CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REPORT – WEEK NINE by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REPORT – WEEK NINE

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

The calendar has flipped to February, meaning the postseason is just a few weeks away. These final few weeks of the regular season will be packed with contests that will determine how district tournaments are seeded. All rankings come from the Thursday release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.

In District 1, Dove Creek (#8) holds a sizable lead over anyone else in the bracket, with only De Beque (20^th) joining the Lady Bulldogs in the top-20 of the Seeding Index. Dove Creek leads the San Juan Basin thanks to its 43-33 win over 2A Mancos last Friday Nucla (23^rd) has two chances this weekend to make a move up the metric, with the Lady Mustangs visiting Mancos on Thursday an #18 Sangre de Cristo on Saturday. De Beque is part of a three-way tie for second in the Western Slope behind 2A Rangely. The Lady Dragons host one of the other members of the tie, 2A Plateau Valley, on Friday, before getting the league leaders on Saturday.

District 2 is shaping up to be a street fight. That tournament has six teams in the current Seeding Index. McClave (2^nd), Kit Carson (5^th), Eads (9^th), Cheyenne Wells (16^th), Cheraw (21^st), and Granada (22^nd) are are all in position to advance beyond districts. McClave visits Eads on Friday with the High Plains lead up for grabs. Both are unbeaten in league play, while Kit Carson and Cheyenne Wells each have one loss.

South Baca (12^th) took a huge step towards an Arkansas Valley crown and the top seed in District 3 when the Lady Patriots knocked out #19 Springfield on Tuesday. After having their string of eight straight double-digit win seasons snapped last year, the Lady Patriots collected their 10^th win of this season.

Briggsdale (4^th) is on the verge of claiming the North Central title after last Saturday’s 50-40 win over Fleming (7^th), and will likely be the top seed in District 4. However, the closing stretch is anything but a cakewalk for the Lady Falcons. Among the heavyweight tilts still on the calendar is a trip to #1 Flatirons Academy on Saturday. Fleming doesn’t get into its RPI boosting run until next weekend. Prairie (13^th) can still have a big say, as the young Lady Mustangs still have their shot at Briggsdale on the calendar.

Idalia locked up the YWKC title with last week’s 27-18 win at Arickaree, but the Lady Wolves are still eyeing the top seed in the District 5 bracket. They were sixth in the Seeding Index on Thursday, trailing #3 Stratton for that top spot in the tournament. Idalia hosts #38 Bethune to finish its league schedule on Thursday, before heading to Kit Carson on Saturday. Stratton hosts #25 Genoa-Hugo/Karval, also on Thursday, as the Lady Eagles continue to work they way through the Union Pacific. They’ve got a tough one on Friday at 2A Byers, and will host #24 Flagler next Tuesday. Arickaree (15^th), Hi-Plains (17^th), Flagler (24^th), and Lone Star (27^th) will help make the district tournament a tough one.

While Sangre de Cristo is the highest Southern Peaks squad in the Seeding Index, the Lady Thunderbirds have only played one league game. Creede (33^rd) is the next highest rated team in the league, and the Lady Miners are unbeaten in the division. The leaders meet on Friday. Everyone else in the league, that will make up the District 6 field, is in the 40s or worse, making the only path beyond require a district title.

With three leagues coming together to create District 7. The Black Forest and Union Pacific make up the bulk of the field, but Cripple Creek/Victor also joins out of the West Central. Kiowa (11^th) is the leader in the Black Forest and has the inside track for the #1 seed in the tournament. The most likely challengers for the Lady Indians are Genoa-Hugo/Karval, #26 Hanover, #31 Pikes Peak Christian, and #32 Deer Trail. Kiowa’s final three opponents are all currently in the top-16.

Flatirons Academy is a heavy favorite in District 8, despite the 5280 having two other teams in the top-15 of the Seeding Index. The Lady Bison already own a 62-21 win over #10 Rocky Mountain Lutheran, and they will visit #14 Mile High Academy next Wednesday. They can’t get caught looking ahead to the big match-up with Briggsdale, as the calendar has a date with Belleview Christian (49^th) on Thursday.