Ralston Valley and Lakewood have been involved in the 5A Jeffco league championship chase for many years and last year finished 2-3 behind Valor Christian. Their meeting today should again impact the top of the conference standings.
The game begins a crucial three day stretch for Ralston Valley as the Mustangs also tangle with Valor Christian on the road Wednesday. Wins in both will set them up for a league title, an automatic bid to the state tournament and a very high seed.
The Mustangs were stunned in their opener by 4A Windsor (72-61) but responded to handle Legacy 62-30. Returning all-stater Sydney Bevington netted 14 points in the loss but dropped in 19 in the victory. Her average of 16.5 leads the team with Brooklyn Seymour (16.0) and Saya Sabus (14.0) also reaching double figures in both games.
Lakewood has a date with Valor Christian on Friday so it’s an important stretch for them as well. The Tigers are 1-1 with a loss to 4A power Green Mountain (53-34) their last time out. Lakewood shot just 17 percent from the field (10-60) in the loss including 4 of 25 from the three-point line. Briana Robles (11) was the only double figure scorer.
Should be a good race inside the 3A Tri Peaks this year with both Colorado Springs Christian and Buena Vista hoping to earn a top four finish. They’re two of six teams without a loss through week one as the Lions fought past Fowler and the Demons took out Gunnison in season openers. Elleah Hoekert paced the Lions with 12 points and 10 rebounds in their win. Against Gunnison, Charis Mayton led Buena Vista with 14 points and freshman Audrey Johnson added a dozen in her first high school game.
Academy outscored league foes 801-293 in winning the 3A Frontier title last year and the Wildcats are heavily favored to win it again this year. But the race for second should involve several teams including Bennett and Pinnacle. They face off this evening and the winner should battle with Middle Park for the runner-up position. That spot is very important as it’s likely the league gets no more than two bids in the state tournament.
Bennett split two games in week one; beating Woodland Park 41-39 and falling to Weld Central 51-28. Kyla Becker led the Tigers in both games; scoring 10 in the opener and 11 against the Rebels.
Pinnacle played three times in week one. They lost to Frontier Academy (47-27) in game one and then dispatched Stargate and Arvada. It’s a marked improvement over last season where they lost their first five games and finished 6-17.
