Four early storylines in Boulder County

The basketball season is two weeks old, which usually means next to squat on the grand scale of things. But with the season shrunk and a condensed playoff field not far ahead, it all seems a bit more of amplified. Here are four early storylines to keep an eye on out of the Boulder County region. &nbsp; <strong>The maturation of Dawson’s Maddy Timms</strong> Timms has excelled for the 2A program since she was a freshman. Something of a solid, uber-talented player to go along with four-year starters Kaitlyn and Madison Day. But with the Days now gone, and the basketball nights of 2021 upon us, Timms has taken her game to the next level. Up from 9.9 PPG from a year ago, the senior is averaging 16 on 46 percent shooting through four games. She also leads the team with 7.8 rebounds a contest. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-253417" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2021/02/Madison-Timms-289x300.jpg" alt="" width="289" height="300" /> Perhaps more impactfully, Timms has taken the role as the team’s unquestioned leader. “Last year, she kind of led by example and this year she is actually commanding the huddle,” Dawson coach Matt Johnston said. “Eventually, I’m going to try and give her timeouts and back away and say, ‘Just lead’.” The Mustangs are 2-2, with wins over Rocky Mountain Lutheran and Highland, and losses to Shining Mountain and Dayspring Christian Academy. <strong>Holy Family’s suffocating defense</strong> The Tigers, who raised their co-champions banner into the rafter after they were among the four teams left standing in last season’s tournament before it was shut down, have given up 21 or fewer points in three of their first four games. After a wake-up 59-44 loss to Lutheran on opening night, they held Broomfield to 20 in a 41-point win, Riverdale Ridge to 21 in a 66-point win and Centaurus to 15 to win by 49. [player_tooltip player_id="116779" first="Alyssa" last="Wells"] has proven throughout her career to not only be a talented scorer, but a shutdown defender. Long, quick and smart, she has 21 steals to just seven turnovers. [player_tooltip player_id="145397" first="Tyler" last="Whitlock"] leads the team with 13.5 PPG and has a stout 4.8 steals per game. Wells is averaging 12.3 points. &nbsp; <strong>Erie is averaging nearly 70 PPG through four games</strong> The Tigers have a trio of guards who can light it up from deep in [player_tooltip player_id="117710" first="Grace" last="Moyers"], [player_tooltip player_id="95176" first="Deb" last="Altshuler"] and Alea George. Then, down low, there’s the underrated senior [player_tooltip player_id="116819" first="Anna" last="Hefner"]. [caption id="attachment_194517" align="alignnone" width="300"]<img class="size-medium wp-image-194517" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/08/Anna-Hefner-Erie-1-300x216.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="216" /> [player_tooltip player_id="116819" first="Anna" last="Hefner"][/caption]Together, and with others, Erie is among the most explosive offenses in the state. So far, it has beat two 5A teams in Broomfield and Skyline, and lost by two to another 5A power in Fossil Ridge. The other game was a 77-18 win over Fort Morgan. Moyers, a slippery guard on the attack and a supremely gifted shooter, leads the way with 16.3 PPG on 45 percent shooting with 10 3s. Last year, she hit 68 3s. Altshuler is averaging 14.5 PPG, Hefner 13.8 and George 10.3. The team has averaged 69.8 points on 47 percent shooting through four games. &nbsp; <strong>Shining Mountain’s [player_tooltip player_id="116815" first="Frances" last="Hilliard"] on track for 1,000 points.</strong> Hilliard, who has averaged double-digit points in every season in high school, is at 20 PPG through three games this season. Her fourth game stats have not been added. Hilliard, a fantastic talent driving the lane, had been efficient inside the perimeter through her first three, going 15 of 32. From 3, she’s hit 8 of 23. Hilliard was at 933 career points with 11 games remaining. More importantly, she looks destined to lead the Lions on a deep postseason run yet again. Last year, they were left standing in the Final Four before the tournament was shut down due to the pandemic.