Important conference matchups can be found across the board in girls’ basketball today. The schedule also includes some attractive non-league pairings as well with teams trying to boost their RPI numbers ahead of playoff brackets announced next month.
Focus is on the 1A game between #6 Kim/Branson-#8 South Baca, the 2A clash between #3 Holyoke-#6 Sedgwick County and #4 Windsor against #6 Holy Family in Class 4A. And for good measure, there’s the second installment of Mullen-Grandview as both enter the matchup ranked number one in their division.
Previews are below. Final scores will be added throughout the day and can be reported by text to 970.380.7737 or by email to [email protected].
Photo by Billie Carlson / OT Sportschek.
CLASS 1A
FINAL: #2 Kit Carson beat Eads 52-35
FINAL: #3 McClave beat Cheyenne Wels 66-25
FINAL: #4 Sangre De Cristo beat Mountain Valley 64-25
FINAL: #8 South Baca beat #6 Kim/Branson 52-33
FINAL: Cotopaxi beat Sierra Grande 54-31
FINAL: Shining Mountain beat Lone Star 48-43
NOTES: Springfield could become a factor but it’s likely the winner between Kim/Branson and South Baca grabs the Ark Valley championship. Both teams are 1-0 in early league play and sit a combined 14-1 overall and unbeaten against Colorado opponents. The lone loss between the two came when South Baca lost to an Oklahoma team to open the season. Since that game, the Patriots have won seven straight including an important 44-38 decision over Springfield. Leading scorer Alissa Hebberd (14.8) was limited to just seven points in the win but Jamie Quick (14) and Jentry Patrick (11) picked up the slack; combining for 25 points. Kim/Branson survived a scare at Wiley (39-38) on Tuesday to stay unbeaten for the season. Talara Nittler had 14 points. Sidney Goode pulled down seven rebounds and pushed out four assists. AJ Winford added four steals. Kit Carson and Sangre De Cristo are ranked 1-2 in RPI this morning and each should maintain their share of the lead in their respective conference. The Wildcats are tied with McClave atop the High Plains and Sangre De Cristo and Sierra Grande are both unbeaten in the Southern Peaks. Sierra Grande steps away from the conference slate for an important RPI game against Cotopaxi. The Panthers are 6th in RPI with the Pirates 13th. It’s the same situation for Lone Star and Shining Mountain with the Lions 8th in RPI and Lone Star 12th. All four clubs are trying to reach the top eight and possibly receive a first-round bye in the playoffs. Mariana Loya (15.0) and Alexa Ontiveros (14.1) are a very good 1-2 offensive punch for Sierra Grande. They’ll look to counter Cotopaxi’s talented senior Koylynn Guliford who leads the Pirates with 16 points and eight rebounds a game. Lone Star (3-2) did not play their important YWKC contest with Arickaree/Woodlin last night as the Indians-Mustangs had to bow out due to COVID, so the Longhorns are coming off that nice 47-44 win over Haxtun on Monday. Shining Mountain has won three straight contests since a tough loss to Flatirons Academy (53-42). Flatirons also beat Lone Star 67-40 earlier this year.
CLASS 2A
#1 Sanford at Crested Butte
FINAL: #2 Rye beat Las Animas 68-22
FINAL: #3 Holyoke beat #6 Sedgwick County 64-44
FINAL: #4 Rocky Ford beat Fowler 35-28
FINAL: #9 Limon beat Merino 51-36
FINAL: Ignacio beat Sargent 49-36
NOTES: Holyoke (5-0) and Sedgwick County (4-0) meet for the outright lead in the Lower Platte conference and a win by the Cougars moved them very close to the championship. They’ve already beaten Wray so another victory would give them the tiebreaker over their top two challengers. Wray (4-1) is alone in third. Holyoke is outscoring opponents 505-265 on the season. They’ve earned each win by at least 11 points. Inside is their strength where Kristen Vieselmeyer and Lauren Herman combine for 34 points and 23 rebounds. Elyce Talavera is third in scoring (7.6) and Correy Koellner (5.9) fourth. Sedgwick County’s strength is on the outside with the likes of Jensen Renquist (15.3), Alison Woodhams (14.3) and Kierra Ehnes (11.9) all strong scoring threats. Ashley Rahe averages 7.5 points per game but dropped in a season-best 17 points in the critical win at Wray. She also pulled down 12 rebounds. Rocky Ford-Fowler is another first-place battle as that winner will stay tied with Rye atop the Santa Fe. The three are a combined 11-0 in league play but at least one will suffer their initial loss. Fowler snapped a four-game winning with a hard-fought 44-42 loss to top ranked Sanford last week. They actually led the Indians 36-31 after three but were outscored 13-6 over the final eight minutes. Ryanna Pruett scored 12 and Emerson Mason 10 to pace the Grizzlies. Rocky Ford, as they’ve done the last four years, relies heavily on Abi Snyder. She leads the Meloneers in scoring (18.7), assists (3.6) and steals (4.6) and is also second in rebounds (6.3). Four others average between five and seven points to provide offensive support. Ignacio looks for a second straight impressive win against Sargent. The Bobcats last night, trailed #7 Pagosa Springs (3A) by nine at halftime before storming back for a 43-37 overtime win. That decision pushed them to 13th in RPI. Sargent is 18th there and has won their last two games. Sanford and Rye should earn lopsided wins tonight with Limon possibly getting pushed by 1A Merino. The Rams (3-4) are below five hundred but have won three of four including a 41-39 decision over Yuma last week. Makenna Sutter went for 17 points in that win and the defense held the Indians to just 18 percent shooting (11-61).
CLASS 3A
FINAL: #3 Centauri beat Bayfield 61-12
FINAL: #6 Platte Valley beat Valley 49-15
FINAL: #9 St Mary’s beat Buena Vista 73-30
FINAL: #10 Brush beat Sterling 46-36
FINAL: Lamar beat Ellicott 44-37
Middle Park at Arrupe Jesuit
NOTES: League wise, the most important game is likely between Lamar and Ellicott inside the Tri Peaks. Ellicott has a share of first place (4-0) with Vanguard but Lamar is one of our three teams with one league loss; joining St Mary’s and Manitou Springs in third place. Lamar was slated to play Vanguard earlier this week but that game was postponed and rescheduled for Monday. Wins in both games put them in control of the championship race as they’re already beaten St Mary’s. The Savages followed up that win by downing Salida 51-27. Abby Robbins scored 18 points and Naudia Morales added 10. Morales and Alee Tice both pulled down six rebounds and Courtney Sneller registered six steals. Ellicott remained perfect in conference play by beating La Junta 60-46 on Wednesday where they outscored the Tigers in every quarter. Despite the loss to Lamar, St Mary’s remains very much alive for the crown as they also have games remaining with Vanguard and Ellicott in the final week. They’ve won two in a row since the Lamar stumble; beating CS Christian 64-55 and Salida 54-27. Arrupe Jesuit (3-0) needs a home win over Middle Park to keep pace with highly ranked Academy (5-0) in the Frontier. Arrupe has been pushed just once in league play; earning a 47-41 win over Platte Canyon ten days ago. Eloisa Macias netted 10 in the win. In the Patriot, Platte Valley (4-0) shares the top spot with Eaton (6-0) with Brush (3-1) alone in third. Both are favored to get wins tonight. Valley (3-3) is much better this year; with evidence coming from Wednesday’s four-point loss to Brush. Marcela Carvajal averages just five points a game but she dropped in a season high 14 in the loss. Platte Valley is coming off a scare as well as they edged Resurrection Christian 36-34 on Wednesday. The Broncos hit just 23 percent from the field but Cora Schissler hit four threes on her way to a game high 16 points. Centauri lost a tough battle at Vanguard (62-58) this week but still sits third in RPI. Brenna McDaniel scored 18 and Courtney Hamilton netted 15 against the Coursers. Bayfield is winless on the season.
CLASS 4A
FINAL: #1 Grandview (5A) beat #1 Mullen 63-47
FINAL: #3 Green Mountain beat Standley Lake 81-24
FINAL: #6 Holy Family beat #4 Windsor 65-53
FINAL: #7 Erie beat Centaurus 51-29
FINAL: Mead beat Longmont (Final N/A)
FINAL: D’Evelyn beat Littleton 63-54
NOTES: Second meeting between Mullen and Grandview and for the second time, both are ranked number one in their respective class. The game is likely for the Centennial league championship as the Wolves (7-0) lead the Mustangs (6-1) by one game with the first matchup the difference. Grandview won that contest 68-53 in the season opener for both. Lauren Betts, with 31 points and 17 rebounds, had a huge game and the Wolves outrebounded the Mustangs 36-19. Addison O’Grady added 19 points. Mullen had three players reach double figures; Haley Van Horn had 13, Megan Pohs and Gracie Gallegos both 12 apiece. Green Mountain clinched the Jeffco title by beating Littleton 49-26 on Wednesday but another win tonight gives them a perfect run through the conference. The Rams jumped to a 13-1 first quarter lead on Wednesday and then used 18 points from Jayda Maves to keep that cushion. D’Evelyn also needs a win over Littleton to take home second. A Littleton win could create a three-way in second between the Lions, Jags and Evergreen. Windsor-Holy Family collide to break the first-place tie in the Northern conference. Both are 5-0 and have rolled past league opponents with Holy Family outscoring the field 376-129 and Windsor 419-199. The game is also important to RPI as the Wizards check in at number two and Holy Family tenth. Alyssa Wells (16.6) and Tyler Whitlock (13.3) pace Holy Family in scoring with Whitlock (5.8), Makenna Bertsch (5.6) and Cecilia Aanerud (5.5) pulling down the most rebounds. Windsor features three double digit scorers in Kylie Sanger (18.3), Olivia Reed (16.8) and Jolie Jireck (11.9). Reed is also the best rounder with over 11 per game. Mead is alone in third and stays a game out of the lead by beating Longmont. The Erie-Centauru winner moves closer to a fourth-place finish. Both have two league losses.
CLASS 5A
FINAL: #2 Valor Christian beat Bear Creek 78-30
FINAL: #5 Fossil Ridge beat Rocky Mountain 49-33
FINAL: #6 Ralston Valley beat Dakota Ridge 65-26
FINAL: #7 Arapahoe beat #10 Cherry Creek 54-50
#9 Rangeview at Denver East
NOTES: Arapahoe quickly jumped into the top 10 earlier this year on their first win over Cherry Creek and now the Warriors go for the regular season sweep. They need a win to stay in the top three of the Centennial as they trail first place Grandview by two games and Mullen by one. They lost to both the Wolves and Mustangs in round one but have rematches with them over the final two weeks of the regular season. In the 61-52 game one victory, Sam Crispe scored 20 points and Katy Edwards 19 to lead Arapahoe. Creek collected 23 points from Abby Wrede. Fossil Ridge opens their game with Rocky Mountain atop the Front Range (5-0) but the Lobos are one of three teams just one game back. They’re tied with Monarch and Horizon and 4-1. They’ve played once already with the Sabercats cruising to a 60-21 non-league win. They outscored the Lobos 11-2 in the first and 17-5 in the second. Kate Davis put in 21 points and Karly Larson hauled in 11 rebounds. Valor Christian and Ralston Valley have already clinched the top two spots in the Jeffco so the rest of the season will be focused on improving their placement in the playoff bracket. Valor Christian is 2nd in RPI with Ralston Valley at 13th. Rangeview is 12th in RPI as they venture to Denver East in what could be a good matchup. East is 23rd in RPI. Rangeview is 8-0 and has allowed just 59 points in their last four games. Denver East (4-4) has won three of four including a narrow 58-57 win over Northfield on Tuesday. They built up a comfortable lead with a 24-9 run in the second quarter and then held on.
