As top teams start to take control of league races, the games of interest in girls’ basketball is reduced a bit more this week. Colorado Preps again reviews each conference and comes up with the most important games on tap in each; along with a list of attractive non-league pairings.
Photo provided by John Contreras.
CLASS 1A
5280: Belleview Christian (2-0), Rocky Mountain Lutheran (2-0) and Flatirons Academy (1-0) continue to set the pace with Shining Mountain (3-1) alone in fourth. The Lions’ league loss came to Flatirons Academy so they must win out and get some help from others to win the conference crown. Flatirons is not involved in league action this week but has tremendous matchups with 2A Wray and 1A #1 Briggsdale. Both will give a huge boost to their RPI.
- Tuesday: Shining Mountain at Belleview Christian
ARK VALLEY: Only one conference game has been played but it was a big one as South Baca stopped Springfield on Friday night. They along with Kim/Branson are considered the favorites to land the championship. South Baca can take another huge step to the crown by beating Kim/Branson on Friday. Kim/Branson is unbeaten overall (7-0) and could also get tested this week against Wiley. Springfield is not involved in league activity this week but challenges Kit Carson on Saturday.
- Tuesday: Kim/Branson at Wiley
- Friday: Kim/Branson at South Baca
BLACK FOREST: Simla (3-0) is alone in first by one game over Elbert (3-1) and Kiowa (2-1). The Cubs suffered their first loss of the season to Kit Carson last Friday but recovered to beat Stratton/Liberty the next night. They have three rivalry games this week including an important league battle with Kiowa.
- Friday: Kiowa at Simla
HIGH PLAINS: Kit Carson (2-0) shares first place with McClave (1-0) and Cheyenne Wells (1-0). Cheyenne Wells (1-5) earned their first win of the season on Friday over Cheraw and that put them in the first-place mix. Their next four are league games against Eads, McClave, Kit Carson and Granada so it’s a difficult stretch for them. Kit Carson and McClave do not face off until March 5th.
- Friday: Cheyenne Wells at McClave
- Friday: Kit Carson at Eads
NORTH CENTRAL: Briggsdale (1-0) heads up the standings with top challenger Fleming (0-0) yet to taste league play. That changes this week when the Wildcats tangle with Peetz and Prairie before hosting Briggsdale a week from Monday (Feb 22nd). Briggsdsale is heavily favored against Weldon Valley before entertaining Flatirons Academy in a huge game on Saturday.
- Saturday: Prairie at Fleming
SOUTHERN PEAKS: The race is a two-team struggle between Sierra Grande (4-0) and Sangre De Cristo (2-0). They’re a combined 9-2 overall and will finally meet on the 26th. The T-Birds have two league games with Mountain Valley and Creede this week while Sierra Grande has an important non-league encounter with Cotopaxi.
YWKC: It appears the top two spots have been spoken for as Lone Star beat Idalia earlier this year and the Wolves topped Arickaree/Woodlin last week. Lone Star meets Arickaree/Woodlin this week so a win by the Longhorns likely closes the race in their favor. Lone Star also gets tested in non-league games against Haxtun and Shining Mountain.
- Thursday: Lone Star at Arickaree/Woodlin
NON-LEAGUE
- Monday: Haxtun at Lone Star
- Tuesday: Simla at Genoa Hugo
- Wednesday: Flatirons Academy vs Wray
- Friday: Sierra Grande at Cotopaxi
- Friday: Lone Star at Shining Mountain
- Saturday: Flatirons Academy at Briggsdale
- Saturday: Springfield at Kit Carson
- Saturday: Simla at Peyton
CLASS 2A
BLACK FOREST: Peyton has clinched the championship (3-0) and with it has clinched a berth in the 24-team playoff bracket. Calhan and Dolores Huerta (both 1-1) could decide second a week from Monday as they collide on the 22nd. Peyton has three high level opponents on tap this week with non-conference pairings against Manitou Springs, Elbert and Simla.
SANTA FE: Rye, Rocky Ford and Fowler (all 3-0) have worked to a three-way tie for the conference lead. Swink (2-1) is alone in fourth with all others have at least two league losses. Changes will occur this week as the league leaders square off twice. Fowler is involved in both and two wins should put them in position to land the championship. Losses in both will leave the battle between Rye and Rocky Ford on the 26th as the decisive game.
- Wednesday: Rye at Swink
- Friday: Fowler at Rocky Ford
- Saturday: Rye at Fowler
SOUTHERN PEAKS: Sanford (2-0) and Center (3-0) sit tied for first place and combined the teams have won 12 of 14 games. Monte Vista stayed in contention by upsetting Del Norte on Friday and those two clubs now share third place with Sargent (all 1-1). One will fall farther down the standings when Del Norte and Sargent collide. That contest also becomes very important to the state playoff bracket.
- Saturday: Del Norte at Sargent
LOWER PLATTE: Sedgwick County collected the biggest win of last week; beating Wray on the road 65-63. The win was the first of the week as the Cougars also fought past Burlington and Dayspring Christian. Entering week four, the Cougars are tied with Holyoke as both are 3-0 in conference play. Wray slid into a third-place tie with Haxtun as both have one league loss. The Eagles have the tiebreak from their 75-49 win over the Bulldogs earlier this year. The first-place tie will be broken on Friday if both teams stay unbeaten until then. Both clubs play Wiggins early in the week.
- Friday: Sedgwick County at Holyoke
SAN JUAN: It’s a three-way tie for first with Dove Creek (3-0), Ignacio and Mancos (both 2-0) still perfect against league rivals. Mancos and Ignacio face off this week as that winner should end the week tied with Dove Creek in first. The Bulldogs are set to face Mancos on the 26th and Ignacio on March 4th.
- Tuesday: Ignacio at Mancos
UNION PACIFIC: Limon (4-0) is the league champion as they wrapped up the crown with their win over Byers on Friday. All that’s left for them in conference play is a date with last place Deer Trail. Burlington, Byers and Genoa Hugo should face off for second place. Burlington goes to Byers on the 26th and hosts Genoa Hugo on March 5th. Byers and GH are together this week.
- Friday: Byers at Genoa Hugo
WEST SLOPE NORTH: Several games were postponed due to COVID and weather last week so the standings did not change that much. Rangely and Soroco are both 2-0 with Vail Christian at 1-0. Vail Christian and Soroco were slated to play on Friday but that game was not played. Soroco (6-0) is the only conference team above 500 so they’re favored to be at the top by seasons end.
- Thursday: Soroco at North Park
- Friday: Meeker at West Grand
WEST SLOPE SOUTH: Cedaredge had a big change to grab some cushion on Saturday but their two-point loss to Paonia left the Bruins and Eagles tied in first with one loss apiece. Paonia also missed a chance to take the conference lead as they were upset by Plateau Valley the night before. Now it appears the conference crown will go to the winner of the Paonia-Cedaredge rematch on February 25th. Olathe (4-2) now remains in the mix but they must beat Cedaredge on Tuesday to stay there. The Bruins took game one 50-26.
- Tuesday: Olathe at Cedaredge
MILE HIGH: Heritage Christian (5-0) is alone in first but the Eagles are chased by four one-loss teams in Highland, Dayspring Christian, Front Range Christian and Longmont Christian. Heritage has not faced any of those challengers so the race is far from over. That schedule opens this week.
- Tuesday: Heritage Christian at Dayspring Christian
- Thursday: Heritage Christian at Longmont Christian
- Thursday: Front Range Christian at Highland
NON-LEAGUE
- Monday: Manitou Springs at Peyton
- Tuesday: Soroco at Paonia
- Friday: Byers at Genoa Hugo
- Saturday: Paonia at Rangely
CLASS 3A
METRO: Lutheran, Kent Denver and Peak to Peak all sit at 4-0 and continue sharing the conference lead. Lutheran remains favored but dropped their first game of the year to 5A #8 Chaparral. It was a great matchup with the Lions falling by just six points in a game that will easily get them ready for the post-season run in Class 3A. They don’t face either co-leader as Kent Denver comes up on the schedule February 22nd and Peak to Peak on March 5th. Kent Denver has a tough one with fourth-place Faith Christian this week and meets Peak to Peak on the 25th. The matchup with Kent Denver is the back end of an important week for Faith Christian as they also tangle with Peak to Peak. Those two along with Machebeuf share fourth place with one league loss apiece. Peak to Peak also has an attractive non-league date with Eaton on Saturday.
- Tuesday: Peak to Peak at Faith Christian
- Saturday: Faith Christian at Kent Denver
PATRIOT: Thanks to wins over University and Brush last week, Platte Valley (3-0) continues to keep pace with Eaton (5-0) atop the standings. They both have a one-game lead on Brush and since the Broncos have a head-to-head win over the Diggers they’re in good shape for a top two league finish. The Broncos have a difficult road trip to Resurrection Christian this week. Eaton has the aforementioned battle with Peak to Peak and then preps for University next week and Platte Valley on March 3rd.
- Wednesday: Platte Valley at Resurrection Christian
TRI PEAKS: Lamar’s win over St Mary’s last week caused a stir in the rankings but the race remains open as six teams sit within one game of the lead. Vanguard (5-0) and Ellicott (3-0) are in first place with Manitou Springs, La Junta, St Mary’s and Lamar at one loss apiece. Lamar can continue to climb up the ladder as they face both leaders this week and Ellicott also begins the trek through the top clubs. Vanguard, before meeting Lamar, has a big date with Centauri on Tuesday. St Mary’s gets a break as they do not face any of the top six clubs this week.
- Wednesday: La Junta at Ellicott
- Wednesday: Lamar at Vanguard
- Friday: Ellicott at Lamar
- Friday: Manitou Springs at La Junta
WESTERN SLOPE: It’s a huge week for the conference as the top four clubs square off three times. Basalt (3-0) and Delta (2-0) are tied for first but top challengers Moffat County and Coal Ridge have yet to play a game. They open against one another on Tuesday and then Moffat County has a huge date with Delta on Friday. Wins in both give them the inside track to the championship. Basalt and Coal Ridge also play this week so a couple of wins by the Titans also put them in great shape. Delta, coming off a strong win over 5A Fruita Monument last week, has five days to prep for Moffat County since it’s their only contest of the week.
- Tuesday: Moffat County at Coal Ridge
- Saturday: Delta at Moffat County
- Saturday: Coal Ridge at Basalt
CONFLUENCE: Lotus (7-0) has three more wins than any league team overall and remains favored to land the championship. If that happens, then the league may not get a playoff bid as the Meteors would move into the 2A playoffs as a league champion. As of Sunday, DSST-Byers was the top team in the 3A rankings but they were on the bubble at #23. Remember only 24-teams make the state playoffs in Class 3A this year. DSST-Byers (1-0) and Lotus (2-0) share first. They square off on February 27th.
FRONTIER: Academy (3-0) finally earned a push back from a league member last week as they held off Bennett by just 11 points; by far the narrowest margin of victory in conference play over the last two years. That win kept the Wildcats (3-0) tied for first with Arrupe Jesuit (3-0) and Jefferson (2-0). Bennett slipped into a fourth place tie with Pinnacle and Middle Park; all have one league loss. Academy has just one game this week but it’s an important trip to Middle Park. Arrupe also meets the Panthers
- Wednesday: Academy at Middle Park
- Friday: Middle Park at Arrupe Jesuit
INTERMOUNTAIN: The race is again between Centauri (3-0) and Pagosa Springs (3-1) with the Falcons picking up a win in the first meeting Saturday (53-48). Game two is March 5th in La Jara. Centauri continues a very strong non-league schedule in visiting #2 Vanguard on Tuesday. They then return to league play on the road to Bayfield and Cortez this week. Pagosa Springs looks to sew up a top two finish at home against Alamosa on Saturday. They lead the Pirates by one game in the race for second and won the first meeting. The Pirates could also get tested at 2A Ignacio two nights earlier.
- Saturday: Alamosa at Pagosa Springs
NON-LEAGUE:
- Tuesday: Centauri at Vanguard
- Thursday: Pagosa Springs at Ignacio
- Saturday: Eaton at Peak to Peak
