5A Second Round Preview: Alice Barron Quadrant
Round one is now complete in the Class 5A and 4A girls basketball brackets, leaving 32 teams in the field still looking for the state title. We continue our preview coverage by taking a look at the second round matchups…
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Continue ReadingRound one is now complete in the Class 5A and 4A girls basketball brackets, leaving 32 teams in the field still looking for the state title. We continue our preview coverage by taking a look at the second round matchups in the Class 5A Alice Barron quadrant.
No. 3 Regis Jesuit (19-4, 10-0 Continental) vs. No. 30 Liberty (15-9, 7-5 CS Metro)
Avery VansickleThe Raiders come in as the top-ranked team in the quadrant and haven’t lost to a Colorado team all season. Senior guard Jada Moore is one of the best players in the state with 17.3 points per game and and 8.7 boards. The Kansas State commit also throws 3 assists and 3.5 steals per game as well. Junior guard Avery Vansickle throws in 16.8 points a game as well and has nailed 56 3-pointers this season. Liberty enters after having beaten Greeley West 48-38 behind 13 points from senior guard Lydia Marshall. The Lancers will need Marshall to continue scoring the rock with the Raiders averaging 61 points a game. Jacy Rohr had 10 points for the Lancers in the first round win and could be a solid second option against Regis Jesuit.
Other Regis Jesuit players to watch: Samantha Jones, Madden Mchugh, Savitri Jackson.
Other Liberty players to watch: Taylor Gossage, Abby Cryderman, Ashley Zeglis.
No. 14 Broomfield (17-6, 11-1 Front Range) vs. No. 19 Mountain Vista (15-9, 7-3 Continental)
Courtney WristenBroomfield comes in as the better seed, but Mountain Vista holds the advantage when it comes to head-to-head record. Back on Jan. 11, the Golden Eagles took out Broomfield 57-36 behind senior MacKenzie Gamble’s 15 points. Junior Berit Brookfield chipped in 13 and senior Amy Holland had 11. Gamble stepped up in the first round as well for the Golden Eagles by dropping 19 in an 80-45 victory against Prairie View while Holland had 15 on four made 3-pointers. Broomfield will try to combat Mountain Vista’s guard play with 6-foot-2 junior forward Courtney Wristen and her 14.3 points per game. She scored 14 in the first game against Mountain Vista, but didn’t get much else around her. Look for Eagles senior guard Jessica Hoffman to try and give them a boost on offense with her 10.3 points per game as the Eagles will be home and not on the second game of a back-to-back like they were in the road loss to the Golden Eagles.
Other Broomfield players to watch: Emma Rich, Brooke Pennington, Hayley Ventura.
Other Mountain Vista players to watch: Amiya Robinson, Sara Vafaie, Shantell Hafner.
No. 6 Highlands Ranch (18-5, 9-1 Continental) vs. No. 27 Chatfield (13-11, 4-4 Jeffco)
Payton MumaThe Falcons were the top overall seed a season ago and lost their top three scorers from the 2018-2019 season, but that hasn’t stopped them from flying high. Junior guard Payton Muma has stepped into the scoring role with a 15.4 points per game average and 3.8 assists, both team highs. 5-foot-11 sophomore Taylor Ray is getting it done in the post with 13.8 points and 4.9 boards a game. The Chargers will challenge with sophomore guard Grace Talbot and her 19.5 points per game, fifth best in Class 5A. She dropped 19 points and three 3-pointers against Legacy in the Chargers’ 55-33 first-round win, pushing her to second in 5A in made 3s with 65. After Talbot, there are eight other girls on the Chargers’ roster with action in 20 games or more, meaning the production from Talbot could come from anywhere. Look for Talbot to have another electric game while the Falcons try to take advantage of their inside and outside strengths.
Other Highlands Ranch players to watch: Alex Pirog, Sarah Mitchell, Kacy Horton.
Other Chatfield players to watch: Keyana Sande, Izzy Dinapoli, Ashley Long.
No. 11 Denver South (19-4, 8-1 Denver Prep) vs. No. 22 Fairview (15-9, 9-3 Front Range)
Timiya GuevaraThis one starts and ends with the guard matchup between Denver South junior Timiya Guevara and Fairview senior Isabelle Munson. The two are tied for the second best scoring average in Class 5A as they both put up 22 points a night. Munson has 46 made 3-pointers compared to Guevara’s 42. Guevara has the advantage in the other statistical categories with 6 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 5.9 steals per game compared to Munson’s 5.5 boards, 2.9 assists and 3.6 steals. With those two going head-to-head, the difference could come from someone on the outside. The Rebels have sharpshooter Carly Dilworth who averages 15.3 points per game and has made a Class 5A-leading 93 3-pointers, 28 more than Chatfield’s Talbot in second. The Knights’ second-leading scorer is Kailey Page who averages 11 points and 8 rebounds per game. So while Guevara and Munson go at it, look for Dilworth up top and Page down low to try and make the difference is this one.
Other Denver South players to watch: Tay Williams, Briasia Johnson.
Other Fairview players to watch: Adaya Richmond, Makenna Englund, Emma Novak.