Already having logged wins against a couple of the top teams in Class 3A girls basketball, Class 2A Simla has proven that its undefeated record can be attributed to depth, chemistry and coaching.

The path to an 11-0 mark has been relatively smooth for the Cubs, but starting Saturday, it gets a little more bumpy.
Simla, No. 2 in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index as of Thursday, will look to stop a five-game losing streak in its series with Merino, which sits at No. 1 in the Index. Both teams will be looking to avoid their first loss of the season, and the grudge match will play out at SHS at 2 p.m.

The Cubs have claimed wins against 3A No. 1 Denver Christian and 3A No. 3 Yuma. Those wins came very early on and served as a springboard to an unblemished record heading into Saturday.

The past five contests for Simla have gone like this — all wins by the following scores: 74-2, 67-20, 80-9, 73-11, 64-15.

The well-rounded Cubs have four double-digit scorers, and all are non-seniors. Junior Carlee Cox leads the way to 11.3 points per game, followed closely by freshman Kinlee Cox (10.4), sophomore Haylee Easler (10.0) and freshman Brynlee Amendt (10.0). Senior Katie Gotschall is chipping in 8.8 points, as well. Kinlee Cox is reported as hitting 73% of her shots inside the arc.

The Cubs went 20-7 last season, finishing sixth place at the 2A state tournament.

Other games to watch around the state:

Class 3A/2A

Heritage Christian at Lyons, Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.
Class 3A No. 16 Lyons hosts 2A No. 8 Heritage Christian in a Mile High League battle of top teams. The Lions will be trying to shake off just their second loss of the season (Jan. 27 vs. Dayspring Christian, 51-40) but have been playing well through a rotation of six girls that average between 5.8 and 10.6 points per game. The Eagles have a seven-game win streak intact, with weekend games against Clear Creek and Briggsdale on the docket ahead of the LHS game.

Class 2A

Sanford at Sargent, Saturday, 5 p.m.
While Merino-Simla pits 1-vs.-2 in the 2A Index, Saturday’s game between the Mustangs and Farmers pits the Index’s 3-vs.-4 squads. Sargent has won six straight games and is led by Kandace Pargin’s 13.8 points per game. Denver Holman and Angelise Garcia are also two very strong scoring leaders for the Farmers. Sanford lost a tough one against Centauri more than a week ago and hasn’t played since, so the Mustangs will either have rust or be refreshed for the big matchup.

Class 1A

Briggsdale at Prairie, Tuesday, 4 p.m.
The Falcons (1A No. 10) will have two games this weekend ahead of the Tuesday road trip to meet the Mustangs, but there’s no doubt Claire Brown is heating up for BHS. Prior to the break, the senior star had just one 20-point game to her credit, but she’s put up at least 21 points in four reported games post-break. Prairie (1A No. 14) will counter with its own ace scorer, Hannah Kugler, who is averaging 23.3 points per contest.