Even though we’re only a couple of weeks into conference play, league races in 3A girls’ basketball are starting to take shape. Conference leaders this week have already faced off this week or will do on the weekend.
The biggest matchup is found in the Intermountain league where top five rivals Pagosa Springs and Alamosa battle this Friday in the San Luis Valley. The winner will stand alone atop the standings following the game.
Pagosa Springs has the best win in early conference play as they downed Centauri (49-35) last week. Playing at home, the Pirates got off to a quick start; building a 15-3 lead in the first quarter and a 24-7 advantage at intermission. They were not pushed the rest of the way.
Defense was the key as Pagosa Springs held the Falcons to just 28 percent from the field overall (11-40) and 0-9 from beyond the three-point line. The win was their fifth straight since a two point loss to Lutheran before Christmas.
That defense will again be asked to play well against Alamosa, especially on the perimeter. The Moose are led by Emily Lavier who poured in a state record 12 three-pointers in last week’s win over Monte Vista. The junior now has 36 trey’s on the season and has hit at least three in five games. Her 38 point outburst also bumped her scoring average to nearly 18 per game.
Series history is tilted heavily in favor of Pagosa Springs. They beat the Moose three times last year and overall has won the last 21 in the series. Alamosa has not beaten Pagosa Springs since December 5th, 2008 (45-41).
Centauri should bounce back from the Pagosa Springs loss as they’re favored at home against Bayfield and Montezuma Cortez this weekend. Wins in both will leave them tied for second with the Pagosa Springs-Alamosa loser. And please note that all the leaders will meet a second time in conference play.
Two conference leaders also clash in the Western Slope as Coal Ridge goes to Delta on Friday. The Titans and Panthers share the top spot with Moffat County as all three are unbeaten at 2-0.
Delta has to be favored. They’re coming off a state tournament appearance and now finally healthy, are among the best teams in Class 3A. They beat Roaring Fork and Basalt in league play last week but most impressively downed a very good Montrose (4A) team earlier this week. That final was 52-37 with the Panthers taking control in the second and third quarters where they outscored the Indians 24-9. Sara Geddes finished with 16 points and Keely Porter 14. Alexa Huff pulled down nine rebounds and Geddes six.
Coal Ridge has won five straight including league wins over Basalt and Gunnison where they allowed just 52 points combined. They’re 3-0 this season against 3A clubs including a win over Colorado Academy before Christmas. The Titans get a combined 20 points from Taylor Wiescamp (10.7) and Lyanna Nevarez (8.3). Wiescamp leads the club with 7.5 rebounds while Nevarez adds four rebounds, three asissts and two steals.
Moffat County has a tough back-to-back as they hope to stay tied in first with the Delta-Coal Ridge winner. The Bulldogs go to Grand Valley on Friday and then move to Cedaredge on Saturday afternoon. They have a combined record of 15-4 and both are expected to make a push for the conference crown.
With young players dominating the roster, the Bulldogs may be a year ahead of schedule. Freshman Cayden King paces the team in points (12.2) and rebounds (7.8) and while sophomore Halle Hamilton averages nine points and junior Emaleigh Papierski seven. King has reached double figures in all but one game and has posted three double-doubles including a 21 point 10 rebound effort against Soroco.
Grand Valley lost to Pagosa Springs (45-21) before Christmas but has won four straight. The Cardinals feature six players averaging at least five points per game but Jordyn Pittman is their top player. Her numbers of 8.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.3 steals are all best on the team.
Cedaredge lost to Delta by nine points in non-league play but has won three in a row. They gave up 29 combined points in wins over Aspen and Olathe last week but neither was a conference game. Kammi Henderson (13.6) and Makayla Kehmeier (9.4) combine for 23 points a game. Henderson averages nearly eight rebounds a game and both players record over three steals per game.
University’s overtime win over Eaton on Tuesday night caused some shuffling at the top of the Patriot race. The win left the Bulldogs as one of two league unbeatens as they now share first place with Liberty Common. University had already posted wins over Brush and Resurrection Christian so they may be just two wins away from claiming the crown. They meet Liberty Common on January 31st with a last hurdle against Platte Valley on February 7th.
The game with Eaton was every close throughout. All four quarters were decided by just one point but the Bulldogs won the extra period 7-3. Next up for University is a date with Strasburg on Friday.
Eaton picked up 11 points from Addie Randel but hit just five of 18 three-pointers. They head to Sterling on Friday needing a win to stay within one game of the leader leaders. They still have league games with Brush and Resurrection Christian.
With wins over Strasburg (48-22) and Frontier Academy (53-31), Liberty Common has yet to face any of the top five teams in the conference. That run begins on the 28th against Platte Valley and three nights later against University. They also have late season dates with Resurrection Christian (Feb 14th) and Eaton (18th). Tatum Flack (12.3) and Izzy Swanson (8.8) are 1-2 in scoring with Swanson the top rebounder (12.7) and Flack #2 (7.0).
The most important in the Metro this week may have already been played as Skyview Academy topped Peak to Peak 45-29 on Tuesday. Both teams were unbeaten and part of a five-way tie atop the standings going in. Skyview’s seventh straight win left them tied with Lutheran, Jefferson Academy and Colorado Academy. Those four leaders are a combined 32-8 this season with remaining league members sitting at 24-54.
None of the league leaders face off this weekend so there’s a good chance they remain in the top spot. Lutheran is heavily favored to land the championship. The Lions meet Machebeuf on Thursday and Peak to Peak on Saturday.
Buena Vista is the next team up to challenge two-time state champion St Mary’s in the Tri Peaks. They meet Friday in Colorado Springs with Vanguard and La Junta also squaring off that night. They’re the two most important league games on the league slate this week.
St Mary’s is in a first place tie with Manitou Springs and James Irwin while Buena Vista, La Junta and Buena Vista share third place with Trinidad. The results will continue the sorting out process for the top four spots.
The Demons have dropped three straight games including a 51-35 conference loss to Vanguard. Their best wins are against Lamar and Colorado Academy. St Mary’s has outscored opponents 735-369 and is just three points shy of doubling up the competition overall. They’re 61-3 over the past three season with two losses to Colorado Springs Christian and a third to 5A Cherry Creek (this season).
Vanguard responded to the blowout loss to St Mary’s by beating Ellicott and Buena Vista. Alexis Garcia dropped in 30 points against Buena Vista and that total exceeded her output over the previous three games where she was held to just 26. The sophomore averages 14 points a night.
La Junta has won three since their 44-33 league loss to Manitou Springs. An upset of the Coursers makes them the top challenger to St Mary’s and they will visit the Pirates on February 11th. Raini Tafoya leads the Tigers with 11.1 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. Hayden Mayo chips in nearly eight points and rebounds.
Academy, Middle Park and Arrupe Jesuit are unbeaten in early Frontier league activity. None of those three match up this week so they should remain atop the standings going into next week. Academy is unbeaten overall (9-0) so they’re heavily favored over the two others who have a combined record of 8-6.
It appears that DSST-Green Valley, Eagle Ridge Academy and Lotus School are the best three teams in the Confluence. Lotus will drop into the 2A ranks for the post-season so they won’t factor into the post-season picture.
It may be awhile before we separate those leaders as the first head-to-head pairing between the three is February 4th as Green Valley meets Lotus.
