Norwood's Harlie Williams, Kim's Tai Nittler looking to lead girls Colorado 1A title runs

At 5-foot-10, Harlie Williams towers well above the height curve for Class 1A girls basketball.

And, indeed, the senior from Norwood is a dominant inside presence whose interior prowess has led to an undefeated record for the Mavericks and an impressive .547 field goal percentage for Williams.

Despite Williams' size, however, she always has had more than just one trick up her sleeve. Never has that been more evident than during this season.

Williams began the week tied for the Class 1A scoring lead with another standout from another 1A state contender, Tai Nittler of Kim, and the continued scoring exploits of the two stars likely will play a huge role in the race for the 1A state crown.

"She really can shoot and she worked very hard in the offseason on her ball-handling skills," Norwood coach Greg King said of Williams. "She's shooting about 40 percent from three-point range (actually 44 percent) and she has improved on the defensive end as well. There were times last year where she'd get into foul trouble. This year she's getting in better position.

"She creates mismatches. At 5-10, most of the time at the 1A level you're a post player. She can go outside and they have to get out and cover her because she can shoot it."

While Nittler perhaps has produced brighter explosions—she scored a season-high 32 points against Deer Trail on Dec. 1—she also has twice been held to 14 points and was held to a season-low 12 points on Jan. 18 against Springfield.

Williams has been a model of consistency to an almost improbable degree. In all 12 games heading into Norwood's road trip to Mancos on Friday, Williams has turned in scoring efforts that have not topped 26 points while not dipping below 18 points. Williams also averages 9.5 rebounds and 3.5 steals a game.

Norwood and Kim are ranked second and third, respectively, in this week's Denver Post Class 1A coaches poll, behind Caliche. Both Williams and Nittler will face stern competition down the stretch as they attempt to keep their teams among the ranks of the unbeaten.

Norwood plays four of its final six games on the road. Kim, which was eliminated by eventual state runner-up Norwood in the state quarterfinals last year, still has a battle against sixth-ranked Eads on the horizon on Feb. 8.

"We have some tough games on the road against some good opponents," King said. "We're going to have to stay consistent on defense. Offense comes and goes night in and night out, especially on the road. We have to be consistent on defense.

"We've been getting great leadership from the girls who played last year and we're getting a lot of contributions from our bench. Since we lost three starters from last year, I guess you could say I think they're exceeding my expectations so far."