Season Recap: Northern League (4A)

The end of the girls’ basketball season in Colorado was cut short due to the advance of the coronavirus.<em> Eek.</em> Yet while the end, well, wasn’t much of an end at all, the winter season gave us plenty of memorable highlights and sparkling performances that didn’t go unnoticed. So, as we continue our look at league play across the state, with a focus on its standout players, let’s dive into the 4A Northern League. <strong>Who won league in ’19-20</strong> Thompson Valley. It finished a perfect 14-0 in the conference, four games better than second-place teams Northridge and Greeley Central. Centaurus, meanwhile, was 9-5, Longmont 7-7, Mountain View 3-11, Silver Creek 2-12 and Niwot 1-13. In the postseason, the Eagles had a first-round bye and drove all the way to the Sweet 16. Northridge, Greeley Central, Centaurus and Longmont each won its first-round game. <strong>Five players who shined this winter</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115770" first="Sydnee" last="Durtsche"], 2020, SF, Thompson Valley</strong> Prep Girls Hoops’ 36th-ranked senior in the state averaged a double-double in her final season of high school, putting up 13.5 points and 11.2 rebounds. At 5-foot-10, the gritty forward did a bit of everything — dominated the glass, shot at a 47 percent clip, averaged 3.4 steals per game. On the college radar, she may have flown somewhat under it. Eagles coach Paul Arrington told PGH earlier in the winter: “She’s a good player and she doesn’t get the credit she deserves because she passes the ball more than most scorers. But she works hard and she’s smart, and anybody that picks her up is going to be lucky.” <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118724" first="Laura" last="Gensert"], 2023, SG, Centaurus</strong> Gensert, one of six freshman who helped Centaurus bounce back from a five-win season in 18-19, is fearless. Exactly what you want out of your shooting guard. From her first high school game when she put up 15 shots against Lewis-Palmer, her confident game was on display in a first-round win over Pueblo South, scoring 11 of her 16 points in the final quarter to rally Centaurus into the second round. She led the league in scoring at 13.9 points per game and hit the second-most 3s in league (47) to Thompson Valley’s [player_tooltip player_id="117691" first="Amelia" last="Solt"] (48). <strong>Jordyn Lee, 2020, SF/PF, Longmont</strong> The journey from C-player to leader of the Trojans, that’s Lee’s. The forward exploded in her senior season with 13.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Hard-nosed, intelligent, the little-known prospect just a short while ago blossomed into a standout on both ends of the floor. In a first-round upset over D’Evelyn in the state playoffs, Lee scored 17 on 50 percent shooting, had 10 boards and helped clamp down the Jags’ offense. Trojans coach Wade Kingsbury said players like Lee help set the foundation on what looks to be a revitalized program from the north. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="117691" first="Amelia" last="Solt"], 2022, SG, Thompson Valley</strong> Solt had an impressive sophomore campaign, averaging 12.2 points to go along with 2.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 2.2 steals. Showing nice touch from inside and a solid stroke from deep, if her sophomore arc says anything it’s that the prospect will only improve heading into her junior year. Get this: After scoring in the double digits just twice over her first six games, she ended the season with 14 of 15 in double figures, including a 25-point outing against Mountain View, where she shot 9 of 14. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="207134" first="Alexis" last="Tapia"], 2022, PF, Greeley Central</strong> Tapia was a beast in the winter. And she has two more years left. Her final line as a sophomore was 12.4 points on 55 percent shooting to go along with 7.3 boards. A quick start, she scored 23 against rival Greeley West in the opening month, missing just once on 11 attempts. She then had 27 on 10 of 13 shooting in a win over Longmont at the end of January. The sophomore, showing soft touch, nice footwork — those key things you want from your post players — should garner her widespread attention moving forward. <strong>Who was all-conference in ’19-20</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="115770" first="Sydnee" last="Durtsche"], Thompson Valley [player_tooltip player_id="117691" first="Amelia" last="Solt"], Thompson Valley Jordynn Lee, Longmont [player_tooltip player_id="203430" first="Micaela" last="Hidalgo"], Greeley Central [player_tooltip player_id="207134" first="Alexis" last="Tapia"], Greeley Central [player_tooltip player_id="116814" first="Julia" last="Mischke"], Centaurus [player_tooltip player_id="222366" first="McKenna" last="Cone"], Northridge [player_tooltip player_id="117725" first="Seneya" last="Martinez"], Northridge [player_tooltip player_id="118724" first="Laura" last="Gensert"], Centaurus Marissa Bartels, Silver Creek Lily Sieben, Niwot