Girls Basketball State Tournament Bracket Quick Thoughts and Power Rankings

Girls Basketball State Tournament Bracket Quick Thoughts and Power Rankings

Note: This is just my thoughts on the brackets and I will post a full breakdown as the week goes on.

Class 3A

In Class 3A we knew what could be awaiting us in the Elite 8.  The girls 3A about as expected with all top seed advancing except Sterling who was beat by Lamar.  #1 Kent Denver punched their ticket with a huge win over Eagle Ridge then beating Delta in the sweet 16.  Kent Denver was challenged by Delta but were able to escape.  #8 Moffat County also punched their ticket with a big win over Machebeuf.  Moffat County then faced Lutheran (who was probably the favorite).  Moffat County pulled a solid 44-38 win over Lutheran.  Kent Denver vs Moffat County will be a very good game and I could expect either team to walk out with a win.  #5 Centauri blasted Stargate in the first round and then had a late run to pull away from Manitou Springs.  #4 Colorado Springs Christian ran through both opponents winning both games by 20+ points.  CSCS and Centauri will probably be the best game in the Elite 8 and could go either way.  #2 Pagosa Springs caked walked through their first two games winning both by 40+ points.  I can honestly say Pagosa Springs may be playing some of the best basketball and watch out for this team.  Lamar rolled Alamosa in the first round and then held on late against Sterling beating them 44-42.  Lamar does not have a win over a Top 5 team going 0-3 against the Top 5 teams.  #6 Cedaredge finished 4^th in the Western Slope league and now with two wins are in the Elite 8.  Cedaredge beat Liberty Common by 11 and Jefferson Academy by 3.  Cedaredge now a much better team in the Elite 8.  #3 St. Mary’s had no problems in the first two rounds beating Roaring Fork and Salida by 25+ points.  St. Mary’s will be the favorite against Cedaredge but with the earliest game on Thursday you just never know.  My Power Rankings:

#1 St. Mary’s

#2 Pagosa Springs

#3 Colorado Springs Christian

#4 Centauri

#5 Lamar

#6 Kent Denver

#7 Moffat County

#8 Cedaredge

Class 2A

Regionals were rough for some teams with two top teams falling in their Regional Finals and one unexpected team making it to the tournament.  The selection committee looks like the just stuck to the latest RPI to seed the field.  #1 Yuma punched their ticket by slamming Las Animas 63-18 then being tested by Haxtun 51-38.  Yuma is my favorite to win the 2A girls title.  #8 Ignacio is my surprise team.  Ignacio escaped in round 1 against Sanford 25-23 and then Ignacio upset Denver Christian 36-31.  Ignacio probably turned a few heads but with a game against Yuma right away is a tough draw.  #4 Holyoke also pulled an upset.  Holyoke came from behind in the second half to beat Del Norte 54-43.  Holyoke was trailing at half but took care of business.  #5 Limon cruised through their first two games beating Hoehne 61-37 and then Burlington 44-31.  Limon is very young and will give fits to Holyoke.  #3 Wray also pulled an upset in the Regional finals beating Swink 44-29.  Wray is hoping to have a solid run to the state championship.  #6 Rangely cruised through both games beating Norwood 63-25 and Dayspring Christian 65-40.  Rangely could be a wildcard team to watch out for in the tournament.  #2 Simla was tested by Sargent in the first round 53-45 and then cruised past Highland 61-43.  Simla is also playing really good basketball but the RPI did not do them any favors with their first round game.  #7 Clear Creek blasted Custer County 55-18 and then held on late for a dramatic 1 point win over Meeker.  Clear Creek is probably the biggest unknow of the entire field and well learn quite a bit after they play Simla.  My Power Rankings are:

#1 Yuma

#2 Wray

#3 Simla

#4 Limon

#5 Holyoke

#6 Rangely

#7 Clear Creek

#8 Ignacio

Class 1A

Class 1A girls went nearly as planned with only 1 upset.  Region 1 went completely as planned with Belleview Christian beating Dove Creek in a very close game 42-40 and North Park blasting Cornerstone Christian 53-31.  North Park is one of those big wildcard teams that we are not sure about.  Their opening round game will be a huge challenge, but I think they could turn a few heads.  Region 2 also went as planned with Fleming beating Genoa-Hugo 53-39 to punch their ticket.  Fleming first game will be a tough one and don’t expect a cake walk.  Another Region 2 winner was Briggsdale who beat Kiowa 62-47.  Briggsdale struggled a little more with Kiowa then expected and makes their first game very interesting.  The final Region 2 winner was Heritage Christian who beat Arickaree/Woodlin 48-35.  Heritage Christian has a very tough opening round game against Kim/Branson.  Region 3 nearly went as planned with Kit Carson punching their ticket against South Baca and Kim/Branson punching their ticket against Sangre De Cristo.  The upset in Region 3 was Holly over Antonito.  Holly forced a ton of turnovers and played a full game to pull the 44-38 victory.  Holly has a tough opening game against Briggsdale.  I only see 1 game in the first round that could be a blowout and that is Kit Carson vs Belleview Christian.  The other 3 games I could see being very close.  My Power Rankings are:

#1 Kit Carson

#2 Fleming

#3 Kim/Branson

#4 Briggsdale

#5 Holly

#6 North Park

#7 Heritage Christian

#8 Belleview Christian