 7:30 p.m.
Pueblo Central vs. Pueblo County at Pueblo County Tuesday, Feb 6, 2024, 6 p.m.
Pueblo West vs. Pueblo East at Pueblo East High School Tuesday, Feb 6, 2024, 6 p.m.
St. Mary’s vs. Rye at Rye High School Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, 7 p.m.
Las Animas vs. Swallows Charter at Swallows Charter Academy Thursday, Feb 8, 2024, 4:30 p.m.
Elbert vs. Dolores Huerta at Dolores Huerta Prep Friday, Feb 9, 2024, 4 p.m.
Pueblo South vs. Pueblo County at Hornet Gym Friday, Feb 9, 2024, 6 p.m.
Pueblo East vs. Pueblo Central at Pueblo Central High School Friday, Feb 9, 2024, 6 p.m.
Pueblo Centennial vs. Pueblo West at Pueblo West High School Friday, Feb 9, 2024, 6 p.m.
Walsenburg vs. Swallows Charter at Swallows Charter Academy Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, 6:30 p.m.
Pueblo Centennial vs. Pueblo South at Pueblo South High School Saturday, Feb 10, 2024, 11:30 a.m.
Manitou Springs vs. Rye at Rye High School Saturday, Feb 10, 2024, 6 p.m.
South will host Widefield in girls' basketball on Monday to start the week. On Tuesday, Central travels to County and Pueblo West will visit Pueblo East. On Friday, South will visit County, East will travel to Central and West will host Centennial. To round out the week Centennial and South will battle it out on Saturday. As it currently stands, Pueblo West is leading the South-Central League with a record of 6-0, followed by Pueblo County at 5-1 and Pueblo East is in third place with a 4-2 record.
More: 'Pillars of Wrestling': How the Colts' seniors helped the program expand from 7 wrestlers
Wrestling
Boys and girls wrestling will have their regional qualifiers this week to determine spots in the CHSAA state tournament. The Pueblo Central girls' team will be at Vista Peak Prep. The two Class 2A teams, Rye and Dolores Huerta, will be at Monte Vista. Pueblo Central boys will be at The Classical Academy, Pueblo East will be at Lewis-Palmer High School, and Pueblo South, West, County and Centennial will all be at Roosevelt High School.
Girls Swim and Dive
The girls’ swim and dive state finals will take place this coming week at Veterans Memorial Aquatic Center (VMAC) in Thornton, CO. The dates for Class 4A State Championships will be Feb 6-8. (Please note that contestants for this event have not yet been released at the time of writing this article.)
Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @chowebacca. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Basketball and ice hockey highlight games to watch in Pueblo
