A pair of top five non-conference battles headline the girls’ basketball schedule as week five comes to a close. Kit Carson meets Rocky Ford in the Southeast while Centauri and Sanford face off in the San Luis Valley.
Both games are important to post-season bracketing. Kit Carson is ranked #2 in Class 1A by the coaches but in our combined rankings released on Friday, the Wildcats held the number one spot. They’re battling Briggsdale for the top overall playoff seed. Rocky Ford is coming off a very tough loss at Rye last night; the Meloneers fell behind 26-5 after the first quarter but came all the way back to force a 42-42 tie with seven minutes. The Thunderbolts then outscored the Meloneers 10-6 over the final stretch to claim another Santa Fe crown. It was the first loss of the season for Rocky Ford so it will be interesting to see how they respond. The Meloneers were fourth in combined rankings before that loss and should still earn a first round playoff bye.
Due to proximity, the Sanford-Centauri rivalry is one of the best statewide and it also helps that both teams routinely push for state tournament bids in their respective class. This year is no different as both teams also have legitimate thoughts of landing a state title. Sanford is ranked #1 in Class 2A and Centauri #2 in Class 3A. Both are in position to land conference crowns and also a top four seed in the postseason bracket.
A third non-conference game of note can be found in Class 3A between #6 Academy and University. Academy was seventh in our combined rankings on Friday and University 11th so both are on the bubble to earn a bye to the Sweet 16. Academy, which upset University a year ago, is 5-0 overall on the season but this is their first game away from the Frontier league. University was the preseason number one team in Class 3A but opened 1-3. They’ve since won six of seven.
Conference wise, there’s a very important battle in the Northwest between Soroco and Rangely. They’re a combined 7-0 in the West Slope North so the winner takes sole possession of the league lead. The division winner likely meets Cedaredge for the overall West Slope crown in Class 2A. The clubs met back in week one with the Rams scoring a 43-32 decision.
In Class 4A, Rifle must get a win over Battle Mountain to maintain their share of first place in the Western Slope. The Bears are 7-1 and the Demons 5-1 in conference play. Battle Mountain is tied with Palisade in third with two losses apiece. It’s also the second meeting in eight days between the Bears and Huskies with Rifle taking game one 55-53 in double overtime.
Some quick notes, there’s an important seeding game in Class 2A between #9 Wray and #10 Limon this afternoon. Wray played well but lost a double-digit lead in a loss to #2 Holyoke on Friday while Limon is the Union Pacific champion. #9 Kim/Branson lost their scheduled game with #6 McClave today due to the Cardinals stepping into quarantine but the Mustangs have picked up a quality game with Sierra Grande. Lone Star and Arickaree/Woodlin also meet in an important league game inside the YWKC. It was delayed last night when officials could not be assigned. In Class 2A, #6 Heritage Christian and Highland are 1-2 in the conference standings and separated by just one game. That winner probably earns the league championship at seasons end. In 3A, Academy should again land the Frontier crown but spots two through four could be finalized today as Bennett meets Middle Park and Arrupe Jesuit faces Pinnacle. Bennett is alone in second (6-1) with the other three tied for third at 4-2.
Below is the entire top 10 schedule for today and also included are important conference games outside the rankings. Colorado Preps will be on the road today actually taking in a game so updates will be later this evening.
Photo provided by Van Hollis.
CLASS 1A
#1 Briggsdale vs Prairie (PPD)
FINAL: #2 Kit Carson beat #4 Rocky Ford (2A) 46-39
FINAL: #3 Sangre De Cristo beat Swink 45-24
FINAL: 7 South Baca beat Cheraw 45-35
FINAL: #9 Kim/Branson beat Sierra Grande 48-35
FINAL: #10 Shining Mountain beat Deer Trail 47-8
FINAL: Lone Star beat Arickaree/Woodlin 56-21
CLASS 2A
FINAL: #2 Centauri (3A) beat #1 Sanford 64-45
#6 Heritage Christian at Highland
FINAL: Fleming beat #8 Sedgwick County 54-40
FINAL: #9 Wray beat #10 Limon 69-44
FINAL: Hoehne beat Fowler 45-43
FINAL: Soroco beat Rangely 51-32
CLASS 3A
FINAL: #1 Vanguard beat Woodland Park 82-32
FINAL: #5 Platte Valley beat Liberty Common 61-25
FINAL: University beat #6 Academy 65-52
FINAL: #7 Pagosa Springs beat Montezuma Cortez 58-19
FINAL: #9 St Mary’s beat Florence 68-21
Bennett at Middle Park
FINAL: Pinnacle beat Arrupe Jesuit 59-26
FINAL: Lotus School beat DSST-Byers 45-39
CLASS 4A
FINAL: #3 George Washington beat Denver North 66-26
FINAL: #7 Classical Academy beat Harrison 67-48
FINAL: Rifle beat Battle Mountain 43-37
CLASS 5A
FINAL: #6 Ralston Valley beat Lewis Palmer 58-34
