For the sixth time in two years, Sanford and Del Norte face off on the basketball court and as always, the game is very important to the Southern Peaks chase, district tournament seeding and RPI standings. And the Saturday clash is the first of three possible meetings this year as the Indians and Tigers meet again in the regular season and then likely in the district tournament finals as well.
Both teams have a non-league loss to 3A Centauri right before or after Christmas and each has played very well since. Del Norte lost to Centauri in the final game before the break but has won their last six. Sanford opened January with a 47-43 overtime loss to the Falcons but has won four of five since. Their other loss in that stretch is against 3A Pagosa Springs.
Each club also posted two solid wins last weekend with Del Norte moving past Sargent (43-19) and Custer County (62-24). Sanford also took out Sargent (36-18) to go along with a win over Center (41-28).
Kendra Parra scored 29 points with four three-pointers for Del Norte against Sargent. She added 11 rebounds and seven steals while Gabby Jones also grabbed 14 ‘boards. Parra then tallied 18 and Kaeci Madrid 14 in the win over Custer County. Jones again led the team in rebounds with seven.
Parra of course will be the focus of the Sanford defense. She’s averaging 21.5 points per game on the season and scored at least 20 points in three of five games with the Indians a year ago. She was limited to nine in the district championship game and 13 in the 3rd place game at the state tournament where she battled early foul trouble.
Sanford picked up 14 points from Asia Caldon and eight from Cheyenne Caldon in their win over Center. Mackenzie Peterson (8) and Hannah Peterson (7) also combined for 15 rebounds. No stats have been posted for their win over Sargent.
Sole possession of first place in the Mile High is on the line when Heritage Christian goes to Denver Christian this Friday. Both clubs are unbeaten in league play so the winner will be alone in first. And for Heritage Christian, the matchup is their second this week against a league unbeaten as they topped Dawson 52-30 back on Tuesday. The loss dropped the Mustangs to third place one game back.
Even though the Eagles won by 22 points, the game was much closer than that margin. Heritage Christian led by just one point after three (27-26) but then finished the game on a 25-4 run. Defensively, they held the Mustangs to their lowest output of the season.
Heritage Christian has a good mix of talent as Emily Johnson is a four-year starter on the inside who leads the team in scoring and rebounding. She’s surrounded by several three-point shooters such as Kali Seimers, Catherine Lacey and Kyli Kraft.
Denver Christian has also faced Dawson, but in a non-conference setting before Christmas. They fell short 45-25 so they will be the underdog on Friday despite playing at home. The Thunder also fell to Limon (66-32) but they’ve won five straight since. Kara Amidon (11.3) and Sophie Bull (7.3) are the top two scorers and they also combine for nearly seven rebounds and eight steals per game.
It’s also an important week in the Lower Platte as league leaders Holyoke and Merino both face strong challenges on Friday. The Dragons meet Yuma and the Rams tangle with Sedgwick County. Sedgwick County also tangles with Yuma on Saturday and those two share third place with Wray.
Holyoke gained early control of the standings with their 70-57 win over Wray last week. Lauren Herman totaled 20 points and nine rebounds in the win while Kristen Vieselmeyer added 14 points and eight boards. Shianne Willmon knocked in three treys and finished with 12 points while Emily Jelden scored 11 points with 10 assists.
Against Yuma, the Dragons face a team that has dominated the Lower Platte for several seasons. They suffered a conference loss to Wray earlier this season; just their third in league play since the start of the 2014-15 season. Overall, the Indians have won 33 of their last 35 conference contests.
Ema Richardson (17.1) is the leading scorer with Reagan Nolin (13.0) and Elle Roth (6.2) second and third. Roth tops the team in rebounds (7.6) and Nolin adds another four.
Friday’s game with Sedgwick County starts a crucial stretch for Merino. They also meet 2A #1 Limon on Saturday and then must prep for dates with Holyoke and Yuma next week. They enter with a record of 9-1 with a loss to 2A Simla (42-23).
Sedgwick County responded to the loss to Holyoke by blitzing Otis 39-19. They have three games all together this week as they host Perkins County NE on Thursday before visiting Merino and Yuma the next two nights. The schedule is difficult but wins in both league games put them in great position to earn a top three league finish.
Comparative scores against Simla give Limon the edge in their showdown with Merino. While the Rams fell by 19, the Badgers are coming off a hard fought 49-40 win at Simla back on Tuesday. The win pushed the Badgers into the #1 spot for RPI with Simla staying put at #5. Both remain favorites to win their league championships, earn a top district seed and more than likely to host a regional tournament.
The most important game in the Western slope is Friday in Colbrann where Plateau Valley entertains Meeker. Meeker is unbeaten in league action and shares the top spot with Hotchkiss. Plateau Valley has one league loss and sits in a third place tie with Soroco.
Both teams beat Paonia last week so we use that as a comparison. Margin of victory was very similar as Meeker topped the Eagles 40-30 and Plateau Valley 43-31. With 12 points and 15 rebounds, Julia Dinwiddie recorded her sixth double-double of the season and the fourth in conference play. She added five steals. Kirsten Brown also chipped in a dozen points.
Plateau Valley picked up 13 points apiece from Cahlea Dennison and Abby Detweiler. Dennison also provided five steals and Detweiler six rebounds.
It’s the only conference game for both clubs this week. Hotchkiss also has just one game as they’re favored at Rangely on Saturday. Soroco also faces Rangely the night before as the Rams need a win to keep pace following a league loss to DeBeque (56-49) earlier this month.
Telluride picked up an important win over Ridgway (34-21) on Tuesday. The win pushes the Miners into good position to finish second to Ignacio in the 2A standings. Morgan Watkinson led Telluride with 16 points. Neither team is expected to challenge Ignacio for the top spot. The Miners lost to the Bobcats 77-9 last week and the Demons 49-20.
Next up for Telluride is a home game with Dove Creek on Friday. Both teams have one league loss so the winner will be alone in second. Dove Creek drops into Class 1A for the post-season so they don’t impact the 2A district bracket pairings.
There is only one head-to-head matchup involving the top five teams in the Santa Fe this week. It’s Friday when Fowler goes to Hoehne. Hoehne is tied with Swink (5-2) for third place with Fowler in fifth with three losses. All teams are looking up to Rye and Rocky Ford who are both unbeaten overall. They don’t face off until the final week of the regular season.
