Class 1A Girls Basketball Weekly Update Week 4 By Tayler Garcia

Class 1A Girls Basketball Weekly Update Week 4

By Tayler Garcia

We have decided for the month of December to look at the top 10 teams and teams who are off to great starts.   We will look back at the past week plus look ahead to this week & weekend.  This will be the final update for the 2023 season.

#1 Briggsdale

The Falcons end their 2023 with a 5-0 record. So far this season, they have beat Front Range Baptist 69-27, Arickaree 37-24, Hi-Plains 55-37, Cheylin 66-38, and Idalia 58-46. They will kick off 2024 on 1/6 with a game against Stratton at home and Lone Star on 1/8. Leading Briggsdale so far in the season are Jenna Krise with 136 points, 15 assists and 27 rebounds, Kayl Klem with 65 points, 19 assists, and 36 rebounds, and Claire Brown with 56 points, 13 assists and 15 rebounds.

#2 McClave

McClave wraps up the 2023 end of their season strong with a 6-0 record. The Cardinals have beat Greeley County 48-30, Stanton County 53-36, Syracuse 42-37, Wiley 52-13, Eads 52-37, and Kit Carson 45-22. They will resume action on 1/4 on the road against Cheyenne Wells and at home on 1/6 against Simla. Stat leaders so far for McClave are Abrielle Gomez with 91 points, 12 assists, and 42 rebounds, McKayla Kiniston with 58 points and 10 assists, Zoe Martinez with 47 points, Addison Vallejos with 13 assists, Ashlynn Steinbrunn with 22 rebounds and Avery Hemphill with 20 rebounds.

#3 Stratton

Stratton has a 3-1 record so far this season with big wins against Otis (61-24 and 63-25), and Idalia (47-31). They lost in a close game against Colby 44-41. They will start the large half of their season in 2024 on 1/6 against Briggsdale which will be a tough test to start the new year. Top players so far for the Eagles are Sedonia Isenbart with 42 points, 10 assists, and 13 rebounds, Sophia Isenbart with 22 points and 9 rebounds, Clare Miltenberger with 11 points, 12 assists and 11 rebounds and Kamryn Talbery with 4 assists.

#4 Flatirons Academy

Flatirons Academy currently has a 3-1 record to kick off the season. They have wins against Byers (58-24), Strasburg (50-40), and Gilpin County (50-18) and a loss against Merino (42-24).  The Bison will be playing on 12/21-12/23 in tournament play where their first opponent will be GVCA. Coming back into the new year, Flatirons Academy will face Front Range Baptist on 1/11. Leading the team so far is Emma Cox with 73 points, 6 assists, and 28 rebounds, Annabelle Rakers with 24 points and 12 assists, Brylin Gomer with 20 points and 27 rebounds, Hailey Hubbart with 8 assists and 9 rebounds. 

#5 Fleming

Fleming starts off their season with a 4-1 record with wins against Haxtun (47-32), Flagler (51-22), Arickaree (44-24), and Lone Star (108-79), and their loss was against Caliche (43-39). They will wrap up 2023 against Lone Star on 12/19. They will start 2024 in Arickaree on 1/5. Stat Leaders for the Wildcats are Brooke Schaefer with 46 points and 11 assists, Madi Serrato with 38 points, 8 assists and 18 rebounds, Ciana Lousberg with 33 points, 11 assists and 16 rebounds, and Ashley Bornhoft with 37 rebounds.

#6 Idalia

The Wolves finish out 2023 with a 3-2 record. In the five opponents that they faced, they have wins against Geno-Hugo/Karval (41-31), Akron (28-27), and Cheyenne Wells (29-22). The two losses on their record are from Stratton (47-21) and from Briggsdale (58-46).  They will resume action on 1/6 on the road against Idalia. Stat leaders for Idalia are Jaylyn Kechter with 65 points, 14 assists, and 60 rebounds, Krista Wieser with 50 points and 37 rebounds, Ailyn Monarrez with 13 points, Brigette Kite with 12 assists and 33 rebounds, and Tatum Soehner with 7 assists.

#7 De Beque

De Beque wraps up 2023 with a 5-3 record. They lost their first game of the season to Mancos 53-26 and lost later in the schedule to Rangely 58-33 and Plateau Valley 48-11. Their wins came from Hayden 50-19, Ridgeway 54-31, Dolores 36-18, Dove Creek 41-38, and Caprock Academy 39-21. They will kick off 2024 on 1/9 against Vail Christian on the road. Top Players for the Dragons so far are Avery Rigsby with 91 points, 13 assists, and 58 rebounds, Allyson Sandidge with 65 points, 24 assists and 38 rebounds, and Ava Vines with 57 points, 9 assists, and 85 rebounds. 

#8 Kit Carson

Kit Carson starts their season with a 3-1 record. Their single loss came in their most recent game against McClave (45-33), but have wins against Calhan (68-14), Holly (62-15), and Springfield (57-24). They will start back up on 1/5 against Eads, and on 1/6 against Kiowa. Top performers for the Wildcats are Avery Johnson with 33 points and 10 assists, Payge Booker-Rady with 26 points and 10 rebounds, Shay Rady with 22 points, 15 assists, and 9 rebounds, and Lindsey Mayhan with 8 assists and 22 rebounds. 

#9 Dove Creek

Dove Creek ends 2023 with a 6-2 record. They lost their first game against Centauri 40-30, but then beat Ignacio 41-27, NVOHS 44-31, and Dolores 45-30.  They faced their second loss against De Beque 41-38 but have won every game since against Nucla 49-42 and 54-24, and Dolores 55-18. They will kick off 2024 with another game against Nucla on the road on 1/12. Stat leaders for the Bulldogs are Ralynn Hickman with 110 points, 20 assists, and 67 rebounds, Kalie Gatlin with 85 points, 50 assists, and 58 rebounds, Taylor Hampton 73 points and 63 rebounds, and Hadley Hatfield with 11 assists. 

#10 Eads

Eads wraps up their 2023 season with a 4-3 record. Their wins come against Hi-Plains (57-41), Elkhart (52-22), Granada (50-21) and Springfield (51-30). The losses on their record are from Syracuse (47-46) , Greeley County (43-34), and McClave (52-37).  They will be looking to add more wins in the new year starting with Kit Carson on 1/5 on the road and at Walsh on 1/6. Stat leaders for Eagles are Anna Wollert with 127 points and 84 rebounds, Tailee Weeks-Johnson with 71 points, 15 assists and 27 rebounds, Lexi Shotton with 49 points and 15 assists, Bailey Sierra with 12 assists and Madison McDowell with 23 rebounds.

Team who are off to great starts and not ranked

We look at 6 teams who are not ranked but are off to a great start this season.

Sangre de Cristo

Sangre kicks off their season with a 5-1 record to end 2023. They have some strong wins against Antonito (78-4), Dolores (56-26), Sargent (43-28 and 55-39) and Soroco (53-30). Their lone loss comes from a tough opponent in Simla (58-22). They will resume their season after winter break on 1/6 against Trinidad on the road. Leading the team in stats are Palma Enrquez with 54 points, 13 assists and 23 rebounds, Presley Wilson with 42 points and 9 assists, Audrina Knorr with 36 points and 10 assists, and Haylee Freel with 22 rebounds. 

Prairie 

Prairie is currently sitting with a 5-2 record. They have victories over Peetz (61-17), Caliche (42-36), Denver Waldorf (67-2), Lone Star (62-34), and Haxtun (41-21). Their two losses come from Merino (60-14) and DCA (40-28). They will be back in action on 1/5 in a rematch against Haxtun at home. Leading the team so far this season are Hannah Kugler with 53 points and 15 rebounds, Emily Andrews with 38 points, Tanna Bailey with 28 points and 14 rebounds, Kendra Sutter with 3 assists, Kayla Kugler with 3 assists and 16 rebounds, and Macie Jaeger with 2 assists. 

Flagler

Flagler starts off their season with a 5-2 record. They started their season with a loss to Kiowa 48-38 and took their seconds loss later down the road to Fleming 51-22. Their wins are from Weldon Valley 46-26, Miami-Yoder 52-25, Genoa-Hugo/Karval 39-32, Gilpin County 45-32, and Deer Trail 53-23. They will kick of 2024 against Limon on 1/12 and Arickaree on 1/13. Top players for Flagler are Jaylie Stone with 98 points, 15 assists and 45 rebounds, KaCee Jo Saffer with 58 points and 57 rebounds, Sydnie Berry with 48 points and 14 assists, Belle Schier with 7 assists, and Jenna Schier with 38 rebounds. 

Hi-Plains

The Patriots start out their season with a 4-2 record so far. They started their season with a loss to Eads (57-41), but where able to bounce back and get wins against Wiley (46-21), and Kiowa (44-37). They then fell to Briggsdale (55-37) but have also won against Lone Star (41-32) and Genoa-Hugo/Karval (47-38). They will kick off the remainder of their season against Idalia on 1/6. Leading Hi-Plains so far on the stat board are Caelan Church with 48 points, 11 assists and 29 rebounds, Cloe Smith with 29 points and 20 rebounds, Brooklynn Henschel with 25 points, 10 assists, and 16 rebounds, and Addison Henschel with 8 assists.

Rocky Mountain Lutheran

The Eagles currently have a 4-2 record to wrap up 2023. They lost their first two games to Gilpin County 40-24 and LPRC 43-17 but have since won against ACA 59-51 (OT), Dawson School 47-14, KIPP Denver Collegiate 40-22, and Platte Canyon 35-13. They will come back in 2024 against Mile High Academy on the road on 1/4. Stat leaders for the team are Ginny Shade with 87 points, 15 assists and 46 rebounds, Sophia Thiel with 65 points, 3 assists, and 35 rebounds, and Eva Vogel with 41 points, 3 assists, and 35 rebounds.

Springfield

The Longhorns have a 4-2 record to wrap up 2023. Their wins are from their games against Sierra Grande (61-12), South Baca (48-34), Wiley (45-17), and Walsh (55-23). The Longhorns lost their previous two games to Kit Carson 57-24 and Eads 51-30. They will start 2024 on 1/6 with a game against Cheyenne Wells at home.