Ten Colorado high school girls basketball games to see in December

We've looked through each classification to identify 10 important games in December that will set the tone for the 2021-22 season.

Class 5A
Regis Jesuit (Aurora) vs. Ralston Valley (Arvada), Dec. 17, 5 p.m.
An early-season tournament gives fans a look at a revamped Regis Jesuit team that gets a chance to show it is still an upper-echelon squad in 5A. Jordan Kelley takes over as head coach and has a young, talented squad to work with. Senior Jordan Jones leads all returners with 9.1 points per game from last year. Junior Savitri Jackson added 8.1, and sophomore Hana Belibi averaged an even eight as a freshman.

Ralston Valley is in a somewhat similar spot as it will rely on a talented sophomore class to help negate the loss of some key seniors. Saya Sabus will be the unquestioned leader of the team after averaging 13.4 points last year. From there, it gets a little tough. Her younger sister Sophia Sabus averaged 4.4 points and will have to play an increased role as the Mustangs look to contend for another Jeffco League title.

Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) at Highlands Ranch, Dec. 10, 7 p.m.
Defending state champion Valor Christian opens play against the team it beat to get into the 5A title game last year. It was a senior-heavy team that left the Broadmoor World Arena with the state crown, but there is still plenty of talent returning for the Eagles. Junior Macey Huard returns the heavy scoring load after averaging 11.2 points per game. Ali Wetta added 7.7 points per game and, as a guard, was one of the most productive rebounders at 5.6 per game.

Alex Pirog put herself on the map for Highlands Ranch last season after averaging 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds. She will be the focal point offensively as the Falcons try to make another Final 4 run. And she will be more important in this showdown against Valor if the Eagles get standout Raegan Beers back from a knee injury that sidelined her all of last season.

Class 5A/4A
Windsor at Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins), Dec. 12, 6:30 p.m.
The Wizards lost just two games last season and, unfortunately, one of them was the 4A state championship game against Mullen. They return a loaded senior class that combined to average 42.2 points per game. Olivia Reed led the charge at 14.4 points and also averaged 10.9 rebounds. Mykaela Moore will be huge on the defensive end after averaging 3.8 steals last season.

The Sabercats were five points shy of advancing to the 5A quarterfinals and have a solid core returning this winter. Kate Davis comes back for her junior season after averaging 8.6 points, to go with Maddie Kohler's 8.2. Point guard Jessica Rockwell is essential to getting the offense in rhythm and is looking to build on the 4.1 assists she averaged last season.

Class 4A
Palmer Ridge (Monument) at Mullen (Denver), Dec. 11, 1 p.m.
Palmer Ridge has ambitions of becoming a consistent top-10 program in Colorado, and a showdown with the defending 4A champion is a good way to travel down that road, even if it ends up a little bumpy. The Bears have a pair of impactful seniors that are back in Mia Womack and Rylie McMullen. They combined to average more than 22 points per game and should see that scoring load increase. They also get back Natali Volk, who scored only 5.6 points per game but led the team in rebounds, averaging 9.1 boards.

Losing Megan Pohs to graduation is a major hurdle for Mullen to overcome. The Mustangs do get back Gracie Gallegos, who led the team in scoring at 16.4 points per game. It will be interesting to see if Imani Perez can turn her fortunes around for her senior season as she averaged five points and 6.3 rebounds last season, a big decline from her freshman year in 2018-19 when scored 10 points and pulled down 7.6 rebounds. If Perez can find her form, the Mustangs could be staring down the barrel of another state crown.

Thompson Valley (Loveland) at Holy Family (Broomfield), Dec. 17, 6 p.m.
Like every team in the 4A tournament last season, Holy Family ran into a buzzsaw of a Mullen team. But the Tigers are looking to bounce back this season, and some young players will have to step up early in the year. This showdown against Thompson Valley will be a big measuring stick to size up what this Holy Family team will look like. After losing five key seniors, Makenna Bertsch is the returning leading scorer at 5.9 points per game. She also leads all returners in rebounds with 4.3. She will be one of the keys when it comes to the Tigers having another successful season.

Thompson Valley's youth was a big reason they couldn't battle their way into last year's state quarterfinals. But with everyone back this winter, the Eagles could fly under the radar for much of the season. Amelia Solt comes back for her senior season after leading the team with 20.2 points per game. Charlee Durtsche finished last season averaging a double-double with 10.5 points and 11 rebounds and is line to have a monster season.

Class 3A
Kent Denver (Englewood) at University (Greeley), Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
This will be a big test for a Kent Denver team looking to take a major step forward. The Sun Devils made it to the 3A playoffs last season but suffered a disheartening loss to Sterling in the first round. They get leading scorer Amanda Licht (16.8 points per game) back as well as one of their top rebounders and defenders in Kaci Karl. She pulled down 7.7 boards and swiped 2.4 steals per game last season.

The Bulldogs are coming off a state semifinal appearance and want to assert themselves as a top-flight 3A team early in the season. They lost Kylie Kravig to graduation and will have to see a lot of on-court growth from Taryn Kravig (9.4 points per game) and Miranda Wiedeman (9.1 points and 8.3 rebounds per game).

The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs) at Platte Valley (Kersey), Dec. 11, 12:30 p.m.
This had all the makings of a great state championship game, but a loss in the semifinals kept Vanguard out of it. The Coursers get a chance to measure themselves against defending 3A champion Platte Valley very early in the season. Junior Juliana Garcia intends to build on a stellar sophomore campaign in which she averaged 17.2 points and 3.3 assists. Ramiyah Byrd was a big contributor in the post by scoring 13.6 points and pulling down 9.5 rebounds per game. A win over Platte Valley would certainly put this team directly into the state championship conversation before the calendar turns to 2022.

The majority of the Broncos are back from last year's championship team. Cora Schissler led the team in scoring at 12.9 points per game, and younger sister Andi Schissler brings back her team-leading 7.1 rebounds per game. Bree Bunting and Brooke Bunting also return after standout seasons that saw the Broncos top Lutheran (Parker) to win the 3A state title.

Class 2A
Holyoke at Wray, Dec. 16, 5:30 p.m.
Wray's unlikely run to the 2A state championship game included a 65-58 win over No. 1 Holyoke in the quarterfinals. Wray even stands to be an improved team as leading scorer Karly Godsey (15.4 points) returns as does junior Larissa Salmans, who scored 8.8 points per game and led the team in rebounding with seven boards per game.

The Dragons will start the season with a chip on their shoulder after the loss to Wray in the playoffs. They return about 99 percent of their scoring, which includes seniors Kristin Vieselmeyer and Lauren Herman, who each averaged a double-double last season. Vieselmeyer scored 20.9 points and pulled down 11.5 rebounds per game. Herman added 12.6 and 10.4 boards, and this duo will look to establish the Dragons as a top team in 2A very early in the season.

Class 1A
Haxtun at Fleming, Dec. 3, 4 p.m.
The Bulldogs were ousted in the second round of the 1A playoffs by Briggsdale, but they come into this season with high expectations. Gone is leading scorer Bella Tori, but Taylor Schram, K'lyn Bornhoft and Allie Thompson are all back after scoring at least seven points per game apiece. Scram led the group at 9.9. They also figure to get big contributions from sophomore Cassidy Goddard, who averaged more than six points last season.

At first glance, Fleming looks like it might take a step backward with the departure of Kendyl Kirkwood (18.4 points per game in 2021), but looks can be deceiving. Her younger sister Kally Kirkwood is poised to take a big step this season after averaging 7.5 points last season. And Fleming still has Whitney Chintala back after averaging 13.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.2 assists a year ago.

Briggsdale at Flatirons Academy (Westminster), Dec. 17, 4:30 p.m.
The stakes are high very early, as this mid-month showdown serves as a rematch of a 2021 1A semifinal game. Flatirons Academy (the No. 4 seed in the state tournament) rolled to a 76-56 win over the Falcons and went on to win the state championship just three days later.

Kenlee Durrill put together an impressive performance in that game as she scored a team-high 19 points and she returns to the team as a junior this season. Then-freshmen Emily Dehaan and Emma Cox each scored 14 and proved to be vital pieces of the state title run.

Briggsdale is looking for big things from sophomore Jenna Krise and her older sister Kylie Krise. They combined to average more than 31 points per game for the Falcons. Jenna scored 26 points in the loss to the Bison in the state semis and is sure to have a bad taste in her mouth when she takes the floor in that rematch.