5A First Round Preview: Kaye Garms 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 game in the Kaye Garms quadrant. <em>First-round byes: No. 1 Valor Christian, No. 8 Fossil Ridge, No. 9 Vista PEAK, and No. 16 Rangeview.</em> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_139671" align="alignright" width="300"] Emily Kennie[/caption] <strong>No. 32 Far Northeast (14-8, 8-2 Denver Prep) vs. No. 33 Monarch (14-9, 5-7 Front Range)</strong> This matchup is as close as it gets, seeding-wise. FNE guard <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/tosjanae-bonds/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/tosjanae-bonds/">Tosjanae Bonds</a></a> has been throwing up crazy statistical numbers – 25.1 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 9.5 spg, 1.5 apg, 1.0 bpg – this season, so it will be exciting to see what the unsigned senior does with a little extra juice from a home playoff atmosphere. Monarch counters with a solid group of up-and-coming guards, including the likes of juniors Emily Kennie and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/chelin-isaacson/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/chelin-isaacson/">Chelin Isaacson</a></a>, as well as freshman point guard Natalie Guanella. Senior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/abigail-russo/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/abigail-russo/">Abigail Russo</a></a> leads Monarch in scoring with an average of 10.2 points per game. Both of these teams rely on high-energy backcourts to pace them in games so it’s reasonable to expect a lot of fast-moving, hard-driving action in this one. <em>Other FNE players to watch: Rajana Cox, Daiyah Carter, Skiyla Wilhite.</em> <em>Other Monarch players to watch: Cadence Taht, Amelia Kennie, Clara Butler.</em> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_120505" align="alignright" width="300"] Jessica Formento[/caption] <strong>No. 17 Chaparral (15-8, 5-5 Continental) vs. No. 48 Grand Junction (7-16, 0-8 Southwestern)</strong> The Chaparral girls reached the Sweet 16 last season and just missed getting a first-round bye this winter. That just means we’ll get to see twins <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/avery-bang/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/avery-bang/">Avery Bang</a></a> and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/payton-bang/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/payton-bang/">Payton Bang</a></a> – a pair of 6-foot-1 forwards – make their postseason debuts as starters a few days earlier. The Bang sisters have combined for 19.7 points and 13.5 rebounds per game. Senior point guard Jessica Formento has really moved to the forefront of Chaparral’s efforts, averaging 9.4 points and 2.5 assists per game while also leading the team with 2.7 steals at the defensive end. Grand Junction Central comes to Denver with six-foot forward Madison Younker spearheading things with 15.2 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game. The Tigers also have 6-foot-2 forward <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/faith-buckley/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/faith-buckley/">Faith Buckley</a></a>, so expect the battle in the post to play a major role in the outcome of this game. <em>Other Chaparral players to watch: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/keegan-armetta/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/keegan-armetta/">Keegan Armetta</a></a>, Riley Smith, Lola Nordhagen. </em> <em>Other Grand Junction players to watch: Gabby Deters, Angela Paradiso, Dolcie Hanlon.</em> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_127169" align="alignright" width="300"] Lauren Graves-Bonilla[/caption] <strong>No. 25 Windsor (12-11, 10-6 Tri-Valley) vs. No. 40 Westminster (14-9, 6-4 East Metro)</strong> When Tuesday’s game starts, the Westy Wolves will officially end a three-year postseason drought and will do so hosting a Wizards team that is rebuilding a bit after a string of four consecutive 20-win seasons. Westminster features sophomore guard <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/marina-boltz/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/marina-boltz/">Marina Boltz</a></a>, who leads the team in scoring with 17.9 points a night, and senior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/valerie-gallegos/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/valerie-gallegos/">Valerie Gallegos</a></a>, who averages a double-double (11.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg) and does a little bit of everything for the Wolves. Junior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kylie-sanger/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kylie-sanger/">Kylie Sanger</a></a> (13.7 ppg) leads the way for Windsor, and the Wizards have a lot of emerging talent in a sophomore class that includes <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/mykaela-moore/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/mykaela-moore/">Mykaela Moore</a></a>, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jolie-jiricek/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jolie-jiricek/">Jolie Jiricek</a></a> and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alexis-backhaus/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alexis-backhaus/">Alexis Backhaus</a></a>. <em>Other Westminster players to watch: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jada-parsons/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jada-parsons/">Jada Parsons</a></a>, Lauren Graves-Bonilla, Anisa Jaramillo.</em> <em>Other Windsor players to watch: Jackie Jensen, Payton Kramer, Val Apodaca.</em> &nbsp; [caption id="attachment_140679" align="alignright" width="300"] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emily-doolittle/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emily-doolittle/">Emily Doolittle</a></a>[/caption] <strong>No. 24 Thornton (19-4, 10-1 East Metro) vs. No. 41 Dakota Ridge (8-15, 2-6 Jeffco)</strong> <span style="font-size: 1rem">One of this game’s highlights will certainly be the postseason debut of one of the state’s best stat sheet-stuffers in unsigned Thornton senior </span><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/shamahra-henderson/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/shamahra-henderson/">Shamahra Henderson</a></a><span style="font-size: 1rem">, who averaged 20.5 points, 12.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 4.4 steals and 2.5 blocks per game through the regular season. That’s not all. Thornton also has junior guard </span><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/monique-delatorre/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/monique-delatorre/">Monique Delatorre</a></a><span style="font-size: 1rem">, who averaged 14.5 points, 4.2 assists, 3.7 rebounds and 4.4 steals over the 21 games she player in 2019-20. Senior guard </span><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emily-doolittle/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/emily-doolittle/">Emily Doolittle</a></a><span style="font-size: 1rem"> leads Dakota Ridge with 12.1 points and junior Alexis Thornton is the team’s top rebounder at 3.4 per game. The Thornton Trojans would be wise not to underestimate Dakota Ridge, as the Eagles’ record includes six losses that came at the hands of top-five teams.</span> <em>Other Thornton players to watch: Kathrine Prado, Laryss Rodriguez, Maddy Lester.</em> <em>Other Dakota Ridge players to watch: Mallory Magana, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/wakinyela-bear/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/wakinyela-bear/">Wakinyela Bear</a></a>, Taylor Legault.</em>