Entering the final day of the regular season, there are still a few pieces of hardware to hand out as teams continue the effort for a league championship.  Champions will be crowned in the 2A Southern Peaks, 4A Colorado Springs Metro and 5A/4A DPL today and there are more playoff games as well.
Photo provided by Debbie Parra.
 
Del Norte at Sanford:  Del Norte topped Sanford 48-45 in their first meeting but that was a non-conference game so today’s rematch will determine the 2A Southern Peak champion.  The winner is also the top district seed.  In game one, Del Norte jumped to a 27-17 halftime lead and held off the Indians down the stretch who won the second half 28-21.  Kendra Parra led the Tigers with 22 but plenty of support came from Gabby Jones (11) and Kaeci Madrid (10) who combined for 21.  Cheyenne Caldon had a season high 22 for Sanford.  The Indians have five treys compared to just two for Del Norte but the Tigers were better on the boards (33-21).  Jones topped the Tigers with 12.
Canon City at Sierra:  Sierra has received much more top 10 recognition than Canon City this year but it’s the Tigers who sit atop the 4A Colorado Springs Metro race.  They’re 14-0 and one game up on the Stallions (13-1) thanks to a 64-57 win in Sierra last month.  Another win gives the Tigers the outright crown while the two will share if Sierra avenges the earlier loss.  Trailing by seven at halftime, the Tigers took control of the first game with a 21-6 run in the third quarter.  Only five players scored but four reached double figures as Mady Ley went for 16, Emily Till 15, Jerika Moore 14 and Kate Tedquist 12.  Canon City also had a heavy FT advantage as they were 24-35 compared to just 8-12 for Sierra.  D’Nae Wilson paced the Stallions with 17 and Kaylie Mileto had 15.
George Washington vs Denver East:  This game will finally sort out the 5A/4A DPL standings as the two share the lead with Denver South.  The winner of course will stay in a tie with the Rebels and then the title will be decided by head-to-head results of the two leaders.  Denver South edged George Washington 53-52 but lost to Denver East 65-48 so they’ll be rooting for the Patriots.  George Washington is 17-5 overall and has won three of four since the loss to South.  The only blemish came against Rangeview (71-63) last week.  They move into Class 4A for the playoffs and currently sit 16th in RPI and are on the bubble to receive a first-round bye.  East has won eight of nine and would be alone in first if not for a surprising 73-43 loss to Far Northeast.
Kit Carson at Simla:  A good closing game for two teams coming off conference title clinching wins on Friday.  The Wildcats won at McClave 59-30 to earn the 1A High Plains crown and the Cubs edged Colorado Springs School 42-40 for the 2A Black Forest title.  It lines up as a good battle on the inside between Simla’s Kaitlyn Rector and Kit Carson’s Stephanie Framel.  Rector leads the Cubs in points (13.1) and rebounds (9.5) and Framel is first in scoring (10.5) and second in rebounds (6.4) for the Wildcats.  Reyna Isenbart is another key for Kit Carson with nine points and nine rebounds a game.  Simla gets additional pints from Taylor Warnecke (12.7) and Halle Lutz (9.1).  It’s also an interesting game for Simla junior Cede Smith (7.2) who spent her first two years on the court with Kit Carson.
Cherry Creek at Ralston Valley:  A top six game to close the season and impact the RPI standings in Class 5A before the state bracket is released on Sunday.  The Bruins shared the Centennial title with Grandview and enters the game #2 in RPI.  They trail only Valor Christian who beat Ralston Valley earlier this month to land the Jeffco championship.  Ralston Valley is #5 in RPI.
District Playoffs:  It’s a busy day for teams in Classes 1A and 3A concerning the post-season.  The 1A District 8 quarterfinals are today and play-in games are set for the Tri Peaks, Metro, Frontier and Western Slope in Class 3A.  In each case, winners advance in the bracket while losers see an end to their season.  The schedule is below and we’ll post results on our Daily Scoreboard throughout the day.  
 
1A District 8 Quarterfinals

  • #1 Flatirons Academy – bye
  • #4 Belleview Christian vs #5 Front Range Baptist
  • #3 Mile High Academy vs #6 Beth Eden
  • #2 Shining Mountain vs #7 Denver Academy of Torah

3A Metro

  • #5 Prospect Ridge vs #12 St Marys Academy
  • #6 Kent Denver vs #11 Manual
  • #7 Colorado Academy vs #10 Stargate
  • #8 Peak to Peak vs #9 Machebeuf

3A West Slope

  • #8 Olathe vs #9 Gunnison
  • #7 Basalt vs #10 Aspen

3A Tri Peaks

  • #7 CS Christian vs #10 Florence
  • #8 Ellicott vs #9 Lamar

3A Frontier

  • #8 Pinnacle vs #9 Bruce Randolph
  • #6 Bennett vs #11 KIPP Collegiate
  • #7 Lake County vs Jefferson