Season Preview: Pikes Peak League

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 Pikes Peak League. &nbsp; <strong>How it all shook out in ‘19-20</strong> The league is quite different this season and last year's Pikes Peak League champion, Sand Creek, isn't in the field anymore. Prior to last season, however, Air Academy had won three straight Pikes Peak League titles. In the Colorado Springs Metro League last season, Doherty and Fountain-Fort Carson finished with matching 10-2 conference records atop the league standings. Doherty ended up with a slight point differential edge in the head-to-head series, which the two teams split. <strong>Teams –</strong> Air Academy, Cheyenne Mountain, Discovery Canyon, Doherty, Fountain-Fort Carson, Lewis-Palmer, Liberty, Palmer Ridge, Pine Creek, Rampart, Vista Ridge. <strong>Which playoff team advanced the furthest?</strong> Led last season by star guard [player_tooltip player_id="95020" first="Kylee" last="Blacksten"], who is now at the University of Colorado, Air Academy advanced to the Sweet 16 in Class 4A before falling to Holy Family. In Class 5A, Doherty made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to Fruita Monument. <strong>A few returning players to watch</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145396" first="Torie" last="Bass"], 2021, 5'4, PG, Fountain-Fort Carson</strong> If you're looking for a high-energy, high-motor player, then look no further than this CSU-Pueblo commit. A multi-sport standout who shines on the softball field, Bass is the tone-setter for the Trojans and averaged 13.5 points, five assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 steals as a junior in 2019-20. In each season Bass has been on the team, the Trojans have posted a better record than the year before and she'll be looking to push her team to new heights yet again in 2021. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="145403" first="Brianna" last="Sealy"], 2022, 5'10, PF, Air Academy</strong> Sealy moved to Colorado from Arizona last year, so she was a bit of a surprise at Air Academy. But she won't be surprising anyone this season. A bit undersized in the paint but with a good basketball body and exceptional strength, Sealy can be a game changer. She's working on her perimeter game to add a new element after she averaged 8.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a sophomore last winter. Her starting to step our behind the arc must be a scary thought for Pikes Peak League opponents. https://x.com/briseaaaa/status/1283850230799020032 <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="203415" first="Taryn" last="Lindsey"], 2021, 5'5, PG, Doherty</strong> A career double-digit scorer at Doherty, Lindsey has been working hard in the offseason and appears to be intent on having a big senior season. As a junior, she averaged 13.3 points, 2.8 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.7 steals a night. If Lindsey continues to progress and her teammates do the same, the Spartans have a talented core with the potential to push the team to new heights in the spring. https://x.com/TarynLindsey13/status/1307819905417457664 <strong>Griffin Greenwood, 2022, 5'11, PF, Lewis-Palmer</strong> Greenwood's first varsity season was quite the success and she's definitely a player to keep a close eye on this spring and in future seasons, as well. As just a sophomore in 2019-20, Greenwood averaged a double-double with 10.3 points and 11 rebounds per game. Greenwood has good court awareness and does a good job of making herself available for her teammates, whether that's posting up, moving without the ball or in the pick and roll. The young forward has also showed an ability to step out and shoot jump shots and if she continues to improve in that area, watch out. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116787" first="Jordyn" last="Gutierrez"], 2021, 5'11, SF, Pine Creek</strong> Coming off a junior season in which she led Pine Creek with 8.8 points, five rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.8 steals per game, Gutierrez figures to be the tone-setter once again for the Eagles. A good athlete, Gutierrez can drive hard with either hand and uses her length effectively to finish around the basket when she gets there. As solid as she already is in many areas of her game, she still has a lot of potential and continues to become more of an offensive threat as her pull-up jump shot and 3-point stroke improve. <strong>Some other names to know</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="95177" first="Payton" last="Sterk"], 2022, 5'9, PG, Doherty [player_tooltip player_id="145432" first="Alena" last="San Augustin"], 2023, 5'4, CG, Cheyenne Mountain [player_tooltip player_id="117709" first="Rylie" last="McMullen"], 2022, 5'7, CG, Palmer Ridge Mia Womack, 2022, 5'11, PF, Palmer Ridge [player_tooltip player_id="227386" first="Makenzie" last="Noll"], 2021, 5'5, CG, Doherty (Bethany College) Annie Louthan, 2021, 5'6, SG, Air Academy Jacy Rohr, 2023, 5'3, PG, Liberty [player_tooltip player_id="210293" first="Brynae" last="Stewart"], 2023, 5'9, CG, Pine Creek Taylor Wortkoetter, 2021, 5'8, SG, Vista Ridge [player_tooltip player_id="145428" first="Aiyana" last="Mitchell"], 2023, 6'3, PF, Fountain-Fort Carson Nicole Mauricio Rivera, 2021, 5'4, SG, Rampart <strong>A quick, early look to the spring</strong> This ought to be a very competitive league with Fountain-Fort Carson, Air Academy and Doherty expected to be the teams battling it out at the top. But in a shortened season and with 11 teams in the league, the standings could change on a dime and swing drastically depending on which teams have their A-Game on the right nights. There's no home-and-away schedule in the Pikes Peak like there is in other leagues. So with each team playing the others once, league title contenders had better make it count when they go head-to-head.