A relatively unknown small school in northern Colorado may feature one of the state’s biggest girls basketball stars.
Last Thursday, Union Colony Prep senior Soliana Gebremeskel made a statement on the court that she is a force to be reckoned with. While her season has already been stellar, a 50-point performance on a brisk night in Greeley catapulted Gebremeskel into second place on the state’s season scoring average list.
She also put herself in position to add her name to the CHSAA record book while she was at it.
In a 76-9 home win against Cripple Creek, she scored an even 50-spot on 24-of-41 shooting, while also being credited with 16 steals. She’d be the eighth girls player in the state’s prep history, according to the record book, to have posted a 50-point game.
Keilani Venegas Alvarez scored 64 points on Jan. 13, 2024, which still stands as the single-game state record.
Union Colony Prep is surging with a 3-0 record in the Mile High League. Gebremeskel has much to do with the success, having posted two other games of at least 37 points so far. Her average is up to 30.3 points a game — she averaged 24.3 points in her junior campaign.
The Timberwolves face perhaps their toughest test yet on Friday, visiting 6-1 Gilpin County.
Other top games to watch this week:
Class 3A
Roaring Fork at Cedaredge, Thursday, 6 p.m.
The Rams put their perfect 9-0 record on the line traveling to face the Bruins (7-3) as two of the top squads in the Western Slope League. RFHS has yet to score less than 60 points in any game, and the state’s leading scorer at 32 ppg, Riley Bevington, will get a chance to show her skills against a top-tier defense. Cedaredge, which averages just 44 points a game so far, won both meetings between these teams a year ago.
Class 2A/1A
Nucla at Plateau Valley, Tuesday, 4 p.m.
Nucla has a strong 10-0 mark and is No. 4 in the CHSAA Selection & Seeding Index as of Thursday. The Mustangs are boosted by the scoring efforts of juniors Lantry Galley (15.2 ppg) and Shay Snyder (10.4). The defense has allowed just 23.5 points per outing. PVHS has allowed 18 points or less in three straight games, while juniors Macey Bevin (12.8 ppg) and Presley Hawkins (12.6) are heating up.
Class 1A
McClave at Springfield (Thursday, 4 p.m.); McClave at Eads (Friday, 5 p.m.)
For the second time this season already, the Cardinals will be playing the Longhorns and Eagles on back-to-back nights. Back in December, in a tournament, MHS downed Eads 43-39 and followed it up with a 55-43 win against SHS the next night. This time, they’ll try and repeat the feat in the harsh environments of their opponents’ home gyms. Of note, all three teams reside in the top 10 of the 1A Index.
