Good schedule for the week in girls basketball as teams continue to move up and down inside their respective conference standings. Our league breakdown looks at each race in every classification and goes through the most important matchups.
CLASS 1A
5280: Not a stretch to stay Flatirons Academy (3-0) will win this conference as the defending state champion Bison have beaten second place teams Rocky Mountain Lutheran and Front Range Baptist by a combined 124 points. Those two play on February 11th and that outcome should decide second and third. Flatirons has a long road trip to North Park (Walden) on Monday night and then close the schedule with non-league opponents Fleming, Resurrection Christian and Lone Star so there are tests left on the schedule.
ARK VALLEY: Kim/Branson (1-0) and South Baca (3-0) share the league lead with Springfield (1-1) in third. South Baca has already beaten Springfield so they will look ahead to the matchup with Kim/Branson on February 11th. Kim/Branson and Springfield won’t play until the final week of the season (Feb 18th).
BLACK FOREST: Simla (2-0) and Kiowa (2-0) are co-leaders with Elbert (3-1) a game back in third. Evangelical Christian could also be a factor by years end but the Eagles have not played a league game yet. This week, the key game is set for Friday as Kiowa meets Simla. That winner will take over the outright lead and if it’s Kiowa, the Indians are in good shape for the title as they’ve already beaten Elbert.
FISHERS PEAK: La Veta (1-0) is favored to land the three-team title as the Redskins have already toppled Manzanola (1-1). That means they are the conference champions by beating Primero on Thursday.
HIGH PLAINS: Cheyenne Wells (3-0) and McClave (3-0) are set for a possible league championship showdown on Thursday night. Cheyenne Wells will host that game. Both teams lead Granada (2-1) by one game in the league standings. Kit Carson is fourth (1-2) and plays Granada on Friday with a chance to get back into the top three.
NORTH CENTRAL: This race is all but over following Briggsdale’s win over Fleming on Saturday night. The Falcons lead Prairie (2-1) and Fleming (1-1) by one game but the win over the Wildcats should wrap it up.
SOUTHERN PEAKS: Sangre De Cristo (1-0) and Sierra Grande (1-0) sit atop the standings with Centennial (2-1) in third. Sangre scored a huge win on Saturday; downing Centennial 65-38 so that makes the T-Birds the conference favorite. They visit Sierra Grande on February 11th. Sierra Grande also meets Centennial on the 12th so that’s an important weekend for their title hopes.
YWKC: Lone Star wrapped up their third consecutive league crown by beating Arickaree/Woodlin last week. The Longhorns (4-0) also have a win over Idalia (3-1) so they are the champions once again. Idalia also beat Arickaree/Woodlin last week so the Wolves have wrapped up second place as well.
NON-LEAGUE: Post season bracketing will be impacted by results of the games below.
- MONDAY: Flatirons Academy at North Park
- TUESDAY: Sargent (2A) at La Veta
- TUESDAY: Haxtun at Briggsdale
- WEDNESDAY: Kiowa at Byers (2A)
- THURSDAY: Montezuma Cortez (3A) at Dove Creek
- FRIDAY: Cotopaxi at La Veta
- SATURDAY: Kim/Branson at Centennial
- SATURDAY: Cheyenne Wells at Stratton
CLASS 2A
BLACK FOREST: Peyton (1-0) and Calhan (2-0) are in the top spot and they collide on Monday. The outcome won’t impact the league race as it’s considered a non-conference contest. The league game between the two is set for February 19th. Peyton is favored. They’re coming off a great win over Yuma while Calhan has just two wins this season overall.
SANTA FE: Rye and Hoehne are both 8-0 and meet on Tuesday to determine the outright leader. All other clubs have at least two league losses so this may already be a two-team chase. Rye has been ranked in the top five all season and has blown out nearly every opponent on their schedule. That makes them the heavy favorite despite the Farmers also being in the top 10. Swink, Fowler and Rocky Ford share third place. The key game for those three is Saturday as Swink heads to Fowler.
SOUTHERN PEAKS: Del Norte, Sanford and Sargent all enter the week without a league loss and atop the standings. Sargent meets Del Norte on Saturday and that winner becomes the top challenger to Sanford for the crown. Sargent may have locked up a top three finish by beating Center last week. The Vikings come off that loss and face a key district seeding game with Custer County on Thursday. Center has the advantage of playing at home.
LOWER PLATTE: Holyoke (3-0) took a major step to landing the conference championship with their road win over Sedgwick County (3-1) last Friday. Despite that win, the Dragons still remain tied with 1A Merino (4-0) for the top spot. Those two meet on Saturday. Merino also plays Sedgwick County on Friday so the Rams have a very difficult back-to-back. Wins in both however give the very young club the likely conference championship. Yuma goes to Holyoke on Friday and Akron hosts Wiggins on Saturday as teams continue to jockey for district seeding.
MILE HIGH: Dayspring Christian (5-0) and Heritage Christian (4-0) are the last two league unbeatens and they have a one game edge on third place Highland (5-1). The Huskies stayed in range with a come-from-behind win over Denver Christian on Saturday. The two league leaders meet on February 10th in Fort Collins. This week, Highland could get pushed by Dawson on Tuesday and Heritage Christian faces a ten win Gilpin County team on the road on Friday.
SAN JUAN: 1A Dove Creek (4-0) is tied with Dolores (1-0) in first place with Ignacio in third (1-1). Dove Creek has a league win over Ignacio and a non-league win over Dolores so they’re the favorites as the schedule moves into February. Ignacio has two difficult road tests on tap this week; first to Mancos on Tuesday and then to Dolores on Friday. Wins in both should leave them in great position to earn the top 2A finish in the conference. District wise, Cedaredge also moves into the bracket and RPI will be used to determine seeding. Cedaredge is currently #9 and Ignacio #22.
UNION PACIFIC: Limon (4-0) and Burlington (4-0) share the conference lead with Byers and Stratton (1A) tied for third with one loss apiece. Those four clubs meet often this week. First up is a third place battle between Stratton and Byers on Monday night and then Limon also goes to Burlington on Saturday. In between, Stratton also challenges the defending state champion Badgers so quite a bit of the race will be decided this week.
WEST CENTRAL: 1A Cotopaxi (2-0) has the top spot with Custer County (1-1) in second. The Pirates go to Westcliffe to challenge Custer County on February 10th and the championship should be decided then.
WESTERN SLOPE: Soroco (6-0) continues to lead the conference by one game in the loss column over Cedaredge, Meeker and North Park. The Rams have already beaten Meeker and Cedaredge and will be favored when they face North Park later this season. Overall, the Rams are in good shape to win the title and land the top district seed. Separation will also occur between the second place teams with two head-to-head matchups this weekend. North Park is involved in both as the Wildcats go to Cedaredge on Friday and then host Meeker on Saturday. Cedaredge also meets a good Rangely club on Saturday.
NON-LEAGUE: Only one non-conference grab made our list this week and that’s the Thursday battle between Akron and Burlington. The two clubs could see in other in districts so this could serve as a good preview of such a contest.
CLASS 3A
INTERMOUNTAIN: Alamosa (3-0) sits alone in first by one game over local rival Centauri (3-1). The Pirates stayed alone in first thanks to a second conference win over Pagosa Springs on Saturday. Alamosa and Centauri have not met yet this year but round one is on the schedule for Friday in Alamosa. The Pirates can take complete control of the race with a win but a loss brings two more teams into the title chase.
METRO: Lutheran (6-0) and Skyview Academy (5-0) are the last two unbeaten league teams with Jefferson Academy and Kent Denver (both 5-1) well within range. There are several good matchups on the league schedule this week but the lone battle between the four top clubs is on Wednesday. That’s when Kent Denver heads over to Skyview Academy. The Sun Devils likely need a win to stay in the title discussion.
PATRIOT: Platte Valley (5-0), University (5-0) and Eaton (4-0) are all ranked in the top five statewide in 3A and the fun finally begins in league play as the first of three major meetings is this week. It’s on Tuesday as University goes for a short drive north to Eaton. Platte Valley of course will watch with great interest. The Broncos face Eaton on February 8th and then University on the 15th. All other league teams already have at least three league losses so the Broncos, Bulldogs and Reds will finish in the top three. Just don’t know the order yet.
TR PEAKS: St Mary’s (7-0) and Vanguard (7-0) are the co-leaders with Colorado Springs Christian and Ellicott (both 6-2) also sharing third place. CSCS blasted Salida 66-11 earlier this year so they’re in great position to finish third. Salida also has a tough road trip to Ellicott on Wednesday so a loss there could also break the tie with the Lions. For St Mary’s and Vanguard, their collision is set for February 10th. Each team has already picked up wins over CSCS and Salida so they’ll likely finish 1-2 in the race.
WESTERN SLOPE: Delta (3-0) and Grand Valley (3-0) are in first place with Coal Ridge (2-1) and Moffat County (1-1) in third. Moffat County has beaten Coal Ridge so they have the tiebreaker there but the Bulldogs dropped out of first due to a loss to Delta last Saturday. Delta and Grand Valley meet on February 11th and that game should determine the league championship provided the Panthers beat Coal Ridge and the Cardinals toppled Moffat County this week. Both matchups are set for Tuesday.
CONFLUENCE: DSST-Byers (2-0) and Addenbrooke Academy (1-0) have the early lead and they’re headed for a matchup on February 11th. This league is very unpredictable so it’s hard to tell if that will turn into the conference championship game. The league will only receive the two automatic bids created by the district tournament as RPI is not very strong for any conference member. Strive Prep is #41 and DSST-Byers #42 but they are the top league teams in Class 3A RPI. Lotus has the best mark for a 2A team and the Meteors sit #39.
FRONTIER: Quite a bit could be decided this week as the top four teams match up in three different games. Middle Park meets Academy on Thursday and then Bennett on Saturday. In between is a good pairing of Academy and Montview. Starting the week, Academy and Bennett share the lead (5-0) with Middle Park (5-1) and Montview (3-1) both a game back. Should Bennett and Academy get through the week without a loss, then their battle on February 10th should decide first and second place.
NON-LEAGUE: Found one non-conference game that peaked some interest this week. It’s on Saturday as University meets 4A Colorado conference leader Skyview in Greeley.
CLASS 4A
CS METRO NORTH: Classical Academy (4-0) has the first half lead by one game over Falcon (3-1) and by two over Elizabeth (2-2). The Titans won both meetings in the first round of conference play but has to play the Falcons and Cardinals again a second time. First up is a home date with Elizabeth on Thursday.
CS METRO SOUTH: Canon City’s overtime win over Mesa Ridge last week pushed the Tigers into sole possession of first place. They’re 5-0 entering the second half of league play and will meet the Grizzlies again on the 17th. The loss was the first in league play for Mesa Ridge and they sit alone in second (4-1). Coronado is third (3-2). Mesa Ridge can basically lock up a top two finish by beating Coronado on Tuesday. The Grizzlies won the first meeting 54-34.
JEFFCO: Green Mountain (7-0) is still unbeaten in league play and alone in first. D’Evelyn (9-1) and Littleton (6-2) are second and third. Green Mountain survived Littleton 63-55 in the first meeting and they’re again challenged by the Lions this Wednesday. The rematch with D’Evelyn is on the schedule for February 11th.
LONGS PEAK: Roosevelt (7-0) had a great week and now needs just one win to secure the regular season championship. The Riders beat second place Thompson Valley (5-1), third place Berthoud (4-2) and fifth place Riverdale Ridge (4-3) last week. Roosevelt meets Mountain View on Wednesday and Fort Morgan on Saturday and a win in either secures the crown officially. Thompson Valley is one up on Berthoud and Northridge (4-2) in the race for the second and they need at least two wins in their final three to wrap up the spot. They play Mountain View on Monday; Severance on Wednesday and Riverdale Ridge on Saturday. Conference play concludes this week for all league teams but they will start another round of games next Tuesday inside their conference tournament.
NORTHERN: Windsor collected wins over top five opponents Holy Family and Mead last week so they have complete control of the title chase. The Wizards (5-0) are alone in first with Holy Family (5-1) and Mead (6-1) tied for second. The Tigers and Mavericks could decide second when they collide this Friday in Broomfield. Windsor plays twice this week; against Eire on Tuesday and Silver Creek on Friday.
SOUTH CENTRAL: Kind of a down year for a conference that routinely has two or three clubs make deep playoff runs but now there’s a chance that only league member gets into either the 4A or 5A bracket. With a record of 8-7, Pueblo West (5A) is the only conference member above five hundred for the season. They also lead the conference standings (4-0) by one game over Pueblo County (2-1) and Pueblo South (1-1). South and County meet this Wednesday.
SOUTHWESTERN: Grand Junction Central and 5A Fruita Monument have both started conference play 3-0 so they will decide the first half leader on Friday. They meet at Fruita Monument with another game slated for the 15th. Combined they have 29 wins on the season overall. Montrose is in third place but has suffered two league losses and will need to win out and get some help to be in the championship mix.
WESTERN SLOPE: Glenwood Springs (6-0) seems to be a major step ahead of the rest of the conference. The Demons lead Summit (5-1) by one game and Steamboat Springs (4-2) but was not pushed by either club in first league meetings. Glenwood topped Summit by 27 points and Steamboat Springs by 37. Summit hosts Glenwood Springs on Tuesday and then has a quick visit to Steamboat Springs the next night. Two wins keep them in the title chase while a split probably leaves them in good shape for second place.
COLORADO: Skyview (3-0) is alone atop the standings with a one game advantage in the loss column over Eagle Ridge Academy, Weld Central, Englewood and Aurora Central. The four chasers will be separated a bit by three head-to-head matchups. On Tuesday, Aurora Central goes to Englewood and Eagle Ridge Academy visits Weld Central. Then on Thursday, Eagle Ridge returns home to host Englewood. Skyview has the aforementioned non-league date with 3A power University on Saturday.
NON-LEAGUE: Two non-conference games of note in 4A this week as Pueblo West goes to Mead and Grand Junction Central heads to Delta. The first is to see if the Cyclones can challenge a top-tier opponent while Central and Delta could easily be a matchup of conference leaders. Both games are on Saturday.
CLASS 5A
CENTENNIAL: Cherry Creek’s win over Arapahoe on Saturday created a tighter conference race. Arapahoe and Grandview now share the lead at 4-1 with Creek a game back in third (4-2). Fourth place Mullen (3-3) could also be a factor through the second half of the schedule. Cherry Creek looks to keep the momentum as they have two tough battles this week; they host Mullen on Wednesday and stay home for Grandview on Friday.
EAST METRO: Rangeview (2-0), Vista Peak (3-0), Prairie View (2-0) and Gateway (1-0) all have a piece of first place but Rangeview remains the favorite. They along with Vista Peak are the only two conference teams with winning records on the season. They played a non-conference game on Saturday with Rangeview scoring a lopsided 92-57 decision. With that result, we expect the Raiders to roll past every league opponent. Next up is a road trip to Prairie view on Tuesday night.
FRONT RANGE: Rocky Mountain (5-0) is alone in first. They fell to Fort Collins over the weekend but since it was a non-conference game, the Lobos stayed atop the league race. They lead Monarch, Horizon and Fossil Ridge by one game in the loss column. Rocky Mountain’s most important win came against #3 Monarch last week. The Lobos though have a very tough week in front of them as they meet Fossil Ridge on Tuesday, Fort Collins in a rematch on Friday and then go to Fossil Ridge on Saturday. Wins in all three keep the Lobos alone in first and in great position. Mixed results bring a ton of teams into the title mix.
JEFFCO: Ralston Valley (2-0) and Valor Christian (3-0) are tied for the early lead but that will change on Friday when they meet in Arvada. The winner should end up as the league champion as the two were preseason favorites and have done nothing to change those selections. Pomona, Arvada West and Columbine are tied for third but will spend the week trying to decide which team will take the spot. Columbine meets Pomona on Wednesday and then Arvada West visits the Panthers on Friday.
PIKES PEAK: This is a mixed conference with 5A and 4A members but we place in 5A since Doherty (6-0) and Pine Creek (5-1) hold down the top two spots. A third 5A team, Fountain Fort Carson, shares third with Palmer Ridge at 4-2. Doherty has the most difficult week as they play both Fountain Fort Carson (Wednesday) and Pine Creek (Friday) over a span of three days. Since they’ve already beaten Palmer Ridge, two wins will sew up the championship.
CONTINENTAL: Highlands Ranch (5-0) and Regis (4-0) are no strangers when it comes to battling for a conference championship. They’re in the mix each and every year it seems. Chaparral, Legend and Castle View are tied for third with all suffering one league loss. Highlands Ranch meets two of those clubs this week; visiting Chaparral on Wednesday and then hosting Legend on Saturday. Another key battle has Regis meeting Castle View (Wednesday).
DENVER PREP: George Washington (3-0) and Denver East (4-0) have a one game edge on Thomas Jefferson (3-1) and Denver South (2-1). The race can go two different ways this week; either loosen up or tighten even more. That’s because Denver East meets Thomas Jefferson on Tuesday and George Washington goes to Denver South. If East and GW grab wins, they create a two-game advantage but wins by TJ and Denver South leave all four teams sharing the league lead going into next week.
NON-LEAGUE: Two attractive non-league games on the schedule this week.
- TUESDAY: ThunderRidge at George Washington
- SATURDAY: Ralston Valley at Arapahoe
