CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL EARLY WEEK PREVIEW by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL EARLY WEEK PREVIEW

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

With so many big games in the final week of the regular season, we’re going to break the week in two previews. Today, the focus is on Monday through Wednesday, which will allow us to put the latter half into better perspective. All rankings mentioned are from the Monday morning update of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

MONDAY

Mother Nature gave us an early present for this week, with last Thursday’s game between 2A #3 Akron and Hi-Plains (14^th) was postponed because of unsafe road conditions for the Lady Rams. Akron’s Addi Kessinger enters the game just two points shy of 1000 in her career, and the junior might just be too much for the Lady Patriots to handle. She went of 20 points and six blocks in Akron’s 53-38 win over Haxtun last Friday.

Hi-Plains won its fourth straight and sixth in seven tries on Saturday, picking up a 43-19 win at Rocky Mountain Lutheran (26^th). They are looking at the #3 seed for the District 5 tournament next week, and could potentially overtake Idalia (12^th) for the #2 spot. Caelan Church and Serenity Hernandez have both played well lately and have been big reasons for the late push.

Another big clash between top teams in different classifications happens when Briggsdale (3^rd) visits 2A #6 Sedgwick County. Briggsdale’s Jenna Krise topped 1000 points in her career with a 25-point outing in an 86-66 win at Kiowa (8^th) on Saturday. The Lady Falcons have won four straight since a 53-47 loss to Flatirons Academy (2^nd) just about 10 days ago.

Sedgwick County is on a bit of a tear of late, opening eyes with wins over 3A Yuma and 2A Wray last week. Their five losses have been to Akron (twice), Merino, and Wiggins (twice). Jensen Renquist went over the 1000 point mark in her career less than two weeks ago, and sophomore Abigail Dille is almost halfway there.

TUESDAY

Tuesday’s slate is jam-packed with important contests and they’re happening all across the state. Starting in the southeast corner, Kit Carson (5^th) hosts Springfield (13^th). The Lady Wildcats pushed McClave (1^st) on Friday before falling by a 53-48 count. All five of their losses have been to teams in the top nine of the Seeding Index. They got back in the win column on Saturday, downing Genoa-Hugo (19^th) 40-30. Tess Johnson had 16 points to lead the way.

Springfield has won two straight and six of its last seven, with Lainee Leathers heating up down the stretch. The junior has had at least four steals in four of the last five games. The Lady Longhorns will be looking to avenge a 42-22 loss to Kit Carson from back in December.

A pair of top-15 teams will meet when Idalia visits Eads (15^th) in a make-up game from last month. The Lady Wolves have won eight of their last 10 overall, with the two losses coming in OT to St. Francis (KS) and Kit Carson. They’ve also pushed Akron, Briggsdale, and Wiggins (2A #2) in losses. Their resurgence coincided with the return of senior Jenna Wieser who missed the first month of the season recovering from old injuries. Idalia also has a nice group of freshmen, headlined by Ailyn Monarrez, who is among the state leaders in steals, and Brigette Kite, who just scored 15 points against 2A Caliche last Friday.

Eads know a thing or two about high-performing freshman, with Tailee Weeks-Johnson serving as their leading scorer at almost 11 points a game. She also leads in rebounding (6.1) and steals (4.4). The Lady Eagles have won three straight, including a 50-43 decision over Cheyenne Wells (17^th) last weekend.

Speaking of Cheyenne Wells, the Lady Tigers will look to string together consecutive wins when they host Genoa-Hugo. Cheyenne Wells bounced back from that loss to Eads to dominate 2A Holly 61-38 last Saturday. With Kit Carson looming on the horizon later this week, a win on Tuesday would help their confidence.

The Lady Pirates had to gain some confidence after playing Kit Carson as closely as they did last Saturday. Still, it was their sixth loss in their last 10 games. They have only topped 35 points in two of those last 10 games.

Sitting 22^nd in the Seeding Index, Nucla is all but locked into the regional field. But, a win over 2A Plateau Valley (27^th) could give the Lady Mustangs a boost heading into Friday’s regular season finale against Dove Creek (7^th). Nucla has won two straight and three of its last five. The losses were by a combined seven points, and included a 48-43 defeat by Plateau Valley. Candis Staats is averaging right at 15 points a game for the Lady Mustangs.

Wiley (27^th) at South Baca (31^st) may not move a lot of needles, but its an important contest for two teams scratching and clawing to make the regional field. Both are currently in, but the next two weeks could lead to some sleepless nights. Wiley is just 5-5 in its last 10 games, and closes with McClave on Thursday. South Baca is 4-6 in its last 10, and closes with La Veta (29^th).

Prairie (30^th) helped its cause with a win over Otis (28^th) on Saturday and now Lone Star (32^nd) can do the same with an upset on the road. The Lady Longhorns would need to break a three-game skid, and recent results against common opponents don’t look too favorable.