Season Preview: East Metro Athletic Conference

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 the spring. Here's a snapshot of the East Metro Athletic Conference. <strong>How it all shook out in ‘19-20</strong> Last year's EMAC title race was a battle. Three teams – Rangeview, Vista PEAK and Thornton – all finished with 9-1 conference records and split head-to-head series with one another. Rangeview's only league loss was to Thornton, Vista PEAK's only league loss was the Rangeview and Thornton's only league loss was the Vista PEAK. That's about as tight as it gets. Overall, Rangeview went 18-7, Vista PEAK went 22-3 and Thornton went 20-5. Three other teams – Prairie View, Brighton and Westminster – posted 6-4 conference records while winning double-digit games overall. <strong>Teams –</strong> Adams City, Brighton, Gateway, Hinkley, Northglenn, Prairie View, Rangeview, Vista PEAK, Westminster. <strong>Which playoff team advanced the furthest?</strong> Vista PEAK and Rangeview each entered the Class 5A state tournament with first-round byes and won their second-round matchups to reach the Sweet 16. In the second round, Rangeview beat a good Chaparral squad and Vista PEAK won its third game of the season against league rival Thornton. In the Sweet 16, Rangeview fell to No. 1 overall seed Valor Christian, while Vista PEAK lost to Fossil Ridge. Had they won, the EMAC rivals would have faced each other in the Great 8. That would have been something to see. <strong>A few returning players to watch</strong> <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="116777" first="Brianna" last="Linnear"], 2021, 5'8, CG, Rangeview</strong> Already signed to play at Seward County Community College, Linnear has been a versatile force at Rangeview for years and she's ready to lead the way for the Raiders one last time. As a junior, she averaged 13.4 points, four assists, 3.3 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game. With Linnear back in the mix to set the tone for a very talented returning core, there's a lot to like about the Raiders' prospects in Season B. [caption id="attachment_219000" align="alignright" width="245"]<img class=" wp-image-219000" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/10/Amanda-Byrnes-Brighton-300x220.jpg" alt="" width="245" height="180" /> [player_tooltip player_id="118721" first="Amanda" last="Byrnes"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="118721" first="Amanda" last="Byrnes"], 2023, 6'1, SF, Brighton</strong> At 6-foot-1 with great length and mobility, Byrnes is brimming with potential. Averaging 3.3 points per game on a team that likes to spread the ball around, she also was second on the team with 6.1 rebounds in 2019-20. Named honorable mention on the <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2020/04/prep-girls-hoops-colorado-all-freshman-team/">Prep Girls Hoops Colorado All-Freshman Team</a> last winter, Byrnes appears to have major upside and a potentially bright future as a top-10 player in Colorado's <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/colorado/rankings/2023-rankings/">Class of 2023</a>. [caption id="attachment_232105" align="alignleft" width="253"]<img class=" wp-image-232105" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/Mikenzie-Jones2-300x209.jpg" alt="" width="253" height="176" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95171" first="Mikenzie" last="Jones"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95171" first="Mikenzie" last="Jones"], 2022, 6'1, C, Vista PEAK</strong> Athletic and with a deadly-quick first step, Jones continues to round out nicely as an all-around player. Her midrange jumper and ability to attack off the dribble continue to improve and as a sophomore in 2019-20, she Jones averaged 11.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, two assists, 1.8 steals and an impressive 3.5 blocked shots a game. A smart and powerful player, expect Jones to assert her presence in the paint even more this year. [caption id="attachment_232106" align="alignright" width="255"]<img class=" wp-image-232106" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/Alexei-Trujillo-Westminster-300x238.jpg" alt="" width="255" height="202" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95233" first="Alexei" last="Trujillo"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95233" first="Alexei" last="Trujillo"], 2023, 5'3, CG, Westminster</strong> Trujillo transferred in after playing her freshman season at Columbine and what an add this is for an up-and-coming Westminster program. As a freshman in 2019-20, Trujillo was Columbine's fourth leading scorer with 5.3 points a game. She did just about all of that damage from behind the 3-point arc, where she shot 35 percent (34 for 98) and went 6 for 8 on her way to a career-high 20 points against Chatfield. Already one of the best 3-point shooters in Colorado, Trujillo hit some huge shots for Columbine in last winter's postseason and will bring a dynamic perimeter threat and solid defensive presence to the Wolves. [caption id="attachment_232107" align="alignleft" width="206"]<img class=" wp-image-232107" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/NyEra-West-Rangeview2-300x298.jpg" alt="" width="206" height="205" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95175" first="Ny'Era" last="West"][/caption]<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="95175" first="Ny'Era" last="West"], 2022, 5'9, CG, Rangeview</strong> Despite playing on a deep roster that includes Linnear and other talented players, it was West who led the Raider in scoring with 16.8 points per game. She was also among the state's leaders in steals, averaging an incredible 4.3 a night. Athletic strong and always on the attack at both ends of the floor, West never stops working and has a versatile skill set to match her athleticism and allow her to impact the game in many different ways. As a sophomore last season, West also averaged 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists. [caption id="attachment_232108" align="alignright" width="261"]<img class=" wp-image-232108" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/Nikki-Antonopoulos-Brighton2-300x210.jpg" alt="" width="261" height="183" /> [player_tooltip player_id="116795" first="Nikki" last="Antonopoulos"][/caption]<strong>Some other names to know</strong> [player_tooltip player_id="203416" first="Tariana" last="Paige"], 2021, 5'11, SF, Vista PEAK [player_tooltip player_id="116782" first="Valeria" last="Salinas-Vargas"], 2021, 5'10, C, Adams City [player_tooltip player_id="203418" first="Liyah" last="Bruin"], 2021, 5'6, CG, Brighton [player_tooltip player_id="116795" first="Nikki" last="Antonopoulos"], 2021, 5'6, SG, Brighton [player_tooltip player_id="116793" first="Carly" last="Pomrenke"], 2021, 5'9, SF, Brighton [caption id="attachment_232109" align="alignright" width="245"]<img class=" wp-image-232109" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/Valeria-Salinas-Vargas-Adams-City-297x300.jpg" alt="" width="245" height="247" /> [player_tooltip player_id="116782" first="Valeria" last="Salinas-Vargas"][/caption]Lauren Graves-Bonilla, 2021, 5'6, CG, Westminster [player_tooltip player_id="207102" first="Payton" last="Gagon"], 2022, 5'8, SF, Brighton [player_tooltip player_id="145558" first="Grace" last="Solarin"], 2022, 5'10, SF, Rangeview [player_tooltip player_id="145414" first="Breanna" last="Jefferson"], 2022, 5'3, CG, Vista PEAK Taniah Knox, 2022, 5'6, CG, Gateway [player_tooltip player_id="145559" first="Genesis" last="Sweetwine"], 2022, 5'4, PG, Rangeview [player_tooltip player_id="117719" first="Daijah" last="Watkins"], 2022, 5'9, SF, Rangeview Emelyn Tineo Gonzalez, 2022, PF, Northglenn [caption id="attachment_232110" align="alignright" width="257"]<img class=" wp-image-232110" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/12/Lauren-Graves-Bonilla2-Westminster-2-300x245.jpg" alt="" width="257" height="210" /> Lauren Graves-Bonilla[/caption] [player_tooltip player_id="210341" first="Zia" last="Gonzales"], 2023, 5'6, SG, Brighton Courtney Auld, 2023, CG, Prairie View <strong>A quick, early look to the Season B</strong> Thornton and Prairie Views lost a lot of talent to graduation. So did the Vista PEAK Bison, who should be able to reload with some younger players who showed a lot of promise last winter. Brighton and Westminster should continue their recent trend of improvement. However, there's a clear favorite this season, at least on paper, and that's Rangeview. The Raiders finished atop the league last season and return all but one of their top eight players from last season. It's hard to argue against a team that shared the league title last winter and should be significantly improved. But hey, you never know.