Who Returns the Most Scoring? 2A Graduation Adjusted Rankings
In this article:
* Karly Godsey – Wray (pictured above) When you think about a team’s potential for the coming year, you first glance at who’s graduated, right? Here’s a way to rank teams based on how much scoring production is graduating from…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue Reading* Karly Godsey – Wray (pictured above)
When you think about a team’s potential for the coming year, you first glance at who’s graduated, right? Here’s a way to rank teams based on how much scoring production is graduating from each team.
These Graduation-Adjusted Ranking (GAR) take the playoff seed from 2021 teams and factor in the percentage of scoring each team is losing to graduation to produce a ranking moving forward.
If you missed our other GAR articles, check them out for 3A, 4A, and 5A.
Let’s see how it works. Hotchkiss, Gilpin County, Rangely, and Monte Vista all graduate less than 12% of their 2021 scoring. You’d obviously expect them to rise and in this formula they rise from 18th, 24th, 26th, and 28th ranked up to 11th, 15th, 19th, and 22nd, respectively. Holyoke (1-seed in ’21) and Sanford (3-seed in ’21) don’t lose much scoring either but they don’t have much room to move up. Sanford does take over the 2nd spot.
Conversely, Rocky Ford, Ignacio, and Olathe graduate more than 75% of their scoring. They drop from 5th, 12th, and 14th ranked to 16th, 23rd, and 26th, respectively.
Hopefully these rankings generate some bulletin board material and motivation for teams to outwork their expectations!
Check it out below for the top teams in 3A:
Tournament Seed | School | Points Per Game | % Senior Scoring | Graduation-Adjusted Ranking |
1 | Holyoke | 53.5 | 1.1% | 1 |
2 | Cedaredge | 53.6 | 55.4% | 7 |
3 | Sanford | 56 | 4.6% | 2 |
4 | Rye | 61.9 | 38.5% | 4 |
5 | Rocky Ford | 48.3 | 83.6% | 16 |
6 | Paonia | 38.5 | 45.7% | 9 |
7 | Heritage Christian | 61.4 | 34.4% | 5 |
8 | Wray | 65.1 | 35.9% | 8 |
9 | Sedgwick County | 56.6 | 17.8% | 3 |
10 | Limon | 51.7 | 30.6% | 10 |
11 | Soroco | 49.6 | 18.8% | 6 |
12 | Ignacio | 48.5 | 75.7% | 23 |
13 | Burlington | 51.3 | 39.2% | 13 |
14 | Olathe | 41.2 | 78.2% | 26 |
15 | Del Norte | 41 | 48.5% | 18 |
16 | Lotus School for Excellence | 55.6 | 19.2% | 12 |
17 | Mancos | 38.3 | 47.5% | 20 |
18 | Hotchkiss | 39 | 4.4% | 11 |
19 | Sargent | 36.9 | 41.7% | 21 |
20 | Plateau Valley | 41.3 | 22.8% | 14 |
21 | Center | 40.9 | 47.2% | 25 |
22 | Hoehne | 41.6 | 18.3% | 17 |
23 | Yuma | 38.6 | 39.4% | 24 |
24 | Gilpin County | 40.9 | 0.00% | 15 |
25 | Fowler | 43.6 | 64.7% | 33 |
26 | Rangely | 40 | 11.5% | 19 |
27 | Akron | 39.9 | 37.8% | 28 |
28 | Monte Vista | 43.9 | 10.0% | 22 |
29 | Dawson School | 46.9 | 47.6% | 32 |
30 | Peyton | 44.6 | 66.1% | 37 |
31 | Denver Christian | 41.4 | 15.2% | 27 |
32 | Wiggins | 42.6 | 18.3% | 29 |
Limon won it all and had very close playoff battles with Heritage Christian, Cedaredge, and Sanford, before taking down Wray. Now Limon will have to replace their 2nd, 5th, and 7th leading scorers in Jaley Schubarth (5’8″, 5.6 PPG), Jordyn Tacha (5’10″, 4.9 PPG), and Bree Bandy (5’6″, 3.5 PPG). The Badgers return Trista Marx (5’11″, 17.8 PPG) for one more year, though. The 5’11″ senior featured recently here had a beast of a run through the playoffs. Her sister, Jentri Marx (2024, 6’0″, 4.9 PPG) will likely have a much bigger role next year.
Sanford has to feel great about its chance to match up with the top teams in 2A. They’ll take the court with an experienced crew led by Asia Caldon (2022, 5’4″, 12.3 PPG), Cheyenne Caldon (2022, 5’6″, 11.6 PPG), Makenzie Reynolds (2023, 5’3″, 6.9 PPG), and Riley Canty (2022, approx. 5’5″, 6.4 PPG).
Maybe the team most excited for the season and one last chance to make a deeper run is Holyoke. The Dragons torched every regular season opponent, assembling a 29 game win streak, until their Great 8 loss to Wray. I had to jump online and see how Wray got off to a 21-8 start in the first quarter and there were two big reasons: Wray’s outstanding pressure defense and Tabby Jones Tabby Jones 5'10" | SF Wray | 2021 State CO (2021, 6’0″, 14.9 PPG) choosing that day to drop her career high of 30 points. With a senior heavy team, Holyoke has to be hungry for another chance at a state title after its 2020 bid was cut short by the virus shutdown. Kristen Vieselmeyer (6’2″, 20.9 PPG), Lauren Herman (5’10″, 12.6 PPG), and Elyce Talavera (5’7″, 8.3 PPG) will all return for one last season.
Meanwhile, Wray loses Jones but returns the talented dynamic scorer Karly Godsey (2022, 5’8″, 15.4 PPG) plus Larissa Salmans (2023, 5’9″, 8.8 PPG), Kaycee McBridge (2022, 5’7″ 7.5 PPG), and Kylin Hillman (2022, 5’7″, 5.4 PPG).
The team that took the champs to overtime was Heritage Christian and their two incredibly efficient scorers in Kali Siemers Kali Siemers 5'6" | CG Heritage Christian | 2022 State CO (2022, 21.4 PPG) and Avery Hughes Avery Hughes 5'7" | PG Heritage Christian | 2023 State CO (2023, 19.3 PPG). The two combined for 426 points on just 319 shots, both right around 44% behind the arc. That’s a lot to handle!
Gilpin County shoots up nine spots on the GAR list. They could go two straight years without a senior night as every scorer on their 10-5 team was a freshman or a sophomore. Skyley Ramsey (2023, 12.9 PPG) and Abigail Smith (2023, 11.0 PPG) are two to watch for the Eagles.
Other leading returning scorers in 2A include Amana Malki Amana Malki 5'6" | CG Lotus School For Excellence | 2022 State CO (2022, 5’7″, 22.0 PPG) whose Lotus School for Excellence Meteors team was forced to forfeit during the 2A playoffs and Sarah Kracht Sarah Kracht 5'6" | CG Meeker | 2022 State CO (2022, 20.1 PPG) from Meeker. The coming season will be a competitive one in the 2A ranks!