Season Preview: Front Range 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 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 Front Range League. How it all shook out in ‘19-20 Fossil Ridge came out of the regular season as the league champions while doing so in an undefeated (12-0) fashion. Their 19-4 record leading up to the postseason landed them the eighth seed for the 5A state tournament. Broomfield finished 11-1 in the league, earning them second place in the Front Range League and the 11th seed in the playoffs. Teams -- Boulder, Broomfield, Fairview, Fort Collins, Fossil Ridge, Horizon, Legacy, Loveland, Monarch, Mountain Range, Poudre, Rocky Mountain Which playoff team advanced the furthest? Nine out of the league’s 12 teams made an appearance in the postseason. Broomfield, Fairview, and Fossil Ridge all made it to the Sweet 16 round, with Fossil Ridge being the only team from the league to advance to the quarterfinals. [caption id="attachment_232022" align="alignright" width="238"]<img class=" wp-image-232022" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Courtney-Wristen-Broomfield-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="238" height="173" /> [player_tooltip player_id="95128" first="Courtney" last="Wristen"][/caption]A few returning players to watch [player_tooltip player_id="95128" first="Courtney" last="Wristen"], Broomfield, 2021 Forward Wristen is arguably the league’s top returning player from last season, leading in rebounds (215 total) and points scored (341 total). The 6-foot-2 University of San Diego commit completed her junior campaign averaging 14.2 points, nine rebounds, 2.3 blocks, 1.8 steals, and 1.2 assists per game. She is the fifth-ranked player in her class per the Prep Girls Hoops rankings and was named first-team All-Conference. Wristen, who posted 12 double-doubles last season, is already perceived as an early candidate to receive the league’s player of the year award potentially. [player_tooltip player_id="116773" first="Brooke" last="Bohlender"], Poudre, 2021 Forward/Guard Out of the league’s returning players, Bohlender is the second leading scorer behind Wristen. The 5-foot-11 athlete scored a total of 318 points and finished with an average of 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.3 steals, 1.7 assists, and a block per game. Bohlender ended the 2019-20 season with three double-doubles and a spot on the first-team All-Conference list. [caption id="attachment_232023" align="alignright" width="236"]<img class=" wp-image-232023" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Emily-Johnson-Fort-Collins-300x211.jpg" alt="" width="236" height="166" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117726" first="Emily" last="Johnson"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="117726" first="Emily" last="Johnson"], Fort Collins, 2022 Center Johnson is the second-leading rebounder to return this winter, trailing the top spot by one board. The 6-foot center averaged 11.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, and one assist per contest last season. Johnson had seven games where she posted double-doubles, one of which was a season-high of 24 rebounds. The Lambkins are a young team with a lot of returning talent who will be looking to their first-team All-Conference star to help lead them to a playoff appearance this season. [caption id="attachment_232026" align="alignleft" width="207"]<img class=" wp-image-232026" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Kailey-Page-Fairview4-300x265.jpg" alt="" width="207" height="183" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117721" first="Kailey" last="Page"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="117721" first="Kailey" last="Page"], Fairview, 2022 Forward Page was Fairview’s dominant post player during her sophomore season. The 5-foot-10 forward completed the year with five double-doubles, four of which happen in consecutive games. She ended last season with averages of 10.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks, two steals, and 1.8 assists per game. For her contributions and hard work, Page was named to the second-team All-conference list. The Knights will be looking to rebuild their team like many of the league’s programs, and Page is the perfect player to have when doing so. [caption id="attachment_232027" align="alignright" width="244"]<img class=" wp-image-232027" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Abbie-Gillach-Boulder2-300x213.jpg" alt="" width="244" height="173" /> [player_tooltip player_id="116813" first="Abbie" last="Gillach"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="116813" first="Abbie" last="Gillach"], Boulder, 2021 Guard Gillach was much more than just a point guard for the Panthers; she was their heartbeat. Her averages of 10.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game only show a small portion of her on-court contributions. The Panthers were in the beginning stages of a rebuild and found a definite focal point in Gillach. The 5-foot-5 guard was named to the league’s first-team All-Conference and will be expected to lead her team for her final high school season. [caption id="attachment_232028" align="alignleft" width="186"]<img class=" wp-image-232028" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Natalie-Guanella-Monarch-300x290.jpg" alt="" width="186" height="180" /> [player_tooltip player_id="222378" first="Natalie" last="Guanella"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="222378" first="Natalie" last="Guanella"], Monarch, 2023 Guard Guanella exploded onto the high school basketball scene in a stellar freshman season. She averaged 9.1 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 assists per game, earning her a spot on the league’s second-team All-Conference list. Guanella saw the most playing time out of all of the underclassmen on the Coyotes’ roster, which will put them in an excellent position for years to come.   Some other names to know [caption id="attachment_205122" align="alignright" width="248"]<img class=" wp-image-205122" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/09/Emma-Rich-Broomfield3-300x216.jpg" alt="" width="248" height="179" /> [player_tooltip player_id="203422" first="Emma" last="Rich"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="203422" first="Emma" last="Rich"], Broomfield, 2021 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="117703" first="Audra" last="Vine"], Horizon, 2022 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="118727" first="Delaney" last="Matkin"], Rocky Mountain, 2023 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="117712" first="Kajsa" last="Borrman"], Loveland, 2022 Center/Forward Ella Bartsch, Boulder, 2022 Forward [player_tooltip player_id="117718" first="Katie" last="Paredes"], Legacy, 2022 Forward [caption id="attachment_232029" align="alignright" width="240"]<img class=" wp-image-232029" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Delaney-Matkin-Rocky-Mountain-300x229.jpg" alt="" width="240" height="183" /> [player_tooltip player_id="118727" first="Delaney" last="Matkin"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="203428" first="Hannah" last="Chavez"], Mountain Range, 2021 Forward/Center Emily Kennie, Monarch, 2021 Guard Laisha Armendariz-Lopez, Rocky Mountain, 2021 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="203423" first="Hayley" last="Ventura"], Broomfield, 2021 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="145421" first="Kate" last="Davis"], Fossil Ridge, 2023 Forward Britta Cardenas, Fossil Ridge, 2022 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="116816" first="Chelin" last="Isaacson"], Monarch, 2021 Guard [caption id="attachment_232040" align="alignright" width="251"]<img class=" wp-image-232040" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Hannah-Chavez-Mountain-Range-300x221.jpg" alt="" width="251" height="185" /> [player_tooltip player_id="203428" first="Hannah" last="Chavez"][/caption]Avery Buhler, Loveland, 2021 Guard Aaliyah Chavez, Mountain Range, 2022 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="118731" first="Abby" last="Saville"], Rocky Mountain, 2023 Forward [player_tooltip player_id="210370" first="Brooke" last="McCormack"], Broomfield, 2023 Forward Bela Voglund, Poudre, 2022 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="145435" first="Bella" last="Schilling"], Fossil Ridge, 2023 Guard [player_tooltip player_id="210369" first="Sophie" last="Christopher"], Broomfield, 2023 Guard [caption id="attachment_232041" align="alignright" width="241"]<img class=" wp-image-232041" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/pgh/uploads/2020/11/Katie-Paredes-Legacy-300x218.jpg" alt="" width="241" height="175" /> [player_tooltip player_id="117718" first="Katie" last="Paredes"][/caption][player_tooltip player_id="210339" first="Rylynn" last="Gonzales"], Horizon, 2023 Guard A quick, early look to the spring The majority of the top teams from the 2019-20 season were led by seniors who have since graduated, meaning that the league is a little more open this year. A common question for the Front Range League will be who’s roster will step up this year? If any team were to look like a potential front-runner at the moment, it would be the Broomfield Eagles. The Eagles will be returning three of their top five scorers from last season, but that does not make them a shoo-in for the league champion spot. Even though they may look like the preseason front-runners, the margin size between the other teams is still unknown. It is safe to say that the league is up for grabs!