It’s tough to believe, but there is less than a month remaining in the girls basketball regular season.
By now, teams have had a chance to establish a rhythm, and are making the final push toward league titles and higher district seeds. Only a handful of teams – regardless of classification – are still unbeaten, though four of those reside in Class 1A in Briggsdale, McClave, Fleming and Kiowa.
Colorado Springs Christian and Peyton have been 1-2 in the 3A CHSAANow.com Coaches Poll for much of the season, and both teams are undefeated. The Panthers (11-0) made a statement with a big 51-34 victory over The Vanguard School last Monday, with a one-loss Fountain Valley team on tap next Thursday in the Black Forrest League opener for Peyton.
CSCS (11-0, 7-0 in 4A/3A Tri-Peaks) added three more victories over the past week, and has a solid edge in league play headed into the final few weeks of the regular season.
The race is heating up in the 3A/2A Lower Platte, with 3A’s No. 9 Yuma and 2A’s No. 1 Merino and No. 2 Akron all at 2-0 in the league standings. Yuma hosts Akron on Friday afternoon.
In the 2A/1A Union Pacific, No. 3 Burlington and No. 6 Limon seem to be on a collision course when the two teams meet Feb. 4.
In 1A, four teams in the High Plains League have at least seven victories, and three of those squads are ranked in the top 10. The biggest game from that league in the upcoming week has No. 8 Granada visiting No. 7 Kit Carson on Friday.
Unbeatens No. 2 Briggsdale and No. 4 Fleming meet up in North Central play on Jan. 28.
With that in mind, here is a brief look back at the previous week for Class 3A, 2A and 1A:
Class 3A
Peyton used a strong second half to take down The Vanguard School last Monday, outscoring the Coursers 31-17 over the final two quarters. A.J. Mannering scored a game-high 21 points and had six steals. The Panthers overcame a rough performance from the floor, shooting just 28 percent.
Centauri opened 4A/3A Intermountain League play last week with victories over Pagosa Springs and Bayfield. The Falcons (9-2, 2-0) have a big contest Saturday, hosting 4A No. 9 Alamosa. Abbey Smith is averaging 13.8 points a game.
Yuma (6-2, 2-0) has won six in a row going into its contest with Akron. Lea Richardson leads a balanced offensive attack with 12 points a game.
Ellicott (8-2, 5-2 in 4A/3A Tri-Peaks) has won five in a row. Alyssa Lagasse’s 19 points and 10 rebounds keyed a 47-28 league triumph over No. 10 Buena Vista.
Class 2A
Merino (8-1, 2-0) downed Wiggins 45-40 in a big league showdown last Friday. Akron kept pace with the Rams, defeating No. 5 Wray 50-41 the same night. Addi Kessinger had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the victory, while Wray’s Larissa Salmans scored 16 points.
No. 9 Hoehne (8-1, 3-0 in 3A/2A Santa Fe) has won five in a row after edging Fowler 38-35. Janae Ramos and Ellegra Gutierrez each scored 12 points.
Class 1A
Fleming survived a scare from ninth-ranked Stratton, holding on for a 43-42 victory to remain unbeaten. Madi Serrato scored 15 points, Kally Kirkwood had a double-double with 12 points and 15 rebounds, and Madison Harms just missed one with nine points and 11 rebounds.
Briggsdale, which defeated 2A’s Akron on Jan. 12, goes up against another 2A power in Wiggins on Friday night. Jenna Krise is averaging 25.6 points a game for the Falcons.
Kiowa handed Fountain Valley its first loss of the season last Friday, taking the non-league matchup 54-34. Kendra Byrd’s 19 points and 12 rebounds led the way, with Jordan Perreault and Brooke Mills each hauling in 10 boards.
Dove Creek played its first game of the new year last Friday, downing Nucla 62-31 behind 18 points from Rylee Hickman. The Bulldogs (7-2, 1-0 in 2A/1A San Juan Basin) have won six in a row since a one-point loss to 3A’s Centauri.
