CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REGIONAL DAILY DIGEST – MAR. 2ND
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
One of the eight state qualifiers got a jump on the rest, punching their ticket to Greeley on Friday. The remaining seven spots will be decided in a matter of hours today.
REGION ONE (HOSTED BY #1 MCCLAVE)
#1 McClave (21-1) vs #16 Hi-Plains (12-10) 1PM
McClave dominated #32 La Veta 83-21 in the semifinals on Friday, putting 50 first half points on the board. Abrielle Gomez was in control, posting a line of 31 points, eight rebounds, six assists, 10 steals, and three blocks. McKayla Kiniston added 11 points.
Despite having the higher seed, Hi-Plains was a bit of an underdog against #17 Sangre de Cristo, who won the District 6 title. The Lady Patriots turned a deaf ear to the noise and reached the regional final with a 36-26 victory.
Including games when Hi-Plains was in the co-op with Flagler, McClave has won nine of 10 in the series. The most recent was two years ago, late in the regular season.
REGION TWO (HOSTED BY #2 STRATTON)
#2 Stratton (20-3) vs #18 Otis (11-11) 1PM
Stratton had few troubles in dispatching #31 Front Range Baptist on Friday, with the Lady Eagles taking a 61-13 victory. They led 44-5 at the half. It was their seventh straight win.
Otis trailed #15 Springfield for a good portion of their semifinal, before the Lady Bulldogs pulled out a 39-34 win. It earned the Lady Bulldogs a fourth shot at Stratton this season.
Over the last two-plus seasons, Stratton has beaten Otis seven straight times. The Lady Eagles’ winning streak in the series is currently nine.
REGION THREE (HOSTED BY #3 FLATIRONS ACADEMY)
#3 Flatirons Academy (21-1) vs #19 De Beque (14-8) 1PM
Flatirons Academy pushed its winning streak to 18 with a 67-10 romp over #30 Sierra Grande on Friday. It was the fourth straight game with at least 60 points for the Lady Bison, who have topped that figure in six of their last seven games overall.
De Beque won for the fifth time in its last six games, upsetting #14 Rocky Mountain Lutheran 33-25. The Lady Dragons took control over the middle 16 minutes, outscoring the Lady Eagles 22-8.
REGION FOUR (HOSTED BY #4 BRIGGSDALE)
#4 Briggsdale (20-2) vs #13 Prairie (15-6) 2PM
Briggsdale ran out to a 37-0 halftime lead over #29 Hanover and cruised to a 68-17 victory on Friday. This is the eighth time in the last nine seasons that the Lady Falcons have won at least 20 games. The lone exception was the 2020 COVID season.
Prairie used a 15-7 fourth quarter to move past #20 Cheraw 33-25 on the night. The Lady Mustangs never trailed in the contest, but were tied several times, and had a large lead of 11 in the fourth quarter.
This will be the third meeting in just over two weeks between these North Central rivals. Briggsdale won 47-37 on Feb. 16th and 52-39 last Saturday.
REGION FIVE (HOSTED BY #5 IDALIA)
#5 Idalia (17-6) vs #13 Fleming (11-9) 1PM
Tied 22-all at the half, Idalia took charge in the third quarter against #28 Kim/Branson, outscoring the Lady Mustangs 18-3 in the frame. The Lady Wolves put things to bed with an 11-6 fourth, earning a spot in the regional final, 51-30. Jaylyn Kechter just missed a double-double, recording 21 points and nine rebounds. Brigette Kite added 12 points, and Krista Wieser, 10.
Fleming earned its way into the final by handling Granada 54-34 in the other semi. The Lady Wildcats will be looking to avenge a 44-34 loss to Idalia just over two weeks ago. Wieser had 16 points for the Lady Wolves and Kechter added 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Ciana Lousberg led Fleming with 10 points.
REGION SIX (HOSTED BY #6 DOVE CREEK)
#6 Dove Creek (19-2) vs #11 Cheyenne Wells (14-9) 10AM
Dove Creek got more of a test from #27 Lone Star than most expected, but the Lady Bulldogs pulled away for a 55-39 victory, putting them one step away from another state tournament appearance. They will need to get by Cheyenne Wells, who took care of #22 Arickaree 43-34.
The only meeting between the two on the MaxPreps records came two years ago in the state consolation semifinals. Cheyenne Wells got 11 points from Shaylee Scheler and nine steals from Paige Ryser, as the Lady Tigers eliminated Dove Creek from the tournament, 43-32. Kalie Gatlin led the Lady Bulldogs with eight points.
REGION SEVEN (HOSTED BY #7 SOUTH BACA)
Kit Carson punched its ticket to state by beating #26 Flagler 48-28 on Friday. The Lady Wildcats got off to a 16-2 start and never looked back, earning them their 15th win of the season. This is the 12th time in the last 13 years with at least 15 wins for the program.
REGION EIGHT (HOSTED BY #8 KIOWA)
#8 Kiowa (16-6) vs #9 Eads (16-7) 2PM
For the second straight game, Kiowa got pushed deep into the contest on Friday by #25 Nucla. But, the Lady Indians broke away from a 28-all tie at the start of the fourth quarter to down the Lady Mustangs 39-31.
Eads got 11 points and 17 rebounds from Anna Wollert, and 10 points with seven rebounds from Bailey Sierra in its 46-20 win over Genoa-Hugo/Karval on Friday. Tailee Weeks-Johnson added eight points and seven boards.
MileHigh Prep Report 