Season Recap: Southwestern League (5A/4A)

With the season ending early, we take a look at a league that was able to compete against some of the top teams in the state. The Southwestern League has players that have shown their ability to lift their team when needed. Let’s dive in and look back at the Southwestern League, and five players who stood out. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18pt;color: #3366ff"><strong>Who won the league in ’19-20?</strong></span> With five teams in the league there are three teams that were trying to battle for the league champs: Fruita Monument, Montrose, and Durango all finished above .500 in league. Fruita Monument was the team that took the league championship home, finishing 23-3 overall and 7-1 in league. The wildcats defeated Doherty to getting past the Sweet 16 and face Grandview. Fruita Monument made it further in the playoffs this year than in previous seasons. Having a strong season this year, the Wildcats’ only three losses came from an out-of-state opponent, Durango and Grandview. &nbsp; <span style="font-size: 14pt"><strong><span style="color: #3366ff;font-size: 18pt">Five players who shined</span> </strong></span> [caption id="attachment_132619" align="alignright" width="300"] [player_tooltip player_id="115788" first="Callie" last="Allen"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115788" first="Callie" last="Allen"] (Fruita Monument)</strong> Standing at six feet tall, Allen is a fundamentally-sound player in the post and has great touch around the rim. She does a great job finishing with a variety of moves near the basket. Allen is the team leader in points with 14.4 per game, shooting 141 for 349 (40 percent) from the field. She does a great job running the floor in transition, making her a easy target. Allen also averaged 6.1 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game, and scored a season high in points twice in the season with 22. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="115789" first="Kennadie" last="Minerich"] (Montrose)</strong> Minerich can score the ball with the best of them, putting up some good performances during her last season. Standing at 5-foot-7, she averaged 10.2 points, 2.5 steals and 2.3 assists per game, which made her second on her team in assists and first on her team in steals. Allen scored a season high in points with 25 against Harrison. &nbsp; <strong>Mason Rowland (Durango)</strong> Rowland led her team in points as a freshman, averaging 8.6 per game. She is also the team leader in rebounds per game with 4.8, and averaged 1.7 steals per game. Rowland scored a season high in points in back-to-back games with 18 against Skyview and Green Mountain. In Rowland’s freshman debut, she was able to score 214 points in the season and finished with 43 steals. She was a freshman who can do a little bit of everything for her team. &nbsp; <strong>Lila Dere (Fruita Monument)</strong> Dere is another key player for Fruita Monument and was the second leading scorer on her team with 13.5 points per game. Helping her team receive a No. 10 seed in the playoffs, the 5-foot-6 guard also averaged 4.5 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. Dere scored a season-high 21 points against Grand Junction and finished with 310 points in the season. Dere is a player who shows relentless effort and loves to force turnovers. &nbsp; <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116810" first="Leah" last="Redding"] (Grand Junction Central)</strong> The second leader in points in her league, Dere averaged 13.6 points per game and also averaged 3.2 rebounds and 1.4 assists. Redding led her team in steals and is able to turn her defense into offense, averaging 3.2 steals per game. She was able to score a total of 313 points her junior year for Grand Junction Central, putting her at 718 for her career.  Redding is on pace to break 1,000 points in her career for the Warriors. &nbsp; <span style="color: #3366ff;font-size: 18pt"><strong>Who was voted all-conference in 2019-20?</strong></span> <strong>First team </strong> [player_tooltip player_id="115788" first="Callie" last="Allen"], Fruita Monument Lila Dere, Fruita Monument Josie Eccher, Montrose [player_tooltip player_id="115789" first="Kennadie" last="Minerich"], Montrose Mason Rowland, Durango [player_tooltip player_id="116810" first="Leah" last="Redding"], Grand Junction Central <strong>Second team</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="115790" first="Bailey" last="Rigsby"], Fruita Monument Caraline Burwell, Montrose Allison Nichols, Montrose Emma Fitzpatrick, Durango Mya Murdock, Grand Junction Central Dolcie Hanlon, Grand Junction