The Roaring Fork girls basketball team has been the focal point of the Western Slope league pretty much all season long, thanks in part to Riley Bevington’s phenomenal campaign leading the Rams.

Make no mistake, however — there are two Forks at the dinner table when it comes to teams to watch in the postseason.

North Fork is on a 10-game winning streak entering the final weekend of the regular season, with last week’s hard-fought, 55-52 overtime victory at Meeker arguably the Miners’ best win of the season. Down 31-19 at half, NFHS chipped away impressively in a harsh environment to tie the contest at 46-46 before the end of regulation, and the combined efforts of Meri Hollembeak (14 points), Brooke Angelovich (12) and Alyssa Lovelace (11) helped spark the team to a season sweep of the Cowboys (16-5).

Hollembeak, a sophomore, does not carry the Bevington-like numbers overall, but she certainly has had a great stretch of games during the win streak. She’s averaged 15.4 points per game including a career best 27 points Jan. 24 against Gunnison.

Sitting at 18-3, the Miners’ league schedule is already complete. But that doesn’t mean the rest of their schedule is pointless. In fact, the Miners (No. 10 in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index) can gain some valuable points when they face Peyton (13-8, No. 24 Index) on Friday night. On Saturday, a winnable game against Liberty Tree Academy awaits.

Whatever regional in which North Fork ends up when the brackets are released, the Miners seem ready to eat.
Some other games of value as the regular season closes:

Class 3A

Rye at Florence, Friday, 1:30 p.m.
Rye is No. 32 in the 3A Index, while Florence is No. 35. A Huskies’ win certainly wouldn’t constitute as something that would push them into the postseason conversation, but it definitely would seem to push Rye out of it. The Thunderbolts have lost seven straight games, but a win and getting in the postseason could give RHS a breath of fresh air and a reset on a season that has turned on them a bit.

Class 2A/1A

Cotopaxi at Rangely, Friday, 4 p.m.
Rangely has won eight straight games against in-state competition and lost two very close games in January to 3A North Fork and Meeker, signifying the Panthers are primed for postseason. At No. 9 in the 2A Index, it seems possible to break into the top 8, as well, and Rangely will get that chance with a decent effort against the Pirates (13-7, No. 23 in the 1A Index). The senior-freshman combination of Aubrianna Tapia and Aubrey Yates have carried RHS all season.

Class 1A

Kim/Branson at Springfield, Thursday, 5 p.m.
While the Springfield-Stratton matchup Saturday at Stratton is also appealing, Thursday’s game will decide the Arkansas Valley League championship. Springfield (17-4, No. 10 in the 1A Index) could crack top-8 with a pair of weekend wins (Stratton is currently No. 4), while Kim/Branson sits firmly at No. 15 in the Index. This game features some talented sophomores — Jersey Speck and Cobi Mackey for the Longhorns, and Sorrel Mosimann for the Mustangs.