Eight games are set for the 3A Girls Basketball Sweet 16 today and four of them are rematches from regular season battles. Winners head to the Great 8 round which will be conducted either Saturday or Monday depending on Mother Nature.
Previews of each game are below and they’re posted in bracket order. Colorado Preps will track all scores through the night on our Girls Basketball Scoreboard. Results can be sent in by text at 970.380.7737.
#1 Vanguard vs #16 Lamar
The first of four rematches in the Sweet 16 went to the Coursers as they downed the Savages 67-32 as part of their perfect run through the Tri Peaks conference. Vanguard hit 50 percent of their shots in the win compared to just 28 for Lamar. Vanguard had nine three pointers to just one for Lamar and committed 10 fewer turnovers. Jordan Seppa led the offense with 15 points; Ramiyah Boyd added 13 and Juliana Garcia 12. The setback was just one of two on the season for a very young Lamar squad. They have just one senior in the rotation with sophomore Abby Dobbins topping the scoresheet with 14 points per game. She had 16 of the Savages 32 total points in game one vs Vanguard. Alee Tice averages 6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds and Sydney Dunning adds 5.8 points and 6.3 boards.
#8 Brush vs #24 Grand Valley
The Beetdiggers are one of four Patriot league teams that received first round byes in Class 3A so they’re battle tested with a record of 11-3. They haven’t played since falling to Eaton 60-44 to close the regular season. That ended an eight game winning streak. Other losses were suffered to #3 Platte Valley and Holyoke; the top seed in the 2A bracket. No individual averages double figures but six Brush players average between five and nine points a game. Kenzie Kraich is the top rebounder with 4.2 per contest. Grand Valley is coming off the biggest upset in round one as the Cards shocked #9 Pagosa Springs 47-44. That earned them a trip to Brush and head coach Scott Parker will know the route. He formerly coached at Fort Morgan High; located in the same county as the Beetdiggers. He directs a very young squad that has already gained valuable playoff experience. Sophomore AbbeyRose Parker is the top scorer (16 per game) whiel freshman Jaycee Pittman provides nearly 13 points and eight rebounds an outing.
#5 Delta vs #12 Moffat County
The Western Slope doesn’t often gain the same respect as the Patriot, Tri Peaks and Metro but the league still has five teams competing in the playoffs including these two. They finished 1-2 in the division with Delta’s win in Craig (58-41) the decisive contest. Lexi Huff was huge in the win; scoring 26 points and it could have been more as she connected on just 8 of 16 foul shots. Erika Kuta and Keely Porter each collected 10 rebounds as Delta won that battle easily 46-24. Moffat County was paced by Cayden King with 14 points but the Bulldogs made just 16 of 60 field goal attempts and were 7 of 18 from the free thrown line. Lizzy Lewarne and Emily Papierski each pulled down six rebounds. Delta has just two lossess; to Centauri and 4A Grand Junction Central. Wins include a sweep of 5A Fruita Monument.
#4 Lutheran vs #13 Resurrection Christian
Unbeaten against 3A clubs this year, Lutheran may have had a case for a top two seed but a down year in the Metro hurt their schedule strength. The Lions easily won the title and are the lone conference team still in the 3A playoffs through just one round. Their only blemish is against 5A power Chaparral (56-50). Stephanie Schultz, a four year starter who went over 1,000 career points this year, leads the offense with 18 points and she also snags nearly four steals. Raelyn Kelty is also important with 12.7 points and 6.8 rebounds. Five others get over five points a game. Resurrection Christian is 11-4 with all four losses coming to top eight seeds Eaton, University, Platte Valley and Brush. They’ve won their last six including an impressive 43-29 decision over Peak to Peak in round one Tuesdaya. Freshman Mackenzie Fikkema scored 19 points in the win; Jordan Eskew had 15 rebounds and Hanna Friederich 13.
#2 Centauri vs #15 Coal Ridge
This is the year Centauri has built for as their top six scorers are seniors and all are talented. The Falcons rolled to a 13-1 regular season with their lone setback at top ranked Vanguard by just four points. They led most of the way in that one but could not finish. Brenna McDaniel is all-state candidate; averaging 15.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.6 assists and four steals. Up front, the Falcons are very strong through the tandem of Courtney Hamilton and Brynli Sowards who combine for 24 points and 15 rebounds. Alyssa Bagwell provides nearly six points per game. Coal Ridge improved to 12-3 by beating Ellicott 59-37 in Tuesday’s first round. It was their first straight win since a loss to Delta; a team that fell to Centauri midway through the season. Taylor Wiescamp is the first Coal Ridge player to reach 1,000 points in a career. She’s the top scorer again this year (16.9) and also the best rebounder (8.7). The Titans get support from Jackie Cumunez with 10 points and nearly four steals.
#7 University vs #10 Academy
These clubs matched up about two weeks ago with University earning a 65-52 decision. They pulled away in the second half with a 37-28 advantage over the third and fourth quarter. Kylie Kravig was huge; the senior tallied a career high 35 points on just 15 shots. She got to the foul line 12 times and made seven. Academy played well in the loss and actually won the rebound battle 38-30 but committed six more turnovers. Mikylah Espinoza led the Wildcats with 18 points and Aryanna Perez added 14. Those two average 41 points and 11 assists per game for the Frontier league champions. University has won their last six. Kravig leads the offense overall with 19 per game and adds 4.7 assists and 4.9 assists. Younger sister Tayrn is at 7.8 points with 4.2 rebounds. In between on the stat sheet is Miranda Wiedeman with 8.5 points and 7.7 rebounds.
#6 Eaton vs #11 St Mary’s
Two programs rich in tradition meet very early in the state tournament so one will not play into the weekend. Eaton is a regular visitor to the Great 8 and often pushes for a state title. St Mary’s has won the last two contested state championships and were favored to take a third straight year last Spring but their run, like all other clubs, ended in the state semifinals. The Reds are 10-2 this year but have split their last four following a hot 8-0 start. Their season closing win over Brush likely clinched a first round bye. They play a lot of kids; eight average between 8 and 13 points per game. That list is headed up by Alana Leffler with 12.8 points. Jisell Chumacero is the best rounder with 7.9 per game and Nakaiya Kuskie has 31 three-pointers overall. She had 85 as a junior. St Mary’s is full of new faces this year including coach Kyle Burkett. The long-time assistant took the reins from his father Mike and has pushed the Pirates back into the Sweet 16. One familiar name is Ellie Hartman as the senior leads the Pirates with 19.8 points and 8.3 rebounds. She’ll likely get first-team all state consideration. Paton Kutz (13.7) and freshman Maeve Salveson (12.3) are also options on the offensive end.
#3 Platte Valley vs #19 Sterling
This is the fourth rematch of the Sweet 16 with the Broncos taking a 63-47 decision very early in the regular season. The Broncos jumped to a quick 18-5 lead and kept that cushion the rest of way. Based on statistics, the game was very close. Platte Valley had eight threes compared to seven for Sterling; the Broncos also made nine free throws to eight for the Tigers. Sterling had more rebounds (34-31) but committed eight more turnovers (25-17). Individually, the Broncos were led by Cora Schissler with 18, Bree Bunting with 14 and Cassie Riddings with 11. Sterling picked up 11 from Hailey Fehringer and 11 from Jaden Newsom. On the season, Platte Valley has just one loss (Vanguard) and they’ve won 11 straight including all nine conference games to win the Patriot title. They’re still very young with underclassmen taking the top five scoring spots. Schissler leads the way with 13.2 followed by Bree Bunting wtih 12.0, Brooke Bunting 10.8 and Andi Schissler at 7.5. She also tops rebounding with nearly seven per game. Sterling advanced to this round by beating Kent Denver 49-46 on the road Tuesday night. Balance was the key. Only six players scored but all finished with between six and nine points.