Season Preview: Western Slope League (4A)
With the 2019-20 girls basketball season right around the corner, let’s take a look back/forward at how things shook out and what to look forward to in each of Colorado’s conferences. Here’s a snapshot of the Western Slope League. …
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Continue ReadingWith the 2019-20 girls basketball season right around the corner, let’s take a look back/forward at how things shook out and what to look forward to in each of Colorado’s conferences. Here’s a snapshot of the Western Slope League.
How it all shook out in ’18-19
The Western Slope title race was pretty tight for a while but Battle Mountain eventually pulled ahead by winning six of its final seven regular season games. The Huskies, led by then-sophomore Gabriela Caballero, finished the season with a 15-9 over record and a 10-2 mark in league play. Palisade, which won one of two head-to-head league matchups with Battle Mountain, and Glenwood Springs were runner-up with matching 9-3 league records
Which playoff team advanced the farthest?
Both Battle Mountain and Glenwood Springs reached the second round of the 4A state tournament. Glenwood Springs won 40-26 over Littleton in last year’s first round before losing to a Final Four team in Holy Family. Battle Mountain won 51-49 against Harrison in the first round and lost to Montrose, which went on to reach the Great 8.
A few returning players to watch
Gabriela Caballero, 2021, 5-6, G, Battle Mountain
The highest-scoring returning player in the league, Caballero led Battle Mountain in scoring last season with an even 12 points a night. She also led her team with 2.5 steals, 2.0 assists and 1.6 blocked shot per game, and was third on the team with 5.8 rebounds. Caballero is an improving 3-points shooter (28 percent) and that was on display when she was 7 for 14 on 3-point attempts and scored 30 points in a win over Eagle Valley on Jan. 29 last season.
Alexis Marushack, 2021, 5-10, F, Palisade
The league’s fourth leading scorer as a sophomore last season, Marushack averaged 10.9 points per game. She also grabbed 5.3 boards and night for the Bulldogs, who struggled during their nonleague schedule and finished 10-13. Her season high last season was 23 points against Grand Junction Central on Dec. 21.
Nicole Kimball, 2020, 5-4, PG/SG, Summit
Kimball was Summit’s do-it-all guard last winter. The senior averaged 9.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 2.6 assists while shooting 28 percent from the field. In a 50-24 win over West Grand on Dec. 12, she scored a season-high 20 points, going 7 for 11 from the field and 3 for 4 from behind the 3-point arc.
Anna Tomlinson, 2020, 5-8, P, Summit
Kimball’s teammate and counterpart in the post, Tomlinson is one of several returning starters for the Tigers who give them a solid and experienced rotation. She averaged 9.0 points and 5.8 rebounds her junior year, and will be looking for more as a senior.
Jamie Caron, 2022, SG, Rifle
The Rifle girls basketball program was hit hard by graduation after the 17-18 season but Caron was one of several young players who stepped up to fill the void. As a freshman last winter, she averaged 8.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.3 assists.
A quick, early look to ’19-20
Defending league champion Battle Mountain brings back the early favorite for league MVP in Caballero but lost a lot of its top players to graduation. Glenwood Springs lost even more. It’s early but this season it looks like the race for the conference championship could be between Battle Mountain and Palisade. But there’s also a good chance Summit takes a big step forward after finishing 8-15 last season and enters the conversation.