Thanks to Northridge’s Sophia Carbajal, the 5A/4A Long Peaks League is once again up for grabs — though, probably not for her own team.
On Thursday, Carbajal had 24 points and 17 rebounds as the Grizzlies shook up the LPL by handing Thompson Valley its first league loss of the season.
The Class 5A No. 10 Eagles (14-3, 9-1 LPL) are now just one game up on No. 18 Roosevelt (9-7, 8-2) and 4A No. 1 Timnath (12-3, 7-2). It’ll face both for the second time this season later this month.
Northridge (10-7, 6-5), ranked 13th in 5A, went on to lose to the Roughriders on Tuesday, pushing it nearly out of the LPL race with just six league games remaining.
It hasn’t been due to a lack of a star player for the Grizzlies.
Who has been better in the 5A ranks of late than Carbajal? The junior is averaging 33 points and 19.5 rebounds over her last five games. For the season, she’s averaging 25 and 16, while shooting nearly 60% from the field.
Below, we dive into a few crucial league games across the 6A–4A classifications.
Class 6A
No. 5 Valor Christian at No. 4 Columbine Saturday, 1 p.m.
League implications: The Eagles (13-3, 6-0) lead the Rebels (16-1, 5-1) by one game in the Class 6A Jeffco League.
On Jan. 14, Valor Christian handed Columbine its first of the season, 57-34. Columbine fell to Arvada West on Tuesday which gives Valor a two-game lead over both the Rebels and Ralston Valley.
X-Factor: Peyton Jones has scored at least 20 points in each of her last 10 games. The Utah commit hit four 3-pointers and scored 29 points in a 51-point win over No. 34 Chatfield on Tuesday.
No. 9 Highlands Ranch at No. 12 Regis Jesuit Friday, 7 p.m.
League implications: The Falcons (14-3, 5-0) are tied with No. 8 Legend (13-5, 5-0) atop the 6A/5A Continental League. The Raiders (13-5, 4-1) are one game back after their 38-19 loss to the Titans last week.
To beat Highlands Ranch, Regis Jesuit will need a better offensive showing than it had against Legend, when it shot 23% from the field and went just 1 for 6 from the free-throw line.
The Raiders have been strong at home this season, however, where they are 5-1. On Friday, they bounced back with a 67-51 win over No. 25 Chaparral on their home court.
Highlands Ranch, meanwhile, has beaten each of its eight opponents so far in 2026 by double digits.
X-Factor: Regis Jesuit’s Tiana Rogers is averaging 15 points per game this season. She had a season-low four points in the loss to Legend before coming back with 22 points on just seven shots against the Cougars.
Class 5A
No. 1 Lutheran at No. 7 Palmer Ridge Friday, 7 p.m.
League implications: With a win, the Lions (14-3, 5-0) can take a two-game lead in the 5A/4A Pikes Peak League standings. They would also hold the tiebreaker over their two remaining challengers for the league title — Palmer Ridge (14-3, 4-1) and Air Academy (15-3, 3-2).
Last week, Lutheran held serve with a 52-45 overtime win in its first game against Air Academy this season. On Jan. 21, the Lions beat Palmer Ridge in those teams’ first meeting of the winter, 51-29.
X-Factor: Lutheran’s Berkley Schneider is averaging 15 points per game this season. All three of the Lions’ losses have come when she’s been held to 13 points or fewer.
Class 4A
No. 12 Eaton at No. 4 Sterling Thursday, 6 p.m.
League implications: The Reds (8-7, 4-1) are a half-game behind No. 4 Sterling (13-3, 5-1) and No. 2 University (13-2, 5-1) in the 4A Patriot League.
Eaton beat Sterling by two points at home on Jan. 20, then lost to University by five three days later. The Tigers rallied to beat the Bulldogs by six last week.
X-Factor: Sterling freshman Karsyn Tonche is averaging 17 points per game.
