CLASS 1A GIRLS BASKETBALL REPORT
BY: KERRY SHERMAN
The penultimate weekend of the regular season will have several of the top teams in the CHSAA Selection and Seeding Index taking on tough challenges. There is room for movement in the Index because of those match-ups. The rankings come from Friday morning’s release of the SSI.
#1 MCCLAVE (17-2)
Barring a late-season collapse, McClave will be the top seed for regionals. The Lady Cardinals beat 2A #20 Las Animas 64-15 on Thursday, getting 20 points and six steals from Abrielle Gomez. They look for an unbeaten run in the High Plains on Friday when they travel to #27 Cheyenne Wells. That’s followed by a trip to 2A #15 Burlington on Saturday.
#2 EADS (17-2)
With its current nine-game winning streak, Eads has all but locked up the two-seed for regionals. The latest victory in that run came on Thursday, 50-18 over #19 Genoa-Hugo/Karval. Anna Wollert led the way with 13 points and six rebounds. The Lady Eagles wrap up High Plains play on Friday at #18 Kit Carson.
#3 EVANGEL CHRISTIAN ACADEMY (17-2)
Just as the top two spots are seemingly locked up, the third seed likely belongs to Evangel Christian Academy, who holds a sizable lead for the position. The Lady Eagles got their third straight win on Thursday, as they beat Peyton 57-27. Mia Castro posted a double-double of 17 points and 16 steals. ECA goes to Limon on Saturday.
#4 STRATTON (14-6)
The first spot where we could see some movement is at the #4 seed, currently occupied by Stratton, who won its seventh straight game on Thursday. The Lady Eagles beat #11 Idalia 53-43 behind 24 points from Sophia Isenbart. They hold a small lead over #5 Nucla. Stratton goes to Limon on Friday, looking to complete an undefeated season in the Union Pacific.
#5 NUCLA (20-1)
The Lady Mustangs only trail Stratton by less than 0.0001 in the Seeding Index, but their lead over #6 Fleming is 0.006 of a point. They look to be in solid position to host a regional. Their winning streak reached nine with a 62-13 victory over Ouray on Thursday. Kaydance Larsen had 19 points and five steals in the win. Nucla hosts 2A #6 Plateau Valley on Saturday.
#6 FLEMING (13-5)
Fleming holds a very small lead over #7 Prairie entering the weekend, and the Lady Wildcats lost their match-up against Prairie last Thursday. They’ve won their last two, including a 61-27 decision over #26 Lone Star on Tuesday. Fleming hosts #11 Idalia on Friday, and will open the North Central/YWKC crossover tournament on Tuesday against #30 Otis at NJC.
#7 PRAIRIE (16-4)
While the Lady Mustangs trail Fleming by a small margin, their lead over #8 Caliche looks to be enough to keep them ahead of the Lady Buffs. Prairie won that head-to-head match-up just short of two weeks ago. That started their current four-game winning streak. The Lady Mustangs kept the streak alive with a 52-29 victory at #17 Denver Jewish Day on Thursday. They are scheduled to be the top seed in the NCL/YWKC crossover, with a quarterfinal against Lone Star on Tuesday at NJC.
#8 CALICHE (14-6)
Things start to get really interesting when it comes to the final regional hosting spot. Caliche holds it entering the weekend, but as many as three other teams are in the mix for it. Cheraw is less than 0.02 back, and Briggsdale is another 0.015 back. Even Idalia has a path to the position, as the Lady Wolves are 0.009 behind Briggsdale. Caliche has made things more difficult for itself with losses to 2A #2 Simla and 2A #7 Akron this week. The latter of those came on Thursday, 50-47. The Lady Buffs are seeded fifth for the NCL/YWKC crossover, and will square off against #22 Hi-Plains in the quarterfinals on Tuesday.
#9 CHERAW (16-3)
The Lady Wolverines helped their cause by winning the last four games, including a 43-38 victory over #12 Springfield on Wednesday. They also collected a 45-5 win over Holly on Thursday. Bristyl Barratt posted a double-double of 21 points and 12 boards in the win over Springfield. Cheraw wraps up High Plains play on Friday against #14 Granada.
#10 BRIGGSDALE (14-5)
Briggsdale had its hands full with Lone Star on Thursday, but the Lady Falcons prevailed 46-38, giving them back-to-back wins ahead of the NCL/YWKC crossover next week. They are the #7 seed in that tournament, and will open with a quarterfinal contest against Idalia, who owns a 54-41 win over the Lady Falcons from back in December.
#11 IDALIA (12-6)
The Lady Wolves locked up the YWKC crown on Tuesday with a 61-41 victory at Otis. Ailyn Monarrez-Estrada and Brigette Kite scored 13 points apiece in the win. Idalia could not make it consecutive wins, as they were handed the 53-43 defeat by Stratton on Thursday. Kite again turned in a 13-point performance. Before next Tuesday’s showdown with Briggsdale in the NCL/YWKC crossover, the Lady Wolves travel to Fleming on Friday.
#12 SPRINGFIELD (14-4)
Springfield leads the Arkansas Valley race, and won’t close out that schedule until next week. The Lady Longhorns had their six-game winning streak snapped with the 43-38 loss to Cheraw on Wednesday. They’ll look to get back into the win column at the Cotopaxi tournament this weekend. Springfield meets up with Lake County on Friday.
#13 FLATIRONS ACADEMY (15-4)
The Lady Bison ran their winning streak to three with a 46-13 victory against Front Range Christian on Thursday. Earlier in the week, they took down Dawson School by a 38-10 count. Emery Friedman had 11 points in that contest. Flatirons Academy will head to Kiowa on Saturday. Next week’s slate has the Lady Bison playing in the Mile High league tourney.
#14 GRANADA (13-5)
Granada dominated Bethune in a clash of Lady Bobcats on Thursday, earning a 48-5 victory. It was the second straight for the team, who pitched shutouts in the first and third quarters. They have a rough closing stretch, beginning with the trip to Cheraw on Friday. Next week includes games against Springfield and Stratton.
#15 FLAGLER (13-5)
The Lady Panthers had their game on Tuesday against Cheylin (KS) called off because high winds made travel conditions unsafe. They picked up a 68-14 win over Bethune last Friday, with Belle Schier scoring 13 points, and Mia Witt and Rylie Berry adding 11 apiece. Flagler travels to Otis on Friday, and Lone Star on Saturday.
#16 KIM/BRANSON (12-7)
Kim/Branson is half a game behind Springfield for the lead in the Ark Valley, as the Lady Mustangs have played one less game in league play. They’ll take a two-game winning streak into Saturday’s league contest at Walsh, after beating Holly 43-9 on Tuesday. With a win, the Lady Mustangs make next week’s showdown with Springfield the league championship game.
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