Though Highlands Ranch’s girls basketball team hasn’t won a state title since 2011 — the last of seven from 2000-11 — the Falcons haven’t relinquished their place among the state’s elite programs.
The question isn’t if Highlands Ranch will return to the top of girls hoops. They never left.
It’s when the Falcons’ next breakthrough will come.
Currently, Highlands Ranch (11-3) has won seven straight games, moving back inside the CHSAA Class 6A top 10 at No. 9.
Program architect Caryn Jarocki is the winningest girls basketball coach in state history, with more than 700 career wins and 18 Final 4 appearances to go along with her seven state titles.
From the outside looking in, her 2026 roster — which includes star sophomores Kimora Banks-Thomas and Jayda Rogers — may be at its best in a couple more years.
But the Falcons look plenty strong right now, too. They won at No. 11 Pine Creek by 11 last week, then followed that up with a dominant 62-17 win over No. 27 Chaparral on Tuesday.
Highlands Ranch’s lone loss in Colorado this season came by two points to No. 10 Denver East on Dec. 9. It closes the month against one-win Douglas County on Friday, then 7-7 Mountain Vista and 7-8 Ponderosa.
Let’s take a look elsewhere in 6A’s top 10 for this week’s game of the week.
Class 6A
No. 1 Cherokee Trail at No. 3 Arapahoe, Wednesday at 5:30 p.m.
The opening game of the 6A/5A Centennial League may also be the game of the season up to this point.
The Warriors (11-1) suffered their first loss of the winter 10 days ago against No. 10 Denver East, but responded with a 39-point win at Fossil Ridge on Saturday.
The Cougars (12-1) enter Wednesday unbeaten in Colorado. They followed up close wins over No. 7 Legend and No. 8 Erie earlier in the month with a 27-point victory over Vista PEAK Prep over the weekend.
An intriguing side story: who hits more 3-pointers — Cherokee Trail’s Karson Chaney (30 this season) or Arapahoe’s Ava Budler (34)? Both rank among the state’s top 3-point shooters..
Class 5A
No. 9 Palmer Ridge at No. 2 Lutheran, Wednesday at 7 p.m.
The Lions (9-3) opened 5A/4A Pikes Peak League play with a dismantling of Cheyenne Mountain, 47-13. Berkley Schneider led the way with 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
The Bears (11-2), meanwhile, delivered a similar performance Saturday, clobbering Mesa Ridge 56-17. Madison Curtis scored 14 points, finishing 6 of 10 from the field.
Palmer Ridge is a perfect 5-0 on the road this season. Lutheran is 4-0 at home.
Class 4A/3A
3A No. 1 Denver Christian at 4A No. 8 Kent Denver, Thursday at 5:30 p.m.
Denver Christian’s Natalie Bohannon (17 points per game, 9.2 rebounds) and Kent Denver’s Austin Duncan (16.9 PPG, 9.6 rebounds) have nearly identical stat lines up to this point of the season.
Bohannon tied her season high with 23 points in a win over Byers last week, then outscored Limon by herself with 16 in a 61-13 victory Saturday.
Duncan, meanwhile, scored 18 points in consecutive games last week as the Sun Devils beat 4A No. 13 Jefferson Academy by 15 and 3A No. 14 Resurrection Christian by 11.
