Important games concerning conference races get underway Monday night in Class 4A and 5A girls’ basketball.  We run through those matchups and all other top games in each conference entering week three.  Colorado Preps will provide more in-depth previews of these games during our daily previews through the entire regular season.

 

CLASS 4A

CS METRO NORTH:  Sand Creek and Falcon enter the week sharing the conference lead with identical 2-0 marks.  The Falcons have already beaten both Sierra and TCA so they may have the slight edge but that can change on Monday night when the two leaders square off on the Scorpions home floor.  They get together for a second meeting on the 22nd.  A second game of note this week pits Classical Academy at Sand Creek on Wednesday.

CS METRO SOUTH:  Canon City and Coronado sit in first place (2-0).  Palmer and Mesa Ridge are both 1-1 and tied for third and the race is expected to be tight throughout.  The two leaders meet on Monday night at Coronado.

JEFFCO:  Green Mountain is 3-0 with D’Evelyn, Evergreen and Littleton all sharing the top spot at 2-0.  Every other league member already has two league losses so the eventual champ likely comes from the current group of four leaders.  Evergreen has the most difficult schedule this week as they host both Green Mountain (Wednesday) and Littleton (Friday) over a three-day span.

LONGS PEAK:  Roosevelt is out of the gate at 3-0 with Riverdale Ridge and Northridge both 2-0.  Preseason favorites Berthoud and Severance are both 1-0.  They’ve played one another with Severance gaining the victory but it was a non-conference game.  Several games involving the league leaders this week including two games on Tuesday between Berthoud-Riverdale Ridge and Roosevelt-Northridge.  On Thursday, Berthoud visits Northridge and Riverdale Ridge hits the road to Roosevelt.

WESTERN SLOPE:  Rifle (3-0) is coming off a solid win over Glenwood Springs last week.  The Bears share the lead with Battle Mountain (2-0) and Palisade (1-0).  The Huskies and Bulldogs meet Tuesday out near Grand Junction.

COLORADO:  Weld Central has a win over Fort Lupton in the only conference game to date.  The Rebels are 4-2 overall and probably favored to land the title with Aurora Central (4-1) a league newcomer and possible contender this year.  Their conference matchup is February 23rd but we get a preview on Tuesday as they battle in Aurora for non-league activity.

NORTHERN:  A good league here with Holy Family, Windsor, Longmont, Erie and Mead all 1-0 following the first round of games.  None of the five leaders square off this week but those contests will come in bunches starting next week.

PIKES PEAK:  A mixed league of 5A and 4A teams this year should lead to a tremendous race.  Fountain Fort Carson and Doherty are 2-0 with Pine Creek and Air Academy keeping pace (1-0).  Air Academy can make some noise or fall off the pace this week as the Kadets entertain Doherty (Tuesday) and Fountain Fort Carson (Thursday).

SOUTH CENTRAL:  Through the first week of conference play, Pueblo West and Pueblo County are the lone unbeatens (2-0).  They’re also the only two members with winning records overall so the race likely comes down to their two league pairings.  Game one is Thursday at Pueblo County.

SOUTHWESTERN:  No league games have been played yet but this should be a good race between Fruita Monument (3-0) and Grand Junction Central (4-0).  They actually meet this week in the first two battles.  The game is Thursday at Central.

NONLEAGUE:  A good rivalry game makes the list of top non-league games in Class 4A as the two schools are separated by less than 15 miles along I-70.

  • Rifle at Coal Ridge (Tuesday)

 

CLASS 5A

FRONT RANGE:  Way too early to figure this league out as six teams (Broomfield, Fossil Ridge, Legacy, Poudre, Rocky Mountain and Monarch) begin the week tied for first at 1-0.  Fossil Ridge (4-0) and Monarch (3-0) are both unbeaten on the season so they may be considered the early favorites and we get that matchup on Monday night.  Both teams could also get challenged later in the week as the Sabercats meet Broomfield on Friday and the Coyotes go to Rocky Mountain that same night.  Broomfield is also involved in two other important games; at Legacy on Monday and home to Rocky Mountain on Wednesday.

JEFFCO:  Another Monday night of game is found here as Ralston Valley heads to Chatfield to get the week started.  The Mustangs (2-1) trail Chatfield, Arvada West and Valor Christian in the league race and since they have a loss to Valor Christian already, Ralston cannot afford a second league loss and stay in the chase.  Arvada West faces both leaders this week but get both games at home; against Valor Christian on Wednesday and then Chatfield two nights later.

CENTENNIAL:  Grandview is the number one team in Class 5A and heavily favored to land this championship without a loss.  The Wolves are 4-0 but Arapahoe has kept pace with four straight wins as well.  Mullen and Eaglecrest are a game back at 3-1.  Grandview and Arapahoe collide on Friday with the winner nabbing the first half conference lead.  Eaglecrest and Mullen also battle for third that night as well.  Earlier on Wednesday, Arapahoe also visits Eaglecrest.

CONTINENTAL:  Regis and Highlands Ranch (both 3-0) are again the best teams and the top two spots may be determined on Tuesday when they meet on the Falcons home floor.  The winner also gains a leg up in the race for a top four playoff seed.  Douglas County, Ponderosa, Mountain Vista and Chaparral have just one league loss but are most likely battling it out for third place by seasons end.

EAST METRO:  Vista Peak and Rangeview are a combined 7-0 on the season while Prairie View and Northglenn are 2-4 together.  Still, all four teams won conference openers last week to share the top spot entering week three of the schedule.  The race may stay undecided until the final week when Vista Peak and Rangeview square off.

DENVER PREP:  Four teams remain unbeaten in early conference play as Thomas Jefferson and Denver South are 2-0 with George Washington and Denver West checking in at 1-0.  Denver South beat TJ last week but it was a non-conference game.  Thomas Jefferson is very busy this week as they go to Denver East on Tuesday, to George Washington on Thursday and then host Denver West on Saturday.  Denver East and George Washington also step on the same court for that great rivalry on Saturday.

NON-LEAGUE:  A team trying to make some noise in the 5A ranks challenges a perennial powerhouse in the top non-conference game of the week.

  • Vista Peak at Regis (Thursday)