Great 8 awaits Colorado girls basketball regional winners

With all the excitement surrounding the first two rounds of the Class 5A and 4A girls basketball state tournaments last week, the whirlwind of district tournaments in 3A, 2A and 1A somewhat got lost in the shuffle.

That shouldn't be the case this weekend as regional tournaments get underway in all three classifications. From a defending state champion in 3A that enters the final 32 as somewhat of an underdog, to a pair of dominant undefeated teams leading the charge in 2A and 1A, there are plenty of storylines to keep fans entertained.

Here is a quick look at regional play this weekend, with the state quarterfinals in all three classifications set for next Thursday:

Class 3A
Defending state champion: Lamar
No. 1 seed: Kent Denver (Englewood)
Overview: Despite not winning the Metro League title, Kent Denver (19-3) came away with the No. 1 overall seed in the field of 32 after defeating Lutheran (Parker) to claim the district championship. It's been quite the rejuvenation for the Sun Devils, who are enjoying their best season since 2012-13. A year ago Kent Denver was the 19th seed and was bounced by eventual state champion Lamar in the second round.

Pagosa Springs (18-3), which shared the Intermountain League crown with Centauri (La Jara) after splitting the regular-season series, defeated the Falcons to win the district championship and claim the No. 2 overall seed.
The Tri-Peaks League takes the Nos. 3 and 4 seeds. St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) (21-1) had stormed through the regular season undefeated, but fell to Colorado Springs Christian (19-3) by one point in the district title game. The Pirates are seeded third, and the Lions are the No. 4 seed.

Regions to watch:
Quadrant 2 (at Moffat County High School): Four teams shared the Western Slope League crown, but it was Moffat County (Craig) that came away with the district championship and the No. 8 seed. The Bulldogs (17-5) aren't the highest seed from the WSL – Cedaredge is the No. 6 seed – but Moffat County earned the right to host after topping Grand Valley (Parachute) in the district title game. The team is hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, when it was the sixth seed and hosted a regional, only to fall to Pagosa Springs and miss out on a quarterfinal berth. Senior Jana Camilletti leads the team at 10.9 points a game. The Bulldogs open with Bishop Machebeuf (Denver)(13-10). Junior Adet Mabeny leads the Buffs with 11.6 points and 7.8 rebounds a game.

Lutheran (17-5) is the No. 9 seed and likely would have hosted a regional had it not fallen to Kent Denver in the Metro League district title game. The 2016 state champions had won 13 in a row. Senior Haley Shaklee (13.2 points) and junior Kate Webster (11.8 ppg) are a potent 1-2 scoring punch. The Lions open with The Academy (Westminster) (15-7), which held off the Frontier's top seed in Middle Park (Granby) to win a district crown. Senior Kristine Honomichl paces the Wildcats at 8.9 points a game.

Quadrant 6 (at Sterling High School): Sterling was the top overall seed a year ago, reaching the semifinals before falling to Colorado Springs Christian. The Tigers (17-5) head into state seeded seventh and open with Weld Central (Keenesburg) (17-5), which won the Confluence district after upsetting Eagle Ridge Academy. Sterling has three players averaging at least nine points, led by senior Brooke Polenz. Weld Central has a handful of freshmen who have made an impact, with Kaydee Sims averaging 12.1 points and 7.9 rebounds.
 
The other half of the quadrant at Sterling features defending state champion Lamar (18-4), which is the No. 10 seed. The Savages have a tough road back to the Great 8, and open with Alamosa (14-8), which placed third in the Intermountain tournament. Lamar sophomore Cali Clark is one of the state's top players, averaging a double-double at 16.5 points and 12.3 rebounds. Alamosa junior Slyvie Caton leads the team with 10.2 points a game.

Colorado MaxPreps Class 3A state bracket

Class 2A
Defending state champion: Paonia
No. 1 Seed: Yuma
Overview: It should come as no surprise that Yuma (22-0) is the top overall seed and the team to beat in the 2A tournament. The Indians – who made four consecutive appearances in the title game from 2013-16, winning it all in 2016 – dominated opponents all season behind the play of juniors Cody Robinson and Chasey Blach. Yuma swept 2017 state runner-up Wray in three meetings, including a 42-25 victory in the District 2 title game.

Simla (21-1), fresh off a District 8 championship, is seeded second. The Cubs' only loss this season came to Calhan back on Jan. 20, a defeat they avenged a few weeks later. Limon is the No. 3 seed after winning District 4. The Badgers (20-1) dropped their only game to Simla, and feature a young lineup with only one senior.

Rangely (19-3) is seeded fourth after knocking off Meeker to win the District 5 crown. Senior Katelyn Brown, who averages more than 20 points a game, had 22 points in the 52-51 victory.

Region to watch: Region 5 (at Swink High School)
Swink is the No. 5 overall seed after winning the District 6 title. The Lions (19-2) dropped a non-league game in December to defending 3A state champion Lamar, and lost to Fowler in late January. But the team has won eight in a row, including the district title win over Fowler last weekend. Junior Brianna Denton averages 16.3 points and junior Courtney Estrada is at 12.3 points. Swink opens with Byers (9-13).

No. 12 seed Wray (17-5) takes on Colorado Springs School (17-5) in the other regional semifinal. The state runner-up dropped three games to undefeated Yuma this winter, but played the Indians as tough as anyone. Junior Morgan Smith leads the Eagles with 13.5 points and 3.4 steals, and senior Peyton Pecar averages 12.4 points. Colorado Springs School has three players who average more than 10 points a game.

Colorado MaxPreps Class 2A regional brackets

Class 1A
Defending state champion: Kit Carson
No. 1 Seed: Kit Carson
Overview: Notice a theme here? No one has come close to even touching Region 3 top seed Kit Carson (21-0) this season. In fact, the team that got the closest was Eads, which fell by 24 points on Feb. 2. When the two teams met up last weekend in the District 2 title game, the Wildcats rolled to a 54-19 victory. Three players average at least 10 points for Kit Carson.

Fleming (20-2) is the top seed in Region 2 after winning District 4. The Wildcats' only losses came to 2A Holyoke and Kit Carson during the regular season. Senior Alli Keisel leads the team at 16.7 points a game, one of three players scoring in double figures.

Region to watch: Region 3 (at La Junta High School)
There are three brackets and three teams out of Region 3 that will advance to next weekend's state quarterfinals. Kit Carson awaits the winner of McClave and South Baca in the first bracket.

The other two brackets feature a little more intrigue. Kim/Branson (18-3) avenged an earlier Arkansas Valley League loss to Holly, defeating the Wildcats 56-34 to win District 3. The Mustangs await either Sangre de Cristo (Mosca) or Eads for the right to go to state. The Thunderbirds lost to Antonito for the second time in two weeks to finish second in District 6, while Eads fell to Kit Carson in the District 2 title game.

The other bracket has Antonito (19-3) facing either Holly or Sierra Grande (Blanca). Holly was the top seed in District 3 but fell to Kim/Branson.

Colorado MaxPreps Class 1A regional brackets