Season Preview: Jeffco League (4A)

With the 2019-20 girls basketball season closer than you might think, 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 ­­­­4A Jeffco League. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff;font-size: 14pt"><strong>How it all shook out in ’18-19</strong></span> Evergreen took home the league title last season but just narrowly ahead of Green Mountain. The Evergreen girls finished at 20-6 overall and their 11-1 league record was a game ahead of Green Mountain. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff;font-size: 14pt"><strong>Which playoff team advanced the farthest?</strong></span> Similarly to how the league standings shook out, the Evergreen girls advanced just a big further than their league rivals over at Green Mountain. Evergreen made it all the way to the Great 8 before losing to eventual runner-up Pueblo South by six points. Green Mountain fell to Greeley Central in the Sweet 16. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff;font-size: 14pt"><strong>A few returning players to watch</strong></span> <strong>Elli Garnett, 2020, 5-11, G/F, Golden</strong> Garnett had an excellent season and some truly explosive games in ’18-19. She scored over 20 points four times, including the Demons’ first-round playoff loss to George Washington in which she scored 29 points. The final score was 55-52. A solid 3-point shooter, Garnett finds different ways to impact the game. She averaged a double-double with 16.9 points and 10.3 rebounds, as well as 3.3 assists, 2.8 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. She enters the ’19-20 season as the top returning scorer. &nbsp; <strong>Courtney Hank, 2021, 5-10, G/F, Green Mountain</strong> Last winter proved to be a strong sophomore campaign for Hank, who was third in the Jeffco with 12.4 points a night. She also accounted for 6.2 rebounds a night and figures to be among the top players in the league once again as a junior. &nbsp; <strong>Delaney Huetson, 2020, 5-8, W, Standley Lake</strong> A tough guard out on the wing, Huetson is a handful when her 3-point shot is dropping. Both lanky and quick for a perimeter player, Huetson can drive the ball and rebounds well. She averaged 11.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 3.0 steals per game. She’ll form an exciting one-two punch with 2020 teammate Lexi Stout, who averaged 9.1 points and shot 25 percent from 3-point range. &nbsp; <strong>Lexi Szathmary, 2021, 5-6, G, D’Evelyn</strong> Victoria Szathmary has graduated and Lexi Szathmary will be a junior, so expect her to factor even more heavily into the D’Evelyn game plan this winter. Last season, Lexi Szathmary scored 9.7 points, was among the team’s leaders with 2.2 assists and shot 23 percent from 3-point range on 70 attempts, which was third on the team. &nbsp; <strong>Nicole Levine, 2021, 5-6, G, Evergreen</strong> Pairing with teammate Hayley Dillon (2020, 8.5 ppg), Levine appears poised for a big season with the Cougars. Levine, a versatile player, averaged 8.9 points, 2.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.4 steals. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff;font-size: 14pt"><strong>A quick, early look to ’19-20</strong></span> We’ve highlighted plenty of talented returning players already, and they’re spread out interestingly evenly across the league’s four or five teams. When it comes to the defending Jeffco champs’ roster, however, it just looks a little deeper. With what seems like a senior-laden roster, the Evergreen Cougars appear to be the early favorites.