CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REGIONAL DAILY DIGEST – FEB. 29TH by Kerry Sherman

CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REGIONAL DAILY DIGEST – FEB. 29TH

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

In just a few days, the Great 8 for the Class 1A state tournament will be set. Regional play gets started in Campo today, as South Baca hosts the semifinals of Region 7. That regional will crown a champion on Friday, while the other seven play their semifinals.

REGION ONE (HOSTED BY #1 MCCLAVE)

McClave spent most of the season atop the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index and with a win in the District 2 title game, the Lady Cards are the top overall seed. They will face #32 La Veta at 11am on Friday. That game will be followed by #16 Hi-Plains and #17 Sangre de Cristo at 12:30pm. The regional final is set for 1pm on Saturday.

REGION TWO (HOSTED BY #2 STRATTON)

Stratton claimed the title in District 5 and vaulted to the #2 seed in the field of 32. The Lady Eagles journey begins with a semifinal against #31 Front Range Baptist at 4pm on Friday. The early semi has #15 Springfield and #18 Otis squaring off. The championship will be played at 1pm on Saturday.

REGION THREE (HOSTED BY #3 FLATIRONS ACADEMY)

Flatirons Academy cruised to the District 8 crown last weekend and earned the #3 seed. The Lady Bison open regional play at 5:30pm on Friday against #30 Sierra Grande. The team the Lady Bison beat for the district title, #14 Rocky Mountain Lutheran, takes on #19 De Beque at 7pm. Winners meet at 1pm on Saturday.

REGION FOUR (HOSTED BY #4 BRIGGSDALE)

The Lady Falcons earned their hosting spot by winning District 4, giving them a shot at #29 Hanover in the semifinals. That game is scheduled for 5:30pm tomorrow. It will be followed by #13 Prairie and #20 Cheraw at 7pm. The winners will play at 2pm on Saturday to punch a ticket to the state tournament.

REGION FIVE (HOSTED BY #5 IDALIA)

With one district champion not meeting the requirement to host a region by finishing outside of the top-16 of the Seeding Index, Idalia, runner-up in District 5, earned the spot. The Lady Wolves tangle with #28 Kim/Branson at 4pm on Friday. Fleming, the #12 seed, meets #21 Granada at 5:30pm. The winners will reconvene at 1pm on Saturday for the finals.

REGION SIX (HOSTED BY #6 DOVE CREEK)

As champions of District 1, the Lady Bulldogs will host a regional where all three opponents come from the Eastern Plains. Dove Creek meets #27 Lone Star at 4pm on Friday, while #11 Cheyenne Wells will tussle with #22 Arickaree at 5:30pm. The regional final at 10am on Saturday will award the second state qualifying spot.

REGION SEVEN (HOSTED BY #7 SOUTH BACA)

Getting the jump on everyone else, South Baca hosts its region later today. The Lady Patriots won the championship in District 3 and will open regional play against #26 Flagler at 5:30pm. That’s the late game, with #10 Kit Carson meeting #23 Mile High Academy at 4pm. They will award the first state qualifying berth at 4:30pm on Friday.

South Baca’s 36-35 win over Springfield in the district finals was the fifth straight for the Lady Patriots. Sarah Elmore and Kate Elmore combined for 25 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and six blocks in the victory. Flagler has been off since dropping its District 5 quarterfinal to Hi-Plains last Tuesday, 43-35. Belle Schier led the Lady Panthers with 12 points. The only previous meeting between South Baca and Flagler came just over two years ago, Feb. 5, 2020. South Baca pulled out a 29-21 win.

Kit Carson finished third in District 2, beating Eads 37-20 behind 21 combined points from Payge Booker-Rady (11) and Avery Johnson (10). Mile High Academy dropped a 33-28 decision to Front Range Baptist in the third place game for District 8. This will be the first meeting between the two programs in the MaxPreps era.

REGION EIGHT (HOSTED BY #8 KIOWA)

Last weekend was filled with drama for Kiowa, starting with the District 7 championship game with Genoa-Hugo/Karval going OT. The Lady Indians bounced back from seeing their large second half lead disappear to win 52-45 in the extra session. They then had to wait to see if their body of work was enough to finish inside the top-16 of the Seeding Index. It was, and they will host #25 at 5:30pm on Friday. The runner-up in that district clash, #24 Genoa-Hugo/Karval, meets #9 Eads at 7pm. The region champion will be crowned on Saturday, following the conclusion of the 2pm contest.