5A First Round Preview: Bobbi Brown-Vandenberg Quadrant
With the announcement of the 5A and 4A state tournament brackets on Sunday morning, it officially became playoff time for Colorado’s two largest classifications. To begin our corner-to-corner tournament preview, here is a look at what to expect from each…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingWith the announcement of the 5A and 4A state tournament brackets on Sunday morning, it officially became playoff time for Colorado’s two largest classifications. To begin our corner-to-corner tournament preview, here is a look at what to expect from each game in the 5A Bobbi Brown-Vandenberg quadrant.
First-round byes: No. 2 Cherry Creek, No. 7 Ralston Valley, No. 15 Cherokee Trail, No. 10 Fountain-Fort Carson.
[player_tooltip player_id="115762" first="Olivia" last="Waufle"]
No. 31 Horizon (11-12, 8-4 Front Range) vs. No. 34 Eaglecrest (11-12, 4-10 Centennial)
This matchup between teams from the Centennial League and the Front Range League that finished just below the .500 mark should be a good one. On the one hand, you have a Horizon ball club that’s led by tough-nosed senior guard Olivia Waufle Olivia Waufle 5'8" | PG Horizon | 2020 State CO , who paced her team in nearly every category during the regular season and averaging 12.8 point, 6.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.4 steals a night. The Hawks also have an up-and-comer to keep tabs on in double-digit scoring sophomore Audra Vine Audra Vine 5'4" | PG Horizon | 2022 State CO , who is one of several Horizon players who can really shoot the ball when they’re on. Eaglecrest leans pretty heavily on CSU-Pueblo signee Jadyn Ross Jadyn Ross 5'10" | CG Eaglecrest | 2020 State CO (13.7 ppg) and could have a special young player on its hands in 5-foot-8 freshman Laci Roffle Laci Roffle 6'0" | SF Eaglecrest | 2023 State CO , who has averaged 10 points, 4.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals over her first 20 high school games. These teams are pretty evenly-matched on paper and this one could be decided by whichever squad’s leaders have big nights.
Other Horizon players to watch: Britta Cardenas, CC Denava, Alyssa Temple.
Other Eaglecrest players to watch: Dalys McGuinnis, Tatiana Coleman, Jaedyn Martin.
Lauren Mccollam
No. 18 Lakewood (12-11, 6-2 Jeffco) vs. No. 47 Rock Canyon (9-14, 3-7 Continental)
Lakewood attacks teams with an exciting combination of veteran guards and talented young post players, and it will fun to see how far Rock Canyon can push the Tigers in Tuesday’s first-round matchup. In Lakewood’s backcourt, seniors Nadia Trevizo-Medina Nadia Trevizo-Medina 5'5" | PG Lakewood | 2020 State CO (15.3 ppg) and Aaliyah Sabala Aaliyah Sabala 5'5" | SG Lakewood | 2020 State CO (10.3 ppg) are a handful for other teams, and do a great job of keeping the ball hopping around to Lakewood’s many weapons like sophomore forward Juliette Fillion Juliette Fillion 6'1" | PF Lakewood | 2022 State CO and junior forward Mariah Ramos Mariah Ramos 5'11" | PF Lakewood | 2021 State CO . Rock Canyon will counter with senior shooting guard Halle Hamilton Halle Hamilton 5'9" | SG Rock Canyon | 2020 State CO , who will let it fly from anywhere, and junior Makena Vetter, who averages a double-double with 10.3 points and 11.2 rebounds. Lakewood probably has the edge in terms of depth here, but Rock Canyon has a solid freshman group that could have a postseason coming-out party if not held in check defensively.
Other Lakewood players to watch: Mariah Ramos Mariah Ramos 5'11" | PF Lakewood | 2021 State CO , Logan Watson Logan Watson 5'8" | CG Lakewood | 2022 State CO , Briana Robles Briana Robles 5'5" | CG Prairie View | 2022 State CO .
Other Rock Canyon players to watch: Nella Castaneda, Emma Pillsbury, Libby Ogden.
Mya Murdock
No. 26 Grand Junction Central (12-11, 2-6 Southwestern) vs. No. 39 Pine Creek (9-14, 6-6 Colorado Springs Metro)
This matchup features a pair of teams that score, on average, fewer than 40 points a game, so defense and timely scoring runs could play key roles in its outcome. It’s also a long drive from Pine Creek to Grand Junction. When the Pine Creek girls finally arrive, they’ll face a trio of tough, athletic guards in Leah Redding Leah Redding 5'5" | SG Grand Junction Central | 2021 State CO (13.6) ppg), Mya Murdock and Nikki Madaris. Rock Canyon has a trio of its own in Jordyn Gutierrez Jordyn Gutierrez 5'11" | SF Pine Creek | 2021 State CO (9.3 ppg), freshman Brynae Stewart and Haley Murdock. With both teams expected to play good defense and second-chance points potentially coming at a premium, it should be fun to watch Central’s 5-foot-10 sophomore Sasha Rascon Sasha Rascon 5'10" | C Grand Junction Central | 2022 State CO and Rock Canyon’s 5-foot-9 junior Lola Keuhn battle for rebounds in the paint.
Other GJ Central players to watch: Roni Brown, Autumn Spencer, Alex Wagner.
Other Pine Creek players to watch: Orianna Martin, Madelyn Blazo, Amelia Carlile.
[player_tooltip player_id="95078" first="Quincy" last="Baum"]
No. 23 Columbine (13-10, 5-3 Jeffco) vs. No. 42 Rocky Mountain (10-13, 5-7 Front Range)
Columbine enters Tuesday’s game riding a five-game win streak while Rocky Mountain has lost its last three. Columbine’s leading scorers – sophomore Jessica Bollwahn Jessica Bollwahn 5'11" | SF Columbine | 2022 State CO (14.6 ppg) and Colorado Mines-bound senior Quincey Baum Quincey Baum 5'11" | PF Columbine | 2020 State CO (9.4 ppg) – have played well down the stretch, and junior point guard Adrienne Harnum Adrienne Harnum 5'7" | PG Columbine | 2021 State CO has come on strong in the second half. So, the Rebels look like they’re ready to roll. Rocky Mountain is led by senior Ashley Gilbertson, who averages 9.7 points per game, and junior Laisha Armendariz-Lopez. The Lobos also have a pair of freshmen in Delaney Matkin Delaney Matkin 5'6" | PG Rocky Mountain | 2023 State CO and Abby Saville Abby Saville 5'9" | PF Rocky Mountain | 2023 State CO , who will most certainly play a big roles in this game’s outcome.
Other Columbine players to watch: Ally Distler, Alexei Trujillo Alexei Trujillo 5'3" | CG Westminster | 2023 State CO , Araya Ogden.
Other Rocky Mountain players to watch: Izzy Rodriguez, Lily Smith, Macy Norby.