Colorado small-school high school girls basketball playoffs kick into high gear

All that means is that it is now win or go home. Throughout each classification there are teams that will make long road trips with the intention of merely surviving and advancing to next week.

Here's an overview of what to look forward to for the 3A state tournament, as well as 2A and 1A regionals.

Class 3A // Brackets



It's no surprise that two-time defending champion St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) comes in as the top seed in the 3A bracket. The Pirates have two of the top six scorers in the classification on their roster in Josephine Howery (21.8 points per game) and Seneca Hackley (16.3). They'll take on No. 32 Eagle Ridge Academy (Brighton) in the opening round before meeting the winner of Jefferson Academy (Broomfield) and Moffat County (Craig). Rachel Moreno leads Jefferson Academy with 11.6 points per game. Bulldogs freshman Cayden King matches that number and adds 6.8 rebounds to her stat line.

An undefeated regular season gives The Academy (Westminster) the No. 2 overall seed in the tournament. It's a sophomore duo that has the Wildcats in the championship hunt as Aryanna Perez scores 19.2 points per game and Mikylah Espinosa adds 16.2. Both are top 10 scorers in 3A. The Academy takes on Sterling in the first round with the winner of that getting the winner of Brush vs. Grand Valley (Parachute).

Fresh off a win in the Patriot League district championship game, University (Greeley) enters the bracket as the No. 3 seed. Taylor Gollhofer is a big reason for the Bulldogs' success with 13 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Kylie Kravig leads the team with 14.4 points per game. The winner between University and La Junta takes on the winner of SkyView Academy (Highlands Ranch) and Cedaredge. SkyView Academy's Hannah Banko matches Kravig's 14.4 points per game.

Delta will host a couple of games after earning the No. 4 seed in the bracket. The Panthers are very balanced in scoring as Keely Porter, Sara Geddes and Alexa Huff all average double figures. They'll take on Buena Vista and center Mady McFee (18.5 points per game) in the first round. The winner of Platte Valley (Kersey) and Roaring Fork (Carbondale) awaits in the second round.

Considering that three of Pagosa Springs four losses have come to teams seeded in the top 11 of the 3A tournament, the Pirates might be the most battle-tested team in the bracket. Pagosa's guests this weekend includes a pair of Tri-Peaks teams. The Pirates meet Colorado Springs Christian on Friday, while Manitou Springs takes on Estes Park immediately following. Manitou Springs has become diverse in their scoring efforts as Aniah Olson averages 12.7 points per game, while Grace Allen adds 10. Alexia Vigil has come on strong lately to raise her average to 9.8.

Centauri (La Jara) will be pulling double-duty as host as both the boys and girls earned top-eight seeds. On the girls end, Mia Garcia and her 9.8 points per game lead the Falcons against Kent Denver (Englewood) in the first round. A potential grudge match for Centauri with league foe Alamosa awaits in the second round as the Mean Moose take on Riverdale Ridge (Thornton). Emily Lavier scores 14.2 per game for Alamosa and has proven to be a 3-point threat all season.



Lutheran (Parker) is the No. 7 seed, but is one of the more dangerous teams coming into the tournament. The team averages 13.8 steals per game with Stephanie Schultz accounting for 3.2 of them. She also leads the team in scoring with 15.2 points per game. The Lions take on Coal Ridge (New Castle) with the winner meeting either Eaton or Trinidad on Saturday.

Faith Christian (Arvada) has the No. 8 seed. Ashley Finch sets the tone for the Eagles with 14.3 points and 11.7 rebounds per game. They'll see Middle Park (Granby) in the first round on Friday. The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs) and Liberty Common (Fort Collins) meet in the other matchup. Alexis Garcia leads the Coursers with 14.9 points per game which also makes her a top-10 scorer in the classification.

Class 2A // Brackets
Region 1
Holyoke enters regionals as the top seed in all of 2A. The Dragons haven't lost since Jan. 18 and are led by Kristin Vieselmeyer's 13.8 points per game. They meet the Lotus School For Excellence (Aurora) in the first round. Amana Malki averages 18.5 points for the Meteors and is the No. 2 overall scorer in 2A. The winner of Lotus and Holyoke meets the winner of Denver Christian and Soroco (Oak Creek).

Region 2
Limon enters Regionals as the No. 2 seed and is one of the most balanced teams in all of 2A. Trista Marx leads the team with 9.7 points per game, but the Badgers get at least 8.7 PPG from two other players. They'll see Loveland Classical on Friday. Lions senior Carolyn Esh is fifth in 2A at 17.4 points per game.

Region 3
Meeker is the top seed in Region 3 thanks in big part to Julia Dinwiddie. The senior is a top-10 scorer in the classification and has helped the Cowboys to a 20-2 record. They haven't lost a game since before Christmas. Meeker faces Telluride on Friday, with the winner getting either Wray or Calhan on Saturday.

Region 4
Heritage Christian (Fort Collins) looks like a tough No. 4 seed after dropping just one game (to 4A's George Washington) all year. Emma Johnson has had a fantastic season, averaging 16.6 points and 13.1 rebounds per game. The Eagles meet Byers in the first round. Sanford vs. Hayden is the other first-round game of the region. The two winners will meet Saturday.



Region 5
Sophomore Sophie Adamson and her 14.7 points per game have Rye as the No. 5 seed. The Thunderbolts play Center, with the winner getting the winner of defending 2A champion Yuma and Dawson School (Lafayette).

Region 6
With Del Norte playing host, Region 6 might be the toughest region to escape. Kendra Parra leads the Tigers and all of 2A with 21 points per game. Del Norte will play Mancos, while Kayleigh Mannering and her 17.4 points per game lead Peyton (Peyton) into a showdown with Swink.

Region 7
Taylor Warnecke and Kaitlyn Rector each average more than 12 points per game for Simla heading into its game with Gilpin County (Black Hawk). A win for the Cubs would put them in the regional championship game against the winner of Colorado Springs School and Holly.

Region 8
Ignacio hosts what could turn out to be another competitive region. Makayla Howell leads the Bobcats with eight points per game. The winner of Ignacio and Sargent (Monte Vista) will meet the winner of Rocky Ford and West Grand (Kremmling). Rocky Ford's Abi Snyder is third in 2A with 17.8 points per game.

Class 1A // Brackets
Region 1
Two regional championship games are already set. In Region 1 bracket 1 it will be De Beque taking on Sangre de Cristo (Mosca). The Dragons are hoping they can kick out of their recent struggles, having dropped three of their last four games. Sophomore Kendall Conway leads the team with 14.9 points per game. Kylee Christensen has Sangre de Cristo firmly in the championship picture. She averages 14.4 points and 4.3 steals per game.

Dove Creek and Cotopaxi are set to play in for the Region 1 bracket 2 championship. The Pirates are getting 16.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game from Koylynn Gulliford but lost to Sangre de Cristo in districts. Dove Creek has won 13 straight games behind the high-scoring combination of Grace Hatfield (21.3 PPG) and Cassie Gatlin (12 PPG).



Region 2
Briggsdale awaits the winner of Merino and Haxtun. The Falcons are dangerous as long as sophomore Kylie Krise and her 20.7 points per game are on the floor. They are also the top-seeded team in Region 2

No. 2 Fleming will take on the winner of Lone Star (Otis) and Front Range Baptist (Fort Collins). The Wildcats' only two losses on the season came against top-seeded Briggsdale. Whitney Chintala and Kendyl Kirkwood each average nearly 20 points per game for Fleming.

Flatirons Academy (Westminster) and Stratton/Liberty will meet on Friday with the winner advancing to the Region 2 bracket 3 final against Shining Mountain (Boulder). The Lions have a solid mix of veteran and young talent as senior Lola Conaway leads the team with 13 points per game, while freshman Frances Hilliard scores 11.5.

Region 3
South Baca (Vilas) is the top seed in Region 3 and will see the winner of Eads and Elbert. The Patriots get 13.9 points per game from Delaney Eskew and have won four of their last five games.

Genoa-Hugo/Karval might have the toughest task ahead when looking at each team with a bye in regionals. The Pirates are the No. 2 seed in Region 3 but will see the winner of Springfield (18-2) and Kit Carson, the defending 1A champion. Ryely Smartt's 13.1 points per game makes up about a third of Genoa-Hugo/Karval's offensive production.

McClave is the third-seeded team in Region 3 and will play the winner of Kim/Branson and Kiowa. Sophomore Anna Beckett leads the Cardinals in scoring with 15 points per game.