The January portion of the girls’ basketball season closed over the weekend and our final Notebook of the month looks back with the top efforts and results from the last seven days.  The Notebook is a bit different in layout this week as we list some thoughts in bullet points instead of a full-fledged story.  Hope you enjoy the different look and feel.

PHOTO BY ALAN VERSAW

 

CLASS 1A

  • Think we can all agree right now that Briggsdale is the state championship favorite.  The top ranked Falcons picked up a road win at defending state champion Flatirons Academy and also beat 2A power Sedgwick County in December and then on Saturday disposed of #2 Fleming with relative ease.  The Falcons opened a 17-point halftime advantage and then collected a 58-36 final victory.  Briggsdale has a deep roster with good size throughout.  They also feature three talented guards in Kylie Krise, Jenna Krise and Peyton Nicklas who can all handle the ball well and make free throws down the stretch.  That makes them difficult to beat if they enter the fourth quarter with a lead as they can run time off the clock and shorten the game.
  • Fleming’s loss was their first of the season but there’s an argument to be made to keep them second in the rankings or at worse drop them to third.  Their schedule is without peer as they had beaten six ranked clubs on the season before the loss to Briggsdale.  This is a program that has a long postseason history and they will likely get another crack at Briggsdale in districts and possibly in the state tournament.  They also have a veteran group but cannot match the size presented by Briggsdale.
  • Rankings and playoff wise, we still feel Briggsdale, Fleming and Flatirons Academy are the top three with a group consisting of McClave, Merino, Lone Star, Dove Creek, Kiowa and Sangre De Cristo chasing them.  We haven’t seen the final three teams just yet but each have enough talent to reach the final eight.  Of those three, Kiowa has the most difficult trek as they will compete in the rugged Northeast regional.
  • Stratton is a team that we probably would have listed in the group of chasers but the future of the Eagles may be dependent on the status of standout guard Sedonia Isenbart.  A potential first-team all-state player and 20 point per game scorer went down with injury in the 20 point loss to Burlington.  The severity of that injury is not known but if she can’t return, then the Eagles must replace those 20 points with other players.
  • Merino is probably our pick right now to be the third qualifier from the District 4 tournament.  We had them as a toss-up with Haxtun for the third spot between Briggsdale-Fleming but the Rams have been playing very good basketball of late.  They picked up a win over 2A top 10 opponent Akron and then had defending 2A state champion Limon on the ropes before falling short by three on Saturday.  That schedule gives a very young starting lineup that often includes two freshmen and two sophomores great experience in tight games.  The Rams also get great leadership from talented senior Taysa Conger.

CLASS 2A

  • Holyoke took a major step to the Lower Platte title and top district seed with their solid win at Sedgwick County on Friday.  The Dragons also avenged an earlier two point loss to the Cougars.   The teams could easily meet again in the district tournament and possibly the state tournament should both teams advance that far as expected.  Kristin Vieselmeyer scored 27 of the Dragons 44 points in the win.  She also combined with Lauren Herman for 24 rebounds.  The Dragons share the Lower Platte lead with Merino but will be favored when they pair up with the Rams.
  • Sedgwick County is much like we discussed with Fleming in Class 1A.  The Cougars entered the game ranked second and shouldn’t fall too far following just their second loss of the season.  The first came against 1A #1 Briggsdale back in December.  Sedgwick County is also primed for a deep playoff run.  They have talent and experience in the backcourt with Alison Woodhams, Kierra Ehnes and Jensen Renquist.  And this year they’ve added some size with freshman Abigail Dille. along with Chloe Thode and Allie Bernhardt.  It was our first look at the Cougars this year and came away very impressed.  They can also rely on experience gained by winning the state volleyball championship with many of the same individuals.
  • The rest of the Lower Platte has been crazy of late.  Akron has a win over Yuma but then lost to Merino.  Yuma scored the win over Wray and then Wiggins upset Yuma in overtime after playing well in a loss to Sedgwick County.  Six 2A league teams could reach the regional tournament as RPI on Sunday has Holyoke #1, Sedgwick County #3, Wiggins #11, Akron #12, Yuma #18 and Wray #25.
  • Peyton scored their best win of the season on Saturday; outlasting #8 Yuma in double overtime.  Not surprising that the Panthers are playing well entering the last month of the season.  Ran into coach Brian Green at their game with Denver Christian in December and he was excited about his young team and how they could develop late in the season.  The Panthers nearly let a big 31-16 halftime lead slip away but they recovered in the second overtime by outscoring the Indians 12-5.  It was their fifth straight win and based on the remaining schedule, they could finish the regular season with 12 consecutive wins.
  • Limon lost to Holyoke on January 22nd but responded with a strong week.  The defending state champions knocked out a young Simla club on Wednesday and then took care of Wray in a state finals rematch two nights later.  Then on Saturday, the Badgers rallied past Merino 48-45.  The wins pushed Limon to 12-2 on the season and based on the remaining schedule, we could see them closing at 17-2.  Trista Marx is have a player of the year type season with 17 points and 7 rebounds per game.  She also adds four steals and two blocks per game.
  • Sargent quietly had a good week; picking up a key conference win over Center and then downing Ignacio in non-league action.  The win was the second of the season over Ignacio as they also topped the Bobcats in December.  Beating Center likely moves the Farmers ahead to become the top challenger to Sanford for the conference crown.  Mary Willis scored 19 and Jozzy Moreno 15 against Center; Willis added 15 against Ignacio but Gabby Jones, with 16, led the way.
  • Three more lopsided wins for unbeaten Rye as they beat Swink, John Mall and Crowley County in consecutive days by a combined 143 points.  They’ve now outscored 14 opponents 899-265 with the narrowest margin of victory 33 points.  One has to wonder how the lack of a tight game may affect the Thunderbolts when they get to the regional tournament.  It could also impact their regional seeding as the Thunderbolts are only 8th in RPI despite the dominance.

CLASS 3A

  • Academy made our list of 3A teams under the radar last week but that’s maybe not the case anymore as the Wildcats upset #2 Eaton 50-38 during the week.  The Wildcats also scored two conference wins and enter February at 11-2.  The overall record coupled with the win over Eaton could get them back into the top 10.  Aryanna Perez was just 7 of 27 from the field but finished with 22 points.  She also chipped in five assists and two assits.  Lou Coynault also hauled in a whopping 22 rebounds.  Conference wise, the Wildcats share the Frontier lead with Bennett and those two collide on February 10th.
  • Maybe Alamosa should have been our under the radar list from last week. The Moose are 8-5 on the season but a second win over Pagosa Springs on Saturday now has them in control of the Intermountain league chase.  They’re 3-0 with a one game edge on Centauri (3-1).  Those two meet for the first time this Friday and then again on the 15th.  They’ve allowed just 56 total points in the two wins over Pagosa.
  • Delta had a statement win over Moffat County inside the Western Slope on Saturday.  The Bulldogs had a league win over then top 10 ranked Coal Ridge from the previous week and also knocked off 4A Montrose 60-51 two days before the matchup with Delta.  The Panthers opened with a 16-11 lead but took control in the second quarter with a 16-4 run.  Balance was the story on offense as Erika Kuta scored 14, Tatem Miller 12, Aubrey Fraser (11) and Kylie Huff 10.  Kutz is the only senior of that group.  With a win, the Panthers keep a share of the WSL lead and remain unbeaten against 3A opponents this year.  Their much anticipated showdown with #7 Grand Valley comes up on February 11th.
  • Not sure Lutheran is going to face a challenge in the Metro as they’ve posted six league wins by a 382-112 margin.  The Lions surrendered a paltry 19 points while beating Machebeuf (63-9) and Stargate (66-10) last week.  They head into February tied with Skyview Academy atop the league standings.  Their matchup is set for February 12th.
  • Got a chance to see Highland score an important win over Denver Christian on Saturday.  While the Huskies are not ready to win a state title this year, we do like the foundation they are building under coach Oscar Molina.  They are young and skilled; especially with freshman Briza Flores and sophomores Taylor Berkheimer, Mary Jones and Stephanie Bingley in the backcourt.  All four are in the starting lineup along with junior post Jenna Batka.  They rallied from early 12-4 hole to Denver Christian and then handled pressure and shot free throws very well in the closing minutes.  The win keeps them in the chase for the Mile High championship this year with more wins coming over the next two years with the development of the young core group.

CLASS 4A

  • Came away very impressed with Windsor last Tuesday.  The Wizards picked up an impressive 60-31 win over #5 Holy Family.  It was just one of two top five wins for the Wizards on the week as they also moved past #4 Mead 58-46 three nights later.  Against Holy Family, Jolie Jiricek buried four three-pointers and Mykaela Moore and Hailee Wright each had two but it was the defense that turned the game in their favor. Tremendous ball pressure left Holy Family with very few open looks and they finished the night just 8 of 35 from the field.  The Wizards are 15-0 and very good.  They can rotate in ten players without much of a drop off and appear primed for another run to the state finals where they hope to take the final step and win the championship.
  • Of course, one of the teams Windsor must get past is Mullen but the defending state champions are going through a rough stretch.  Losses to Arapahoe (54-45) and Grandview (70-37) this past week dropped their record to 11-5 overall.  Injuries are part of the reason as the Mustangs have been playing without second leadings scorer Kilah Freelon recently.  Once she returns, the Mustangs will again join the list of state championship favorites.  Gracie Gallegos also topped 1,000 career points during the past week.
  • Now we haven’t seen Green Mountain in person yet but based on Windsor’s two wins over Holy Family and Mead, it still appears the title will come down to either Mullen or Windsor.  Mullen has the tough 5A conference schedule to help them in the 4A playoffs and Windsor has the two top five wins by a combined 41 points.  There might be a gap between the top two and all others at this point.
  • Roosevelt is trying to join the second group of contenders.  The Riders beat their top three challengers inside the Longs Peak last week and now sit at 15-2.  The week opened with a 64-52 win over #6 Thompson Valley and closed with a 61-48 decision over 10th ranked Berthoud.  In between was a 57-41 victory over Riverdale Ridge.  Those wins basically give them the league championship as they have Mountain VIew and Fort Morgan left on the league slate.  What’s more remarkable is the Riders are putting together this season with freshman and sophomores holding down the top five spots on the scoring list.  That’s a great foundation for later years but it seems the group headed up by Ryanne Bahnsen-Price, Brynn Price and Brook Meza is not patient and would prefer to win this season.  They are fourth in RPI and that number coupled with a league championship will give the Riders a very high state tournament seed.
  • Could maybe toss Canon City into the group as well.  The Tigers moved to 16-2 overall and took over the top spot in the CS Metro South with a 47-35 win over Mesa Ridge.  The two meet for a second conference date on February 17th.  The Tigers should get some top 10 consideration but the schedule works against them.  They’ve played just one team that’s been ranked this year and it resulted in a 49-47 loss to Classical Academy.
  • Green Mountain’s Avery Oaster had the quite game last week as she recorded a triple double of 21 points, 11 rebounds and 10 steals.  Also dished out seven assists in the win over Standley Lake.

CLASS 5A

  • We’ve talked most of the season about the 4A chase being a two-team battle between Mullen and Windsor.  The same might be true here in 5A with Valor Christian and Grandview just rolling opponents of late.  Grandview collected that big win over Mullen (70-37) and also downed Regis (59-57) the night before.  Valor Christian has also beaten Regis (78-68) and Mullen (62-51) in January and last week beat Columbine and Chatfield by a combined 69 points.  The Wolves are led by Lauren Betts and Valor Christian has Reagan Beers.  Both received invites to the McDonalds All-Star game last week.
  • Despite a loss to Fort Collins on Saturday, Rocky Mountain still leads the Front Range conference (5-0).  That loss was a non-league contest as the city rivals clash again this Friday.  Rocky Mountain has the biggest conference win to date as they edged #3 Monarch 69-64 last Tuesday.  That win came just four days after the Lobos fell by 27 points to 4A #5 Holy Family.  Sara Chicco and Delaney Martin combined for 56 points against Monarch but the entire team totaled just 53 against Fort Collins
  • It was also a non-league game but the result tells us Rangeview is the heavy favorite to land the East Metro crown.  They blasted Vista Peak 92-57 in a game featuring the two best teams in the conference.  The league meeting is set for February 19th.  The Raiders exploded for 33 second quarter points and added another 27 in the third.
  • Doherty has climbed to sixth in the RPI standings and also sits alone atop the Pikes Peak conference (6-0).  They stretched the winning streak to eight by beating Rampart and Discovery Canyon in conference play last week.  Maybe their biggest remaining challenge is set for this Friday against Pine Creek.  The Eagles are one game back in the conference (5-1).