Season Preview: Colorado Springs Metro North

With the 2020-21 girls basketball season now scheduled to begin in January, we’re taking a look back/forward at how things went last year and what to look forward to in each of Colorado’s conferences. Many of the leagues are different and the shortened season certainly will present its own unique challenges, but we’re no less excited to see what Colorado’s many talented players have to offer in Season B. Here’s a snapshot of the Colorado Springs Metro North. &nbsp; <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>How it all shook out in ‘19-20</strong></p> This is a new-look league with plenty of team’s from last year’s Pikes Peak League and Colorado Springs Metro League. Sand Creek won the Pikes Peak title in 2019-20, going 23-2 overall and ran the table in league play (14-0) to enter the Class 4A state tournament as the No. 1 overall seed. More on that later… In 2019-20, Sierra also finished with an excellent 20-5 overall record and matched Canon City’s 14-1 conference mark atop the old 4A Colorado Springs Metro League. <strong>Teams – </strong>Elizabeth, Falcon, Mitchell, Sand Creek, Sierra, The Classical Academy. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Which playoff team advanced the furthest?</strong></p> If the teams in this new league, Sierra made it the deepest into the Class 4A bracket last winter. The Stallions entered the postseason as the No. 11 overall seed and made it all the way to the Great 8 before they were eventually eliminated by No. 6 Green Mountain. What seemed destined to be a deep tournament run in Class 4A was halted when top overall seed Sand Creek was stunned in the Sweet 16 by No. 16 Canon City. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>A few returning players to watch</strong></p> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95137" first="Nikki" last="Derrell"], 2021, 5’3, PG, Sand Creek</strong> One of the more electric and exciting players in Colorado, Derrell was a pleasure to watch as a junior. She plays with the ball on a string and is a relentlessly attacking scorer who averaged 14.5 points, 3.9 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.6 steals per game last season. Shooting 35 percent (50 for 168) from 3-point distance, Derrell is a gifted scorer who passed the 1,000-point threshold last season and will certainly be a player to watch this winter. https://x.com/COHawksASGR/status/1280617812604497925 [caption id="attachment_190277" align="alignright" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-190277" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/07/Hannah-Burg-Falcon-300x255.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="255" /> [player_tooltip player_id="116790" first="Hannah" last="Burg"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116790" first="Hannah" last="Burg"], 2021, 5’8, SG, Falcon</strong> Known for being a dynamic athlete who played quarterback for her school’s freshman team, to say that Burg took a step forward on the basketball court in 2019-20 would be a massive understatement. Still brimming with potential, Burg’s stock skyrocketed last winter while she averaged 14.1 points, 32 percent from long range, 4.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 3.3 steals a night. College coaches started to take notice and offers are rolling in, so following what Burg does as a senior on an up-and-coming Falcon team will be one of the most interesting storylines to follow in 2021. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="203439" first="Kianna" last="Lemons"], 2021, 5’5, CG, Sand Creek</strong> After sitting out her sophomore season because she transferred to Sand Creek, Lemons was a boon for a Scorpions team in 2019-20. It was hard to believe last winter was her first season playing varsity basketball because Lemons averaged 11.2 points, five rebounds, 3.1 assists and 3.8 steals. Lemons has a solid frame and is a very good athlete who appears to be poised for a big step forward this spring. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145426" first="Torrai" last="Logan"], 2023, 5’7, SF, Mitchell</strong> While the Marauders went 7-16, several young players showed plenty of promise and Logan certainly was one of them. Statistically one of the top scoring and rebounding freshmen in the state last season, she was second on her team with 11.6 points and night and led the Marauders with 7.3 rebounds. Developing quickly as a shooter, Logan also shot 30 percent (50 for 169) from 3-point, which was also tops on last year’s Mitchell squad. <strong>Katharine Roach, 2023, 5’7, SG, The Classical Academy</strong> Another freshman who highlighted her team’s efforts last season, Roach proved herself to be solid athlete and a tenacious competitor who didn’t back down from older players in 2019-20. She led the Titans in scoring with 9.3 points per game while also averaging 4.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals a night. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Some other names to know</strong></p> [player_tooltip player_id="117720" first="Billie" last="Fiore"], 2022, 5’7, PG, Falcon [player_tooltip player_id="95225" first="TiAna" last="Davis"], 2023, 5’5, CG, Sand Creek Aalyviah Smith, 2022, 5’2, PG, Mitchell Ariana Reyes, 2021, 5’2, PG, Sierra [player_tooltip player_id="117720" first="Billie" last="Fiore"], 2022, 5’7, PG, Falcon Jaide Howell, 2022, 5’7, SF, Sierra [player_tooltip player_id="116805" first="Kilee" last="Wood"], 2021, 5’8, SG, Falcon <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>A quick, early look to the spring</strong></p> The Sand Creek Scorpions dominated the Pikes Peak League last season and only graduated two seniors. With that type of firepower and experience returning, there’s no reason not to bet on the Scorpions this time around. So, that’s what we’ll do. With a small army of lightning quick undersized guards, the Sand Creek averaged 70.6 points per night in 2019-20 and unseated three-time reigning league champion Air Academy. Sand Creek had five players average over eight points per game last winter and only graduated one. Sand Creek might be the favorite but Sierra is always tough and Falcon has looked for a while now like a team building towards something special, so the Scorpions will have to be ready when they play those teams.