5A Sweet 16 Preview: Part 1

Round 2 is now complete in Class 5A with plenty of teams that are looking to go deeper in the playoffs than last year. A total of 16 teams are now that much closer to the Coliseum. Let's take a look at eight teams that have earned a right to the Sweet 16 with their relentless play. &nbsp; <strong>No. 2 Cherry Creek (22-2, 13-1 in Centennial) vs No. 15 Cherokee Trail (15-9, 6-8 in Centennial)</strong> [caption id="attachment_140676" align="alignright" width="300"] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jana-van-gytenbeek/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jana-van-gytenbeek/">Jana Van Gytenbeek</a></a>[/caption] Cherry Creek is coming off of a great win over Horizon, 77-55. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/cali-clark/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/cali-clark/">Cali Clark</a></a> led the Bruins in scoring putting up 25 points, going 9 for 12 from the field, 7 for 7 from the free-throw line, as well as finishing with 14 rebounds and five assists. Clark (Colorado State) is a player who can utilize her mismatches and that night she was a force in the inside. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jana-van-gytenbeek/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jana-van-gytenbeek/">Jana Van Gytenbeek</a></a> (Stanford) had a double- double against the Hawks with 16 points and 10 assists, all with 0 turnovers while shooting 6 for 13 from the field and 4 for 7 from behind the arc. Another player who amazed on Friday was junior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/abby-wrede/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/abby-wrede/">Abby Wrede</a></a> with 12 points, 5-for-8 shooting from the field, and 2 for 5 from behind the arc. Tuesday against Cherokee Trail will be a battle, as each team has players who rank among the top players in their respective graduating classes. Cherokee Trial is coming in 0-2 against Cherry Creek this winter. Cherry Creek has other players that can get going, which the Bruins have shown in the previous two games against Cherokee Trail. In the second round, Cherokee Trail senior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/makayla-hemingway/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/makayla-hemingway/">Makayla Hemingway</a></a> had a great showing against Lakewood and was hard to stop, putting up 22 points and 10 rebounds. Alongside her with a double- double was Auto Thomas, Class of 2022. Thomas had 13 points, 11 of those points coming at the free-throw line where she went 11 for 14. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/dominique-rodriguez/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/dominique-rodriguez/">Dominique Rodriguez</a></a> put up 16 points, shooting 5 for 7 on 2-point field goals. <em>Other Cherry Creek Players to watch: Carly Thomson, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kacee-kyle/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kacee-kyle/">Kacee Kyle</a></a>, Kinsey Christianson, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/charley-gordon/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/charley-gordon/">Charley Gordon</a></a></em> <em>Other Cherokee Trail players to watch: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/mia-collins/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/mia-collins/">Mia Collins</a></a>, Olivia Lee, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/destinee-paulk/">Destinee Paulk</a>, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sierra-culbreath/">Sierra Culbreath</a></em> &nbsp; <strong>No. 7 Ralston Valley (19-5, 7-1 in Jeffco) vs No. 23 Columbine (15-10, 5-3 in Jeffco)</strong> [caption id="attachment_149134" align="alignright" width="300"] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/adrienne-harnum/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/adrienne-harnum/">Adrienne Harnum</a></a>[/caption] This will be the third time these two teams face each other this season, as Ralston Valley finished second in the Jeffco League and Columbine finished fourth. The Mustangs are 2-0 when facing the Rebels but this time Columbine looks to upset Ralston Valley. In the first matchup between the two teams, Ralston Valley junior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sydney-bevington/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sydney-bevington/">Sydney Bevington</a></a> dropped 19 points <span style="font-size: 1rem">and grabbed 11 rebounds. Ellie Schweiker added 10 points for Ralston Valley. The second time the teams met, Bevington finished with</span><span style="font-size: 1rem"> 26 points and 15 rebounds. Mckenna Nichols scored 10 points.  The first match for Columbine everyone got a piece of the action when it came to scoring the leader was junior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/adrienne-harnum/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/adrienne-harnum/">Adrienne Harnum</a></a> with seven points. The second time the two teams met, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/quincy-baum/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/quincy-baum/">Quincy Baum</a></a> for Columbine was dominant scoring 22 points and 14 rebounds. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jessica-bollwahn/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jessica-bollwahn/">Jessica Bollwahn</a></a> put up 13 points.</span> After getting passed the second round where both teams played well. This will be a battle of who can get more stops and disrupt the flow of the other team. They both have height, and great scorers that can create scoring opportunities for themselves as well as their team. <em>Other Ralston Valley players to watch: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/saya-sabus/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/saya-sabus/">Saya Sabus</a></a>, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/brooklyn-seymour/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/brooklyn-seymour/">Brooklyn Seymour</a></a>, Rachel Meeks</em> <em>Other Columbine players to watch: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alexei-trujillo/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alexei-trujillo/">Alexei Trujillo</a></a>, Ally Distler, Elizabeth Michael</em> &nbsp; <strong>No. 3 Regis Jesuit (20-4, 10-0 in Continental)  vs No. 14 Broomfield (18-6, 11-1 in Front Range)</strong> [caption id="attachment_136806" align="alignright" width="300"] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jessica-hoffman/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jessica-hoffman/">Jessica Hoffman</a></a>[/caption] Regis Jesuit with a big win over Liberty on Friday plays a tough physical team that looks to get it in the post. Regis Jesuit leading scorers will look to get it going early with their crafty scoring ability. Senior <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jada-moore/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jada-moore/">Jada Moore</a></a> is averaging 17.3 points per game, is shooting 47 percent (159 for 341) from the field this season, and also averages 8.7 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/avery-vansickle/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/avery-vansickle/">Avery Vansickle</a></a> is one of Colorado's top shooters, and is averaging 16.8 points per game while shooting 47 percent (81 for 172) from behind the arc. Broomfield will look to slow down the Rangers after winning a close overtime games against a good Mountain Vista team in the second round. The Eagles' leading scorer on Friday was <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jessica-hoffman/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/jessica-hoffman/">Jessica Hoffman</a></a>, who put up 19 points and hit several key shots late in the game. A dominant post player that Regis Jesuit will have to contain is <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/courtney-wristen/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/courtney-wristen/">Courtney Wristen</a></a>, who stands at 6-foot-2 and averages 14.2 points, nine rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game. <em>Other Regis Jesuit players to watch: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/samantha-jones/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/samantha-jones/">Samantha Jones</a></a>, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/savitri-jackson/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/savitri-jackson/">Savitri Jackson</a></a>, Madden Mchugh</em> <em>Other Broomfield Players to watch: Emma Rich, Brooke Pennington, Hayley Ventura</em> &nbsp; <strong>No. 6 Highlands Ranch (19-5, 9-1 in Continental) vs No. 22 Fairview (16-9, 9-3 in Front Range)</strong> [caption id="attachment_117326" align="alignright" width="300"] <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/isabelle-munson/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/isabelle-munson/">Isabelle Munson</a></a>[/caption] Coming off a big win against Chatfield, Highlands Ranch will host Fairview on Tuesday, which should be an entertaining games between two teams that love to beat you in the transition game. Leading the way for Highlands Ranch is junior point guard <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/payton-muma/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/payton-muma/">Payton Muma</a></a>, a tough player to guard in transition as well as in the half court. She put up 14 points against Chatfield, and is averaging 15.3 points per game on the season. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sarah-mitchell/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/sarah-mitchell/">Sarah Mitchell</a></a> and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/taylor-ray/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/taylor-ray/">Taylor Ray</a></a> combined for 28 points. Mitchell is averaging 7.6 points per game, and shows great leadership on the floor. Ray averages 13.8 points, which makes her the second leading scorer on the Falcons. In a tough game that Fairview played on Friday against Denver South, the Knights pulled off the victory with <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/isabelle-munson/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/isabelle-munson/">Isabelle Munson</a></a> scoring a quiet night with 10 points. Munson is Fairview's leading scorer on the season and can get going at will as one of the top scorers in Colorado with 21.5 points per game. Two players who were able to take the load off of Munson last week were Adaya Richmond (16 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals) and <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kailey-page/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kailey-page/">Kailey Page</a></a> (16 rebounds and nine points). Richmond, a junior point guard, stepped up when needed, hitting four 3-pointers in the second half against Denver South, and 7.2 points per game on the season. <em>Other Highlands Ranch players to watch: <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alex-pirog/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/alex-pirog/">Alex Pirog</a></a>, Deidre Lassiter, <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kacy-horton/"><a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/player/kacy-horton/">Kacy Horton</a></a></em> <em>Other Fairvew players to watch: Makena Englund, Haley Sommer, Josie Munson</em>