It didn’t take long for 2020 to heat up, at least on the hardwood. The third weekend of action is jam packed with top match-ups, and you don’t even have to wait until Friday for them to get going.
Thursday night sees sixth-ranked Lone Star put its perfect record on the line when the Longhorns visit 2A Akron for an in-county clash. Lone Star had its game with Prairie postponed last Friday because of illness, so this is their first action since last Tuesday’s 36-23 win on the road at Idalia. That victory proved costly, as sophomore Lamya Kuntz was lost for the year with a knee injury. She had been averaging nine points a game, second on the team to Alivia Weathers (11.0), so someone will need to step up and fill that role. In the win over Idalia, it was Jayna Lockard, who came in off the bench and tied for team-high honors with eight points.
After winning just five games combined over the last two years, Akron could match that total with a victory on Thursday. The Rams enter the game at 4-4 on the season, but none of the wins have come against teams with winning records. They won their last contest 44-25 over Otis last Saturday, jumping out to a 25-5 halftime advantage. Bailee Clarkson, who is averaging just short of 15 points a game, had 18 to lead all scorers in that contest.
McClave is involved in a pair of tough home games this weekend, beginning with Cheraw on Friday. As Kit Carson begins to define its identity, head-to-head games between other teams in the High Plains League take on added importance. The winner of Friday’s game keeps alive its league title hopes and McClave is the hotter of the two squads, having won its last three. The Cards blasted Manzanola 78-26 last week, putting four players in double figures. Anna Beckett led the way with a game-high 22, followed by Katie Roesch with 17, Maggie Chase with 13, and Gentry Martin with 10. Beckett nearly recorded a triple-double, registering nine assists and nine steals. The defense forced a ridiculous 56 turnovers in the contest.
Since week two of the season, Cheraw has alternated wins and losses and the Wolverines take a 4-4 mark into Friday’s game. Their last outing was a 59-35 victory last Saturday over La Veta. They outscored the Redskins 29-12 in the second half to pull away for the victory. The Wolverines have struggled with McClave in the past, as the Cardinals have won 12 of the last 14 meetings, including the last four.
Whatever is left in the tank after that contest will be put to the test for McClave when it hosts Kim/Branson on Saturday. The Mustangs will also be challenged on Friday, as they visit #5 Springfield for a key Ark Valley League contest. Springfield, who has won six straight this season, is led by Julia Mondragon at better than 12 points a night. The Longhorns won both meetings with Kim/Branson last year.
The Mustangs won their first two games of 2020 to climb to 5-2 on the season. Their losses in December were to 3A Trinidad and 2A #2 Rocky Ford. Only three opponents have scored more than 30 points against them this season, and they are 1-2 in those contests. Kim/Branson has not historically fared well against McClave, dropping 10 of the last 14 meetings, including the last two.
Shining Mountain continues to climb up the rankings, moving up three spots this week to #7. The Lions fell to a non-varsity opponent (Severance) 69-38 on Tuesday, snapping their three-game winning streak. Prior to that, their only defeat had been a 54-36 decision to top-ranked Briggsdale. Lola Conaway leads the team with 13 points a night, and Kalea Zeender adds just short of 11. They will try to get going again on Friday with a non-conference road game at Deer Trail.
The Eagles are garnering some attention in the polls with their 6-2 start, already matching last season’s win total. Defense has been their calling card, holding five opponents under 20 points, and not having given up more than 41 points in any game. Desi Woodis is the lone player averaging double figures in scoring, tallying 13.8 points a game.
It’s a big weekend in the Black Forest, as a front runner could be established by the end of play on Saturday. Evangelical Christian visits Elbert on Friday, and then hosts current leader Edison on Saturday. The Eagles had their four-game winning streak snapped last Saturday by Flatirons Academy (50-32) and now they open league play. They average around 33 points a game, with 12 coming from Maddie Castro.
Elbert had opened the season 5-0, but a loss to Peyton ended that run. The Bulldogs got right back into the win column with a 40-point victory over Banning Lewis Academy on Wednesday. Elbert ended a six-game skid in the series with ECA last year, earning a 32-30 win over the Bulldogs.
ECA has only had one meeting with Edison, dropping a 41-31 decision last season. Edison enters the game with a three-game winning streak, beating Colorado D & B 63-16 on Wednesday to grab the early lead in the league standings. The most impressive of their five wins this season came earlier this month against Deer Trail, 34-31.
Hard-fought losses to 2A schools Limon and Peyton dropped Genoa-Hugo to 4-3 on the season. The loss to Limon (42-33) left the Pirates 1-1 in the Union Pacific and they have another tough one in the league on Friday as they visit 2A Byers. The Bulldogs are tied with Limon atop the league, but have lost their only two games of 2020, falling to Elbert and Simla.
Merino and Prairie are expected to be in the mix for the top three spots in District 4, and they hook up on Friday in a non-league tilt. Both teams have won three straight overall and they enter with a combined record of 12-3. Prairie has outscored its last three opponents 166-51 during its winning streak, while Merino has a 147-64 edge during its run.
The Rams have two players averaging double figures on offense, led by Hannah Pejsa-Stegner at 13.1 points a game. Taysa Conger adds 12.1 points and a team-best 9.6 rebounds a night. Pejsa-Stegner is among the state leaders in steals per contest, securing 4.4. Prairie also has a pair of double digit scorers in Makayla Baker (13.4) and Bobbie Schriener (12.4). Cierra Hove grabs 4.6 steals a game to go with a team-leading 10.3 rebounds a contest, while Schriener (4.0) and Baker (3.6) combine for more than seven and a half steals a game. Recent match-ups between the two programs have been interesting, with three of the last six being decided by single digits. Merino has won four of those six, including two last year.
While the records aren’t all that impressive right now, De Beque (5-3) and North Park (3-4) meet up on Saturday for a very important game. Both teams routinely play tough schedules, filled with larger schools, but at the end of the season, they tend to be in the mix for spots at the state tournament. At least one of these two should find their way to the regional round once again this season. Last year, North Park won the regular season meeting (45-39), but it was the Dragons who took the district title (60-38). De Beque made it to the consolation championship game at state, eventually losing to South Baca, while North Park was eliminated at regionals.
South Baca is trying to get back to state to improve upon last year’s consolation championship, but the Patriots have a big hurdle in front of them this weekend. They will visit Wiley in Ark Valley play on Saturday, and the winner maintains a share of the league title. South Baca moved up one spot in the rankings this week, checking in at #4. They also gained two first place votes. Throw Springfield and Kim/Branson into the mix and the league may not be decided until the final regular season game has been played.
Wiley edged Granada 54-52 last Saturday in its first action of 2020. That snapped a two-game losing streak for the Panthers, as Macy Rowan led everyone with 22 points and nine rebounds. The Panthers will host Holly on Friday, looking to avenge a 48-37 loss to the Wildcats earlier this season.
South Baca pushed its winning streak to six with victories over Cheraw (62-20) and Cotopaxi (60-25) last week. The Patriots have scored at least 53 points in every win this season. They have won three straight against Wiley, and eight of the last nine overall in the series.