It shapes up to be a great final week in girls’ basketball as four of the five classifications are filled with head-to-head matchups that will determine league championships. We list the top games and provide a quick breakdown of their importance.
CLASS 1A
Idalia at Arickaree/Woodlin (Tuesday)
Springfield at South Baca (Thursday)
Kiowa at Elbert (Friday)
McClave at Kit Carson (Friday)
NOTES: All four games on the list are for outright league championships as all eight teams involved are unbeaten in conference play. Idalia and Arickaree/Woodlin battle for the YWKC championship and South Baca and Springfield face off for the Ark Valley crown. Then on Friday, the winner of Kiowa-Elbert lands the Black Forest title and the Kit Carson-McClave ends up with the top trophy in the High Plains. In each case, the winners also lock down number one seeds for the district tournaments next week.
CLASS 2A
Rocky Ford at Rye (Tuesday)
Denver Christian at Dawson (Tuesday)
Longmont Christian at Highland (Tuesday)
Yuma at Haxtun (Friday)
Swink at Limon (Friday)
NOTES: With most of the league champions already crowned, most of the games on the list involve league and district positioning. Rocky Ford needs an upset of Rye to gain second place outright in the Santa Fe West. They lead Holly by one game there. Rye has already clinched the division title and Swink is the top team in the Santa Fe East. The Lions close the season in a big way at Limon on Friday. It’s a non-conference game but the clubs are ranked second and fourth by CHSAA with the Badgers the number one overall team in the RPI. Swink is 6th but could move up with a win. Dawson needs a win over Denver Christian to grab second place in the Mile High. They lead the Thunder by two games in the race but a loss drops them into a second-place tie with the winner of Highland-Longmont Christian. Dawson also plays Twin Peaks Charter on Thursday and a win in either gives them second place since they have the head-to-head over both Highland and Longmont Christian. Yuma has clinched the Lower Platte title but the game with Haxtun (1A) gives both teams a tough challenge before post-season play begins next week.
CLASS 3A
Colorado Academy at Skyview Academy (Tuesday)
Platte Valley at Brush (Tuesday)
NOTES: Skyview Academy (7-1) is tied with Lutheran (9-1) atop the Metro and needs a win to keep pace with the Lions. Colorado Academy lost to Lutheran last week and now sits tied for third with Faith Christian. Regardless of the outcome, Lutheran wins the league title by beating Manual on Wednesday since they have a win over Skyview Academy. Platte Valley has clinched second behind Eaton in the Patriot but their game with Brush has a big impact on spots three and four. The Beetdiggers can only get to third with a win if Resurrection Christian also falls to Estes Park. The Cougars clinch third with a win there.  A loss drops Brush likely drops Brush into a three-way tie for fourth with Sterling and University. Liberty Common could also join them but the Eagles would need an upset of Eaton on Tuesday to get there.
CLASS 4A
Thompson Valley at Greeley Central (Monday)
Pueblo West at Pueblo South (Tuesday)
Glenwood Springs at Battle Mountain (Tuesday)
Berthoud at Windsor (Tuesday)
Sand Creek at Palmer Ridge (Tuesday)
Holy Family at Evergreen (Wednesday)
Palmer Ridge at Discovery Canyon (Thursday)
Berthoud at Holy Family (Saturday)
NOTES: An important final week in 4A gets started early with a Monday battle between Greeley Central and Thompson Valley. Central leads the Eagles by one game in the Northern standings and another win gives them the title outright. A Thompson Valley win leaves the two teams tied. It’s the same situation in the South Central as top five clubs Pueblo West and Pueblo South do battle for a second time. West won the first game 34-29 and a second victory leaves them in the top spot. Glenwood Springs clinches the Western Slope crown by beating Battle Mountain on Tuesday. They lead the Huskies by one game in the league standings. A loss means a Friday game with third-place Palisade also becomes important to the top three spots. The Bulldogs are two games off the pace. Windsor and Holy Family each have one conference loss and share the Tri Valley lead but many scenarios are still possible since both clubs meet third-place Berthoud. The Spartans are one-game out in third and lost previous matchups with the Wizards and Tigers. Air Academy is the Pikes Peak champion but Sand Creek, Palmer Ridge and Discovery Canyon share second at 8-4. Two head-to-head matchups between the three squads will help sort out that race.   Holy Family and Evergreen are trying to play for a third time. The first date was postponed by weather and round two by a shortage of officials. The makeup makes for a very busy week for both clubs. Evergreen has four games in four nights and the Tigers four games in five nights.
CLASS 5A
Grandview at Cherry Creek (Monday)
Regis at Highlands Ranch (Tuesday)
Montrose at Grand Junction (Tuesday)
Ralston Valley at Dakota Ridge (Wednesday)
Legacy at Horizon (Thursday)
Fossil Ridge at Valor Christian (Friday)
Fruita Monument at Montrose (Friday)
Valor Christian at Dakota Ridge (Saturday)
Cherry Creek at Ralston Valley (Saturday)
NOTES: Schedule makers set up an exciting final week in the big school ranks including two heavyweight showdowns of top four clubs. #3 Grandview goes to #4 Cherry Creek and #1 Highlands Ranch entertains #2 Regis. Grandview topped Creek 54-53 in game one and that outcome separates the two atop the Centennial standings. Highlands Ranch and Regis are both unbeaten in the Continental so the winner lands the championship. Two other top 10 matchups of note are set for later in the week when Fossil Ridge goes to Valor Christian and Cherry Creek heads to Ralston Valley. In the Jeffco, Valor Christian has a one game edge on Ralston Valley and Dakota Ridge. If Valor beats Dakota Ridge, then the Eagles game with Ralston should decide second place. Montrose (4A), Fruita Monument and Grand Junction all sit 4-2 atop the Southwestern League. Montrose plays both clubs this week so they control their own championship hopes. There’s also a three-way top the Front Range between Horizon, Broomfield and Fossil Ridge (all 9-1). Each team has three games remaining with the most difficult featuring Fossil Ridge at fourth place Legacy (8-2).
COLORADO 8 LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
The eight teams in the Colorado 8 get together for a season closing league tournament this week.
QUARTERFINALS
- 7:00pm:Â #1 Skyview vs #8 Arvada (Tuesday)
- 5:30pm:Â #4 Conifer vs #5 Englewood (Monday)
- 7:00pm:Â #3 Riverdale Ridge vs #6 Fort Lupton (Monday)
- 7:00pm:Â #2 Weld Central vs #7 Alameda (Monday)
REMAINING SCHEDULE
- Consolation Semifinals – Wednesday
- Championship Semifinals – Wednesday
- League Championship – Friday
- 3rd Place – Friday
- 5th Place – Friday
- 7th Place – Friday
