GIRLS BASKETBALL: New Rankings Released (Feb 18th)
It was a very exciting week across the state as several teams went head-to-head for conference championships and higher post-season seeds. And those results caused some changes in the new rankings released today. There are major changes in the 5A rankings as former number one Regis was surprised by ThunderRidge and there is also movement in Class 1A as former #2 Wiley suffered two losses. In Class 2A, league leaders in the Black Forest were taken out by teams below them in the standings so there are changes there as well. Here’s a look.
CLASS 5A
1. Grandview (20-1)
2. Regis (19-2)
3. Highlands Ranch (17-4)
4. Palmer (19-2)
5. Ralston Valley (19-2)
6. Cherry Creek (16-5)
7. Arapahoe (19-2)
8. Denver East (18-4)
9. ThunderRidge (13-8)
10. Horizon (15-6)
NEW: ThunderRidge, Horizon
DROPPED OUT: Chaparral (15-5), Rock Canyon (16-5)
TEAMS TO WATCH: Grand Junction (17-3), Fruita Monument (16-6), Lakewood (17-4), Poudre (17-4), Fort Collins (14-7), Prairie View (16-6)
NOTES: By beating Regis, ThunderRidge not only created a three-way tie for the Continental lead but also caused some movement in the newly released rankings today. The Grizzlies win was surprising since they had lost to Highlands Ranch by 37 points earlier in the season but now all three teams are tied with one league loss atop the standings. Regis fell from the top spot with the loss and was replaced by Grandview who takes over the number one ranking for the first time this season. They lead the Centennial by two games over Cherry Creek and Arapahoe who remain solid at sixth and seventh. Both the Bruins and Warriors face Grandview this week so the race is not quite over. Palmer and Ralston Valley both officially clinched league titles last week while Denver East moved very close to the City crown with an easy win over George Washington last Saturday. ThunderRidge, based on their win over Regis and Horizon are the two newcomers to the poll this week. They replace both Chaparral and Rock Canyon who each suffered quality losses inside the Continental last week. The Wolverines and Jaguars are tied for fourth at 6-3 in league play with Chaparral claiming the head-to-head victory. Horizon moved into sole possession of the Front Range lead with two wins while former co-leader Poudre was upset by third place Fort Collins.
CLASS 4A
1. Pueblo South (20-1)
2. Broomfield (20-1)
3. Mesa Ridge (21-0)
4. D’Evelyn (20-1)
5. Pueblo West (20-1)
6. Windsor (19-3)
7. Delta (16-3)
8. Sand Creek (17-4)
9. Palmer Ridge (18-3)
10. Montrose (15-4)
NEW: Montrose
DROPPED OUT: Centaurus (15-6)
TEAMS TO WATCH: Thompson Valley (14-6), Sierra (15-6), Conifer (16-5), Canon City (14-7), Pueblo East (12-9), Berthoud (13-9), Rifle (13-6), Elizabeth (15-6), Valor Christian (11-11)
NOTES: While several teams officially clinched league championships over the weekend, maybe the most important win of the week was a non-conference victory by Pueblo West over Sand Creek (47-43) on Saturday. That win likely guaranteed the Cyclones a top eight seed in the 4A bracket which means they will be at home for the early rounds. As Pikes Peak league champion, Sand Creek should also get a top eight spot in the bracket but they will be seeded lower than West because of the head-to-head loss. Pueblo West can continue moving up the post-season ladder if they knock off Pueblo South on Tuesday. Those two collide for a second time to determine whether the South Central will have one conference champion or if South and West will share the championship. Sand Creek dropped one spot to eighth with the loss as we kept them ahead of Palmer Ridge who they have beaten twice in conference play. Delta moves up to seventh after finishing the Western Slope league schedule unbeaten. They and Montrose should be the top two seeded teams for the 4A district tournament coming this weekend. That event combines teams from the SWL and WSL to determine the seven state qualifiers. Montrose re-joins the polls this week thanks to a loss by Centaurus who was surprised by Longmont. Montrose meantime claimed three victories to earn at least a share of second place in the SWL. Centaurus remains tied with Thompson Valley for second in the Tri Valley and they collide on Tuesday.
CLASS 3A
1. Centauri (16-1)
2. Holy Family (14-4)
3. Denver Science (16-2)
4. Moffat County (15-3)
5. Pagosa Springs (15-2)
6. Lamar (17-2)
7. Sterling (15-3)
8. St Mary’s (15-3)
9. Valley (15-3)
10. Kent Denver (15-3)
NEW: Kent Denver
DROPPED OUT: Trinidad (16-3)
TEAMS TO WATCH: Olathe (14-4), Grand Valley (13-5), Clear Creek (13-5), Bennett (13-5), Manitou Springs (12-7), Classical Academy (15-3), Salida (11-7), Eaton (11-7), Platte Valley (11-7), Brush (10-7)
NOTES: Thanks to a win over Valley in a battle of league unbeatens, Sterling makes the biggest move this week climbing two spots to seventh. The Tigers clinched the Patriot league title and the number one seed for districts with the win. Valley dropped into second in the conference and also dropped one spot to ninth in the rankings. Lamar also had a great week. The Savages collected wins over both Trinidad and St Mary’s to clinch the outright Tri Peaks East championship. That result left them a two game lead on both St Mary’s and Trinidad but all three teams have concluded their league schedule so the Savages are the league champions. Trinidad, by the way, will earn the second seed based on a fourth tiebreaker and will get the first round by while Trinidad must line up to play this weekend. Kent Denver has had a great run through the Metro conference and finally cracks the top ten replacing Trinidad. The Sun Devils are tied for second with Holy Family and are guaranteed at least a third place finish regardless of whether they win or lose on Tuesday when they face Holy Family. The Tigers are also 7-1 I league play. Moffat County clinched the Western Slope crown with three conference wins last week. The most important came on Saturday as they downed Roaring Fork (65-44) to avenge their only league loss. Denver Science also scored blowout wins over Lake County (66-16) and Platte Canyon (93-27) to officially earn the Frontier championship. Centauri and Pagosa Springs will face off Friday to determine the Intermountain crown. Centauri grabbed a defensive minded 26-24 win in the first game with the Pirates and round two is set for this Friday to close the regular season.
CLASS 2A
1. Akron (18-0)
2. Lutheran (17-0)
3. Yuma (14-3)
4. Peyton (16-2)
5. Vanguard (17-1)
6. Paonia (15-3)
7. Simla (15-2)
8. Las Animas (17-2)
9. Sangre De Cristo (15-2)
10. Evangelical Christian (13-4)
NEW: Evangelical Christian
DROPPED OUT: Meeker (16-2)
TEAMS TO WATCH: Hotchkiss (12-6), Rye (15-4), Holyoke (12-4), Ignacio (11-7), Dolores (13-4), Burlington (11-7), Limon (13-4)
NOTES: Interesting results from two games inside the Black Forest conference and a first place battle from the Western Slope created some movement in the rankings this week. Peyton looked very good in dismantling previous unbeaten Vanguard on the Coursers home court on Saturday. The Panthers hit 13 three-pointers in the win and their full court pressure gave Vanguard fits the entire night. The night before Evangelical Christian collected a nice 47-42 win over Simla. Those two results leave Vanguard, Peyton and Evangelical Christian tied for first in the conference. Peyton and ECA square off in Colorado Springs on Friday and that game will determine which team raises the league championship trophy. Out west, Paonia moved past both Rangely and Meeker in dominating fashion to win the league title. All three teams entered the week unbeaten in league play but Paonia wrapped up the championship beating both opponents for a second time this year. With those results, Vanguard dipped from third to fifth while Peyton moved up from sixth to fourth. Yuma also bumped up one slot to third because of the Vanguard loss. Paonia moved up one spot to sixth with Simla dropped two positions to seventh. Evangelical Christian (10th) also entered the poll and replaced Meeker. The Cowgirls have just two losses and both are against Paonia but the second loss over the weekend was by 24 points and that margin of loss created an opportunity for Evangelical Christian. Las Animas (8th) and Sangre De Cristo (9th) also moved up one spot apiece.
CLASS 1A
1. Norwood (17-0)
2. Kim (18-0)
3. Caliche (15-2)
4. Pawnee (14-1)
5. Wiley (16-2)
6. Jim Elliot (18-0)
7. Kit Carson (11-6)
8. Eads (12-5)
9. Hi Plains (13-4)
10. Idalia (13-3)
NEW: Kit Carson
DROPPED OUT: Belleview Christian (16-3)
TEAMS TO WATCH: Fleming (10-6), Prairie (12-4), Gilpin County (14-5), Flagler (9-8), Stratton (9-8), Centennial (12-5), McClave (9-8), Cheraw (12-5)
NOTES: Southeastern Colorado featured at least two important battles last week and outcomes from those games have affected the top ten poll this week. Kim won the highly anticipated battle with Wiley on Saturday (44-39) so the Mustangs moved ahead of the Panthers and into the second spot this week. The win also secured the number one seed for districts for Kim and could put the Mustangs into the top spot at regionals should they qualify as expected. Wiley also suffered a one point loss to 2A Springfield the night before so the previously unbeaten Panthers dropped from second to fifth this week. Kit Carson also collected an important win over Eads last Friday and with it earned the High Plains league championship. They lead Eads and McClave by one game with one conference game to play but they claim the title since they’ve already beaten the Eagles and Cardinals in league action. Kit Carson joins the rankings at number seven as we put them ahead of Eads which dropped to eighth. Eads stays ahead of Hi Plains since they own a win over the Patriots while Idalia becomes the hard luck team of the week. The Wolves own a win over Kit Carson from the previous week but they’ve also lost to Hi Plains twice during the regular season. Belleview Christian fell from the rankings with their loss to 2A unbeaten Lutheran.
Comments
Kevin, trying to understand your rankings logic. You seem to really like yuma--so much that they leapfrogged Peyton last week in a loss and stayed ahead of paonia. No doubt yuma is a good team! However, lets take Peyton, they have beat three ranked teams have losses to the number #2 and #4 teams. Paonia has wins against meeker twice and losses to ranked 3A teams. Is yuma really a better team? How many ranked teams has Yuma played and defeated? Just curious--not trying to stir the pot.
You are correct that I do like the Yuma Indians quite a bit. Like Peyton, I've seen them in person twice and it would probably be a toss-up between the two teams. Both teams have good depth, both teams like to run and press but Yuma has a bit more power inside. Plus Yuma gained my respect by how well they've played Akron in their two meetings. The first game was a one point contest late in the third quarter before Ally Vasquez took charge and the second battle was decided by just nine points. With five returning starters and quality off the bench from a state championship team last March, I think we can all agree that Akron is a good standard bearer for 2A opponents. Since Yuma played well in those games, they have plenty of respect
Concerning quality wins....the Indians have a great win at Sterling over a 3A team that just wrapped up the Patriot league title. Sterling is a large 3A team that was a 4A school the previous year. They have also beaten a good Holyoke team and a Burlington squad that is playing very will and is the Union Pacific league champion. I throw out the Caliche loss a bit. The Buffs are a very good 1A team that could likely win that championship while Yuma played the game without their leading scorer and top player off the bench. Take two of the top six players off any 2A team and you will not be able to compete as well.
Yuma has also beaten 3A Brush which might finish in the top four of the Patriot and last weekend won at Weld Central (4A). Those are all quality wins in my mind.
I'm also not trying to discredit any other team. Saw Lutheran beat Holy Family and the Lions are a very good basketball team that easily could play in the state championship game again this year. Peyton...watched them cruise by Vanguard on Saturday and as mentioned in another thread, they can beat anybody in 2A or 3A if they shoot the three as well as they did that night. Simla, when healthy, will be a factor and Paonia goes ten deep on the roster and their style of play is similar to Peyton where they press everywhere and look for the up tempo pace. That group also played in the state tournament last year so they know what it takes to get there.
I agree that Yuma is getting too much love in your rankings, espcially since they weren't a state tournament team last year. They do have a few good wins but they get a lot of credit for good losses. I think wins against good teams in your league are more impressive than non-league wins and Yuma doesn't have any of those. A nine point win over Holyoke tonight does not validate their #3 ranking. I know Holyoke is decent and well coached, but still.
I also don't understand Sangre's ranking based on their resume this year. I just don't see any quality wins over top 10 teams.
You can compare scores quite a bit but I also use the eye test quite a bit when possible. I've seen every 2A team in my rankings except for Peyton, Simla and Paonia. Granted seeing a team once or twice does not make a season but it gives me a better idea of how the teams stack up.
You mention that winning games in your league is more impressive than posting non-league games. I tend to disagree with that statement because in every classification there are stronger and weaker leagues. Yuma has a high quality win over 3A Sterling which landed the Patriot league title on Tuesday with a perfect 10-0 mark. To me that's much more impressive than the Indians beating Wiggins or Sedgwick County this year. If we use your rationale then Pinnacle would be the maybe the highest ranked team in Class 3A because they're 12-0. They are also 0-7 outside the conference but according to your statement of grabbing league wins are more impressive, they should be ranked extremely high because only Sterling, Colorado Springs Christian and either Holy Family or Kent Denver will end the season unbeaten in league play. Even though they hail from a conference that has not sent a team to the state tournament since it was formed a few years ago and it doesn't matter that the Timberwolves have lost to several teams from a Metro conference which is widely considered a stronger league.
If your scenario was also true, then only league unbeatens would ever win a state championship since those teams have achieved more important results during the regular season. Don't agree with that at all. If coaches agreed with those thoughts, they would all schedule cupcakes in their non-league schedule since those games aren't as important.
I could go on and on with my thoughts on this matter....but I think my point is proven.
What I was saying is that beating good, (emphasis on good) teams in your league is more impressive than a comparable non-league win because coaches prepare more for these games and give it their best shot to win while that is not always the case in non-league games. Sometimes those are looked at as games to get better and look at some things you are working on as a team. I'm not saying this is a huge distinction and to throw out non-league results, but just a point to look at. It seems that you took my argurment and really overexaggerated it to prove your point.
Of course coaches preprare for these non-league games, of course they are fired up to play them, of course they schedule tough non-league games to get ready for the post season. But they don't prepare specifically as much for them as they do the big league games that decide district tourney seeding. Those league rivals know each other very well and it makes a lot tougher to have success in those games. One of the first things coaches look at going into a season is "what do we have to do to beat the best teams in our league"? Do you think Pueblo West spent more time preparing for and scouting Sand Creek or Pueblo South in the last week? If those two opponents were exactly equal, South would be a better win in my opinion.
good discussion, enjoyed it. I still think a league title means more to players and coaches than the other games.
It should be a fun game in the eagles nest at ECA vs Peyton. It should be very backed in that small gym
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