Colorado 5A/4A girls state basketball brackets loaded with championship talent

Staying on the south side of Denver – but moving east of Interstate 25, Regis Jesuit (Aurora) and Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) round out the top-seeded teams that will battle for the state championship, which will be decided on March 9 at the Denver Coliseum.

The 5A and 4A state basketball tournaments begin Feb. 19 with 16 games in each class. The top 16 teams in each bracket received first round byes.

In the 4A bracket, southern Colorado looks to be in good shape as Air Academy, following an undefeated regular season, claimed the No. 1 seed. Pueblo West took No. 3, while Pueblo South comes in at No. 4. Holy Family (Broomfield) enters the tournament as the No. 2 seed.
Here is a quick breakdown of each bracket region as playoff time is finally here.

Class 5A
Kaye Garms Region
Top seed: No. 1 Highlands Ranch
Overview: The Falcons are looking to get back to the Denver Coliseum once again. They went unbeaten against Colorado competition this season, which included wins over fellow top seeds Cherry Creek and Regis Jesuit. Dakota Ridge (Littleton) will look to advance to the Sweet 16 and have to get through Rock Canyon (Highlands Ranch) and Grand Junction to do it. Dakota Ridge beat the Tigers early in the season. Windsor comes into the tournament with three losses to Colorado teams, all of which are highly-seeded teams in their respective state tournaments.
Potential region-buster: No. 9 Broomfield. A Mike Croell team can never be counted out when tournament time rolls around. The three losses for the Eagles came by a combined 20 points and they were all to 5A tournament teams. Senior Steph Peterson averages 15.4 points per game and sophomore Courtney Wristen adds 12.6. The mix of youth and experience might just be the right formula for Broomfield to make its way to the Coliseum.

Bobbi Brown-Vandenberg Region
Top seed: No. 2 Regis Jesuit
Overview: For most of the year, Regis Jesuit has looked like one of the favorites to win the 5A state title. But the Raiders will have anything but an easy road to the title. Denver East won 11 of its last 12 games of the year. Horizon (Thornton) wouldn't mind getting some payback as it was Regis Jesuit which eliminated the Hawks in last year's Great 8. Doherty (Colorado Springs), the 5A Colorado Springs Metro League champion, is also looking to catch a hot hand and make a run through the bracket.
Potential region-buster: No. 10 Ralston Valley (Arvada). Sure the Mustangs suffered a big loss to Regis Jesuit early in the year, but they've played better basketball since then. They were riding a seven-game winning streak heading into the final game of the season before they were edged by Cherry Creek. Sophomore Sydney Bevington led the Ralston Valley effort with 13 points in that loss and has averaged more than 12 points per game this year. A close game against a highly-seeded tournament team to close the year might just give the Mustangs enough confidence to pull off an upset at some point.

Alice Barron Region
Top seed: No. 3 Valor Christian
Overview: Despite losing standout guard Kindyll Wetta to injury early in the year, Valor Christian emerged as a top team in its first year of competing in 5A. Freshman Raegan Beers became a dominant post player, averaging 18.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. The Eagles will have their work cut out for them as two-time defending champion Grandview (Aurora) awaits as the No. 6 seed. Both Parker-area teams also sit in this region with Legend (Parker) at No. 14 and Chaparral (Parker) at No. 22.
Potential region-buster: No. 11 Vista PEAK Prep (Aurora). Senior Denali Hughes has shined this year by scoring 23.2 points and grabbing 8.9 rebounds per game. Kaya Evans helps out with more than 12 points each game. The Bison come into the tournament as the top-scoring team in 5A. They also rank near the bottom of the class with only 44 made 3-pointers on the season. If they can control the style of play and score from close range at the rate they have all year, it might be enough to stun a team such as Grandview or Valor Christian.

Rhonda Blanford-Green Region
Top-seed: No. 4 Cherry Creek
Overview: Cherry Creek's dynamic duo of Jana Van Gytenbeek and Cali Clark appear to the give the Bruins the right balance of guard production and post dominance to make a Final 4 run. Down the stretch, they'll have to do with the likes of Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) or Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch), two teams that have played well this season. Cherry Creek beat Fossil Ridge by 15 back on Dec. 14. Rangeview (Aurora) is the fourth team in the region to receive a bye and has also taken down several tournament teams this year, including No. 44 Fairview (Boulder), which will face No. 21 Fountain-Fort Carson in the first round.
Potential region-buster: No. 12 Mountain Vista. The Golden Eagles have run a gauntlet this season. They've faced a battery of highly seeded teams in this year's tournament, including Highlands Ranch, Regis Jesuit and Broomfield. They don't score a lot with juniors Mackenzie Gamble (10.4 points per game) and Amy Holland (10.3) leading the way, but on the flip side, they don't give up a lot of points either. They've given up 60 more points just three time this year.

Class 4A
John Mraule Region
Top seed: No. 1 Air Academy
Overview: According to Air Academy athletic director Blue Anderson, the Kadets just completed the program's first undefeated regular season. If they carry their regular-season success into the playoffs they could see Sand Creek (Colorado Springs) or Sierra (Colorado Springs) in the Sweet 16. Even further down the road, Berthoud has played well this season, losing its first game to Holy Family in an overtime thriller. No. 24 Thomas Jefferson (Denver) presents a unique challenge as Daija Robbins has had an excellent year. She's averaging 20.5 points and 10.6 rebounds per game. Kharial Clark is also averaging a double-double for the Spartans.
Potential region-buster: No. 9 Mesa Ridge (Colorado Springs). The Grizzlies should not be underestimated. They were tripped up only once in Colorado Springs Metro League play and battled with Fossil Ridge and Lakewood, both of which are in the 5A tournament. Serin Dunne and her 20.7 points per game have shown that the Grizzlies can keep pace with just about anyone. Angelina Jackson has provided good support with 10.4 points and 5.7 points per game.

Tricia Bader-Binford Region
Top seed: No. 2 Holy Family
Overview: Holy Family, The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs), Greeley Central and Green Mountain (Lakewood) all received byes in the first round. Holy Family started the season 2-4 but went on a 16-1 run to end the regular season. Three of the Tigers' losses were to teams in the 5A tournament and the other two were to Air Academy and Pueblo West. Greeley West enters the tournament as the No. 7 seed after finishing the regular season with a 22-1 record. The lone loss came to Fruita Monument. The Bader-Binford Region quietly comes into the tournament as arguably the most competitive region on the board.
Potential region-buster: No. 18 Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs). It's hard to discount a team with a McDonald's All-American on the roster. Ashten Prechtel will head to Stanford next fall but is hoping to take the Thunder on a march through the 4A playoffs first. She's averaging 23.5 points and 17.4 rebounds per game, making her one of the bracket's most formidable players. In the last four games of the season she broke the 30-point barrier three times.

Tracy Hill Region
Top seed: No. 3 Pueblo West
Overview: Pueblo West certainly looks like the favorite to come out of the Hill bracket, but a quick glance through the field should cause some concern. Montrose has already scored a 26-point win over Harrison (Colorado Springs), a matchup that could be seen in the second round. All year the Indians have done a great job at slowing down the pace of the game and giving teams trouble when it comes to scoring. They're giving up just 31 points a game. There's also No. 11 Ponderosa (Parker), which beat 5A's Vista PEAK Prep earlier this year. A signature win like that will get a team thinking it can do some damage when it's time to win or go home.
Potential region-buster: No. 14 Mullen (Denver). A slate of games against 5A Centennial League teams had to make the Mustangs better. Sophomore Megan Pohs and freshman Imani Perez average 11 points per game for a Mustangs team that closed the regular season by winning five of their last six games.

Jenny Coalson Region
Top seed: No. 4 Pueblo South
Overview: As a now two-time state runner-up, Pueblo South is looking to ride the senior duo of Gabi Lucero and Drea Nelson back to the Denver Coliseum so they can finally grasp that championship trophy. Potentially standing in the Colts' way is defending champion Evergreen. Claudia Dillon and the Cougars return as the No. 5 seed, but it's likely the Cougars will have to head to Pueblo for a Great 8 matchup. Fresh off winning the Colorado 8 League, Skyview (Thornton) enters the tournament on a high note and will look to capitalize on a successful regular season. D'Evelyn (Denver) is also in a good spot, receiving the final bye slot for the region.
Potential region-buster: No. 20 Canon City. With Jerika Moore, Ellie Till and Kate Tedquist all averaging double figures for the Tigers, there might be enough distribution with the offense that opponents could struggle defensively. Canon City scored an upset win over Mesa Ridge – on the road – to close out the regular season, so the team knows it has the capability to rally. The Tigers start their tournament run against Mead (Longmont).