Video: Gabi O'Conner's highlights vs. Thomas JeffersonSee the Pine Creek senior point guard in action.Let's be honest, the holiday break comes at an awkward time for high school basketball. Just as teams are beginning to shed the rust from the offseason and getting into something of a flow … it stops. Idle time.
The break, though, does serve as something of an unofficial barrier between tournament/non-league season and league play, as January signifies the beginning of the league slate.
With that in mind, here's a look at 10 games to watch this month, factoring in at least one from each classification.
Class 5AHorizon (Thornton) at Pine Creek (Colorado Springs), 6 p.m., Jan. 7 Horizon's three-pronged scoring attack of
Kylie Jimenez,
Alyssa Jimenez and
Isabella Allen will be prominently on display Saturday as the No. 4 Hawks (7-2) look for a quality non-league road win. Pine Creek (5-1) is unbeaten after an opening loss to Fairview (Boulder) and opened some eyes with an 18-point win over Regis Jesuit (Aurora) before the break.
Courtney Stanton is the Eagles' go-to scorer.
Kylie Jimenez (3) is part of a three-pronged attack for Horizon this season. The fourth-ranked Hawks are one of the favorites in Class 5A this season.
File photo by Derek Regensburger
After a stellar showing in the Nike Tournament of Champions last month, Grandview has climbed to No. 6 in the MaxPreps XCellent 25. UCLA-bound
Michaela Onyenwere leads the top-ranked Wolves (8-1) in the first of two Centennial League matchups with No. 5 Cherry Creek (4-4), which is receiving a stellar season from freshman
Jana Van Gytenbeek. The rematch is at Grandview on Feb. 15.
Lakewood at Ralston Valley (Arvada), 7 p.m., Jan. 27 Sixth-ranked Lakewood was disappointed after a 13-point home loss to Ralston Valley on Thursday night in a matchup of Jeffco powers, but the Tigers and 6-foot-4 junior
Camilla Emsbo won't have to wait long for a shot at revenge. No. 2 Ralston Valley (8-1), led by
Ashley Van Sickle and
Micheala Shaklee, will have the benefit of a home game this time, but they'll be taking on a Tigers (5-4) squad which will be eager to even the score.
Class 4A Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) at Evergreen, 7 p.m., Jan. 18 It's a rematch of the 2015 championship game, which Valor claimed 55-40. But it's Evergreen (9-0) which is off to the eyebrow-raising start this season, with sophomore
Claudia Dillon averaging a double-double for the top-ranked Cougars. Evergreen dispatched No. 3 D'Evelyn (Denver) by 13 points on Thursday night. Valor (6-4) checks in at No. 4 with
Tess Boade and
Mary Newland among those sharing the scoring load for the two-time defending champs.
Pueblo East at Pueblo South, 6 p.m., Jan. 31Scoring hasn't been a problem for Pueblo South, which receives steady production from
Maya Austin,
Gabi Lucero and
Andrea Nelson. The No. 2 Colts (10-1) haven't lost an in-state game and have their eyes on a South Central League title. Not so fast says No. 8 Pueblo East, an Eagles squad off to a 6-0 start behind three scorers of their own:
Nastassja Rubio,
Kayla Albo and
Chazz Padula. The teams meet again on Feb. 17.
Class 3AColorado Springs Christian vs. Fruita Monument, 2 p.m., Jan. 7 Colorado Springs Christian fashions itself as a legitimate contender in the 3A ranks. The No. 4 Lions (5-0) will step outside the classification Saturday in hopes of further cementing that notion when they take on 5A No. 10 Fruita Monument at Rampart High School. Sophomores
Megan Engesser and
Rachel Ingram will spearhead the Lions' attempt to give Fruita (10-0) and high-scoring
Riley Snyder its first loss of the season.
Liberty Common (Fort Collins) at Sterling, 7 p.m., Jan. 31Sure, these two might not still be undefeated when this matchup unfolds in a few weeks. But whether or not they are, this should be a Patriot League dandy. Top-ranked Sterling (6-0) has nearly doubled up its opponents through an ultra-balanced attack in which no player averages more than 7.3 points. Liberty Common is the polar opposite, as the No. 7 Eagles heavily rely on do-everything senior
Halley Miklos, who averages 27.5 points, 12.8 rebounds and four steals.
Class 2A Soroco (Oak Creek) at Paonia, 5:30 p.m., Jan. 13Senior
Sophia Anderson is tearing it up for top-ranked Paonia, averaging 18.4 points per game for the 6-0 Eagles. Paonia's first bona fide test of the new year will come against No. 4 Soroco, a Western Slope League rival that is off to a sizzling 5-1 start. While Paonia continues to unanimously receive the No. 1 votes, Soroco has lost only to 3A No. 9 Moffat County (Craig), a 51-46 decision in the Meeker White River Shootout.
Haxtun at Wray, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 20Wray has already defeated defending-champion Yuma twice, and the Eagles' lone loss this season is to an out-of-state team. The No. 3 Eagles (5-1) and top scorer
Paige Beckman will face a stern in-state test here when No. 6 Haxtun comes to town boasting three double-digit scorers. Senior
Josi Kurtzer (16.8 points, 8.8 rebounds) leads the way for the Bulldogs (6-1), who have lost only to unbeaten Fleming.
Class 1A Fleming at Idalia, 4 p.m., Jan. 20Idalia edged Fleming in regionals last season and went on to win the state championship. Fleming hasn't forgotten. The Wildcats are off to a 4-0 start behind
Alli Keisel and
Jenna Lengfelder and have revenge on the mind. Idalia (4-2) checks in at No. 10 and, led by senior
Faith Carpenter and sophomore
Breann Shaffer, is aiming to recapture the vibe that led to last season's championship run.
