At times, Mesa Ridge's Kaitlyn Mileto appears closer to the half-court line than the three-point line when taking a shot, but here's the thing - opponents are guarding her out there.
That means, of course, the junior guard makes enough of these bombs to justify putting a body on her. Yes, Mileto, has continued her acceleration into one of the finest players in Class 4A. The guard entered the week averaging 21.6 points a game for the Grizzlies, who have posted a 17-2 overall mark that includes a 10-1 record in Colorado Springs Metro League play. They have three regular-season games remaining.
"She'll kill you with those threes and she just works real hard to get open and get the ball," Cheyenne Mountain guard Connie Char said.
The jury is still out as to whether Mileto is a Division-I prospect or will begin her college career at a smaller school.
"I'm definitely looking around and just keeping my options open right now," Mileto said. "I'm seeing how things go, how they'll play out."
Showdown looming
While this week brings about an abundance of key late-season league matchups, none is more vital than the forthcoming Highlands Ranch-ThunderRidge 5A Continental League matchup on Friday night. If ThunderRidge can navigate itself past Regis Jesuit on Tuesday - the Grizzlies have beaten the Raiders once this season - the matchup with Highlands Ranch likely will decided the league (and probably the top overall seed for the postseason).
Upending top-ranked Highlands Ranch will be no easy chore, considering the Falcons are unbeaten in in-state games and only one was decided by less than 10 points (a 70-63 win against Regis Jesuit on Jan. 16) and only two by less than 20.
Sterling comeback (almost)
Heritage experienced a rare goose egg Friday and almost lived to tell about it. The Eagles were blanked in the first quarter on their home floor by ThunderRidge - that's right, zero points in the opening eight minutes - and trailed by 17.
By halftime, Heritage had produced only nine points and appeared en route to an embarrassing defeat. The Eagles were resilient, though, registering 40 points in the second half before ultimately falling 54-49. Kim Lockridge led the comeback attempt with 17 points and 11 rebounds.
Numbers game: 10.4 and 10.7 - scoring and rebounding average for Horizon's Kaylie Rader. The 6-foot-2 center is the only freshman in the state averaging a double-double.
