The Palisade High School boys basketball team geared up for one of the biggest stages in Colorado prep sports. As a 5A Southwester League team, the Bulldogs travel to Denver to compete in the Great 8 Tournament, held on March 5-7th at the historic Denver Coliseum. The send-off marked a proud moment for the Palisade community, as the team continued its impressive postseason run. Players, coaches, families, and supporters rallied behind the Bulldogs as they prepared to represent the Western lope against the state’s top competitors. The boys basketball team played Lewis-Palmer High School and had a tragic loss of, 63-46, sending the team home.
Junior Carter Hayward reflects on what it felt like to be out on the court, describing the moments as, “Definitely a new experience… a good experience for a lot of us. A lot of those juniors and sophomores that we won’t take for granted, and that we will strive to reach again, because when you get deeper and deeper into the playoffs, you get more new experiences. I think next year, we’re hopefully gonna be able to return to the Coliseum and have the same opportunity. We’re just gonna try to use this experience to make it to next year.” This descrobes just how meaningful the moment was, not only for the team as a whole, but for each player individually. Experiences like this set the standard for the future of the program, giving younger players something to chase and a benchmark to build as they step into the biggest roles.
Despite the season ending sooner than hoped, Palisade’s appearance in the Great 8 marked a major step forward for the program. With players already motivated to return to the Denver Coliseum, this year’s run sets a new foundation for the Palisade future, one that the team aims to build on as they continue raising the standards for Palisade basketball.
Head coach John Sidanycz comments on the meaning of the postseason run, saying, “ Making it to the Great 8 is just one of the many accomplishments our boys have made this year. This was the first time since 2001 that Palisade boys basketball was in the Great 8. We were seeded #1 in Class 5A. That has never been done before in this era. We won 23 games this year. I know it is the most wins in a season in the 2000’s and I believe in the history of Palisade High School. We were CO – Southwestern League Champions. We beat Fruita Monument High School for the first time since 2012 and then beat them again.” Sidancyz’s comment showcases the true talent and season filled with record-setting achievements, from earning the number one spot in the seed and 23 winning games, and returning to the Great 8 since 2001. This year marked a turning point for the program’s competitiveness and identity, with breaking new ground. Sidancyz mentions “ It was just an incredible year that I will never forget. This is my 11th year as a head coach, and I honestly never thought one of my teams would make it to the Great 8. What an incredible bunch of young men I have gotten to coach the last two years at Palisade.” Such a heart-warming season for all, and the kind reflection of how unforgettable this season was for the boys basketball team, praising the team for all their hard work and dedication to the Palisade program. Congratulations boys basketball!
