Best Sweet 16 Matchup to Watch in Each 5A Region
The Class 5A girls basketball tournament heads into the second week of action with the Sweet 16 being played across the state Tuesday. Check out five of the top matchups to watch throughout the day that will help determine who…
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Continue ReadingThe Class 5A girls basketball tournament heads into the second week of action with the Sweet 16 being played across the state Tuesday.
Check out five of the top matchups to watch throughout the day that will help determine who makes the Great Eight.
Isabelle MunsonAlice Barron: Guards Munson and Muma going at it in No. 22 Fairview vs. No. 6 Highlands Ranch
Payton MumaFairview senior Isabelle Munson and Highlands Ranch junior Payton Muma both lead their team in scoring, Munson with 21.5 points and Muma with 15.3 points per game.
From deep, both Munson and Muma are reliable with 47 made 3-pointers for Munson and 40 for Muma, the latter with two in the second round during the Falcons’ 67-18 win over Chatfield.
Both guards are also the top on their squads in assists and steals per game, meaning the game plan for both will look pretty similar once they hit the floor against each other Tuesday.
Jessica BollwahnBobbi Brown-Vandenberg: Bollwahn and Bevington leading the way in No. 21 Columbine vs. No. 7 Ralston Valley
Sydney BevingtonBoth Ralston Valley and Columbine have been led this season by a guard taking over in all the statistical categories.
For the Mustangs, it’s been junior Sydney Bevington who leads all five major categories, including 16.5 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. She had 16 points in a second round win 56-28 over Pine Creek.
On the other side, Jessica Bollwahn leads four of the five categories with 15.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, including 12 points and 19 rebounds in the second round during a 51-39 win over Fountain-Fort Carson.
Bollwahn and Bevington have already seen each other twice this season as the league opponents met up twice in the Jeffco League, both games won by the Mustangs.
Bevington got the best of the games with 19 and 26 points in each of the first two games.
Lauren BettsKaye Grams: Sophomore standouts duel in No. 4 Grandview vs. No. 20 Arapahoe
Sam Crispe6-foot-7 sophomore center Lauren Betts is used to have a pretty large size advantage going into games for Grandview, but Arapahoe’s 6-foot-2 sophomore forward Sam Crispe is hoping to slow her roll.
Betts enters the Sweet 16 matchup averaging 17.2 points per game and 11.3 boards while Crispe’s numbers come in a little lower at 12.4 and 7.7.
The two have already met twice this year with Grandview taking both matchups pretty easy, including a 28-point performance from Betts in the first matchup.
With that experience now behind them, look for Crispe to try and rise to the challenge while Betts looks to make their third matchup look more like the first.
Courtney WristenRhonda Blanford-Green: Wristen leading No. 14 Broomfield, Moore helping No. 3 Regis Jesuit
Jada MooreSenior Jada Moore and her Raiders in the back Sweet 16 and are looking to continue their run with a win over Broomfield, but not before Eagles junior Courtney Wristen has anything to say about it.
Both Moore and Wristen lead their teams in points and rebounds per game with 17.3 and 8.7 for Moore while Wristen has 14.2 and 9.
And even though they don’t play same position, Moore is a guard while Wristen is a forward, they both play important roles on defense as well with Moore averaging 3.5 steals per game and Wristen posting 2.3 blocks a contest.
So while they might not go directly at each other, this game could come down to who does more for their respective squad.