It’s quite a bit of information and a long report, but we look at each conference race in girls basketball and run through the most important games set for the upcoming week.
Photo is provided by Lance Wendt.
CLASS 1A
5280: Shining Mountain, Mile High Academy and Flatirons Academy are all unbeaten with a one game edge on Denver Jewish Day (1-1). Flatirons Academy and Mile High Academy meet this Saturday so one of the leaders will fall off the pace this week. Shining Mountain takes a break from league action but hosts highly ranked Briggsdale on Saturday. Flatirons Academy is then next on the schedule on the 11th.
Black Forest: Elbert is unbeaten with a one game edge on Evangelical Christian. Elbert won the head-to-head matchup so they also have the edge in any tiebreaker. Elbert meets Colorado D&B in a conference game this week and ECA is favored at home against Hanover.
High Plains: Kit Carson (3-0) has a one game on Eads and Cheraw. They’ve beaten Eads already and can move very close to the league title by beating Cheraw on Friday.
North Central: It appears that Fleming (6-1) and Briggsdale (5-1) will share the championship. Briggsdale won the first meeting in December with Fleming getting the win in the rematch last Saturday. Both are two games up on Prairie as the Mustangs are third (4-3). Fleming hosts Weldon Valley in a league game on Friday and then gets a nice non-conference test with Genoa Hugo the next night. Briggsdale goes to Peetz on Friday in league play and then visits Shining Mountain in a top 10 battle on Saturday.
Southern Peaks: Sangre De Cristo (4-0) is alone in first with Cotopaxi, Moffat and Sierra Grande next with one loss apiece. Sangre has beaten Cotopxi but still has games with Sierra Grande (13th) and Moffat (20th) left on the schedule. Cotopaxi has a win over Moffat and will go to Sierra Grande this Friday. Sierra Grande stayed in contention with a nice win over Antonito olast week.
YWKC: Lone Star and Arickaree/Woodlin are both unbeaten in league play but the Longhorns have 10 wins overall and the Indian/Mustangs just one. Lone Star has a win over Idalia so they’re in great shape for the title and it will be an upset if Idalia doesn’t finish second. The best game this week likely pits Idalia at Bethune on Thursday.
Ark Valley: South Baca and Springfield (2-0) share the lead by one game over Wiley (2-1). The leaders meet in the final game of the regular season on the 20th. South Baca hosts Felt OK on Friday and then visits Kim/Branson on Saturday. Springfield, coming off a solid win over Kit Carson last Saturday, goes to Boise City OK on Friday and then hosts Cheraw on Saturday.
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CLASS 2A
Black Forest: Simla (6-0) and Colorado Springs School (4-0) are tied in first with Peyton (2-1) alone in third. The Cubs and Kodiaks meet in Simla on the 21st. Since CSS has already beaten Peyton, Simla can make it a two-team chase if they beat the Panthers at home on Friday. That would give Simla and CSS a two game advantage on the rest of the conference. Simla also hosts Las Animas in a non-league game on Saturday. CSS has two road trips up this week. They go to Platte Canyon on Tuesday (non-league) and Fountain Valley on Thursday.
Santa Fe: Nothing has changed here the past couple of weeks as Rye (10-0) and Rocky Ford (8-0) continue to roll past conference foes. The Thunderbolts visit the Meloneers on the 18th. Hoehne (7-2) is alone in third and will entertain Rocky Ford this Saturday. Swink (5-3) is fourth by one game over Fowler. The Grizzlies visit Rye on Friday.
Southern Peaks: By all accounts, it appears the two games between Del Norte and Sanford will decide the championship and runner-up spot. Round one went to Del Norte last Saturday as they beat the Indians 48-45. Game two is the 22nd in Del Norte. The Tigers have one league game this week; at Center on Saturday. Sanford meets Sierra Grande on Tuesday but has the rest of the week off.
Lower Platte: Holyoke (4-0) has the conference lead by one game on Sedgwick County, Merino and Wray. They’ve already beaten the Cougars and Eagles and will host Merino on Friday. A win there doesn’t officially clinch but basically gives them the championship to the Dragons. Wray and Sedgwick County meet on Saturday while Merino has a second tough conference game with Yuma on Saturday.
Mile High: Heritage Christian is coming off an excellent week where they grabbed the lead by beating both Dawson and Denver Christian. All three teams were unbeaten in league play to start the week but Heritage Christian is now alone atop the standings with the other two sharing second place. Union Colony Prep (4-2) is in fourth and could shake up the standings with an upset of Heritage Christian this Tuesday. Dawson and Denver Christian won’t face off until the 18th.
San Juan: Ignacio (5-0) and 1A Dove Creek (4-1) sit one-two in the standings and appear to be a step above the rest. Ignacio toppled Dove Creek in their only meeting of the conference schedule so the Bobcats are in great shape. Telluride (4-2) and Ridgway (2-2) are tied for third with the Miners winning their first game (34-21). Both clubs try their luck against Ignacio again this week as Ridgway hosts the Bobcats on Friday and Telluride the same on Saturday.
Union Pacific: Limon (3-0) is alone in first with a one-game edge on both Genoa Hugo and Burlington. The Badgers knocked off Genoa Hugo earlier this season and can basically clinch the crown with a win at Burlington on Saturday. The Badgers are favored. They’re 12-1 overall while Burlington has just two wins on the season; both in league play. Genoa Hugo has a 44-25 win over Stratton/Liberty so the Pirates should be the top 1A seed from the conference. As mentioned, they get in a very good RPI game at Flemong on Saturday. They have also a trip to Kit Carson (15th) left on the schedule.
West Slope: Meeker (7-0) got some help from Rangely over the weekend so the Cowboys are now alone in first. They entered the weekend tied with Hotchkiss as league unbeatens but Rangely upset the Bulldogs 39-35 on Saturday. That decision left Hotchkiss at 5-1 and tied with Soroco in second. Rangely remains in a fifth place tie with Hayden and Plateau Valley with DeBeque (5-2) sitting in fourth. Rangely now tries their hand at Meeker as they host their local rivals on Friday. Hotchkiss also hosts Soroco on Friday to help determine second place going into the final two weeks.
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CLASS 3A
Intermountain: Pagosa Springs (6-0) has a one game edge on Centauri (4-1). The Falcons grabbed second place for themselves by beating Alamosa (4-2) last Saturday. The three teams meet for a second time before the end of the regular season and the rematches begin on Friday as Pagosa Springs goes to Centauri.
Metro: Lutheran (7-0) and Jefferson Academy (5-0) are co-leaders with a one game edge on Skyview Academy. Lutheran knocked Skyview Academy out of the first-place mix last week when they beat the Hawks 71-30. Now Skyview Academy must beat Jefferson Academy this Tuesday to remain in the title chase. Jefferson Academy also hosts Lutheran on Saturday so the top three spots could be settling by week’s end.
Patriot: University’s win over Liberty Common last Friday kept the Bulldogs (6-0) alone in first. Eaton and Platte Valley both picked up quality wins on Friday and they now share second place (5-1). Brush and Estes Park came up short to the Reds and Broncos respectively so they sit in fourth with identical 3-2 marks. University heads to Estes Park on Tuesday and must avoid looking ahead to Fridays’ clash with Platte Valley.
Tri Peaks: St Mary’s (7-0) and Manitou Springs (5-0) are the last two unbeatens and will decide the top spot when they meet in Manitou Springs this Tuesday. The winner grab sole possession of the lead with the loser falling into a second place tie with Vanguard (6-1). La Junta and Buena Vista share fourth place with two losses apiece. Vanguard has just one game this week as they visit Colorado Springs Christian on Tuesday.
West Slope: The outright conference lead is on the line when Cedaredge goes to Delta on Tuesday. The Panthers are 4-0 in the conference and the Bruins 3-0. Delta won a non-league meeting of the two early last month (35-26) so they go in as the favorites. Delta also hosts Moffat County on Friday. The Bulldogs (4-1) share third with Roaring Fork.
Confluence: Eagle Ridge Academy and Lotus School (both 2-0) have the early lead by one game over DSST-Green Valley. The two leaders meet on Monday night so the eventual champion could be decided very early this week.
Frontier: Middle Park scored an important win over Arrupe Jesuit on Saturday as it kept the Panthers (6-0) tied with Academy (6-0) in first place. All other league teams have two league losses so the winner between Academy-Middle Park this Wednesday will likely determine the championship.
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CLASS 4A
CS Metro: Canon City has won their first nine league games to create a one game edge on Sierra (8-1) and a two game cushion on Classical Academy (6-2). The Tigers face both for a second time this week and wins in both games should give them the championship. Canon City goes to TCA on Monday night and then hosts Sierra on Friday. Classical Academy and Sierra also square off on Wednesday.
Jeffco: Green Mountain (7-0) is in good position as they lead second place Evergreen (5-2) by two games. Golden and D’Evelyn are both 4-3 and tied for third. The first-place Rams go to D’Evelyn on Wednesday and Golden meets Evergreen on Saturday in the two most important games.
Northern: Thompson Valley (8-0) is alone in first by two games over Greeley Central and Northridge (6-2). The Eagles go to Centaurus for their second meeting with the Warriors this Friday. They won the first matchup 43-35. Game two with Greeley Central is on the 18th. Centaurus has the tiebreak for second based on their 49-39 win over Greeley Central last month. Round two is set for the 13th.
South Central: Pueblo West (4-0) has a one game edge on Pueblo South and Pueblo East. The Cyclones are heavily favored to land the title as they have 16 wins overall while the two second-place teams have combined for 14. West beat South 58-21 last month and hosts East for the first of two meetings this Tuesday.
West Slope: Glenwood Springs (6-0) is the only league team with more than six wins on the season and the Demons are already two games ahead of second place Rifle (4-2). The Demons can basically clinch the title if they beat Rifle for a second time this Friday. Game one went to Glenwood 52-17.
Colorado 8: Defending champion Skyview (4-0) has a one game edge on four teams as Weld Central, Conifer, Arvada and Riverdale Ridge are all 2-1. Second place starts to sort out on Tuesday when Arvada goes to Weld Central and Riverdale Ridge hosts Conifer. Then on Friday, it’s a big game for Skyview as they face Riverdale Ridge.
Pikes Peak: Sand Creek won a big game with Falcon last Wednesday and that outcomes separates the Scorpions (8-0) and Falcons (6-1) in the top two spots. Air Academy and Lewis Palmer are in third but are two games back of Falcon in the loss column. Sand Creek faces both Air Academy (Tuesday) and Lewis Palmer (Friday) this week. Falcon also meets Air Academy on Monday night.
Tri Valley: Holy Family (11-0) has a one game edge on Berthoud (10-1) with Erie (8-2) in third and Windsor fourth (8-3). The first place Tigers have just one game this week as they host Erie on Tuesday. Game two with Berthoud is on the road next Tuesday the 11th. Berthoud also faces Erie on the road this Friday.
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CLASS 5A
Front Range: It’s a three team race between league unbeatens Fossil Ridge, Broomfield and Fairview. All other members have at least three losses. The head-to-head matchups begin on Friday as Broomfield goes to Fairview. Fossil Ridge also has an interesting non-league test with Highlands Ranch on Monday.
Jeffco: Valor Christian picked up a very important win over Valor Christian last week and the win left the Eagles alone in first (3-0). Ralston Valley (1-1) is one of five teams with one league loss. Lakewood is in that group and they’ve also lost to the first place Eagles. Games to help decide this week include Chatfield at Lakewood and Ralston Valley vs Columbine (Wednesday) and Columbine at Lakewood (Friday). Ralston Valley also challenges top ranked Grandview in non-league play on Monday.
Centennial: Grandview (8-0) leads Cherry Creek (7-1) by one game and Mullen (6-2) by two. The Wolves beat Cherry Creek by 25 and Mullen by 22 in first meetings. They’re at Arapahoe on Wednesday and Cherokee Trail on Friday following the big game with Ralston Monday night. Cherry Creek and Mullen meet again on Friday. Game one went to the Bruins 58-38.
CS Metro: Doherty and Fountain Fort Carson are both 6-1 and share the league lead; one game ahead of Liberty (4-2). Fountain Fort Carson (14-1) has the best overall record so they’re still favored. They host Doherty for a second time on February 11th and Liberty again on the 18th. Doherty and Liberty square off for round two on the 20th.
Continental: As Highlands Ranch (5-0) and Regis (4-0) continue to move past league opponents, we’re moving close to their head-to-head matchup to determine the champion. That date doesn’t arrive until February 18th. Mountain Vista (4-1), Ponderosa (3-1) and ThunderRidge (3-1) share third place. Of the top five, ThunderRidge has the most difficult week as they host Ponderosa on Tuesday and Highlands Ranch Thursday.
City: Denver East (4-0) and George Washington (5-0) are battling for the top spot with Thomas Jefferson and Denver South tied for third with one loss apiece. East and G-W close the regular season with their annual matchup on February 22nd. The key game finds George Washington at home against Denver South this Saturday.
East Metro: Thornton (6-0) is alone atop the standings but Rangeview (4-1) and Vista Peak (3-1) are close behind in second. Rangeview stayed in contention by beating Vista Peak on the road last Thursday (68-54). Thornton entertains Vista Peak on Thursday. The Bluejays remain alone in first with a win but a Bison victory could result in a three-way tie for the lead.
Southwestern: With their win over Durango on Saturday, Montrose took over sole possession of first (3-0). They lead the Demons and Fruita Monument (both 2-1) by one game. Montrose goes to Fruita Monument on Tuesday and then hosts Durango again on Saturday. Two wins should give the Indians the title.
