Season Preview: 3A Western Slope League

<strong>How it all shook out in ‘19-20 </strong>Delta suddenly erupted after a 2-3 start to its season --  the Panthers reeled off 19 consecutive victories, including nine in the league. Cedaredge (8-1) was a game back in what proved to be a very competitive league. Six of the 10 teams finished with a winning record and another was 9-10. <strong>Teams –</strong> Aspen, Basalt, Coal Ridge, Delta, Grand Valley, Gunnison, Moffat County and Roaring Fork (Cedaredge and Olathe are out). <strong>Which playoff team advanced the furthest?</strong> Delta was a force – the Panthers (21-4) advanced to the 3A quarterfinals and lost to Pagosa Springs. The beginning of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic ended the bracket right there. Cedaredge (19-5) also lost in the Sweet 16. <strong>A few returning players to watch</strong> <strong>Cayden King, Moffat County, 2023, F, 5-9</strong> King was a very productive freshman season with 11.3 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.3 steals. She scored a career-best 21 points twice last winter and didn't appear to be phased one bit at the varsity level. <strong>Maya Lindgren, Roaring Fork, 2021, G, 5-6</strong> Lindgren drained a Western Slope-best 37 3-pointers and made 73 percent of her free throws as a junior. In total, she averaged 12.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 2.8 steals. <strong>Keely Porter, Delta, 2021, G, 5-6</strong> The quarterback of the defending league champion returns and is ready for another run. In 2019-20, Porter led the team with 12.8 points, while also averaging 4.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and two steals a night. <strong>Taylor Wiescamp, Coal Ridge, 2021, F, 6-0</strong> Wiescamp shot 56 percent from the field in averaging 13.5 points, second-best in the loop. She also nearly averaged a double-double, pulling down eight rebounds a game. <strong>Some other names to know</strong> Jackie Camuniz, Coal Ridge, 2023, G, 5-6 [player_tooltip player_id="115784" first="Halle" last="Hamilton"], Moffat County, 2022, G, 5-6 Alexa Huff, Delta, 2021, F, 5-11 Erika Kuta, Delta, 2022, F, 5-11 Gracie Reardon, Basalt, 2021, G, 5-5 <strong>A quick, early look to Season B</strong> Do the mountain math – 13 of the top 16 leading scorers are back, three belonging to Delta … so attempting to knock off the Panthers is the thing.