Season Preview: Tri-Valley League

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 ­­­­Tri-Valley League. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>How it all shook out in ’18-19</strong></span> With matching 15-1 league records, both Holy Family and Windsor finished atop the Tri-Valley League last season. The Holy Family girls have won at least a share of the league title for five years running and kept that streak alive in ’18-19 and but Windsor, which went on to play in the 5A playoffs coming out of a 4A league, made sure the Tigers wouldn’t win the league outright. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>Which playoff team advanced the farthest?</strong></span> In the 4A playoffs, Holy Family, which had a dominant run in 3A before moving up several years ago, made it all the way to the Final Four before losing to eventual champion Mullen. The Windsor Wizards, however, play in the 5A postseason after a 4A league schedule and reached the Sweet 16. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>A few returning players to watch</strong></span> <strong>Breanna Fowler, 2021, 5-8, PG/SG, Berthoud</strong> Berthoud played its way to the 4A Great 8 last season and Fowler led the way with 16.8 points per game as just a sophomore. The promising guard also averaged 3.5 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 2.8 steals to pace the Spartans’ run. She really came on as a long-range shooter during the latter half of last winter and if that continues, watch out. &nbsp; <strong>Ashayla Powers, 2020, 5-10, G/F, Skyline</strong> Powers can probably be filed under the “sleeper” category but the secret will likely be out quickly on the Falcons senior once the season gets going. A hard driver and a tough player, Powers was just short of averaging a double-double last season with 15.9 points and 9.7 rebounds. Defensively, she averaged 2.4 steals and should lead an improved Skyline team that will also feature seniors Alyssa McKrola and Lindrey Schendel this winter. &nbsp; <strong>Genevieve Gudino, 2021, 5-6, PG/SG, Holy Family</strong> Holy Family’s leading scorer last season will have a new home over at Erie. Still just a junior, Gudino joins a solid young core at Erie and brings 14.9 points, 2.7 assists, 3.0 rebounds and 3.8 steals to the table after averaging those numbers last winter. &nbsp; <strong>Emily Cavey, 2020, 6-0, SG/SF, Berthoud</strong> Unlike Windsor, which graduated its top two scorer from last season, Berthoud has its top two back and both were among the top five scorers in the league. In 11 games last winter, Cavey averaged 14.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.6 steals. If she continues to improve from 3-point range, Cavey’s height and athletic ability would play up and increase the Spartans’ ability to stretch the floor. &nbsp; <strong>Deb Altshuler, 2022, 5-8, G, Erie</strong> The Tigers had a sophomore and two freshmen lead them in scoring last season, and Altshuler was third on the team. She averaged 7.5 points and 3.1 rebounds a game, and the addition of Holy Family transfer Genevieve Gudino should open up Altshuler and teammates Anna Hefner (2021, 10.2 points, 6.0 rebounds) and Grace Moyers (2022, 8.6 points, 2.0 assists) this winter. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff; font-size: 14pt;"><strong>A quick, early look to ’19-20</strong></span> There’s some potential for significant movement in the top half of the Tri-Valley League this season with Holy Family losing a transfer starter to Erie, the Erie Tigers getting a bit older, Windsor graduating some real talent, Berthoud bringing some real talent back, and Skyline featuring a solid senior group. The easy money is on Holy Family, Berthoud and Windsor staying at the top, but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see that top three look very different at season’s end.