Who’s Back from the CHSAA 4A All-State Team? Part 1
The Colorado High School Activities Association releases an all-state team after every season and, as expected, it is loaded with talent. But many of the players who make such teams are seniors, and seniors graduate. Let’s take a look at…
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Continue ReadingThe Colorado High School Activities Association releases an all-state team after every season and, as expected, it is loaded with talent. But many of the players who make such teams are seniors, and seniors graduate. Let’s take a look at the Class 4A players in Colorado who were voted to the CHSAA all-state team last winter and are returning to their teams’ rosters in 2019-20.
FIRST TEAM
Kylee Blacksten, 2020, 6-3, G, Air Academy
A 6-foot-3 guard who can dribble and shoot, Blacksten is among the most hotly recruited 2020 players in Colorado right now. The Kadets went 16-1 and nearly won it all in 2018-19 with her leading the way. The dynamic guard’s number were eye-popping as a junior, averaging 14.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.5 steals and 1.8 blocks per game. It’s not hard to see why Blacksten – PGH Colorado’s No. 5 2020 – was an easy choice for the first team.
Megan Pohs, 2021, 5-3, G, Mullen
The Mullen Mustangs came even closer to winning the 4A state title than Air Academy did last winter, losing in the championship game after advancing through five rounds as a the No. 14 overall seed. Along with teammate Imani Perez, who will be a sophomore this winter, Pohs (No. 9 2021) was the spark. She led the team with 11.6 points per game and the big-game player scored double figures in each of the Mustangs’ last three playoff games.
Hannah Simental, 2020, 5-8, PG, Pueblo West
* Northern Colorado commit
Currently the No. 2-ranked player in the Prep Girls Hoops Colorado 2020 rankings, Simental is the top returning scorer in Class 4A after averaging 21.5 points a night her junior year. She has a silky smooth shooting stroke and exudes confidence every time she lets it fly from long range, and shot 45 percent on 3-pointers in 2018-19. Much more than a shooter who floats around the perimeter waiting to be set up, Simental can finish around the rim and is an active player. She also averaged 4.4 rebounds and 3.5 steals as a junior.
SECOND TEAM
Serin Dunne, 2020, 5-7, PG, Mesa Ridge
Dunne finished the 2018-19 campaign second in 4A behind only Simental with 20.6 points per game. Another of many returning first- and second-teamers in 4A, Dunne (No. 7 2020) shot 42 percent from long range and was fifth in 4A with 59 made 3-pointers. The hard-charging Mesa Ridge guard is fast and quick off the floor, and can finish in traffic with either hand which helps set up her crossover dribble and step-back jump shot. This kid is a scorer, plain and simple, but also averaged 4.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists as a junior.
Genevieve Gudino, 2021, 5-6, PG/SG, Erie
This talented guard transferring from Holy Family to Erie should be one of the bigger shakeups in Class 4A. For a Holy Family team that is a regular playoff factor in either the 4A or 3A, wherever the Tigers are classified that season, Gudino (No. 14 2021) averaged a team-high 14.9 points. Despite being 5-foot-6, she also averaged 3.0 rebounds, 3.8 steals and 2.7 assists per game, and will bring those numbers to what figures to be a much-improved Erie team this winter.
D’nae Wilson, 2020, 5-4, PG, Sierra
Wilson (No. 12 2020) had a monster junior season while leading Sierra to the Sweet 16. The Stallions’ all-around leader on the court, she averaged 16.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.5 steals a game while shooting 41 percent from the field. Her 28-point outburst against Sand Creek in the second round of the last year’s 4A state tournament was one of the 2018-20 postseason’s highlights.
HONORABLE MENTION
Nikki Derrell, 2021, 5-2, G, Sand Creek
Scoring 14.0 points per game as a sophomore is nothing to sneeze at. Like Wilson above, Derrell can fill it up and get the job done in a number of ways despite being undersized. While Wilson was scoring 28 points against Sand Creek in last year’s playoff game, Derrell put up 19 to keep her team in the game. Prep Hoops Colorado’s No. 16-ranked 2021 player, Derrell also averaged 3.4 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals in 2018-19.
Sydnee Durtsche, 2021, 5-10, F, Thompson Valley
The first player to appear on this list after averaging a double-double in ’18-19, Durtsche was good for 11.8 points and 11.1 rebounds a night last winter. It will be difficult to top those numbers, as will it be difficult to lead the Thompson Valley girls on another 19-win campaign. But Durtsche, who also averaged 3.2 assists and 3.0 steals, is certainly going to try.
The second part of our look at who returns from the ’18-19 CHSAA all-state team will post on Saturday, Sept. 28.