Colorado Springs Christian is the new No. 1 team in this week’s girls basketball rankings in Class 3A.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Skyline 22, D’Evelyn 17, Ponderosa 15, Sierra 13, Pueblo East 9, Pueblo County 4, Eagle Valley 3, The Classical Academy 3, Thomas Jefferson 3, Denver West 2, Green Mountain 2, Discovery Canyon 1, Erie 1, Kennedy 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Colorado Springs Christian (2)
7-0
83
2
3-0
2
St. Mary’s (7)
7-0
79
1
2-0
3
Centauri
8-1
67
3
1-0
4
Pagosa Springs
6-2
57
5
2-1
5
Delta
6-1
50
7
2-0
6
Eaton
8-1
41
4
1-1
7
Grand Valley
6-1
32
6
0-0
8
Lutheran
4-3
27
8
0-0
9
The Academy
6-1
15
–
1-0
10
Platte Valley
6-1
14
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Cedaredge 10, University 9, Estes Park 6, Alamosa 3, SkyView Academy 2.
Dropped out
Cedaredge (9), University (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Wray (4)
6-1
71
1
1-1
2
Limon
7-1
67
3
3-0
3
Del Norte (1)
7-0
66
2
0-0
4
Yuma (4)
5-2
55
6
1-0
5
Swink
6-1
49
4
3-0
6
Holyoke
4-2
36
5
0-1
7
Meeker
6-1
26
–
2-0
8
Heritage Christian
8-0
24
8
1-0
9
Simla
5-1
22
9
0-0
10
Soroco
9-1
20
7
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Rye 12, Paonia 11, Highland 7, Clear Creek 5, Rocky Ford 5, Hotchkiss 4, Sanford 4, Holly 3, Denver Christian 2, Ignacio 2, Vail Christian 2.
Dropped out
Rye (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (13)
8-0
138
1
2-0
2
Briggsdale
9-0
116
2
2-0
3
South Baca
7-0
101
4
1-0
4
Sangre de Cristo
6-1
88
3
1-0
5
Haxtun
7-1
83
6
3-0
6
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
7-1
61
5
2-1
7
De Beque (1)
7-1
56
9
2-0
8
Fleming
6-2
33
–
3-0
9
Kim/Branson
6-2
20
7
2-1
10
Cotopaxi
7-1
16
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
North Park 15, Wiley 12, Longmont Christian 11, Belleview Christian 9, Cheraw 4, Lone Star 3, Elbert 2, La Veta 2.
Regis Jesuit (in 5A) and Air Academy (in 4A) are each now atop their respective polls in this week’s girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Greeley Central, Montrose, Grand Valley, Eaton, Alamosa, Sanford, Paonia, and North Park have all joined this week’s girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
D’Evelyn 30, Widefield 21, Golden 13, Berthoud 9, Wheat Ridge 8, Pueblo Central 6, Skyline 5, Mead 4, George Washington 3, Denver West 2, Thomas Jefferson 2, Weld Central 2, Canon City 1, Denver North 1, Discovery Canyon 1, Palmer Ridge 1.
Dropped out
D’Evelyn (9), Golden (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
St. Mary’s (10)
4-0
118
1
3-0
2
Colorado Springs Christian (2)
2-0
110
2
1-0
3
Lutheran
3-1
84
3
0-1
4
Centauri
5-1
67
6
2-1
5
Delta
3-0
56
8
1-0
6
University
4-1
50
5
1-1
7
Pagosa Springs
2-1
48
4
1-1
8
Grand Valley (1)
5-0
32
–
2-0
9
Eaton
5-0
27
–
2-0
10
Alamosa
4-2
22
–
3-1
Others receiving votes:
Cedaredge 20, Roaring Fork 17, Colorado Academy 13, Faith Christian 13, Resurrection Christian 13, Kent Denver 7, Machebeuf 5, Moffat County 5, Estes Park 2, Platte Valley 2, Coal Ridge 1, Lake County 1, Manitou Springs 1, Riverdale Ridge 1.
Dropped out
Moffat County (7), Kent Denver (9), Cedaredge (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Wray (7)
4-0
86
1
3-0
2
Del Norte (1)
5-0
75
4
3-0
3
Holyoke
3-0
50
5
1-0
4
Yuma
2-2
48
3
2-1
5
Simla
3-0
42
7
1-0
6
Limon
2-1
41
2
1-1
7
Swink (1)
2-1
39
6
2-1
8
Sanford
3-1
19
–
2-1
9
Soroco
5-1
18
9
3-1
10
Paonia
3-0
17
–
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Hotchkiss 14, Meeker 12, Heritage Christian 6, Holly 6, Ignacio 5, Rye 5, Crowley County 4, Highland 3, Rocky Ford 3, Fowler 1, Plateau Valley 1.
Dropped out
Meeker (8), Highland (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (13)
3-0
138
1
3-0
2
Sangre de Cristo (1)
4-0
114
2
1-0
3
Haxtun
3-0
101
3
1-0
4
Briggsdale
5-0
79
4
2-0
5
South Baca
4-0
67
5
2-0
6
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
4-0
64
6
2-0
7
Kim/Branson
4-0
43
8
1-0
8
Fleming
2-1
26
9
2-0
9
North Park
2-1
23
–
1-0
10
McClave
2-2
22
7
1-2
Others receiving votes:
Springfield 17, De Beque 16, Longmont Christian 14, Elbert 10, Shining Mountain Waldorf 8, Cheraw 6, La Veta 5, Cotopaxi 4, Eads 4, Lone Star 3, Pikes Peak Christian 2, Wiley 2, Dove Creek 1, Merino 1.
Wray has taken over the top spot in this week’s Class 2A girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Widefield 21, Greeley Central 18, Discovery Canyon 8, Thomas Jefferson 8, Centaurus 7, Littleton 5, Mead 4, Montrose 4, Pueblo Central 4, Rifle 4, George Washington 2, The Classical Academy 2, Berthoud 1, Pueblo County 1.
Dropped out
Thomas Jefferson (8).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
St. Mary’s (8)
1-0
107
1
1-0
2
Colorado Springs Christian (3)
1-0
102
2
1-0
3
Lutheran
3-0
67
6
3-0
4
Pagosa Springs
1-0
63
4
1-0
5
University
3-0
56
3
3-0
6
Centauri
3-0
44
7
3-0
7
Moffat County
2-1
33
5
2-1
8
Delta
2-0
26
–
2-0
9
Kent Denver
1-0
15
9
1-0
10
Cedaredge
2-0
11
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Lamar 10, Sterling 10, Machebeuf 9, Faith Christian 8, Manitou Springs 8, Alamosa 7, Eaton 7, Colorado Academy 6, Grand Valley 6, Resurrection Christian 6, Estes Park 2, Jefferson Academy 1, Salida 1.
Dropped out
Lamar (8), Resurrection Christian (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Wray (7)
1-0
87
3
1-0
2
Limon
1-0
69
2
1-0
3
Yuma (1)
0-1
62
1
0-1
4
Del Norte
2-0
58
4
2-0
5
Holyoke
2-0
53
6
2-0
6
Swink (1)
0-0
46
5
0-0
7
Simla
2-0
31
8
2-0
8
Meeker
1-1
18
7
1-1
9
Soroco
2-0
16
–
2-0
10
Highland
2-1
12
9
2-1
Others receiving votes:
Clear Creek 8, Rangely 8, Ignacio 7, Sanford 7, Paonia 4, Rocky Ford 4, Holly 2, Wiggins 2, Sargent 1.
Dropped out
Ignacio (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (10)
0-0
106
1
0-0
2
Sangre de Cristo (1)
3-0
85
3
3-0
3
Haxtun
2-0
63
5
2-0
4
Briggsdale
3-0
44
–
3-0
5
South Baca
2-0
40
8
2-0
6
Genoa-Hugo/Karval
2-0
39
–
2-0
7
McClave
1-0
35
6
1-0
8
Kim/Branson
3-0
32
7
3-0
9
Fleming
0-1
28
2
0-1
10
La Veta
0-0
27
9
0-0
Others receiving votes:
North Park 25, Springfield 16, Eads 15, De Beque 8, Longmont Christian 8, Aguilar 5, Cheraw 5, Cotopaxi 5, Caliche 4, Otis 4, Primero 3, Wiley 3, Elbert 2, Dove Creek 1, Merino 1, Shining Mountain Waldorf 1.
LOVELAND — That special championship feeling never loses its luster — just ask the Kit Carson girls basketball team.
The Wildcats celebrated on the floor of the Budweiser Events Center as if they had never been here before.
But they have. Just last year, when they won their first state title in program history. Then again on Saturday, when they repeated as Class 1A state champions following a 63-39 win over Kim/Branson, raising the trophy yet again.
And it was just as special as the first time around.
“This one feels even a little more sweet, if that’s at all possible,” coach Sara Crawford said. “Last year was amazing, too. But this year we always ran into those little challenges that we had to overcome. … It’s a lot of pressure (to repeat). But we tried not to worry about being perfect.”
Try or not, Kit Carson was indeed perfect — capping off an untouched season with a 25-0 record, just as it did in 2016-17. The second consecutive undefeated run now brings the program to an astonishing 98-2 mark over the past four years.
“It feels awesome. It all just keeps piling on and giving us more energy to go into another season,” junior Olivia Isenbart said. “We always keep working and improving, even when it seems like there’s no room to go.”
(Dustin Price/dustinpricephotography.com)
Though the final score suggests otherwise, top-seeded Kit Carson was tested early on by a No. 2 Kim/Branson team willing to take on the challenge. The Mustangs (21-4) held their own despite poor shooting that hindered them through the first two quarters, going into halftime trailing by just six points, 25-19.
But the Wildcats were quick to show why they’re the top 1A team for a reason. They returned from the break on an 8-0 run to open the second half and began to distance themselves from their opponent. As the game entered the final quarter, the writing on the wall started to show how it would end.
“We talked about playing with a little bit more emotion (at halftime) and loosening up a bit,” Crawford said. “They knew they had it, and needed to create it for themselves. That goes back to them being there for each other.”
Kit Carson was led by a scoring trio that accounted for all but 10 of its points. Olivia Isenbart set the tone by putting up a game-high 25 points. Fellow junior Tess Hornung scored 18 points of her own and senior Micayla Isenbart added 11.
Runner-up Kim/Branson had two players reach double-digit scoring figures as senior Joni Brown had a team-high 13 points while senior Ashley Yergert scored 10.
“We’ll carry this momentum over into the next season,” Isenbart said.
When asked about the possibility of a third straight perfect season, she responded with a smile and said:
GREELEY — The Kim/Branson girls knew they couldn’t get too comfortable.
Playing in the semifinals of the Class 1A basketball tournament on Friday, the No. 2-seeded Mustangs came out swinging against a No. 6 Briggsdale team with state tournament experience.
It’s ultimately what paved the way for their 50-46 victory.
Kim/Branson started to build its lead early as the Falcons continued to struggle with turnovers and missed shots — which left Briggsdale scoreless into the early part of the second quarter.
But those troubles wouldn’t last for long. Eventually, the momentum of the game would shift, and it would come down to whether the Mustangs had created enough of a cushion to remain safe.
“Our coach always encourages us to make sure we come out strong, with the right energy and enthusiasm,” freshman Talara Nittler said. “We wanted to do that for him and it really helped out in the end.”
Nittler was one of the key factors for Kim/Branson fending off Briggsdale’s late comeback bid. She finished the game with 11 points, the majority of which were scored when her team needed it most.
The Falcons were threatening by closing their deficit to as little as 3 and pressuring with a full-court press. Fortunately for the Mustangs, Nittler was able to drop eight points in the final quarter, including a 3-pointer to help remain in front coming down the stretch.
“It helps when you make some (shots). Then you get more comfortable and feel the momentum,” Nittler said. “It was about staying positive and knowing that we could keep it together as a team.”
After a scoreless first quarter, Briggsdale flipped the script to score 27 points in the final frame. Leading the way for the Falcons was senior Jodel Erickson, who put up a game-high 21 points. Her teammate Nikki Anderson also reached double-figures with 10.
Senior Ashley Yergert led Kim/Branson in scoring with 13 points, while senior Joni Brown added 12 and Nittler had 11.
[divider]
(1) Kit Carson 43, (4) Fleming 28
The Wildcats showed exactly why they were seeded as the top team in the state tournament with a convincing win over No. 4 Fleming in the second girls semifinal game Friday night.
Kit Carson shot out to an early lead, then continuously grew that advantage the longer the game wore on. By halftime, the Wildcats led 23-12 and went into cruise control.
Defensively, Kit Carson held Fleming to just three points in the second quarter and four in the third.
The Wildcats were led on the other end of the court by freshman Cally Booker-Rady, who topped all scorers with 11 points. Teammate junior Tess Hornung chipped in 10 points of her own, and junior Haley Johnson contributed nine.
Fleming’s top scorer was senior Allison Keisel, who finished the game with 10 points. Fleming will play Briggsdale in the third-place game at 1:30 p.m. Saturday back at Bank of Colorado Arena.
“We ended up losing in overtime and we didn’t want that to happen again,” senior Nikki Anderson said. “We were so determined to win this close game. We were so determined to go to the next round.”
To get it done, they knew they had to do it on the defensive side. The Falcons came out in a 2-2-1 press, falling back into a 2-3 zone.
The teams came out of the first quarter tied at 11, but the Wildcats didn’t look comfortable when having possession of the ball.
“Our zone is our best defense,” Anderson said. “We work really well in it and we’ve been playing together since before we could freaking walk. We work really well with it and we trust each other.”
Briggsdale grabbed some control in the second quarter, riding Skyla Miller’s six points to take a 26-22 lead at the half.
As Holly began its effort to battle back, Kallie Cathcard put the team on her shoulders. She hit several jumpers to try and claw away at the Falcons lead.
She scored 16 over her team-high 20 points in the second half. That included a 3-pointer to give the Wildcats a brief 54-52 lead.
“She’s an amazing player,” Anderson said.
It was Anderson who responded right away to tie the game for the Falcons and Alliana Suppes gave them the lead right back. Holly continued to battle and a Josie Cook 3-pointer once again cut the Briggsdale lead to one.
But that would be the final point for the Wildcats. The Falcons got themselves to the free throw line with Suppes and Anderson each hitting a couple and its the Falcons who will move on to the semifinals.
[divider]
(1) Kit Carson 73, (8) Bellview Christian 23
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Tess Hournung and Micayla Isenbart combined to score 16 points in the first and clamped down defensively to put the top-seeded Wildcats into the semifinals.
[divider]
(2) Kim/Branson 43, (7) Heritage Christian 31
Zariah Mason led all scorers with 10 points as Kim/Branson took care of business in its first-round game.
The Mustangs scored just three points in the first quarter but exploded for 21 in the second to take a 24-11 halftime lead over the Eagles.
Neither team was able to gain a clear advantage in the second half, but with a double-digit lead, the Mustangs were content sitting in cruise control.
Kennedy Hughes led the balanced Eagles scoring attack with seven points.
[divider]
(4) Fleming 61, (5) North Park 46
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Fleming stormed out to a 17-5 lead after the first quarter and appeared to have the game in hand, but North Park powered back and cut the lead to as few as four before halftime.
Alli Keisel scored eight of those 17 for Fleming, but only made one shot in the second quarter.
North Park got back into the game by connecting on long range shots. Kayla Jenkins, Darci Wintermote and Peyton Sanchez all connected on 3-pointers and and cut the Fleming lead to 27-23, forcing Fleming to take a timeout.
Fleming closed out the first half on a 4-0 run before starting the second on a 10-0 run to take a 18-point lead and cruise the rest of the way.
Lutheran (3A), Soroco (2A), Eads (1A) and Sierra Grande (1A) are each newcomers to this week’s girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
With the regular season set to end on Saturday, these will serve as the final rankings of the regular season.
