Five matchups to watch in Class 4A Sweet 16
The Class 4A 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…
Access all of Prep Girls Hoops
Continue reading this article and more.
Continue ReadingThe Class 4A 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.
No. 15 George Washington’s Redwine vs. No. 2 Pueblo West’s Simental
Hannah SimentalBoth Jaida Redwine and Hannah Simental had big first round performances with 24 points for Redwine and 30 for Simental.
Both guards have proven to be sharpshooters after Redwine picked up all 24 of her points in the Patriots’ 54-53 win via 8 3-pointers while Simental hit four deep balls in the Cyclones’ 50-12 win over Littleton.
On the season, Simental averages 16.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.6 assist and 3.1 steals per game while Redwine’s numbers are nearly identical at 16.9 points, 5 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 3.7 steals per game.
The battle between the senior Simental and freshman Redwine will be close and could decide who’s team goes to the Great Eight.
Two 1,000-point scorers battle in No. 1 Sand Creek vs. No. 16 Canon City
Last week in Sand Creek’s 51-42 victory over Centaurus, junior guard Nikki Derrell crossed the 1,000-point threshold for her high school career on a 3-pointer in the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile Canon City senior Jerika Moore hit the 1,000-point mark earlier this season and helped the Tigers move past Evergreen in the second round with a 60-43 victory.
Both Derrell and Moore are there teams’ leading scorers with the senior having the slight advantage with 16.7 points per game compared to Derrell’s 15. Both can spot up well from beyond the arc with 53 made 3-pointers for Moore and 54 for Derrell.
Look for these two to potentially go back and forth and light up the scoreboard at Sand Creek.
Tyler WhitlockWhitlock vs. Blacksten in No. 7 Holy Family and No. 10 Air Academy
Kylee BlackstenJunior Tyler Whitlock from Holy Family is coming off a 22-point performance in the Tiger’s 62-26 blowout of Northridge in the second round while Air Academy senior Kylee Blacksten posted 25 points in a 53-35 victory against Palmer Ridge.
While the 6-foot-3 Blacksten is a guard and the 5-foot-10 Whitlock is a forward, the two will certainly be going at it, most likely when the Kadets and Blacksten are on offense.
Whitlock averages 5.8 rebounds a game compared to Blacksten’s 5.3, but the Colorado-commit has the advantage over Whitlock in points with 16 a game compared the to the Tiger junior’s 9.7.
Whitlock does average 4.3 steals a game as well though, which could be the biggest difference in leveling the matchup between her and Blacksten.
Can No. 11 Sierra’s Lacour slow down No. 6 Thompson Valley’s Sydnee Durtsche?
Senior Sydnee Durtsche currently leads the Eagles in all five major statistical categories, highlighted by 13.5 points and 11 rebounds per game. And Durtsche met that double-double mark in a 64-58 win over Mead in the second round.
Meanwhile Sierra senior Azaria Lacour is coming off a double-double performance of her own with 17 points and 10 rebounds against Rifle in the Stallions’ 65-33 win.
Durtsche is a forward while Lacour is listed as a guard so it might not be direct matchup, but the game from the two is very similar in how they both play a role in all five statistically categories.
Lacour averages more points with 14.9 a game while her 6.8 rebounds is less than Durtsche. Look for Lacour to try and even out anything Durtsche does with some key rebounds and big 3-pointers.
Hannah BurgNo. 13 Falcon’s Burg vs. No. 4 Berthoud’s Cavey
Emily CaveyStaying on the trend of building off first round performances, Falcon junior Hannah Burg had one of the best with 29 points in a 72-59 victory over Greeley Central.
That made a new career high in points for Burg, a mark she had set on Feb. 22 in the Falcons’ last game of the season when Burg scored 28 points.
Basically, Burg is one of the hottest players left in the field right now and Berthoud’s Emily Cavey might be the one to try and cool her down.
Cavey is listed as a guard/forward so she might not go directly against Burg, but the senior averages 17.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game this season. If Cavey can get those numbers, she could help keep pace or slow down Burg.