5A-4A East Metro Athletic Conference ’21-22

&nbsp; Here’s a quick peek at the 5A-4A East Metro Athletic Conference. <strong>What happened in something called Season B</strong> It was a rough campaign for a nine-team group that was originally designed to play among each other, gain confidence and learn to compete on the fly. Rangeview was EMAC champion, going 8-0 in the loop and 14-2 overall. However, the Raiders were one of only two EMAC teams to have a winning record. Only nearby Vista PEAK Prep had an over-.500 mark at 5-4, but it also was only 3-2 in the league because of – you guessed it -- COVID-19 issues. &nbsp; <strong>Teams –</strong> Adams City, Brighton, Gateway, Hinkley, Northglenn, Prairie View, Rangeview, Vista PEAK Prep and Westminster. &nbsp; <strong>Which playoff team(s) made the loop’s most noise?</strong> It’s easy enough – Rangeview earned the No. 11 seed in the bracket and won twice over Fort Collins schools, 62-45 over Rocky Mountain and 69-65 against Fossil Ridge. The Raiders went out in the Great 8 to eventual champion Valor Christian by 80-55. The only other EMAC team to get into the 32-team bracket was Westminster, which was the lowest seed and ended up vanquished, 75-14 to Valor in the preliminaries. <strong> </strong> <strong>The short list of returnees to follow</strong> Brianna Jefferson, Vista PEAK Prep, Sr., G, 5-3 Diminutive, yes, but she was the league’s leading scorer (18.7 ppg) a year ago. Also was good for 3.2 assists and 4.7 steals. &nbsp; Nyera West, Rangeview, Sr., G, 5-7 Point guard barely trailed Jefferson in top-scoring honors (she went for 18.6 ppg). Also went for a combined 48 points in the postseason victories. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="95171" first="Mikenzie" last="Jones"], Vista PEAK Prep, Sr., F, 6-1 The inside part of VPP’s game – averaged 17.2 points and 11.2 rebounds. Best around the basket. &nbsp; Lex Trujillo, Westminster, Jr., F, 5-4 Went for double figures in every outing but one – scored only four points on 1-for-14 shooting against Valor, and is eager to rectify that. &nbsp; <strong>You may also wish to keep track of …</strong> Jameri Hartsfield, Gateway, Sr., G, 5-6 A scrapper, averaged 9.2 points and 6.4 rebounds. &nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id="145559" first="Genesis" last="Sweetwine"], Rangevew, Sr., G, 5-4 Another part of the Raiders’ experienced backcourt. Quick, went for 9.2 points in 2020-21. &nbsp; Taniah Knox, Gateway, Jr., G, 5-6 Guard likes to mix it up - averaged 6.0 rebounds as a junior. &nbsp; <strong>A short look ahead to 2021-22</strong> A whopping 13 of the EMAC’s top 17 scorers from a season ago return, mostly at guard. There’s speed, quickness and lots of room for improvement. The race to keep up with the rest of the class continues and the EMAC is reloading. The Aurora schools seem to be the leaders … again. &nbsp;