Rangeview freshman Dezmonea Antwine has established herself as one of the top newcomers in the state this season. She is averaging 15 points a game for the Raiders.
File photo by Jeffery Tucker
Now that the holiday break is over, the girls basketball season officially is in full swing, and, as expected, many of the stars predicted to put up glitzy numbers have done just that.
But, as with any season, there is a new crop of athletes eager to display their talents as well. Here's a look 10 youngsters across the state – eight sophomores and two freshmen – who have made a significant impact in the first half of the season.
Dezmonea Antwine, Fr., Rangeview (Aurora) Growing pains are expected for
freshmen, but Antwine is attempting to skip much of the learning curve.
The point guard is averaging 15 points a game for Rangeview (6-5),
including back-to-back 20-plus performances against Gateway (Aurora) and the Far
Northeast Warriors (Denver). The speedy 5-foot-4 Antwine figures to evolve into a
terror by the time she is an upperclassman, considering all the
live-game experience she'll have by then.
Delaynie Byrne, So., Broomfield One of the unsung standouts of last season's 5A championship game, Byrne is off to a sizzling start this winter. Possessing the rare combination of height, length and savvy perimeter ability, the 6-foot-3 sophomore leads the Eagles in scoring (16.6), rebounding (7.3) and blocks (1.5) per game. Byrne has a monster 29-point, 12-rebound effort to her credit in a 74-62 win against Fairview (Boulder) and is shooting better than 50 percent from the field overall.
Josyln Garcia, So., Antonito (Antonito, Colo.)Antonito has played only five games,
but the 5-foot-3 guard has made the most of them. In helping the Trojans
to a 4-1 start, Garcia has averaged 17.4 points and has scored in
double figures in each game. She was a key part of Antonito's 16-8
season last winter, when she averaged 13.5 points as a freshman and
scored in double figures in all but four games.
Mckayley Green, So., Erie Green is still a bit raw, which is
actually encouraging. She is averaging 12 points and 9.3 rebounds and
still has much room to refine her game for the 4A Tigers (4-4). The
5-foot-10 forward began the season with two consecutive double-doubles
and is quickly transforming into the Tigers' go-to presence in the post.
She received ample time as a freshman (8.0 points, 8.8 rebounds), which
gives her something of a veteran presence as this season kicks into
gear.
Morgan Lewis, So., Pagosa Springs The Pirates finally got their
long-awaited 3A championship last season, and Lewis was firmly a part of
the rotation, averaging 5.3 points as a freshman as part of a 26-0
campaign. With older sister Madison Lewis and father Wes Lewis prominent
parts of the program, the younger Lewis has cranked things up this
season. The 5-foot-10 sophomore is averaging 21.2 points and 11
rebounds, not a bad complement to her sister's 13.7 points. Oh, and the
Pirates (7-0) still haven't lost a game.
Ashten Prechtel, Fr., Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs) Freshmen usually have to wait
their turn to crack the rotation, but Discovery Canyon coach Danelle
Rivera couldn't wait with this 6-foot-5 freshman center. Prechtel has
responded by being on the state's rare players who averages a
double-double, with 16.1 points and 12.3 boards per game. She has scored
in double digits in all but one contest and is blocking a spellbinding
5.1 shots per contest. In the opening game of her high school career,
she registered 16 points, 17 rebounds and eight blocks in a win against
Denver South.
Megan Roberts, So., Dayspring Christian Academy (Greeley) The Eagles are off to a
tough start at 2-6, but don't place the blame on the 5-foot-10 forward.
She is averaging 20.1 points and 7.3 rebounds, and scored 31 points in
her team's 62-58 win against Limon and 30 more in a narrow 50-48 loss to
Union Colony Prep (Greeley). She averaged 11.1 points for the 2A Eagles as a
freshman, but her game has ascended in the early part of 2015-16.
Zoya Robbins, So., Thomas Jefferson (Denver) The sophomore power forward is a
tick away from averaging a double-double (15.4 points, 9.9 rebounds)
for a solid Spartans squad that is off to a 9-2 start. That should serve
as no surprise, considering she averaged one as a freshman (14.2
points, 10.1 rebounds), a season in which she led TJ in both categories.
By the time the 4A Spartans played two games this season, Robbins
already had a 20-point and a 20-rebound performance to her credit.
Riley Snyder, So., Fruita MonumentFruita Monument is off to a stellar 8-2 start, and the 6-foot guard is a chief reason why. Snyder is averaging 17.4 points a game while chipping in 5.3 rebounds and two steals. She has topped the 20-point mark in four straight games and is shooting just under 44 percent from three-point range. This surge out of the gates comes on the heels of a strong freshman season in which Snyder averaged a team-leading 13.7 points a game.
Leilah Vigil, So., Highlands Ranch This one hardly qualifies as a
surprise, as the sharpshooting guard led the Falcons in scoring last
season as a freshman. She's back at it again with a 20.6 average and
hoping to guide Highlands Ranch deeper than the Class 5A quarterfinals
this time. That prospect seems pretty promising, considering the Falcons
(11-1) have climbed to No. 21 in the
XCellent 25. What makes Vigil
especially unique is that the Falcons have three Division I-bound
seniors, but opposing defenses often are most concerned about the
5-foot-9 sophomore.
