Playoff Standouts! 5A Round of 32 – Part 1

Playoff Standouts! 5A Round of 32 &#8211; Part 1

Payton Bang

Darren Pitzner

February 27, 2022 @ 11:07 PM

It’s playoff season! The playoffs are so fun but also so painfully fleeting. On your team this time of year, individual stats don’t matter one bit. It’s about surviving to play another day. But still, from a recruiting standpoint, it’s important to notice who plays big for their team in the biggest of moments. The summer grassroots circuits are great but there is no time like late February and early March to evaluate the best teammates, leaders, and players.

Out of 63 teams in 5A, only 16 remain. Check out the bracket here. Let’s take a look at some of the best in the Round of 32 from the Kaye Garms and Rhonda Blanford-Green brackets:

#1 Valor Christian 61 – #32 Mountain Vista 15

Mountain Vista got the toughest draw in the 1 vs 32 game. Valor’s depth was on full display as four Eagles notched double figures, Reagan Beers with 16 (and 12 boards, 4 steals, 3 assists), Quinn VanSickle Quinn VanSickle 5'8" | CG Valor Christian | 2025 State CO and Mariah Hilliard Mariah Hilliard 5'4" | PG Valor Christian | 2022 State CO each with a dozen, and Macey Huard Macey Huard 6'2" | SG Valor Christian | 2023 State CO scoring 10.

#17 Air Academy 55 – #16 ThunderRidge 51

Caitlin Kramer Caitlin Kramer 6'3" | SF Air Acadamy | 2024 State CO was just a bit too much for the Grizzlies to handle as the 6’2″ sophomore went for 17.7 points per game this year. I know she had a strong night on Friday but I don’t have her final numbers. T-R led much of the game behind strong showings by Alexis Baker Alexis Baker 5'7" | CG ThunderRidge | 2024 State CO (18 points) and Ben Kayser-Cochran Ben Kayser-Cochran 6'2" | SF ThunderRidge | 2024 State CO (10 points).

#8 Chaparral 62 – #25 Denver South 34

Chaparral was able to put the squeeze on Denver South aided by Regan Lentell who nailed 4 of 7 from behind the arc to tally 18 points. Avery Bang Avery Bang 6'1" | PF Chaparral | 2022 State CO and Payton Bang Payton Bang 6'1" | PF Chaparral | 2022 State CO were their usual dominant selves with 18 points/13 boards and 9 points/6 boards, respectively. For the Ravens, Addison Wolden stands out with 4 points and a beastly 20 rebounds.

#9 Regis Jesuit 47 – #24 Arvada West 44

Arvada West had a great season and nearly capped it off with an upset win over Regis Jesuit. Ellie Pugliese Ellie Pugliese 5'7" | CG Arvada West | 2023 State CO , Brooke Meeks Brooke Meeks 5'11" | SG Arvada West | 2023 State CO , and Amanda Neff Amanda Neff 5'10" | PF Arvada West | 2022 State CO all scored 8 in the Wildcats’ balanced attack. In the end, free throws made a big difference as Regis converted on 13 of 19 while A-West hit only 5 of 14. Coryn Watts Coryn Watts 5'8" | CG Regis Jesuit | 2024 State CO hit 14 points with 4 steals. Sophia Meyer Sophia Meyer CG Regis Jesuit | 2023 State CO scored 12 on only 7 shots. And Hana Belibi dropped a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards.

#4 Monarch 59 – #36 Legacy 41

Natalie Guanella Natalie Guanella 5'7" | PG Monarch | 2023 State CO made sure Monarch’s rematch with Legacy wasn’t nearly as close as their 49-45 February 4th matchup. She did what she’s done all year, willing her way to the rim and to the free throw line, exploding for 25 points. The Coyotes also got 16 from Caroline Walley and 14 from Arezo Safi Arezo Safi 6'0" | PF Monarch | 2023 State CO . Legacy’s freshman, Olivia Mortensen Olivia Mortensen 5'9" | SG Legacy | 2025 State CO capped a great season with 18 points. She scored double figures in the Lightning’s last six games. Westbrook Jensen scored 10 in her final high school game.