Season Preview: 5A Jefferson County League

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. Still, 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 5A Jefferson County League. How it all shook out in ‘19-20 Valor Christian won the Jeffco title in the 2019-20 season, finishing 25-2 overall, and stayed undefeated in the league (8-0), earning them the number one overall seed in the 5A state tournament. Ralston Valley finished with an overall record of 21-4 (7-1 league) in an outstanding 2019-20 season, earning the seventh seed in the 5A state tournament. Teams -- Arvada West, Bear Creek, Chatfield, Columbine, Dakota Ridge, Lakewood, Pomona, Ralston Valley, Valor Christian Which playoff team advanced the furthest? Seven of the nine teams in the league made an appearance in the postseason, with six teams advancing through the first round. Valor Christian, Ralston Valley, and Columbine all reached the Sweet 16 round, with Ralston Valley and Valor Christian reaching the quarterfinals. Valor Christian was able to advance to the Final Four, but the Eagles saw their playoff journey come to an end in the semifinals, which brought the league’s dominant season to an end. [caption id="attachment_231987" align="alignright" width="239"]<img class=" wp-image-231987" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Raegan-Beers-Valor-Christian-300x227.jpg" alt="" width="239" height="181" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95168" first="Raegan" last="Beers"][/caption]A few returning players to watch [player_tooltip player_id="95168" first="Raegan" last="Beers"], Valor Christian - 2022 PF/C Already committed to Oregon State, Beers finished the season averaging a double-double with 15.5 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She also averaged 2.1 blocks and 1.8 steals a game, which greatly helped her team succeed. Beers is the second-ranked player in Colorado’s <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/colorado/rankings/2022-rankings/">Class of 2022</a> and was named to <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2020/04/prep-girls-hoops-colorado-all-sophomore-team/">PGH Colorado’s All-Sophomore first team</a> last winter. [caption id="attachment_231988" align="alignleft" width="236"]<img class=" wp-image-231988" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Saya-Sabus-Ralston-Valley-300x219.jpg" alt="" width="236" height="172" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117682" first="Saya" last="Sabus"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="117682" first="Saya" last="Sabus"], Ralston Valley - 2022 G Sabus was the epitome of a pace-pusher for the Mustangs for the 2019-20 season. She completed her sophomore season with an averaged of 10.2 points, three rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.7 assists per game. Her invaluable contribution to the team helped them reach the state quarterfinals. Sabus also earned herself a spot on PGH’s All-Sophomore team. [caption id="attachment_231989" align="alignright" width="219"]<img class=" wp-image-231989" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Grace-Talbot-Chatfield2-300x204.jpg" alt="" width="219" height="149" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95173" first="Grace" last="Talbot"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="95173" first="Grace" last="Talbot"], Chatfield - 2022 PG Talbot finished her sophomore season as the leading scorer in the league, posting an average of 19.2 points a game while showing off her ability to shoot from just about anywhere on the court. To go along with her scoring, she also averaged 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 steals, 2.6 assists per contest. [player_tooltip player_id="95126" first="Sydney" last="Bevington"], Ralston Valley - 2021 PG PGH’s seventh-ranked player in the 2021 class is an athlete who can be relied on to carry a heavy workload for her team. The Santa Clara commit helped lead her team all the way to the state quarterfinals, averaging 16.1 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 2.8 steals in her junior season. Bevington’s standout season landed her on <a href="https://prepgirlshoops.com/2020/04/prep-hoops-colorado-all-junior-team/">PGH Colorado’s All-Junior first team</a>. [caption id="attachment_231993" align="alignleft" width="248"]<img class=" wp-image-231993" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Jessica-Bollwahn-Columbine-300x207.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="171" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117697" first="Jessica" last="Bollwahn"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="117697" first="Jessica" last="Bollwahn"], Columbine - 2022 SF Bollwahn led her team in almost every statistical category during her sophomore campaign, posting an average of 15.1 points, eight rebounds, two steals, and 1.6 assists per game. With a season as strong as the one she had, it should come as no surprise that she was named to PGH’s All-Sophomore first team. Having Bollwahn in the lineup gives the Rebels a phenomenal player to build around. [caption id="attachment_231994" align="alignright" width="215"]<img class=" wp-image-231994" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Jasmyn-Williams-Arvada-West-300x247.jpg" alt="" width="215" height="177" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117723" first="Jasmyn" last="Williams"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="117723" first="Jasmyn" last="Williams"], Arvada West - 2022 PG Williams had an explosive 2019-20 season that landed her in the league’s spotlight. The exciting point guard averaged 4.7 points, 2.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and two rebounds per game. William’s speed, focus, and strong abilities as a perimeter defender landed a spot on the second-team All-Conference. Some other names to know [player_tooltip player_id="95124" first="Kindyll" last="Wetta"], Valor Christian [player_tooltip player_id="116763" first="Brooklyn" last="Seymour"], Ralston Valley [caption id="attachment_188844" align="alignright" width="214"]<img class=" wp-image-188844" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/07/Kindyll-Wetta-Valor-Christian4-300x209.jpg" alt="" width="214" height="149" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95124" first="Kindyll" last="Wetta"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="118730" first="Payton" last="Reed"], Arvada West [player_tooltip player_id="116767" first="Karissa" last="Lukasiewicz"], Valor Christian [player_tooltip player_id="116780" first="Mariah" last="Ramos"], Lakewood [player_tooltip player_id="95129" first="Jenna" last="Siebert"], Valor Christian [player_tooltip player_id="116797" first="Madison" last="Manson"], Arvada West [player_tooltip player_id="145395" first="Adrienne" last="Harnum"], Columbine [caption id="attachment_231997" align="alignright" width="212"]<img class=" wp-image-231997" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Mariah-Ramos-Lakewood-300x274.jpg" alt="" width="212" height="194" /> [player_tooltip player_id="116780" first="Mariah" last="Ramos"][/caption]Elena Montoya, Pomona Alex Thorton, Dakota Ridge Ary Cervantes, Bear Creek [player_tooltip player_id="95181" first="Juliette" last="Fillion"], Lakewood [player_tooltip player_id="20228" first="Haley" last="Huard"], Valor Christian [player_tooltip player_id="116820" first="Madison" last="Shepard"], Chatfield [player_tooltip player_id="116796" first="Skyler" last="Boylan"], Valor Christian [player_tooltip player_id="117692" first="Mariah" last="Hilliard"], Valor Christian [caption id="attachment_232008" align="alignright" width="211"]<img class=" wp-image-232008" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Adrienne-Harnum-Columbine-300x206.jpg" alt="" width="211" height="145" /> [player_tooltip player_id="145395" first="Adrienne" last="Harnum"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="145406" first="Amanda" last="Neff"], Arvada West [player_tooltip player_id="210292" first="Macey" last="Huard"], Valor Christian [player_tooltip player_id="207100" first="Talea" last="Kuennen"], Chatfield [player_tooltip player_id="117704" first="Briana" last="Robles"], Lakewood [player_tooltip player_id="95213" first="Ali" last="Wetta"], Valor Christian [player_tooltip player_id="118728" first="Brooke" last="Meeks"], Arvada West [player_tooltip player_id="117702" first="Wakinyela" last="Bear"], Dakota Ridge [caption id="attachment_232009" align="alignright" width="230"]<img class=" wp-image-232009" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Amanda-Archuleta-Lakewood-300x214.jpg" alt="" width="230" height="164" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117714" first="Amanda" last="Archuleta"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="117708" first="Logan" last="Watson"], Lakewood [player_tooltip player_id="207070" first="Sydney" last="Trinder"], Arvada West [player_tooltip player_id="207103" first="Peyton" last="Shepard"], Chatfield [player_tooltip player_id="117714" first="Amanda" last="Archuleta"], Lakewood [player_tooltip player_id="222379" first="Sydney" last="Baller"], Valor Christian, [player_tooltip player_id="118730" first="Payton" last="Reed"], Arvada West [player_tooltip player_id="95234" first="Grace" last="Murtagh"], Columbine A quick, early look to the spring The Valor Chrisitan Eagles swept the 5A Jeffco League and kept that energy all the way to a semifinals appearance in the 5A state playoffs. What should be a motivating factor for the Eagles is they accomplished that with a roster that will see the majority of its stars return this winter. The Eagles may have been the most dominant team in the league last season, but Ralston Valley proved to be no pushover when it came to tough competition. The Mustangs’ sole conference loss came at the hands of Valor Christian, which is why it was unsurprising that they were able to reach the quarterfinals of the playoffs. Much like the Eagles, the Mustangs are returning a lot of stellar talent this season. The Eagles will be favored to repeat last season’s success within the 5A Jeffco League, which says a lot in a league with such a competitive depth of programs.