A handful of games dotted the landscape last weekend, but nearly everyone returns to action after the holiday break this week. And, there is no shortage of important match-ups in Class 1A to get 2020 off on the right foot.
The biggest clash takes place on Friday in Hugo, as #8 Genoa-Hugo hosts 2A #4 Limon in a crucial Union Pacific contest. The winner is likely to go on to win the league, and gain a big uptick in the RPI. Both teams enter the game at 4-1 overall, but they got there in different ways. Genoa-Hugo dropped its opener to #6 Lone Star and has since reeled off four straight wins. Limon began the season with four consecutive victories, but fell to 2A #2 Rocky Ford 55-54 in overtime to close out 2019.
This game will feature a pair of top post players, as Limon comes in led by sophomore Trista Marx, who averages better than 11 points and almost nine rebounds a game. Sidney Hines provides an outside complement, pumping in just short of 10 points and securing nearly four steal. For the Pirates, the offense runs through Ryely Smartt. The senior is scoring 10.4 points and grabbing eight boards a game, and she’s recorded two double-doubles so far this season.
That is not the only game featuring two ranked teams this week, as second-ranked Sangre de Cristo will be in two over the weekend. The unbeaten Thunderbirds, under new head coach Dave Forster, have outscored their first five opponents 296-97, but will see an increase in the level of competition as they travel to 2A #2 Rocky Ford on Friday and then host 2A #3 Del Norte on Saturday.
Kylee Christensen, who missed more than a month of last season because of an injury, leads the T-Birds at just a tick over 16 points a night. Prior to her injury in late January last season, the junior was averaging 14 a game. She’s also one of the state leaders in steals, snagging just short of five a contest. Sangre has won all four previous meetings with Rocky Ford, including a 72-46 decision last season. The T-Birds are looking for their 15th win in the last 20 games with Del Norte, but they are just 6-5 in the last 11 against the Tigers. They dropped last season’s meeting 69-50.
Saturday will also see a ranked vs. ranked match-up between #5 South Baca and #9 Cotopaxi, with the game being played at Swink. Cotopaxi begins the week at 5-1 and will have a home contest against Cripple Creek-Victor on Thursday, while South Baca, who is looking for a fourth trip to state in the last five seasons, is 4-1 ahead of a key road trip to Cheraw on Friday.
Senior guard Delaney Eskew, who entered the season with a career scoring average just under 11 points a game, has led the way for South Baca at better than 16 a night through the early portion of the schedule. She’s also handing out close to five assists a game. Junior Alissa Hebberd entered the season with 22 career double-doubles, and while she has only recorded one in the first five games, she is averaging one on the season at 12.2 points and 10.2 rebounds.
Cotopaxi counters with its own double-double machine in junior Koylynn Gulliford, who has three on the season and 16 in her career. She is averaging 16.5 points and 10.3 points a game, having scored at least 16 points in all but one contest this season. Fellow junior Shaelee Coleman is also scoring in double figures, giving the Pirates 10.2 points a game.
This is a bit of a “show me” week for #6 Lone Star, who enters 2020 unbeaten. The Longhorns visit Idalia on Tuesday for what could wind up being the YWKC League championship game. After opening the season with a one-point win over Genoa-Hugo, the Longhorns have beaten teams that have a combined record of 3-12. Idalia won its last two games in December to improve to 3-2 on the campaign, and the Wolves have owned the series with Lone Star, winning all 16 meetings dating back to 2007. That includes two close victories last season, 42-38 in the regular season and 47-39 in the district third place game.
Lone Star returns everyone from last year, including Andrea Kuntz who averaged 11 points in those two meetings with Idalia. She’s only scoring a little better than five a game this season, but Alivia Weathers has increased her scoring from 7.6 a year ago to 11 this season, and sophomores Lamya Kuntz (9.0) and Alison Davis (6.7) are giving the team close to 16 points between them. The biggest loss for Idalia from last season was Breann Shaffer, who scored a total of 31 points in the two wins over Lone Star. Sophomores Camren Morris (12.8) and Adriana Herrera (12.2) share the scoring load this season.
That’s just the being of things for Lone Star, who is also home on Friday against a Prairie team that is just outside of the top 10 and looking to challenge in the always tough North Central. Prairie will enter that contest 6-2 on the season, with the Mustangs having won their last two games after suffering a 66-32 defeat to #1 Briggsdale in the finals of their own tournament last month. Makayla Baker leads the way with 13.7 points a game, while Bobbie Schriener adds 10.4 a game. Cierra Hove is pulling down better than 11 boards a night for legendary coach Maggie Kilmer.
Idalia is very young as they’re playing the 2019-20 season without a senior on the roster. Four of their top five scorers are sophomores led by the duo of Camren Morris (12.8) and Adriana Herrera (12.2). Kylie Wingfield (6.0) and Tara Hubbard (3.4) also sit fourth and fifth. In between is junior Cloey Jones (6.8). The Wolves are 3-2 with a lone in-state loss to top ranked Briggsdale.
This is also a prove it week for Elbert, who despite being unbeaten, has garnered almost no attention from the voters. The Bulldogs, who will visit 2A teams Byers (5-1) and Peyton (4-1) on Thursday and Friday, only received three votes in the latest poll. They brought back all but one player from last year’s state tournament qualifying roster, and are led by talented junior Olivia Lay.
Dove Creek looks to build upon a 5-2 month of December as it opens 2020 hosting 2A #10 Ignacio on Tuesday. The only losses on the season for the Bulldogs came against Sangre de Cristo and Whitehorse, who is one of the top 1A programs in the state of Utah. They will be trying to end a five-game skid against the Bobcats, who have won seven of the last nine meetings in the series.
It will be the beginning of a tough week for the Bulldogs, who will also host Monticello out of Utah. Those two met earlier in the season, with Dove Creek pulling out a 49-44 victory behind 14 points from Grace Hatfield, 12 from Cassie Gatlin, and 10 from Shania Kibel. That trio combines to average 33 points and 17 boards a game.
