Class 3A Girls Basketball District Predictions
Basketball games kicked off November 27th. We dive into each District and predict the winner of each district. Remember for Class 2A you now must just be ranked inside the top 32 of the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index to make it to Regionals or win your District. District winners also host if they are ranked inside the top 16 of the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index. This will be a quick article but expect later in December a full breakdown.
Metro-Conf-LP=District 1
1. Yuma
2. St. Mary’s Academy
3. Prospect Ridge
4. Manual
5. Forge Christian
6. Stargate School
7. Lotus School
District 1 will be a combination of the 3A Metro, 3A Confluence, and 3A Lower Platte. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Yuma is my pick to win District 1. Yuma has a few holes to fill but return 3 of their top 5 scorers from last season. Yuma will hope to build on last season 3A success. St. Mary’s Academy and Prospect Ridge I believe are the main contenders in this District. Manual and Forge Christian could be regional contenders.
My predictions for Metro-Conf-LP
League Champion: Yuma
Regional Contenders: Yuma, St. Mary’s Academy, Prospect Ridge, Manual
Dark Horse: Prospect Ridge
Player of the League: Caddis Robinson Sr. Yuma
Others to watch for: Emma Rayl Sr. Yuma, Ashley Ibanez Sr. Yuma, Jailyn Mekelburg Sr. Yuma, Emily Rodriguez Sr. St. Mary’s Academy, Aleena Nauman Jr. St. Mary’s Academy, Hazel Mills Jr. St. Mary’s Academy, Kayah Robbins Jr. Prospect Ridge, Ava Stockard Sr. Prospect Ridge, Nicole Scott Sr. Prospect Ridge, Jaci Collins-Falcon Jr. Manual, Shayla Collins Sr. Manual, Grace Dummar Sr. Forge Christian, Gianna Schmidt So. Stargate School, Newal Nasir Sr. Lotus School
Frontier=District 2
1. Bennett
2. Platte Canyon
3. Jefferson
4. Bruce Randolph
5. Lake County
6. Pinnacle
7. KIPP Collegiate
District 2 will be the Class 3A Frontier League. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. Bennett is my pick to win the Frontier District. Bennett returns their top two scorers from last season but will have to get depth to take a big step forward. Platte Canyon and Jefferson I think are the two main contenders and also the main regional contenders from this district. Bruce Randolph is my dark horse pick. They had just 1 senior last year.
My predictions for Frontier
League Champion: Bennett
Regional Contenders: Bennett, Platte Canyon, Jefferson
Dark Horse: Bruce Randolph
Player of the League: Lily Venneberg Sr. Bennett
Others to watch for: Jessica Venneberg Jr. Bennett, Sydney Curtis Jr. Platte Canyon, Liza Lineberry Sr. Platte Canyon, Ily Hardey Sr. Platte Canyon, Layshya Guzman Sr. Jefferson, Teaira Nutter Jr. Jefferson, Domonique Abeyta Sr. Jefferson, Azalea Tapia Sr. Lake County, Jaycee Windorski Sr. Lake County, Stephany Sanchez Sr. Pinnacle, Maya Sandoval Jr. Pinnacle, Kayla Martel Sr. KIPP
(No state Bruce Randolph)
IML-SJ-SP=District 3
1. Centauri
2. Ignacio
3. Montezuma-Cortez
4. Crested Butte
5. Bayfield
District 3 is the combination of the 3A Intermountain League, San Juan League, and Southern Peaks League. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. My pick to win District 3 is Centauri. Centauri lose two major pieces from last season but have talent back especially in the paint to repeat as District Champions. Centauri could have some growing pains early in the season especially on offense. Ignacio is the main contender for the District Crown. Ignacio also lose two key pieces from last season but return a group who is hungry to move past the first round. I think Montezuma-Cortez could be a regional contender this season and they are also my dark horse pick.
My predictions for IML-SJ-SP
League Champion: Centauri
Regional Contenders: Centauri, Ignacio
Dark Horse: Montezuma-Cortez
Player of the League: Hannah Curtis Jr. Centauri
Others to watch for: Lacey Johnson Sr. Centauri, Braelyn Tucker Jr. Centauri, Soly Cosio Sr. Ignacio, Marissa Olguin Jr. Ignacio, Savannah Haselroth Sr. Montezuma-Cortez, Markylla Jones Sr. Montezuma-Cortez, Cyriah Begay Sr. Montezuma-Cortez, Lexi Pickering Sr. Crested Butte, Leigh Harpel Sr. Crested Butte, Molly Miller So. Crested Butte, Genesis Barrera Sr. Bayfield
Black Forest-Santa Fe
1. Peyton
2. Fountain Valley
3. Rocky Ford
4. Thomas MacLaren
District 4 will be a combination of the 3A Black Forest League and 3A Santa Fe League. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. My pick to win the District 4 tournament is Peyton. Peyton returns their top two scorers and 4 of their top 5. Peyton will be on a mission this season to make a deep post season push. Fountain Valley and Rocky Ford I think are the main contenders for the district crown. Rocky Ford is my dark horse pick. Rocky Ford returns their top scorer but must have depth step up around her.
My predictions for Black Forest-Santa Fe
League Champion: Peyton
Regional Contenders: Peyton, Fountain Valley, Rocky Ford
Dark Horse: Rocky Ford
Player of the League: AJ Mannering Sr. Peyton
Others to watch for: Abbie Nickell Sr. Peyton, Kimber Moore Sr. Peyton, Quin Lewis Jr. Fountain Valley, Phoebe Bain Jr. Fountain Valley, Faith Wirth Sr. Rocky Ford, Leticia Garcia Jr. Rocky Ford
(No stats Thomas MacLaren)
Patriot=District 5
1. Highland
2. Timnath
3. Strasburg
4. Platte Valley
5. Brush
6. Liberty Common
7. Estes Park
8. Wellington
9. Frontier Academy
District 5 will be the Class 3A Patriot League. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. My pick to win the District 5 tournament is Highland. Highland will lose their top scorer from a season ago but bring back a pair of 9.0+ scorers from last season. Highland will also return key depth pieces. Timnath, Strasburg, and Platte Valley I feel are the main contenders for the district crown. Brush and Liberty Common could also be regional contenders. Brush is my dark horse pick. Brush lose a big senior class and I am interested to see how they replace a good group.
My predictions for Patriot
League Champion: Highland
Regional Contenders: Highland, Timnath, Strasburg, Platte Valley, Brush, Liberty Common
Dark Horse: Brush
Player of the League: Tiana Guzman So. Timnath
Others to watch for: Briza Flores Jr. Highland, Taylor Berkheimer Sr. Highland, Mary Jones Sr. Highland, Gretchen Deines So. Timnath, Graecyn Graf Sr. Strasburg, Natalie Damron Jr. Strasburg, Peighton Marrero Jr. Strasburg, Lauryn Uyemura Jr. Platte Valley, Sarah Becker Jr. Brush, Grace Falsetto Sr. Liberty Common, Ivana Acedo Jr. Estes Park, Emily Gesick So. Frontier Academy, Kensley Story So. Wellington
Tri-Peaks=District 6
1. C.S Christian
2. St. Mary’s
3. Vanguard
4. Salida
5. Buena Vista
6. Woodland Park
7. Banning Lewis
8. Rye
9. Ellicott
10. Florence
11. James Irwin
12. Atlas Prep
District 6 will be the 3A Tri-Peaks. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. District 6 in my opinion is one of the tougher Districts. They have at least 8 regionals contenders this season. I do think the top two teams in the district are the clear-cut favorites but we will see how things shake out. C.S Christian is my pick to win the district. C.S Christian returns their top 5 scorers from last season including POY candidate Grace Minihane. C.S Christian will be challenged by St. Mary’s who also returns their top scorer from last season and 3 of their top 5. Vanguard, Salida, Buena Vista, Woodland Park, Rye, and Banning Lewis are regional contenders. Buena Vista is my dark horse pick. Buena Vista returns 3 of their top 5 scorers and can they make a push for a top 3 spot in league.
My predictions for Tri-Peaks
League Champion: C.S Christian
Regional Contenders: C.S Christian, St. Mary’s, Vanguard, Salida, Buena Vista, Woodland Park, Banning Lewis, Rye
Dark Horse: Buena Vista
Player of the League: Grace Minihane Sr. C.S Christian
Others to watch for: Kinley Asp So. C.S Christian, Abigail Perry Jr. C.S Christian, Wilna Colopy Sr. C.S Christian, Emerson Kutz Sr. St. Mary’s (If Healthy), Maeve Salveson Sr. St. Mary’s, Jaela Pedro So. St. Mary’s, Jordyn Christensen Jr. Vanguard, Baily Fritzke Sr. Vanguard, Braeden Johnson So. Salida, Trinity Bertolino Jr. Salida, Makiah Parris Sr. Salida, Audry Johnson Sr. Buena Vista, Madeline Litvay Sr. Buena Vista, Karease Broeker So. Woodland Park, Brenna Larsen Sr. Woodland Park, Elany Canada Sr. Banning Lewis, Ashtyn Mckean Sr. Banning Lewis, Alaina Bourgeois Sr. Rye, Kelsy Stribling Jr. Rye, Gracie Briggs So. Rye, Micheyla Stewart Jr. Ellicott, Annabelle Reese Jr. Florence, Romina Lozoya Jr. James Irwin,
Western Slope=District 7
1. Grand Valley
2. Olathe
3. Cedaredge
4. Gunnison
5. Meeker
6. North Fork
7. Roaring Fork
8. Aspen
District 7 will be the Class 3A Western Slope. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. The Western Slope District should be a tough one with possibly 6 to 7 teams battling for a regional spot. Grand Valley is my pick to win the district. Grand Valley lose their top scorer from last season but have a pair of scorer who average over 7.0 ppg. Olathe I believe is the main challenger to Grand Valley. Olathe returns their top 3 scorers from last season and should be able to challenge for the crown. Cedaredge, Gunnison, North Fork, and Roaring Fork are regional contenders. Gunnison is my dark horse pick. Gunnison returns their top 6 scorers from last season. Their top 3 scorers last season were all sophomores and should take a big step forward.
My predictions for Western Slope
League Champion: Grand Valley
Regional Contenders: Grand Valley, Olathe, Cedaredge, Gunnison, Meeker, North Fork, Roaring Fork
Dark Horse: Gunnison
Player of the League: Jaycee Pittman Sr. Grand Valley
Others to watch for: Kaylae Medina Sr. Gradn Valley, Chloe Gronewoller Sr. Grand Valley, Tyra Gray Sr. Olathe, Kiandra Liles Sr. Olathe, Analise Marin Sr. Olathe, Carley Malinowski Jr. Cedaredge, Libby Brooks Sr. Cedaredge, Jessie Black Jr. Cedaredge, Kylee McDougal Jr. Gunnison, Sienna Gomez Jr. Gunnison, Ainsley Selle Sr. Meeker, Ellie Hossack Sr. Meeker, Reese Clatterbaugh Jr. Meeker, Sidney Neff Sr. North Fork, London West Jr. North Fork, Carley Crownhart Jr. Roaring Fork, Erica Crownhart Jr. Roaring Fork, Audrey Woodrow Jr. Aspen
Mile High-Foothills=District 8
1. Windsor Charter
2. SkyView Academy
3. Lyons
4. Machebeuf
5. Dawson School
6. Clear Creek
District 8 is a combination of the 3A Mile High and 3A Foothills Leagues. Remember all District Tournaments will be seeded by the CHSAA Seeding and Selection Index unless a different seeding criteria is agreed upon. Winning your district is the one way to guarantee your berth into the state tournament. District 8 could be way down this season. Most teams lost valuable seniors and this league is wide open. Windsor Charter is my pick to win the district. They return their top two scorers from last year and 4 of their top 5. SkyView Academy, Lyons, and Machebeuf are the main challengers for the crown.
My predictions for Mile High-Foothills
League Champion: Windsor Charter
Regional Contenders: Windsor Charter, SkyView Academy, Lyons, Machebeuf
Dark Horse: Lyons
Player of the League: Morgan Kimmi Sr. Windsor Charter
Others to watch for: Sadie Curry So. Windsor Charter, Cassidy Curry Sr. Windsor Charter, Lydia Slocum Jr. SkyView Academy, Gemma Powell Sr. Lyons, Angie Madera So. Machebeuf, Elise Fernandes Sr. Machebeuf, Lily Sullivan So. Dawson School, Indi Crawford Sr. Clear Creek
Regional Predictions
I am going to pick the 32 teams I think qualify for Regionals. Remember to qualify for Regionals you either need to win your District or be in the top 32 of the CHSAA Seeding & Selection Index after Districts.
District 1- 4 teams
Yuma, St. Mary’s Academy, Prospect Ridge, Manual
District 2 -3 teams
Bennett, Platte Canyon, Jefferson
District 3- 3 teams
Centauri, Ignacio, Montezuma-Cortez
District 4- 1 teams
Peyton
District 5- 6 teams
C.S Christian, St. Mary’s, Vanguard, Salida, Buena Vista, Woodland Park, Banning Lewis, Rye
District 6- 8 teams
Highland, Timnath, Strasburg, Platte Valley, Brush, Liberty Common
District 7- 6 teams
Grand Valley, Olathe, Cedaredge, Gunnison, Meeker, North Fork
District 8- 1 teams
Windsor Charter
MileHigh Prep Report 