Because of the state wrestling tournament this week in Denver, much of the regular Friday basketball schedule has been pushed up a day and that makes for a very interesting Thursday in girls’ basketball. Quite a few games are on the list that will determine or impact league championships.
Photo is provided by Sarah Steinman / Ruralistic Photos.
Springfield at South Baca: Both teams have spent most of the season in the 1A top five and the regular season finale both will decide the Ark Valley championship and top district seed. Neither club has lost to a Colorado opponent. Springfield (15-1) has won 14 straight since a loss to Hugoton KS in their own season opening tournament. South Baca (16-2) lost to Hugoton in the same event and also came up short to Boise City OK earlier this month. The Patriots have state tournament experience from a year ago and have veteran leadership and scoring from Delaney Eskew (15.3). Alyssa Hebberd (13.0) and Patience Crane (10.1). Alison Wilson (8.2) and Jentry Patrick (6.0) are also major contributors. Hebberd leads the team in rebounds (10.7) and steals (5.0) while Eskew tops the team in assists (5.2). Springfield’s roster is also dominated by juniors and seniors as Julia Mondragon is the leading scorer (14.0) and rebounder (6.3). Alexis Crane (8.9), Kylie Parks (7.7), Melanie Woller (4.4), Payton Arbuthnot (4.4), Brinlyn Dukes (4.2) and Alayah Meltabarger (3.5) provide plenty of depth on offense.
Kiowa at Elbert: Longtime rivals collide to determine the 1A Black Forest championship as both clubs are unbeaten in conference play with a two-game edge on all others. Elbert (14-4) has four more wins overall than Kiowa (10-6) so they’re considered the favorite, plus they’re playing at home. The Bulldogs though are struggling of late as they’ve lost back-to-back games to Shining Mountain (48-24) and Flatirons Academy (70-46). The remaining losses are against 2A programs. Kiowa is headed in the other direction as they’ve won their last three including a crucial 43-40 overtime win against Evangelical Christian that put them in championship contention. Hanna Brogger scored 16 points and Bailey Martelli added 12 points and eight rebounds in the win. Marissa Morgan also dished out seven assists.
Moffat at Sangre De Cristo: The T-Birds stand alone atop the 1A Southern Peaks race but still need this win to secure the championship outright. Sangre is 9-0 and has a one game edge on Cotopaxi and Moffat (both 8-1). They’re already beaten Cotopaxi so a win tonight leaves them with the title. Moffat has a league loss to Cotopaxi so they must win to earn a share of the crown. A Moffat win and loss by Cotopaxi to Manzanola moves Moffat all the way to the championship. Using Cotopaxi as the comparison, Sangre De Cristo is favored. They beat the Pirates 34-27 as Kylie Christensen tallied 19 points. She also hit four three-pointers. Ashley Mortensen had seven rebounds and five steals and Lexi Metz added six and three. Moffat fell to the Pirates 44-26 as they were outscored 24-7 in the second half. Natalie Roberts had 12 points including four treys. Roberts also picked off six steals and Alyssa Hamel pulled down 14 rebounds.
Sierra Grande at La Veta: The outcome will play a major role on which team ends up fourth in the 1A Southern Peaks. Both clubs are 5-4 and tied with Antonito. Since Antonito already has a forfeit win over Aguilar set to be recorded later tonight, the winner will move into a tie with the Trojans. Then it will come down to head-to-head and the Trojans beat La Veta but lost to Sierra Grande.
Wiley at McClave: It’s a non-league game between two quality clubs that end up being a preview of a regional tournament should both teams advance from districts. Wiley (11-7) has played a strong schedule and has dropped their last two games to Springfield (49-29) and Lakin KS (67-40). They would like a win to gain momentum for next week’s district tournament where they will be seeded third behind South Baca and Springfield. McClave has won their last four but also has a big game with Kit Carson tomorrow that will determine the High Plains league championship.
Merino at Briggsdale: It’s a similar setup to Wiley-McClave as the contest is not a conference affair but the two could meet in districts and again in the regional tournament. Merino finished fifth overall in the rugged 2A/1A Lower Platte chase but is the top 1A finisher. They’ve played just six games against 1A opponents; compiling a 5-1 record. The only loss came to Fleming (66-56) nine days ago. Briggsdale split two games with Fleming and will share the North Central crown with them. They’re battling the Wildcat for the top overall district seed as they’re separated by just one spot in the current RPI standings.
George Washington at Heritage Christian: This is a very interesting non-league game as George Washington comes in from Class 4A to challenge 2A unbeaten Heritage Christian. GW is 16-5 overall and still very much alive for the DPL championship as they have a game remaining with Denver East on Saturday. Those two clubs are tied with Denver South in first place. Heritage Christian has clinched the 2A Mile High title and this could serve as their toughest challenge of the regular season. Emma Johnson tops the Eagles with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Kali Siemers (10.1) is a second double-digit scorer while Savannah Brown is very close to a double-double with 9.6 points and 11.1 rebounds. Freshman Jaida Redwine leads GW in points (16.7) and is second in rebounds (5.7). She also adds five rebounds and nearly three assists. Maya Whiteside adds 12 points and nearly eight rebounds.
Roaring Fork at Grand Valley: Roaring Fork can secure third place in the 3A Western Slope and be placed opposite league champion Delta in the district bracket if they score the win in Parachute. Grand Valley is tied with Moffat County in fourth and both are just one game back of the Rams. A Grand Valley win coupled with a Moffat County win over Coal Ridge tonight creates a three-way tie for third. If Moffat County stumbles, then the winner between Roaring Fork-Grand Valley gets the coveted third spot. Maya Lindgren (14.5) leads Roaring Fork’s offense while Grand Valley features six players scoring between five and nine points a game. The group is led by Taygann Schoeppner (9.2).
Colorado Springs Christian at Trinidad: Both teams are in the middle of the pack of the 3A Tri Peaks but the outcome is very important the district tournament bracket. Trinidad shares fourth place with Buena Vista but gains the edge with a win in this one. A win leaves them tied with Buena Vista at 6-4 but the Miners won the head-to-head battle last week. Trinidad cannot fall farther than fifth with a loss as they have a win over La Junta which sits a game back at 5-5. Colorado Springs Christian with a loss, drops into a three-way tie for seventh with Ellicott and Lamar. The Thunderhawks and Savages are both 3-7.
Sand Creek at Falcon: The Scorpions (12-0) has easily clinched the 4A Pikes Peak championship but Falcon could use a win as they’re battling Air Academy for second place. Both clubs are 9-3 going into the final two conference games of the year. Air Academy also goes to Sand Creek on Saturday so the runner-up spot could be decided on if either the Falcons or Kadets can upset the league champions. Falcon’s first meeting with Sand Creek ended with a 66-50 setback. Poor starts were their main downfall as the Falcons were outscored 17-7 in the first quarter and 19-8 in the third. Hannah Burg netted 14 points and Trinity Grant 10 in the loss. Both also collected five rebounds. Nikki Derrell (17) led four players in double figures for Sand Creek. Tamika Williams added 14, Shamira Wallace 12 and Kianna Lemons 10. Williams (7) and Wallace (6) also combined for 13 rebounds.
Liberty at Doherty: With their loss to Fountain Fort Carson on Wednesday, Liberty fell out of the 5A CS Metro championship discussion but can play the role of spoiler. Wednesday’s result left Fountain Fort Carson and Doherty tied for the conference lead (9-2) so a loss to Liberty will cost the Spartans a piece of the title if Fountain Fort Carson beats Rampart on Friday. Game one was very close with Doherty taking a 41-39 win. Payton Sterk scored 11 points for the winners and Makenzie Noll had two treys. Lydia Marshall had 11 points for Liberty and hit three of the team’s seven three-pointers.
Fountain Fort Carson at Vanguard: Ahead of their big matchup with Rampart on Friday, Fountain Fort Carson has a nice in-city rivalry with 3A Vanguard. The game also gives the Coursers a chance to quickly get back on the court following a disappointing 67-37 loss to Manitou Springs on Wednesday that left them third in the 3A Tri Peaks chase. It was just their second loss. Fountain Fort Carson has won seven of eight and remains in the 5A CS Metro title race. Danae Christensen averages a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds a game. Torie Bass (12.7) is the top scorer and also hands out nearly five assists a game.
Valor Christian at Fossil Ridge: A high level non-league game in the final week will impact RPI standings and the 5A state tournament bracket. Valor (21-1) is the Jeffco champions and sits second in RPI and is just .003 behind Cherry Creek in the race for the top overall seed. Fossil Ridge (18-3) has clinched the Front Range championship and is #7 in RPI. They’re basically tied with Ralston Valley for sixth and are just .006 away from Grandview and a possible top four seed.
Westminster at Vista Peak: Vista Peak closes the regular season needing a win to keep a share of the 5A East Metro lead with Rangeview and Thornton. Thornton (9-1) has completed their league schedule while Rangeview (8-1) has one game remaining with Gateway on Saturday. If the Raiders are upset there, then Vista Peak is the league champion with a win in this one as they beat Thornton head-to-head. The Bison though drop to third with a loss and Westminster secures fourth if the Wolves spring the upset. Vista Peak averages nearly 69 points a game behind the scoring trio of Seairra Hughes (15.5), Kaya Evans (12.0) and Mikenzie Jones (11.4). Marina Boltz (17.6) paces Westy in scoring while Valerie Gallegos adds 11 points and nearly 12 rebounds.
Mountain Vista at ThunderRidge: Third place in the rugged 5A Continental goes to the winner as both start the game at 7-2. Both teams have also beaten fifth-place Ponderosa so the loser will not fall farther than fourth. Regis won the league title by beating Highlands Ranch 37-35 on Tuesday night. The Falcons have secured second despite that loss. Mountain Vista is balanced with five players averaging between six and 10 points. Mackenzie Gamble (9.9) and Amy Holland (9.1) top the list. Heidi Haze (12-5) paces ThunderRidge on offense and Lindsey Anhalt (6.4) the top rebounder.
3A Patriot: Pigtail games for the district tournament are on tap this evening with winners moving quickly to the quarterfinals on Friday. Strasburg hosts Resurrection Christian with the winner facing league champion University tomorrow. Liberty Common entertains Frontier Academy and the survivor meets #3 Platte Valley. Sterling is also home to Valley and #2 Eaton gets the winner.
