Season Recap: Pikes Peak Athletic Conference (5A/4A)

The ending that wasn’t a true ending will be how the 2019-2020 season is remembered for some. Yet while the cancellation of the final few days of the state tournaments left plenty to be desired, there was finality in each of the conference battles around Colorado. Here’s a snapshot of this winter’s action in the 5A/4A Pikes Peak Athletic Conference.   Who won the league in ’19-20 Sand Creek won its first league crown since 2015-16 and in the process dethroned Air Academy, which had been atop the standings the previous three seasons. The Scorpions went a perfect 14-0, outscoring league foes 958-615. The Kadets and Falcon finished tied for second at 10-4, while Lewis-Palmer was back of that at 8-6, followed by Cheyenne Mountain and Palmer Ridge at 6-8. Six of the eight teams in league finished above .500. Sand Creek, Falcon and Air Academy each reached the Sweet 16 in the Class 4A field.   Five players who shined this winter [player_tooltip player_id="95020" first="Kylee" last="Blacksten"], 2020, SG, Air Academy [caption id="attachment_95038" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="95020" first="Kylee" last="Blacksten"][/caption]The focus and frustration for many opposing coaches on schedule, the University of Colorado commit capped off her impressive high school career with her best season yet, averaging 16 points and 5.3 rebounds. Blacksten led the Kadets to the Sweet 16 before falling on the road to Holy Family, which made it abundantly clear that the 6-3 senior was the majority of its focus. She leaves high school with more than 1,000 points and nearly 500 boards.   [player_tooltip player_id="116790" first="Hannah" last="Burg"], 2021, SG, Falcon Burg, a talented scorer, a leader on both end of the court, scored 28 and then 29 points in final game of the regular season and the second round of the 4A postseason in leading the Falcons to the Sweet 16. The senior finished with 14.1 PPG on 41 percent shooting, while also averaging 4.6 rebounds and 3.3 steals. She’s currently ranked 56th among the best juniors in the state, per Prep Girls Hoops.   [caption id="attachment_112099" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="116790" first="Hannah" last="Burg"][/caption]  [player_tooltip player_id="95137" first="Nikki" last="Derrell"], 2021, PG/SG, Sand Creek Derrell led the highest-scoring offense in 4A (68.3 PPG), averaging 15 points through the season. Yes, her and [player_tooltip player_id="95081" first="Krystina" last="Hagood"] were about as good of a one-two scoring punch as you’ll find in 4A. She scored 10 points in a strangely, low-scoring 52-41 win over Centaurus, hitting a late 3 to cross the 1,000-point career milestone and help push the Scorpions to the Sweet 16. Expect Sand Creek to rebound from its unexpected loss to Canon City in the round of 16 as it should be among the 2021 contenders with star Derrell back in the fold.   Griffin Greenwood, 2022, SF/PF/C, Lewis-Palmer The Rangers may have one of the brightest young stars in the conference in Greenwood, who thundered onto the varsity scene as a sophomore with 10.3 PPG and 11 RPG. While Ally DeLange was the driving force behind L-P’s 15-10 campaign, the addition of 5-11 Greenwood certainly was one of the X-factors that led the team to the second round of the postseason. Expect the double-double machine to return next season and again fill up the stat sheet.   [player_tooltip player_id="115804" first="Selena" last="Vargas"], 2020, SF, Cheyenne Mountain Vargas was a huge reason for the Indians’ turnaround from seven wins in 2018-19 to their 14-11 mark last winter. [caption id="attachment_99183" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="95081" first="Krystina" last="Hagood"][/caption]The 6-foot senior averaged a near double-double with 14.1 PPG and 9.7 RPG. In the first round of the postseason, she had 11 points and 19 rebounds in the team’s 75-26 win over Thomas Jefferson. Teammate Katelynn Ralston added a season-high 27 points. Vargas along with a stout senior crew at Cheyenne Mountain, who made up five of the team’s top even scorers, are now gone.   Who was voted all-conference in 2019-20 First Team [player_tooltip player_id="95020" first="Kylee" last="Blacksten"], Air Academy [player_tooltip player_id="115804" first="Selena" last="Vargas"], Cheyenne Mountain [player_tooltip player_id="95081" first="Krystina" last="Hagood"], Sand Creek [player_tooltip player_id="95137" first="Nikki" last="Derrell"], Sand Creek [caption id="attachment_112097" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="117720" first="Billie" last="Fiore"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="116790" first="Hannah" last="Burg"], Falcon Second team [player_tooltip player_id="115778" first="Eden" last="Bonser"], Palmer Ridge Ally DeLange, Lewis-Palmer Annie Louthan, Air Academy [player_tooltip player_id="117720" first="Billie" last="Fiore"], Falcon Katelynn Ralston, Cheyenne Mountain