With the state tournament just around the corner, regional play this weekend will reduce the field to the Great 8. Ten teams are just one victory away from punching their ticket to UNC-Greeley next week, while a dozen others need to collect two wins to earn that trip. All eight teams that made the field last year are still alive this season.

REGION ONE – WESTERN COLORADO UNIVERSITY (SATURDAY)

1:00pm #1 Sangre de Cristo (19-3) vs #2 De Beque (12-8)
Sangre de Cristo has not lost to a 1A team this season, and all three of the 2A opponents who picked up wins over the Thunderbirds are playing in regionals this weekend. The only 1A team to play a single digit contest with the T-Birds was Cotopaxi, who dropped a seven-point decision during the regular season. They rolled their way to a second straight outright Southern Peaks title, outscoring the league 566-209. Over the last three years, Sangre is 29-1 in league play. They were defeated in regionals two years ago and went 0-2 at state last year. Kylee Christensen paces the team at 14.4 points a game, while five other players score at least five points a game. Ashley Mortensen leads that group at just under nine a night.
De Beque also reached state last year, but the Dragons came home empty-handed after falling in the consolation championship to South Baca 53-31. The Dragons finished this season in a three-way tie for fifth in the mixed Western Slope, with all four teams above them playing regional contests this week. Neither of the teams they tied with made it past districts. They enter regionals having dropped four of their last six games, including the District 1 title game to Dove Creek. Six of the seven players on the roster are either freshman or sophomores. That includes leading scorer, sophomore Kendall Conway, who puts almost 15 points a night in the book.
10:00am #1 Dove Creek (18-3) vs #2 Cotopaxi (18-4)
Only 2A Ignacio stood between Dove Creek and a title in the mixed San Juan Basin. The Bulldogs dropped a 67-41 decision to the Bobcats, who is hosting a 2A region as a district champion. They’ve reeled off 13 straight wins since that defeat, including a 49-39 victory over De Beque in the District 1 championship game. Grace Hatfield, who averages 21 points a game to lead Dove Creek, scored 29 in that win over the Dragons. She scored double figures in all but one game this season, a 64-19 loss to Sangre de Cristo, in which she was held to three points. Cassie Gatlin adds 12 points for the Bulldogs.
Cotopaxi knows a thing or two about struggling to beat Sangre. The Pirates dropped a narrow 34-27 contest to the Thunderbirds during the regular season, but could only muster 14 in a 25-point loss in last week’s District 6 final. They trailed 15-0 at the end of the first quarter. Koylynn Gulliford, who averages 17 points and more than nine rebounds, was held to eight points and nine boards in the first of those two meetings. The other two losses for Cotopaxi were to regional qualifiers Rye (2A) and South Baca.
 

REGION TWO – ENGLEWOOD HIGH SCHOOL (FRIDAY AND SATURDAY)

Bracket One
3:30pm #6 Merino (13-9) vs #7 Haxtun (9-13)
winner plays #1 Briggsdale (21-1) 4:30pm Saturday
Building upon last year’s third place finish at state, Briggsdale shared the North Central crown with Fleming, splitting a pair of regular season meetings with the Wildcats, with each winning on the other’s home floor. Briggsdale claimed a 65-47 win over a shorthanded Fleming squad in late December, behind 24 points from Kylie Krise. Fleming returned the favor, 64-63, on Feb. 1st. Briggsdale took the rubber game, 61-54 in the District 4 championship. Earlier in the tournament, the Falcons picked up a second win of the season over Merino, adding a 48-39 victory to a 59-42 win just a week earlier. The Falcons also own a pair of wins over the #3 seed in the region, Shining Mountain, and one over #8 Front Range Baptist. Krise leads the team in scoring at just over 20 points a game, with Shelby Hoffman and Peyton Nicklas adding 15 and 10 points, respectively.
Merino put in a top five finish in the mixed Lower Platte, just ahead of its first round opponent, Haxtun. The Rams earned a pair of wins over Haxtun during the season, taking a 40-22 win on the road in early December, and 38-31 at home in mid-February. Taysa Conger only scored nine points in the first meeting, but led all scorers with 17 the second go-round. Hannah Pejsa-Stegner scored 25 points between the two games. Conger leads the team on the season, averaging a double-double of 14 points and almost 11 rebounds a night. Pejsa-Stegner adds 13 points. The Rams finished third in District 4, ousting Longmont Christian for the final regional spot from the district.
Haxtun nearly pulled off a major upset in the District 5 championship contest, falling 27-25 to the top seed, Lone Star. One night after upending Idalia 34-33 on a three at the buzzer by Taylor Schram, the Bulldogs had a look for a game-winning three at the horn against Lone Star, but history would not repeat itself. Bella Tori, who struggled in the last two games, leads the team with 10 points a game. Brooklyn Davis (8.9) and Schram (6.1) combine for 15 points a night.
Bracket Two
11:00am #5 Lone Star (19-1) vs #8 Front Range Baptist (14-7)
winner plays #2 Fleming (20-2) 11:00am Saturday
Fleming is perfect against teams not name Briggsdale this season, outscoring them by 480 points. Junior Kendyl Kirkwood went over 1000 career points in a victory over Prairie on Feb. 14th, and she averages 18 points and 12 rebounds on the season. She recorded her 17th double-double of the season in the district tournament loss to Briggsdale registering 12 points and 20 rebounds. That came one game after tallying a triple-double against Longmont Christian (28/14/ 10 steals). Whitney Chintala leads the team at just over 19 points a game, and her 4.7 steals is tied for third in the classification. Freshman Kally Kirkwood was giving the Wildcats 10 points, five rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 3.9 steals before suffering a knee injury.
Lone Star is in the regional round for the first time since 2001 after winning the District 5 crown. Their lone loss this season came at home against Shining Mountain (41-38) after leading by two heading into the fourth quarter. That loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Longhorns, who immediately started their current 12-game streak the next game. They’ve been without one of their top scorers, Lamya Kuntz, since the sophomore suffered a knee injury in early January. Fellow sophomore Alivia Weathers has really picked up the slack, leading the team with 13 points, four steals, and three assists, while also grabbing close to five rebounds a game. Alison Davis gives the team an inside presence, scoring just under 10 points a game and grabbing six boards.
Front Range Baptist was only sixth in the 5280 during the regular season, but the Falcons pulled off a pair of upsets in the District 8 tournament, beating Belleview Christian 44-39 in the opening round, and Mile High Academy 43-37 to claim third. Just a week before the tournament began, Front Range Baptist dropped a 40-34 contest to Belleview Christian. Mile High Academy had handled the Falcons 58-36 in January. Brook Sutton, who averages just under 11 points a game for the Falcons, exploded for 24 in the win over Mile High Academy. Her season high is 26. Amber Bates adds just over nine points a game for the team.
Bracket Three
6:30pm #4 Flatirons Academy (15-6) vs #9 Stratton/Liberty (9-13)
winner plays #3 Shining Mountain (17-5) 12:45pm Saturday
Despite winning losing both head-to-head meetings, Shining Mountain got the edge for the #3 seed over Flatirons Academy. Those losses, paired with the two against Briggsdale, account for all but one defeat on the Shining Mountain record. The other came against a larger JV opponent. The Lions had won five straight games after losing back-to-back games to Briggsdale and Flatirons, before falling in the District 8 finals to the Bison (53-46). Lola Conaway is one of three players to average double figures in scoring for Shining Mountain, leading the team at 13 points a night. Frances Hilliard adds 11.5 and Kalea Zeender pops in 10. Zeender (7.2) and Sophia Matarrese (7.8) combine for 15 rebounds a game.
Flatirons has not lost a game to a 1A opponent this year, and all six of the teams to beat the Bison qualified either for the 2A regionals or 3A state tournament. The district tournament win over Shining Mountain put Flatirons Academy on a three-game winning streak, but it expands to 10 of their last 11 overall. The Bison are led by a stat sheet stuffing freshman, Kenlee Durrill, who averages 16.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.4 steals. Bryn Durrill adds just under 15 points a game, and Savana Kasack chips in 12.
Just a week before the District 5 tournament got started, Stratton/Liberty looked like a long-shot at best to make regionals. A six-point loss to Idalia was the seventh in the last nine outings for the Knighted Eagles and they were fighting just to get a top four seed at districts. They would win their regular season finale and then pick up a quarterfinal victory to set the stage with Lone Star in the semis. Stratton/Liberty would play well, but came up short, 49-42. The Knighted Eagles bounced back to gain a measure of revenge on Idalia, knocking the Wolves out of the postseason, 40-31. No one averages double figures on the team, but much of the game flows through Crystal Bouchier and Andrea Hornung.
 

REGION THREE – LAJUNTA HIGH SCHOOL

Bracket One
5:00pm #2 Eads (8-14) vs #3 Elbert (15-6)
winner plays #1 South Baca (18-3) 5:00pm Saturday
Two of the three teams in this bracket made the state field last year, with South Baca winning the consolation championship and Elbert going 0-2. South Baca finished second in the Ark Valley after losing to Springfield 54-39 in the regular season finale, but the Patriots got their revenge just eight days later. South Baca broke away from an 8-all tie at the end of the first quarter to beat the Longhorns 49-39 and claim the District 3 title. That loss to Springfield was their only defeat by an in-state opponent. Delaney Eskew (13.9) and Alissa Hebberd (13.7) give opponents two double digits scorers to worry about, while Alison Wilson (8.8) and Patience Crane (8.5) create even more headaches. Hebberd adds almost 11 rebounds a game, and is in the top four in the class with 4.7 steals.
Eads entered the postseason having dropped five of its last seven games, tying for second in the High Plains. The Eagles would go into the District 2 tournament as the #4 seed, and after surviving a 35-34 opening round contest with Granada, the Eagles met up with Kit Carson in the semis. Eads pulled off the upset, 32-29, guaranteeing itself a spot in regionals. They would play their third straight one possession game against McClave in the finals, falling 36-33. Morgyn Johnson is a threat to go off for a double-double, averaging nine points and 8.3 rebounds to pace the Eagles.
Elbert came up one game short of winning the Black Forest title, falling to rival Kiowa 45-41 in the regular season finale. Those two would meet up again in the semifinals of the District 7 tournament, with Kiowa again claiming a close victory. The Bulldogs bounced back to down Edison 36-31 in the third place game. That win snapped a four-game skid for Elbert, with all four losses coming against 1A regional qualifiers. All six of their losses were to teams still alive in the postseason.
Bracket Two
2:00pm #2 Springfield (18-2) vs #3 Kit Carson (15-6)
winner plays #1 Genoa-Hugo (17-4) 2:00pm Saturday
Soccer has its “Pool of Death” and this bracket just might qualify for that honor. Springfield owns two wins over Kit Carson, by a total of 14 points. Genoa-Hugo held on to beat Kit Carson at the buzzer three weeks ago. The Wildcats are the three-time defending state champs. Get your popcorn and enjoy!
Genoa-Hugo has won six straight heading into regionals and the Pirates are 13-1 in their last 14 contests. Their only losses to 1A teams were to Lone Star and Fleming, both regional qualifiers, and the larger school teams that handed them defeats, Limon and Peyton, are also still alive this week. Ryely Smartt draws the lion’s share of attention from opposing defenses and she still averages 13 points and eight boards. Brylee Miller is one of the beneficiaries of all that attention being thrown towards Smartt, as she chips in 8.6 points and almost six rebounds.
Springfield was in control to have a first round bye, winning 17 straight games before running into South Baca in the District 2 final. The Longhorns were #1 in the RPI, which would have put them as the top overall seed for the region. Julia Mondragon, who averages just under 15 points a game, hit for 17 in that contest, but no other Longhorn reached double figures. She was held to nine in each of the two meetings with Kit Carson this season.
The loss to Eads in the District 2 semifinals put Kit Carson in unfamiliar territory… having to win on the final day of the tournament to keep its season alive. The Wildcats did just that, jumping on Cheraw 31-15 at halftime and cruising to a 59-31 victory. With season, and career, on the line, Reyna Isenbart tallied a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats, while Allison Gekeler led the team with 16 points.
Bracket Three
11:00am #2 Kiowa (15-8) vs #3 Kim/Branson (12-9
winner plays #1 McClave (15-6) 11:00am Saturday
With the state record for consecutive victories still in possession of the program, McClave looks to make a trip back to state for the first time since 2011 when the Cardinals won the consolation championship. McClave took the #2 seed in the District 2 tournament and ran with it. The Cards got past Cheraw 48-37 in the semifinals and then eked out the three-point win over Eads to grab the district title. Katie Roesch, who had only scored a total of 14 points during the three previous games, broke out for a dozen to lead all scorers in the championship contest. The senior averages 8.5 points on the season. Anna Beckett tops the squad at 15 points a game, while Maggie Chase adds just under nine points and eight rebounds.
Kiowa’s win over Elbert wasn’t only a big one because it guaranteed the Indians a spot in regionals, but it was also the 400th in the career of their head coach, Rick Carothers. Every team they lost to this season advanced to this week of play, from 1A and 2A regionals, to 3A state. Two of the losses were to Genoa-Hugo, including a 47-21 defeat in the District 7 finals. Kiowa held Ryely Smartt to just four points, but thanks in part to an 8-0 first quarter, the Pirates led 23-5 at the half.
Kim/Branson only suffered one loss to an in-state opponent who didn’t reach this weekend. That loss came against Wiley, 51-43 in late January. The Mustangs were close in most of the other losses against top competition, playing South Baca to a four-point margin and losing to 2A Rocky Ford by 14. After suffering a 50-29 loss to Springfield in the semifinals of the district tournament, Kim/Branson avenged that loss to Wiley, beating the Panthers 45-33 in the third place game.