CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REPORT
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
Most teams will reach the midpoint of their schedules this week, signaling the rush to the finish line. Big match-ups abound this weekend, including one between the top two teams in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index.
Before reaching that huge showdown, McClave makes a trip to 2A Limon on Thursday, and while the Lady Badgers don’t have a traditional “Limon” record this season, they are tradition rich. It could be one of those classic trap games, with Stratton looming on the horizon. McClave takes a perfect 10-0 mark into that game at Limon. It’s been a week since the Lady Cardinals beat Springfield 57-28.
Stratton has what looks like a tougher tune-up, as the Lady Eagles visit Eads on Friday. Eads nearly sprung the upset of McClave two weeks ago. Stratton fell to a tough 2A Sedgwick County team by 15 last Friday, before having its Saturday night game with Merino postponed because of unsafe driving conditions.
Looking for an opportunity to move up into one of those top spots is Fleming, who has to bounce back from Tuesday night’s loss to Akron. Road games at Peetz on Friday and Genoa-Hugo/Karval next Tuesday give the Lady Wildcats a chance to do just that.
Eads sits right behind Fleming in fourth, making that Friday home game with Stratton even more interesting. A win has the potential to vault that army of Lady Eagles up to #2. Anna Wollert is averaging just over 12 points and shy of nine rebounds a game. Her match-up inside with Sophia Isenbart is worth the price of admission. Two young bigs who can impact the game on both ends of the floor, get your popcorn ready.
Eads turns right around and hosts #6 Idalia on Saturday, so there could be a lot of movement in the top five after this weekend. Idalia takes a four-game winning streak into a busy weekend that begins with a trip to Lone Star on Thursday. Sandwiched between those two games is a home clash with one of the top teams in 2A, Simla. This kind of stretch will show what the Lady Wolves are made of.
Fifth-ranked Briggsdale has won six straight heading into Friday’s trip to Otis. The Lady Bulldogs, coached by former Lady Falcon Hannah Fiscus, edged Caliche earlier this week. Briggsdale has been rolling teams during its winning streak, with only two coming by single digits. Both of those came in the Idalia tournament a month ago.
Springfield bounced back from last Thursday’s loss to McClave with lopsided wins over Primero and Holly to wrap up last weekend. The first of those wins snapped a three-game slide for the Lady Longhorns. They will take that modest two-game winning streak into their annual match-up with Kit Carson on Saturday.
Evangel Christian has tilts with a pair of top-20 opponents, hosting #17 Prairie on Friday and visiting #13 Hi-Plains. The Lady Eagles responded to a tough loss against Eads by hammering Hanover 61-6. They should get tougher challenges this weekend.
One of the surprising teams this season has been Flagler, who cracks the top-10 at number nine. The Lady Panthers ride a seven-game winning streak into a weekend that includes a trip to a top-20 2A Byers in Union Pacific play and a home game with Caliche. They got their first win over Limon last week in a decade, so spirits and confidence are very high around the program.
Cheyenne Wells is on the verge of celebrating the career milestone of one of its seniors. Following a 23-point outburst last week against Holyoke, and Saturday’s postponement of a contest at Otis, Paige Ryser goes into the Lady Tigers’ game at Cheraw on Friday needing six to reach 1000 for her career. Genoa-Hugo/Karval visits on Saturday and the Lady Tigers hit the road next Tuesday for a tough one with Greeley County (KS).
De Beque can become 10-win team on Thursday, but it won’t come easily, as the Lady Dragons visit #14 Nucla, who has already hit the 10-win mark. The two teams are a combined 19-5 entering the contest. The Lady Dragons have won four straight, while Nucla has won three in a row. Both teams are unbeaten in their respectively leagues.
MileHigh Prep Report 