CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REPORT – WEEK TEN
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Just about 10 days remain in the regular season and most of the big games left on the calendar are non-league tilts. However, there are still some very important league contests scattered across the landscape. All rankings are from the Thursday morning release of the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.
5280
Flatirons Academy (#2) can wrap up an unbeaten run through the 5280 with a win at #44 Denver Waldorf on Thursday, but the two bigger games in the league involve #10 Rocky Mountain Lutheran, #16 Mile High Academy, and #36 Front Range Baptist. Rocky Mountain Lutheran locks up second place in the league and the #2 seed in the District 8 field with a win next Tuesday at Front Range Baptist. However, the Lady Falcons can grab a second place finish in the league by beating Mile High Academy next Monday and then winning against Rocky Mountain Lutheran.
Before they get to the game with Front Range Baptist, the Lady Eagles have two big non-league games against top-20 opponents that could help solidify that #2 district seed. They host 2A #13 Evangel Christian on Thursday and visit 1A #19 Hi-Plains on Saturday. A win in either of those should allow them to hold off Mile High Academy.
Flatirons Academy picked up a big 41-38 win over #4 Briggsdale last weekend and they will host #7 Fleming on Saturday. The Lady Bison wrap up their regular season next Tuesday at home against 2A #26 Loveland Classical.
ARKANSAS VALLEY
South Baca (#11) has won nine of its last 10 and sits alone atop the Ark Valley. The Lady Patriots are in line to take the top seed for District 3, but they still have a lot of work left, starting with a huge non-league game at #9 Eads on Thursday. They follow that with league contests Saturday at #26 Kim/Branson and at #37 Wiley on Tuesday. Wins in the last two give them the league title.
BLACK FOREST
Kiowa (#12) is the league champion, but the Lady Indians can still improve their ranking in the Seeding Index over the next 10 days. They travel to Briggsdale on Saturday and will host #15 Cheyenne Wells next Tuesday. Even their final opponent of the season, Arickaree, is inside the top20 at #17. Hanover (#29) could move up with a non-league win at Arickaree on Saturday, as the Lady Hornets try to catch #27 Genoa-Hugo/Karval for the second seed in the District 7 bracket.
FISHERS PEAK
There are only two schools with teams in the league this year, and #30 La Veta won the crown by beating #41 Primero last Tuesday. Those two will join most of the Ark Valley (minus Wiley) to form District 3. The Lady Redhawks aren’t very far behind Kim/Branson for the third seed in that bracket, but will probably have to beat South Baca next Friday to have a shot at moving up.
HIGH PLAINS
McClave (#1) needs to beat #8 Kit Carson on Thursday to win the league with an unbeaten run through the schedule. The Lady Cards won an earlier match-up between the two (45-22) in the finals of the Lamar Holiday Basketball Tournament, and have won seven straight in the series. Four of those were by single digits. McClave follows the league clash with a trip to Fleming on Friday. Kit Carson can make the final weekend of the regular season a lot of fun with an upset.
The Lady Wildcats still have Cheyenne Wells next weekend. Those Lady Tigers can stay in the mix with a win over Eads on Friday. The league can even end up in a three-way tie if Kit Carson wins its last two league contests and Eads beats Cheyenne Wells.
NORTH CENTRAL
Briggsdale wins the league title by beating #13 Prairie next Friday, which is something the Lady Falcons have done 19 straight times. Briggsdale has won 24 of the last 25 in the series and 39 of 46 in the MaxPreps era. But, if the Lady Mustangs can buck that trend and pull of the upset, a three-way tie between the two and Fleming comes into play. Either way, it looks like Briggsdale is set as the #1 seed for District 4, with Fleming as the #2 and Prairie at #3.
For the Lady Falcons, they will follow their non-league contest with Kiowa on Saturday with a home game against 2A #2 Sedgwick County on Tuesday. After hosting McClave on Friday, Fleming has its non-league contest at Flatirons Academy on Saturday. Prairie has non-league games against #22 Otis on Friday and at #28 Lone Star on Saturday.
SAN JUAN BASIN
Dove Creek (#6) rides into Saturday’s league at 2A Dolores on a ten-game winning streak. The Lady Bulldogs sit alone atop the San Juan Basin with three games remaining. They have a huge lead for the #1 seed in District 1, with the closest challenger coming from the Western Slope, #21 De Beque. De Beque handed Dove Creek its most recent loss, back on Dec. 8th. Nucla (#23) has a big non-league contest with 2A #22 Plateau Valley on Tuesday and a win could make the race for the second seed in districts interesting.
SOUTHERN PEAKS
Sangre de Cristo (#14) is the only team in the Southern Peaks without a league loss and takes a five-game winning streak into Friday’s game at #40 Sierra Grande. Counting that contest, none of the final four opponents for the Lady Thunderbirds are ranked better than 40th in the Seeding Index.
UNION PACIFIC
Stratton (#3) can move within one game of locking up the Union Pacific title on Thursday when the Lady Eagles visit 2A #10 Burlington. A win there leaves only 2A #11 Limon next Saturday between them and the crown. Between those two league clashes are a pair of huge non-league tilts, starting with 2A #8 Simla at home on Friday. Next Friday’s game against #5 Idalia could determine who takes the top seed for the District 5 tournament. Flagler (#26) is chasing #22 Otis for the fifth seed, but has lost ground with a three-game losing streak. They meet next Friday.
WESTERN SLOPE
De Beque is fourth in the Western Slope, with all three teams ahead of the Lady Dragons residing in 2A. A three-game slide has made the race for the #2 seed in District 1 with Nucla a lot closer than it was a couple weeks ago. The final three opponents for De Beque are in the bottom 16 of the 2A Seeding Index.
YWKC
Idalia completed an unbeaten run to the league title with a win over #38 Bethune last week, but the Lady Wolves are focused on catching Stratton for the top spot in District 5. They’ve won four straight and nine of the last 10 ahead of Friday’s game with 2A #21 Caliche. Idalia visits 2A #16 on Saturday. Games next weekend at Stratton and Fleming will go a long way to deciding who gets the top spot in the bracket. Otis has caught fire recently and sits second in the league, but fifth in the district. Games at Prairie on Saturday and at 2A #1 Merino on Tuesday could help the Lady Bulldogs in their pursuit of #19 Hi-Plains for the fourth seed. Arickaree in third is even in their sights.
MileHigh Prep Report 