With just two weeks remaining in the regular season, there is still quite a bit to decide for Class 3A, 4A and 5A girls’ basketball conference races. We update the standings by looking through results from last week and then preview the most important games on tap this week; including some rescheduled contests lost to weather.
Photo by Vibrant Valley Photography in Alamosa.
CLASS 3A
Confluence: Lotus School grabbed the outright lead with their 39-38 win over Eagle Ridge Academy on Saturday. Both teams were unbeaten in conference play going in so the Meteors now sit in first. They will drop into Class 2A for the post-season which means Eagle Ridge is still in the running for the top district seed. Eagle Ridge and Strive Prep meet in the most important game of this week as the Wednesday pairing could decide second and third.
Frontier: Academy’s win over Middle Park (67-25) moved the Wildcats into the top spot by themselves. Neither team had dropped a league game but the margin of victory also gave indication of the wide gap between Academy and the rest of the conference. The Wildcats still have four games left in conference play but likely won’t get pushed through the end of the season. Middle Park and DSST-Montview play on Monday to determine second and third.
Intermountain: The come-from-behind win at Centauri last Friday moved Pagosa Springs to within one win of claiming the championship. The Pirates (8-0) lead Centauri and Alamosa (both 5-2) by two games with just two games remaining. That win could come Friday as Pagosa Springs entertains Alamosa. Should Pagosa stumble there, they can still clinch the outright title on the 20th against Bayfield. Another key game is set for Saturday between Alamosa and Centauri which could decide second and third.
Metro: Lutheran took over sole possession of the conference lead with their narrow in over Jefferson Academy on Saturday. The teams were a combined 15-0 going into the conference so the Lions are now in first with J-A sitting in second (7-1). Skyview Academy (5-2) is alone in third by one game over Faith Christian and Colorado Academy. Lutheran can clinch the crown by beating Colorado Academy on Thursday. If not there, they can also still get the top district seed by beating Manual on the 18th. The only other game involving the top five clubs going head-to-head is Tuesday between Jefferson Academy and Colorado Academy.
Patriot: University (8-0) maintained sole possession of first place with their 15-point win over Platte Valley. The Bulldogs have a one game edge and a win over second place Eaton so they can clinch the league title by beating Sterling on Friday or Valley on the 18th. Eaton has three league games left and needs win in two of them to secure second. They go to Strasburg on Tuesday and then host Frontier Academy on Thursday and are heavily favored in both. Third place is shared by Platte Valley and Brush; both 5-2. They meet on the 18th.
Tri Peaks: St Mary’s took over the top spot and clinched the league title with a solid win over Manitou Springs last week. The Pirates actually trailed 44-41 midway through the third quarter before finishing the game on a 46-14 run. St Mary’s finishes league play at home against La Junta on Wednesday. The loss dropped Manitou Springs into a second-place tie with Vanguard and the two meet on the 18th. Buena Vista (6-3) is in fourth and in position to earn a bye into the district quarterfinals. They took fourth with their 38-20 win over La Junta last week.
Western Slope: Delta has to like the position they’re in. The Panthers are 6-0 with a one game lead on both Cedaredge and Roaring Fork. They’ve beaten both the Bruins and Rams so they have the edge in any tiebreaker. Delta though still needs two wins to win the league title officially and they should get one this week with Aspen at home on Saturday. Next week involves road trips to Olathe and Gunnison and again the Panthers will be favored. The most important game finds Roaring Fork at Cedaredge on Friday as that winner takes over second.
CLASS 4A
Colorado 8: Skyview (5-0) leads Weld Central (4-1) and Riverdale Ridge (3-1) by one game. The Wolverines can land a second consecutive championship by beating Riverdale on Wednesday. The game was set for last week but pushed back by Mother Nature. Riverdale Ridge has a loss to Weld Central so the Ravens must win to earn a share of the league crown. A win likely leaves all three in first place. If Skyview wins, the Wolves are in first with Weld Central and Riverdale Ridge third.
CS Metro: Canon City (10-0) and Sierra (10-1) are one-two in the conference and were scheduled to collide last Friday but again weather and travel conditions took the game off the schedule. At this point, we don’t have a new date for the important game as it will decide the top two spots. Sierra created a two-game gap on third place Classical Academy with their 59-51 win over the Titans last week.
Jeffco: Green Mountain (9-0) has opened a two-game lead on Evergreen (6-2) with Golden (5-3) another game off the pace in third. The Rams and Cougars meet for a second time on the 21st but if the Rams win their next two conference games, that outcome won’t factor into the title picture. The Rams host Golden on Wednesday and then visit Littleton on Friday. Evergreen has one league game this week against Standley Lake on Friday.
Northern: Thompson Valley (10-0) is very close to landing the championship. They lead Northridge (8-2) by two games with Greeley Central (6-3) in third and Centaurus (6-4) fourth. Thompson Valley can clinch by beating Northridge on the road Thursday. They’re heavily favored as they dominated the first game 67-31. The Eagles also host Mountain View on Tuesday.
Pikes Peak: Sand Creek (8-0) leads Falcon (6-2) by two games and both Lewis Palmer and Air Academy (5-3) by three. Sand Creek gained the lead by downing Sand Creek in late January and then were given more space when Palmer Ridge upset the Falcons last week. Falcon looks to keep second place this week as they visit Air Academy on Tuesday and then host Lewis Palmer on Saturday. Sand Creek and Lewis Palmer also get together on Monday.
South Central: Not sure that Pueblo West is going to feel much pressure in winning another league crown. They’ve outscored their first five league opponents by 217 points while creating a two-game lead on Pueblo South and Pueblo East. West could have a three-game lead by mid-week as they host East on Monday and South on Tuesday.
Tri Valley: Erie is making a late season push with hopes of at least gaining a share of the conference championship. Last week, the Tigers beat Holy Family for the first time in school history and then after a 24-hour delay because of weather, followed up with another important win over Berthoud. As a result, Holy Family (11-1) is still alone in first with Berthoud (11-2) and Erie (10-2) one game. Windsor (9-3) also remains a factor. Three more important games are set for this week so there are several possibilities for the top four spots. Berthoud meets Holy Family and Windsor faces Erie on Tuesday while Windsor and Holy Family also collide on Thursday.
Western Slope: Glenwood Springs had a chance to build a commanding three-game lead on second place Rifle last Friday but their game was postponed due to travel concerns. We do not have a date for the makeup. The Demons now turn their attention to Eagle Valley on Thursday and Steamboat Springs on Saturday. Rifle, which also lost a game to Steamboat Springs on Thursday, tries to stay within range against Summit (Tuesday) and Palisade (Friday).
CLASS 5A
Centennial: Grandview (10-0) and Cherry Creek (9-1) remain in the top two spots for another week. Their second game won’t take place until the 19th so both teams should stay in the same spot ahead of that matchup. Grandview has league games against Eaglecrest and Overland on Wednesday and Saturday but their best challenge is Monday with Ralston Valley (non-league). Cherry Creek looks to keep their hold on second at Mullen on the same night. The Bruins lead the Mustangs by one game and also beat them 58-38 last month.
CS Metro: We have a good battle here between Doherty (8-1) and Fountain Fort Carson (7-2) with Liberty in the mix as well (4-2). The two leaders meet in Fountain on Tuesday with the winner taking control of the race. Game one went to Doherty 62-40 so they’ll be favored in the rematch. Liberty faces both first-place squads in the final week.
Continental: Three teams remain in the title chase with Regis and Highlands Ranch (both 6-0) still in the best position. They both lead Mountain Vista (5-1) by one game. The two leaders face off on the 18th. Mountain Vista, which lost to Highlands Ranch by 34 points last month, tries their luck with Regis this Wednesday.
Denver Prep: Four teams have one league loss so the race is far from decided. Denver East, Denver South and George Washington are all 5-1 with Thomas Jefferson at 4-1. Denver South created the logjam by beating George Washington 53-52 last Saturday. One game involving the leaders is set for this week at Thomas Jefferson goes to Denver East on Friday. Next week, Denver East is home to George Washington.
East Metro: (CORRECTED) Vista Peak created a three-way tie for the lead by crushing Thornton last week. The loss was the first in the conference for Thornton and left them tied with Vista Peak and Rangeview. That result also brought Westminster and Brighton (both 4-2) back into the discussion as well. Vista Peak and Rangeview play on Saturday but the game is a non-conference battle as Rangeview took the league contest 68-54 late last month. Thornton should get by Adams City and Aurora Central this week but they have a tough test at Brighton on the 19th. That game could determine where two or three teams share the title.
Front Range: Another critical game statewide lost to weather last Friday was the Broomfield-Fairview matchup in this conference. Since they didn’t play, both teams remain 7-0 in league play and tied with Fossil Ridge in first. The Sabercats did get their game in with Fort Collins and the win pushed them to 8-0. The Sabercats go to Greeley West on Tuesday and then begin a difficult stretch where they face Highlands Ranch (Wednesday), Broomfield (Friday), Fairview (18th) and Valor Christian (20th) over a span of nine days. Broomfield and Fairview are rescheduled for Monday so one of them will drop into third place. And since Broomfield also faces Fossil Ridge, the Eagles can sew up the crown with wins in both.
Jeffco: Valor Christian (4-0) leads Lakewood (4-1), Arvada West (3-1) and Ralston Valley (2-1) by one game. The Eagles scored a clutch win over Ralston Valley late last month and with games against Dakota Ridge and Arvada West this Wednesday and Friday, they’re in position to virtually clinch the championship. If that happens, then Ralston Valley could take second place by beating Dakota Ridge and A-West in the final week.
Southwestern: Montrose was involved in the top two games last week and they split results. They fell at Fruita Monument (44-39) last Tuesday but recovered to beat Durango (39-35) on Saturday. Those results left Montrose and Fruita in first place with identical 4-1 marks. Durango is now third at 3-2. The Demons have a win over Fruita but have lost both meetings with Montrose. Fruita Monument hosts Durango on Saturday. A Wildcats win there sets up a winner-take-all championship game with Montrose on the road on the 18th.
