Nine contests are on the list for top games in girls’ basketball on Friday. And all but one take place in Classes 3A and below as league races in those three divisions continue to take shape. There’s a first place battle between Heritage Christian and Denver Christian in the Mile High while the remaining games mainly feature a league leaders against a second or third place club.
We break down what’s on the line in each game and then will recap all the action during the Colorado Preps Scoreboard Show tonight. It airs from 8-10pm on the Colorado Preps Radio Network and can also be heard live online by clicking here.
Pikes Peak Christian at Elbert: Since they’ve already beaten Evangelical Christian, Elbert (2-0) has a chance to virtually clinch the 1A Black Forest title. Pikes Peak Christian is tied with ECA in second (both 2-1) and they’re basically the last challenge for the Bulldogs. Elbert (10-1) is a returning state tournament team and likely should be listed among the top ten teams in Class 1A. Their only loss is to 2A Peyton. Pikes Peak Christian suffered their league loss to Kiowa (42-24) and has dropped two of their last three.
Wiley at Kim/Branson: It’s a virtually certainty that the winner will end up third and the loser fourth in a very good 1A Ark Valley. South Baca and Springfield share the top spot (both 2-0) and each is ranked in the top four. These two clubs each have a league loss to one of the leaders. And both by the exact same score. Wiley lost to South Baca and Kim/Branson fell to Springfield by the score of 50-34. The Mustangs have lost three of their last four. Wiley has split their last two; falling to Genoa Hugo 51-48 and beating Eads 33-32. Macy Rowan (14.0) and Taira Weber (11.9) are double figure scorers for the Panthers.
Yuma at Holyoke: Holyoke opens the night at 3-0 in the 2A/1A Lower Platte and tied with Merino in first. They’ve already beaten Wray and another victory over defending champion Yuma this evening will push them closer to the league crown. Kristen Vieselmeyer (13.2) and Lauren Herman (10.0) top the Dragons in scoring and are also 1-2 in rebounds with 10 and seven per game respectively. Yuma’s loss to Wray earlier this year was just their third in a league game since the start of the 2012-13 season. They’re led on the offensive end by Ema Richardson (17.1) and Reagan Nolin (13.0).
Heritage Christian at Denver Christian: Friday’s winner takes over sole possession of first place in the 2A/1A Mile High as they’re the last two remaining unbeatens in league play. A win also caps off a great week for the Eagles as they also took out Dawson on Tuesday. The Mustangs were also perfect in the conference before that loss. A win could also get Heritage Christian to the top of the 2A RPI standings. They’re currently #2 behind Limon. Denver Christian was just 2-4 entering league play but has strung together six straight conference wins. Kara Amidon (11.3) is their top offensive threat while Denali Schmitt (7.5) is their top rebounder.
Meeker at Plateau Valley: A crucial game in the 2A/1A Western Slope as both sit among the top four clubs in the race. Meeker is unbeaten against league foes and shares the top spot with Hotchkiss. Plateau Valley has dropped just one league so they’re in a third-place tie with Soroco. Julia Dinwiddie has six double-doubles for Meeker this year with four coming in conference play. On the season, she’s averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds. She has season highs of 25 points and 16 rebounds with both coming against West Grand. Plateau Valley lost a share of first with a 44-30 loss to Hayden last Saturday. Freshman Madisyn Miller is second in scoring (11.4) and first in rebounds (7.9).
Centauri at Alamosa: League positioning behind Alamosa the goal here. Both teams have suffered a league loss to the Pirates so they enter the game tied for second in the 3A Intermountain. The Moose have scored at least 50 points in six of their 11 wins but have averaged just 23 points in their two losses. They were beaten by Montrose 37-22 before Christmas and Pagosa Springs 35-24 just last week. Centauri is over 50 in eight of their 12 wins and were held to 35 in the loss to Pagosa Springs; their only setback of the season. The two meet a second time on February 15th and both teams get another crack at Pagosa in February.
Eaton at Brush/Platte Valley vs Estes Park: We group these games together as they have exactly the same impact on the 3A Patriot race. All four teams have one league loss so winners will be tied for second and remain one game back of first place University (5-0). University meets Liberty Common tonight and if the Bulldogs win there as expected, the losers of these two games will share fourth place. Brush has momentum from their 66-63 overtime win over Resurrection Christian on Tuesday where Kenzie Kraich earned a triple-double. She finished with 15 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Eaton is led by Nakaiya Kuskie with 46 three-pointers on the season. Estes Park is getting 11 points and 15 rebounds a game from Olivia Hamel while Platte Valley used 13 points from Brooke Bunting and 10 from Cora Schissler in their Tuesday win over Liberty Common.
Highlands Ranch at Chaparral: Highlands Ranch and Regis are again expected to compete for the 5A Continental crown but if a third team does join the mix, it could be Chaparral. The Wolverines are 12-4 overall but an early league loss to Mountain Vista (47-33) leaves them one back of the Falcons, Regis and Ponderosa. Avery Bang (10.2) and Jessica Formento (10.1) are co-scoring leaders for the Wolverines. Highlands Ranch has outscored their first four league opponents by 201 points. Those four wins have come since a tight four-point loss to Cherry Creek. Payton Muma (15.9) and Taylor Ray (13.3) combine for nearly 30 points a game.
