Six players to watch in Class 3A’s first two rounds

Class 3A begins its state tournament with a couple heavy hitters that will be favorites, but there will be plenty of small-school players to keep an eye on as they march toward the Great Eight. You can take a look at the <a href="https://chsaanow.com/2020-03-01/3a-girls-basketball-state-tournament-bracket-2020/">bracket on CHSAAnow.com here</a> to see which teams made the field and where they will be playing the first two rounds. For now, here are five players to keep an eye on as they battle during the first two rounds of the state tournament. <strong>Class 3A’s leading scorer in No. 1 St. Mary’s Howery</strong> The favorite coming into the tournament will most likely be the Pirates from St. Mary’s as they average 75.7 points per game as a team. And in order to get that number, you have to have scorers and 5-foot-9 senior guard [player_tooltip player_id="95026" first="Josephine" last="Howery"] has been the best with a 3A-leading 21.5 points per game. Howery adds more to the offense than just her own point total as she averages 4.6 assists per game and 6.5 rebounds. Then on defense, she chips in 4.1 steals per game. [caption id="attachment_112117" align="alignright" width="296"] [player_tooltip player_id="95028" first="Seneca" last="Hackley"][/caption]The Colorado Mines commit has proven she can get it done on any part of the floor and she’ll be looking to end her high school career with a bang for the Pirates. Also be sure to check out [player_tooltip player_id="95028" first="Seneca" last="Hackley"] as her 51 3-pointers ranks sixth in Class 3A and her 16.7 points per game is fourth. <strong>Perez leading for undefeated No. 2 The Academy</strong> St. Mary’s might be the favorite, but The Academy is one of only four teams, boys and girls, across all classifications that can say they are still undefeated at 22-0. And the scariest part is that a sophomore is leading the way for the Wildcats in 5-foot-6 guard [player_tooltip player_id="145393" first="Aryanna" last="Perez"]. Perez’s 19.1 points per game ranks second in Class 3A to help the Wildcats score 67.4 points per game as a team. And she also gets the job done on defense with 4.1 steals per game. Perez isn’t the only sophomore either for The Academy as [player_tooltip player_id="117724" first="Mikylah" last="Espinosa"] chips in 16.2 PPG, good enough for seventh in Class 3A. Espinosa also leads the classification in steals with 7.1 a game. <strong>Kraich grinding for No. 18 Brush</strong> One of the most interesting stat lines of any player in Class 3A comes from the Beatdiggers’ <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Kenzie Kraich</strong></span>. The junior leads Class 3A in assists with 6.3 a game, while also sits second in the classification in blocks per game with 4.9. Offensively, she adds in 9.2 points per game with 37 made 3-pointers as Brush could be going up against The Academy in the second round if the Beatdiggers can get past No. 15 Grand Valley. Look for Brush’s Dalayna Tadolini as well and her team-high 13.5 points per game. <strong>No. 10 Eaton’s Kuskie makes argument for Class 3A’s top shooter</strong> We all know the 3-point line can change any game and Eaton has the girl to do it in <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Nakaiya Kuskie</strong></span>. The 5-foot-5 junior guard has made the most deep balls in Class 3A with 79 on her way to leading the Reds in scoring with 11.3 points per game. With a shooter like Kuskie it can be a boom-or-bust sort of deal, but when she’s hot it’s tough to handle, as seen by her making five or more 3-pointers six times this season, all leading to wins. <strong>No. 21 Estes Park holds top rebounder in Hamel</strong> Pulling down the most boards in Class 3A is none other than <span style="color: #00ccff"><strong>Olivia Hamel</strong></span> of Estes Park as the Bobcats are looking to pull the upset in the first round against No. 12 Manitou Springs. The 5-foot-10 senior averages 13.6 rebounds per game and is also her team’s leading scorer with 11.6 points per contest. The Bobcats don’t light up the scoreboard as a team with just over 42 points per game, but the prowess of Hamel on the glass allows for extra possessions or to cut opponents off at one shot. Hamel also adds in 2.5 blocks per game. <strong>Kravig looking to help No. 3 University play spoiler</strong> St. Mary’s and The Academy look to be on a crash course, but that’s not before [player_tooltip player_id="95131" first="Kylie" last="Kravig"] and her University squad have anything to say about it. Kravig leads the team in scoring with 14.2 points per game and also dishes out the fourth most assists in Class 3A with 4.4 a game. The 5-foot-8 junior is also toward the top in steals with 4 a game and she chips in 4.5 rebounds per game for good measure. Overall, Kravig is going to be a handful for whatever opponent sees her in the tournament.