Mead Wins 4A/5A Preseason Event: Six teams’ standouts

<span style="font-size: 8pt;">*[player_tooltip player_id="316812" first="Olivia" last="Sears"] pictured above</span> With fall leagues wrapped up, Green Mountain High School hosted one of the area’s last off-season tune-up events before the real thing starts this month. Heavyweights Chatfield, Mead, Castle View, Broomfield, Horizon, and Green Mountain each played three games and almost every game was competitive. Offering length and athleticism at every spot, Mead (3-0) had the strongest showing, beating Castle View, Broomfield, and Horizon. The Mavericks made all three opponents uncomfortable with presses and traps that showed midseason form. [player_tooltip player_id="145418" first="Charlotte" last="Brennan"] and [player_tooltip player_id="145425" first="Kyra" last="Haan"] constantly attacked the rim, with Brennan killing it at the free throw line and Haan killing it from behind the arc. Then there’s the versatility of [player_tooltip player_id="117722" first="Edie" last="Morrow"] and [player_tooltip player_id="316813" first="Jackie" last="Stephenson"]. Both are tough, strong, talented, and give Mead the chance to go for anything they want this year. They’re a well-coached group on the short-list of 4A contenders. Castle View (2-1) is trending back up towards the top of the Continental League. Coach Matt Hema has plenty of reasons to be optimistic despite losing his two top scorers to graduation. Abby Nagel is one of them. She flies in transition and showed she’s ready to step into first-option status as a shooter. [player_tooltip player_id="329413" first="Ella" last="Seeley"] adds muscle and technical skills within eight feet of either basket. [player_tooltip player_id="216697" first="Olivia" last="Loveland"] has the size and strength to defend every spot and is a wicked talented scorer with great range. And when the Cats need ball handling and someone who can make others better, [player_tooltip player_id="95239" first="Rielley" last="McNeill"] has the overall game to create something from nothing anytime the Sabercats need a bucket. Castle View really muscled out tough wins over Horizon and Chatfield after dropping one to Mead. Green Mountain (2-1) showcased a rising sophomore, [player_tooltip player_id="216664" first="Taylor" last="Ellington"], with solid ball handling and defensive energy all day. Against the Chargers, last year’s Jeffco 4A League MVP, [player_tooltip player_id="95215" first="Jayda" last="Maves"], went into one of her out-of-body experiences where she blacks out and wakes up with twenty points in the books. As the Rams were seeking depth at forward, Morgan Falconer showed she can defend inside and also embraces the Rams’ attacking offensive mentality. The smallest shot-put state finalist I’ve ever seen, Falconer shows strength can beat size and that may be a formula Green Mountain needs to rely on for depth at forward behind NCAA D2 commit, [player_tooltip player_id="117693" first="Avery" last="Oaster"]. The Rams do have one of the best guard trios in 4A with Maves and senior ball-handlers [player_tooltip player_id="316812" first="Olivia" last="Sears"] and [player_tooltip player_id="316814" first="Shea" last="Murphy"]. The Rams dropped a close one to Horizon and scrapped for close wins over Broomfield and Chatfield. Chatfield (1-2) is the real deal this year and won’t just quit when someone gets hot. The Chargers weathered Maves’ storm and pulled within two points midway through the final period before Green Mountain sealed it. Chatfield will be right in the mix for the not-Valor championship of Jeffco 5A (a fight for dibs on Jeffco-proper, not quite a championship, but better than a consolation). Some new faces who gained stripes were freshman Kylie Bickford, sophomore Ava Erickson, and I was impressed enough with Millie Hubbell, a senior, that I had to stop her in the handshake line and ask her name. A 5’10" do-it-all player, Hubbell has a great shot and gives the Charges so many threats. I haven’t even mentioned former League MVP [player_tooltip player_id="95173" first="Grace" last="Talbot"] (15.7 PPG) whose range extends to parts of the floor where defenders aren’t used to contesting shots. Plus they have a speed demon of an athlete who can shoot, [player_tooltip player_id="207100" first="Talea" last="Kuennen"] (9.1 PPG last year). The Chargers beat Broomfield and lost a two-point game to Castle View. The Horizon Hawks (1-2) can run this year and the Horizon Hawks can flex muscle. They attack defensive transition with relentless aggression and set stronger screens than many college teams. <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2021/10/fall-league-action-eight-teams-gearing-up/">I talked about their explosiveness here</a> but in this preseason tournament it was their toughness that stood out. Alyssa Temple’s shooting ability makes her such a tough matchup. With the leadership of [player_tooltip player_id="117703" first="Audra" last="Vine"] (14.3 PPG) and the potential of 6’3" freshman [player_tooltip player_id="329394" first="Kaitlin" last="Schumann"], this Horizon team is a blank canvas. The Hawks dropped close games to Mead and Castle View after beating Green Mountain. Broomfield (0-3) was well short of their full squad and still played Green Mountain close into the 4th quarter. [player_tooltip player_id="210369" first="Sophie" last="Christopher"] is a really strong ball handler making the Eagles tough to pressure. More on Christopher in an upcoming piece next week. Sophomore Kayleigh Jones impressed Coach Mike Croell and after graduating the 1105 point-scoring, 6’2" Courtney Wristen, the Eagles are welcoming a forward who could step right in to help fill that void, [player_tooltip player_id="329412" first="Sydney" last="Deem"]. The Eagles face a daunting non-league schedule to prep them what should be a good fight in the Front Range with games against Mullen, Rangeview, Holy Family, and Lakewood. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;