CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REPORT by Kerry Sherman

Picture by Braylynn Eder (Eads vs Kit Carson)

CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REPORT

BY: KERRY SHERMAN

The month of December saw some of the top teams in the classification begin to separate themselves from the field. This includes the three programs that have appeared in the last two state title games. Briggsdale, the two-time champ, had one blemish on its record, dropping an overtime decision to Hi-Plains. Stratton went unbeaten in the month, but only one of its four games came against an in-state foe, Hi-Plains. But the most impressive of the three has been McClave. The 1A volleyball state champion has outscored its first six opponents by 175 points, 12 more than the Lady Cards have allowed.

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McClave has one of the toughest first weekends of any team in the classification, starting with a rematch of the Lamar Holiday Basketball Tournament semifinal against Eads (5-2). The Lady Cardinals won that match-up 63-34 behind a career-high 24 points from sophomore Addison Vallejos and 19 points from Zoe Martinez. Vallejos has scored double figures in her last five outings after only doing so twice as a freshman.

That’s just the beginning of things for McClave, who also faces a 2A top-ten squad in Hoehne on Saturday. The Lady Farmers got through the first month of the season with just one loss, coming at the hands of anther highly-ranked 2A foe, Sanford.

Stratton, last year’s runner-up, made it through the Border Wars with a 3-0 mark against Kansas opponents. Only one of those games was decided by single digits. Prior to the break, the Lady Eagles earned a hard-fought win over Hi-Plains.

The Lady Eagles take the court on Friday against a 2A squad, Holyoke. It’s one of two contests on the weekend against 2A LPAA teams, as Stratton welcomes a top-10 Akron to town on Saturday. Looking ahead to Tuesday, Stratton hits the road for a showdown at Cheyenne Wells.

The team that meets Cheyenne Wells on Saturday, Springfield, only had one loss in December. That was a 58-13 defeat by McClave in the championship game of the LHBT. A pair of freshman, Cobi Mackey and Jersey Speck, are averaging 17 and 12 points, respectively. The Lady Longhorns have to remain focused on that match-up with Cheyenne Wells, as a rematch with McClave looms next week.

Fleming has almost flown under the radar, building a 5-1 record with little fanfare. The Lady Wildcats have three wins over 2A LPAA teams, and their lone loss was to, you guessed it, McClave. Brooke Schaefer and Ciana Lousberg lead the way with a combined 22 points a night. The Lady Wildcats host a tough South Platte squad out of Nebraska on Friday and will play host to Otis on Saturday.

Following its rematch against McClave, Eads hosts Evangel Christian Academy on Saturday. Anna Wollert is the lone Lady Eagle to average double digits in the scorebook, putting up just shy of 12 points a night. She’s also pulling down more than seven boards per contest.

ECA will host Custer County on Friday before being able to fully shift focus to the contest with Eads. The lone loss on the ledger for the Lady Eagles was a 45-34 decision to Flatirons Academy. Reagan Schultz (13.7) and Anna Stonestreet (11.7) are combining for more than 25 points a game for ECA.

Despite winning the title at the Idalia with wins over the hosts and Cheyenne Wells, Briggsdale is lacking a signature win so far. With a one-win Rocky Mountain Lutheran on Friday, it’s unlikely that will change. At least until Saturday. The Lady Falcons, led by Kayl Klem (15 ppg) and Claire Brown (11.8 ppg) will host Caliche, who had been scheduled for a game against an unbeaten Deer Trail on Thursday but the weather had other plans. The Lady Buffs have been resurgent this season, their first under coach Dalton Schuppe, who had a run coaching the boys program at Caliche. Their unbeaten start to the season was snapped in their final game of 2024 to Fleming.

Friday’s other big clashes include Kim/Branson traveling to Primero for a tilt between 4-2 teams. Cheyenne Wells visits Granada in a big High Plains opener for the two, while Kit Carson hosts Cheraw in that league. De Beque meets up with Plateau Valley, with each team taking six wins into the contest.

Saturday sees Nucla visiting Mancos, with the Lady Mustangs looking for a classification leading ninth win. Granada goes to La Veta, who raced to an 84-5 win over Manzanola on Thursday. Aspen Autry recorded 26 points and 18 steals for the Lady Redhawks in that victory. Prairie hits the road to challenge 2A Haxtun.