Girls Basketball Class 2A Weekly Preview Week 11

Girls Basketball Class 2A Weekly Preview Week 11

We have arrived at the end of the regular season.  It’s the final chance before the District Tournament to improve your seed.  I am planning on highlighting a maximum of 4 games on each day then at the end I will dive into the teams sitting on the bubble.  Once district brackets are released, I will make sure to update.  Remember the CHSAA Seeding, and Selection Index runs thru the District Tournament.  (Rankings used are MileHigh Prep Reports Rankings).

Note: Campion Academy sits at #18 in the Seeding Index they have played 5 games and I am not sure if they are included in Districts and Regionals. If they are then seeding index won’t change if they are not everyone after #18 will be moved up a spot.

Jump to Bubble Teams Click Here

Tuesday

Tuesday featured some big games with a few influencing District and Regional Seeding.  Those games were Yuma over Caliche 60 to 44, Simla over Evangelical Christian 58 to 29, Pagosa Springs over Monte Vista 43 to 16, Mancos over Montezuma-Cortez 54 to 52, Fowler over Swallows Charter.

Thursday

Thursday features 6 games in Class 2A.  A few mix 2A vs 1A games including Sedgwick County at Fleming and Dove Creek at Telluride.  Some those games will be featured in Kerry Sherman 1A preview.

The main event Thursday Night is inside the Lower Platte League.  Wiggins will make the trip east to face Wray.  This is a big matchup for regional seeding.  Wray enters the matchup at 10-7 overall and 3-4 in league play.  Wray cannot improve their seeding for Districts as they will enter as the #5 seed into the district tournament.  Wray will be looking to bounce a two-game losing streak and will turn to their leaders in Larisssa Salmans (12.9 ppg), Sydnee Cheek (6.8 ppg), and Johanna Anderson (6.6 ppg).  Wray is a lock for regionals but gaining momentum will be key.  Wiggins enters the matchup at 13-5 and 6-1 in league play.  Wiggins seems to be hitting their stride winning 5 straight games including wins over Yuma and Akron.  Wiggins more than likely will be the #2 seed and keeping momentum is key.  Wiggins continues to be led by Kennedy Kerr (10.7 ppg), Raelyn Koening (9.5 ppg), and Riley Hunt (8.5 ppg).  Wiggins is hoping to stay in the #2 spot in the Seeding Index as they could still host if they don’t win their district.  Wiggins is a lock for regionals

The final matchup to talk about Thursday takes place down in the San Luis Valley.  Monte Vista will make the 7-mile trip to face the Sargent Farmers.  This is a very critical matchup for seeding inside District 1.  Sargent enters the matchup at 8-8 overall and they broke their two-game losing streak beating South Park 46 to 34.  Sargent also played close against Sanford falling 31 to 25.  Sargent is led by Angelise Sandoval, Bailey Asbell, and Megan Peterson.  Sargent sits at #30 in the seeding index and are on the bubble.  Monte Vista enters the matchup at 10-6 overall and they lost to Pagosa Springs on Tuesday 43 to 16.  Monte Vista will be looking to bounce back from that game.  Monte Vista will have to play tough defense against Sargent but look offensively for Lexi Marquez (7.3 ppg), Syriah Bernal (7.0 ppg), Zariah Archuleta (6.1 ppg), and Alyssa Ortega (6.0 ppg) to have big games.  Monte Vista sits at #20 in the seeding index and are a near lock for regionals.

A few other games to mention for Thursday are Golden View Classical (9-8) at Windsor Charter (9-8), Fountain Valley (14-3) at CS School (6-10).

Friday

Friday features 02 games and we have some big matchups this weekend.  Several games that need to be mentioned and multiple will impact the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index.  A few key 1A vs 2A games are Caprock Academy at Hayden, Soroco at North Park, Limon at Stratton, Vail Christian at De Beque, and Sierra Grande at Hoehne.    Some of these games will be featured on Kerry Sherman article post earlier today.

In my opinion the biggest game Friday is #10 Gilpin County at #2 3A Peyton.  This will be a great contest to see how Gilpin County stacks up against top competition heading into the District Tournament.  Peyton comes into the matchup at 17-0 and they end their season with two tough games against Gilpin County and Yuma tomorrow.  Peyton has not been tested since early January and I am sure they are ready for a pair of tough games.  Peyton is led by junior AJ Mannering (22.8 ppg) and Abbie Nickell (16.0 ppg) but have also had good scoring from Shaylee Gee (7.5 ppg) and Kimber Moore (6.3 ppg).  If Peyton wins out they could realistically be the #1 overall seed in the Regional Tournament in Class 3A.  Gilpin County enters the matchup at 15-3 overall and this is their final game of the regular season.  Gilpin County has won 7 straight games including quality wins over Heritage Christian, Denver Christian, and Kiowa.  Gilpin County last loss came to Dayspring Christian.  Gilpin County will have to play their best game of the season to knock off undefeated Peyton.  Look for senior leaders Skyley Ramsey (13.6 ppg) and Abigail Smith (9.3 ppg) to be leaders in this game.  Gilpin County is a lock for regionals at #9.

We shoot back up into Denver for are next matchup.  Heritage Christian will make the trip down to Denver to face Denver Christian in a key Mile High League matchup.  These two teams are not in the same District, but regional seeding will be affected by this game.  Denver Christian enters the matchup at 13-5 overall and #14 in the seeding index.  Denver Christian did a good job bouncing back from their loss last Friday to Dayspring Christian defeating Union Colony Prep 61 to 25.  Denver Christian will be looking for a signature win heading into the district tournament and will need its leaders to step up.  Kamiree Fuller (15.0 ppg), Anna Everett (10.9 ppg), and Natalie Beattie (9.1 ppg) must have great games for Denver Christian.  Denver Christian is a lock for regionals.  Heritage Christian enters the matchup at 14-4 overall and are sitting on a 4-game winning streak including a quality win over Wray last Saturday.  Heritage Christian will look to improve on their seeding index at #10 and push for a higher seed in the regional tournament.  Heritage Christian will look for Avery Hughes (16.1 ppg) to be the leader but look for other options like Harper Siemers (6.8), Natalie Samuelson (6.6), and Kate Green (6.2) to have a big game.  Heritage Christian is a lock for regionals.

We move up to the Northeast Corner of the State for are next matchup.  Merino will hit the road east to face Haxtun.  This is a Lower Platte League game, and this will have big impacts on regional seeding.  Merino enters the matchup at 16-2 overall and they have won 7 straight games since their loss to Stratton.  Merino has defeated Fleming, Limon, Akron, Sedgwick County, and Yuma during that 7-game winning streak.  Merino will look to end the season on a high not and in position for a top seed in the Class 2A region.  Merino is led by freshman Kya Piel (12.4 ppg) and junior Makenna Sutter (11.5 ppg).  Merino is a lock for regionals. Haxtun enters the matchup at 7-11 and on a two-game losing streak.  Haxtun will be looking to shake the losing streak and pick up their biggest win of the season.  Haxtun will look for Bobbi Starkebaum (10.9 ppg) and Cassidy Goddard (11.3 ppg) to have their biggest performance of the season.  Haxtun sits at #25 in the seeding index and are on the bubble.

We wrap things up on Friday with a trip down to the San Luis Valley where the Center Vikings travel to face the Sanford Mustangs.  Center enters the matchup at 9-8 overall but have hit a small skid losing 2 of their last 3 games.  Center will look to buck that trend and stay above .500 on the season.  Center will look for Alicia Rios (14.6 ppg) and Ximena Miranda (6.3 ppg) to have a breakout performance against Sanford.  Center would enter the District Tournament as the #4 seed currently and Center is on the bubble at #27 in the Seeding Index.  Sanford enters the matchup at 13-4 overall and they end their season with a pair of big games against Center and Del Norte on Saturday.  Sanford has won 9 straight games and defensively are one of the tougher teams in Class 2A.  Sanford will look for key momentum heading into the District Tournament and look for seniors Mackenzie Reynolds (11.1 ppg) and Alyssa Edgar (10.0 ppg) to lead the way.  Sanford is a lock for regionals.

A few other games to mention for Friday are Pagosa Springs (9-13) at Del Norte (13-4), Akron (11-7) at Holyoke (3-15), Custer County (6-10) at Crested Butte (11-6), Byers (8-10) at Yuma (11-6), Dolores (4-14) at Mancos (12-6), South Park (4-10) at Trinidad (7-9). 

Saturday

Saturday also features a jam-packed session with 18 games.  A few big 1A vs 2A games are West Grand at North Fork, Simla at Kit Carson, John Mall at Sangre De Crito, and Caliche at Briggsdale.  Some of those games were featured in Kerry Sherman 1A article.

The main event Saturday must be in the San Luis Valley in a huge rivalry game.  The Del Norte Tigers will host the Sanford Mustangs in a key SPL matchup.  This game will have big implications on regional and district seeding.  Del Norte enters the matchup at 13-4 and they end the season in a tough way facing 4A Pagosa Springs and Sanford.  Del Norte will look to improve their play after a tough 39 to 27 loss to Hoehne last Saturday.  Del Norte will look for Kelci Madrid (15.6 ppg) and Abigail Rivera (10.7 ppg) to be leaders, but they need someone else to step up like Shelby Vanzalinge or Bayliee Laymon.  Del North is a lock for regionals but if they can beat Sanford, they could see their seed improve a ton.  Sanford also ends the season in a tough way facing Center and Del Norte both on the road.  Sanford will look to secure that league title and the #1 seed in the district tournament.  Sanford with a pair of wins will also see their Seeding Index improve and help them get a better matchup in regionals.  Sanford will be tested rebounding by a very good rebounding team in Del Norte.

We head west for are next matchup.  We have Hayden making the trip to Plateau Valley for are next game.  Hayden enters the matchup at 10-5 overall and winners of 4 straight games.  Hayden will face 1A Caprock Academy Friday but the main event for them is Plateau Valley.  Hayden is led by 3 players all scoring over 8 ppg in Isabella Svoboda (12.8 ppg), Jenna Kleckler (10.7 ppg), and Tessa Booco (8.7 ppg).  Hayden sits at #19 in the seeding index and are a near lock.  I believe a win over Plateau Valley, and they will be locked into regionals.  Platea Valley enters the matchup at 9-7 overall and they snapped their 3-game losing streak defeating Soroco 64 to 42.  Plateau Valley will look to use the momentum and upset Hayden.  Plateau Valley will look to its leaders in Emaline Ealey (12.5 ppg) and Caley Shiflett (9.2 ppg) to lead them to the upset.  Plateau Valley sits at #26 in the seeding index and are on the bubble.

The final game to mention for Saturday is 4A Sterling making the trip south to face Limon.  Sterling enters the matchup at 9-13 overall and they will look to snap a 4-game losing streak.  Sterling sits at #22 in the seeding index and would be the #22 seed in the Class 4A State Tournament that will start next week.  Sterling with a win over Limon could see their seed improve and look for their leaders in Jalyssa Maker (10.1 ppg), Tatym Dempcy (7.1 ppg), and Charli Frankenfeld (6.9 ppg) to step up in this game.  Limon enters the contest at 12-5 overall and they will face a big test Friday night against Stratton before their game against Sterling.  Limon is currently on a 4-game winning streak but that will be tested in both games.  Limon has been led by Jentri Marx (11.1 ppg) and Katelyn Tacha (9.0 ppg).  Limon sits at #12 in the seeding index and is a lock for regionals.

Some other games to note for Saturday are Monte Vista (10-6) at Trinidad (7-9), Sargent (8-8) at Custer County (6-10), Center (9-8) at Cotopaxi (8-10), Elbert (9-7) at CS School (6-10), and Dolores Huerta (6-11) at Burlington (13-4)

Bubble Teams

For bubble teams I consider anyone sitting at #24 and below in the Seeding Index as a bubble team.  I do feel #24 and #25 are a bit closer to being locks but with most teams still having to play 1 or 2 regular season games plus at least 1 district tournament game anything can happen.

#24 West Grand

West Grand is in solid position to reach regionals and they close their season against 1A bubble team North Park Saturday.  I think a West Grand win over North Park gives them the #3 seed in the District Tournament and as long as they win their first District game should get into regionals.

#25 Haxtun

For Haxtun things are not as clear.  Haxtun ends the season against Merino and will be the #6 seed in the District tournament and face Akron who is the #3 seed.  Haxtun could drop their final two games and that would put them in hot water.  Haxtun has a good rankings my Maxpreps at #21 and if they drops their spot in the seeding index will as well.  We will be watching the new maxpreps rankings come Monday. 

#26 Plateau Valley

Plateau Valley ends the season against Hayden and if they lose that makes their first-round game against Soroco a must win.  Plateau Valley shouldn’t drop much with a loss to Hayden but they are going to need a win over Soroco to make sure they don’t fall out of the top 32. 

#27 Center

Center has a pair of games remaining one of which is a must win game.  Center will face Sanford Friday and a loss to Sanford won’t hurt their Seeding Index much.  Center game against Cotopaxi is now a must win game.  Center will also feel better about their shot at regionals if they win their first game in the District Tournament.  I do believe if Center gets to the semifinals of Districts plus beat Cotopaxi they get into regionals. 

#28 Crowley County

The regular season is complete for Crowley County and now they await the District Tournament seeding.  Crowley County will be the #3 seed and will host Swink in the first round.  Crowley County has to beat Swink to make sure they don’t slip in the seeding index.  Crowley County will be in hot water if they don’t win their first game at Districts.

#29 Elbert

Elbert has a pair of games remaining and I would say both are must win games especially at #29 in the seeding index.  Elbert will face Deer Trail and CS School in those games.  Deer Trail will be playing desperate as they sit at #34 in the seeding index in Class 1A.  Elbert needs these two wins as they will enter the District Tournament as the #6 seed and face Limon the #3 seed.

#30 Sargent

Sargent came close to upsetting Sanford last Friday but remain on the bubble when they host Monte Vista tonight.  Sargent will need at least 1 win in their final two games.  I also think Sargent would feel better if they can get by their first-round opponent at districts in #27 Center.  Sargent with a pair of wins this weekend would be in very good shape but dropping one to Monte Vista won’t hurt their Index as much. 

#31 Addenbrooke Classical

Addenbrooke Classical has completed their regular season schedule and now await their seeding in the District 7 Tournament.  Addenbrooke Classical will go into the district tournament as the #3 seed and face #6 Denver Academy.  This won’t help their seeding index much so their Semifinal game against Denver Christian will be the one to watch.  If Addenbrooke falls to Denver Christian we could see their Seeding Index drop a few spots.

#32 Caliche

Caliche has one final game against 1A #2 Briggsdale on Saturday and Caliche has played a brutal schedule this year.  Caliche will go into the District 2 tournament as the #8 seed and they could lose their final 2 games.  If that happens, they will be hoping and watching no one jumps them. 

#33 Holly

Holly has wrapped up their regular season and their win against Las Animas was huge.  Holly now waits to see the District tournament.  Holly should go in as the #4 seed and will face #5 Swallows Charter in the first round.  Holly with a win over Swallows Charter will give them a boost and possibly get them into the top 32.  Holly cannot lose to Swallows Charter and get into regionals.

#34 Loveland Classical

Loveland Classical has completed their regular season schedule and await the seeding for the District 4 tournament.  Loveland Classical should go into the tournament as the #3 seed.  They must at minimum reach the semifinals and might need to upset #2 seed Heritage Christian to jump into the final spot.  Watching what their RPI does after the quarterfinals will be key to seeing if they need to upset Heritage Christian

#35 Golden View Classical

Golden View Classical has a game remaining against Windsor Charter and this is a must win for Golden View Classical to have any shot at improving their Index.  Golden View Classical will enter the District Tournament as the #4 seed and would have to upset Gilpin County in the semifinals to probably jump into the top 32. 

#36 Trinidad

Trinidad kept their regional hopes alive when they upset Center last week.  Trinidad has two games remaining against South Park and Monte Vista.  Trinidad probably needs to win both to have any shot at regionals.  Trinidad will face Monte Vista twice to end the year.

#37 Holyoke, #38 Swallows Charter, #39 Cotopaxi, #40 Custer County

These 4 teams are also still in the hunt but they need a good weekend to end the season to try and jump closer to the top 32.