4A Second Round Preview: Jenny Coalson Quadrant
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Longmont, ranked 37th in Colorado’s 4A state tournament, took credit for the largest upset on opening night of the postseason — and second biggest in the first round — as it knocked off No. 28 D’Evelyn Tuesday night. And if…
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Continue ReadingLongmont, ranked 37th in Colorado’s 4A state tournament, took credit for the largest upset on opening night of the postseason — and second biggest in the first round — as it knocked off No. 28 D’Evelyn Tuesday night.
And if that’s a head-turner, a second-round win over No. 5 Erie on Friday would yank things completely out of alignment.
With the final 32 teams set in 4A, we’ll take a look at the second-round matchups in the Jenny Coalson region.
Off first-round byes, No. 4 Berthoud, No. 5 Erie, No. 13 Falcon and No. 12 Glenwood Springs will host in the quandrant’s second round. No. 20 Greeley Central, No. 21 Lewis-Palmer, No. 29 Golden and No. 37 Longmont, meanwhile, are on the road.
No. 4 Berthoud (21-2) vs. No. 29 Golden (11-13)
Breanna FowlerThe Spartans have proven themselves to be one of the handful of favorites to win this year’s state title. Emily Cavey has bounced back from missing the final 15 games of her junior season with a knee injury to put up 17.2 PPG (her coach, Alan Gibson, told Prep Girls Hoops earlier in the year he thinks she’s a Division-I caliber player). Along with her, Breanna Fowler (13 PPG) is also a standout scorer. Celsey Selland (9 PPG and 8.5 RPG), meanwhile, averages a near double-double and is a threat on the glass and from the perimeter. So, a lot to handle for Golden, which will likely need a monster game, and then some, from Elli Garnett to move on. Garnett, who averaged around a double-double with 19 points per game this year, is nearing the end of her high school career as she heads to Northern Colorado. The Demons beat TCA 43-37 Tuesday.
No. 13 Falcon (16-7) vs. No. 20 Greeley Central (18-6)
Billie FioreFalcon’s Hannah Burg is the kind of player groomed for postseason success. The junior is a proven scorer with 13.7 points per game this year on 42 percent shooting. And maybe more importantly, she’s solid from the free-throw line, where dreams are either cashed in or crashed out in the playoffs, hitting at an 81 percent clip. The Falcons, as a whole, have plenty of talent across their starting rotation — Burg, Billie Fiore (10.1 PPG), Kayla Harkema (9.0), among others — and they’ll likely be a staunch out after finishing third in a loaded 5A/4A Pikes Peak Athletic Conference behind No. 1 Sand Creek and No. 10 Air Academy. If Greeley Central does it, it’ll be because of another star performance from one or more of its trio of top producers in Alexis Tapia (12.3 PPG), Tathis Arredondo (11.8) and Micaela Hidalgo (11.3). In the Wildcats’ first-round win over Pueblo Central Tuesday, Arredondo scored a career-high 28 points.
No. 5 Erie (21-2) vs. No. 37 Longmont (11-13)
Deb AltshulerErie added former Holy Family standout Genevieve Gudino to a young roster that reached the state’s “Sweet 16” a year ago. That turned the Tigers from up-and coming to already here. Gudino scored 14.2 points per game, sophomore Grace Moyers had 14.9 PPG and the Tigers — despite having just one senior — have proven themselves a contender just two years removed from going 6-18. Longmont goes for upset No. 2 as it continues its improbable run as one of the 32 4A teams left standing. The Trojans, perhaps not expected to be here, graduated 15 seniors over the past two years and lost about 80 percent of their production from last year after losing to Erie by 30 in the first round. Jordynn Lee, for one, continued her breakout senior campaign with 17 points in the win over the Jags Tuesday.
No. 12 Glenwood Springs (20-3) vs. No. 21 Lewis-Palmer (15-9)
Liliani KrauseGlenwood Springs, led by an experienced roster that touts seniors Natalya Taylor (11.1 PPG) and Qwynn Massie (8.7 PPG), comes into the postseason winners of its last 14 games. How about this for a resume: The Demons’ three losses on the year came to Berthoud, 5A No. 11 Denver South and 3A Alamosa, which is 16-4 and won the first-round of its district tournament by 49 points. Lewis-Palmer, on the other side, held off Widefield’s dynamic scoring duo of Liliani Krause and Erika Warner in the first round for its 15th win of the year. Griffin Greenwood, who averages a double-double, and Ally DeLange (11.8 PPG), have been crucial in helping the Rangers turnaround from going 8-16 a year ago. DeLange, who scored 19 against the Gladiators, also has 70 steals this season and has had four or more in a game 10 different times.