Colorado high school girls basketball season overview

Games are scheduled to begin Jan. 25, and there are teams looking to close out some unfinished business after last season's basketball championships were canceled. As the season prepares for its unorthodox January start, there are several teams in each classification that fans should keep an eye on during the next couple of months.

Class 5A
Grandview (Aurora): The Wolves have waited too long to claim another state title and fully intend on making a run at gold in 2021. In addition to the return of Addison O'Grady and Marya Hudgins, the Wolves get back junior Lauren Betts, the No. 1 rated recruit in the nation for the 2022 class. Betts, who recently committed to Stanford, averaged a staggering 17.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game as Grandview reached the 5A state title game just before the remainder of the state tournament was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Highlands Ranch: The Falcons played well at the right time last year as an upset win over Regis Jesuit got them into the Final 4. Leading scorers Payton Muma (15.2 points per game) and Taylor Ray (13.4) are both back as is Alex Pirog, who led the team in rebounds at 7.1 per game. Despite the relative youth of the Falcons, they hung in and battled in a tight loss to Cherry Creek in the Final 4.

Regis Jesuit (Aurora): The Raiders return Avery Vansickle and Samantha Jones. Vansickle averaged 16.5 points per game, and Jones was crucial on the glass by grabbing 5.7 rebounds per game. Regis Jesuit claimed the Continental League championship last year before taking the No. 3 seed in the 5A state tournament and advancing to the quarterfinals.

Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch): The Eagles' roster features two of the top players in the state as Kindyll Wetta returns for her senior year and Raegan Beers is back for her junior campaign. Wetta averaged 13.2 points per game, and Beers averaged a double-double as she went for 15.5 points and 10.1 rebounds last season. Valor took the top seed in last year's 5A tournament, but lost to Grandview in the state semifinals.

Returning All-State players: Raegan Beers (Valor Christian, 1st team); Lauren Betts (Grandview, 1st team); Payton Muma (Highlands Ranch, 1st team); Addison O'Grady (Grandview, 2nd team); Avery Vansickle (Regis Jesuit, 2nd team); Kindyll Wetta (Valor Christian, 2nd team).

Class 4A
Erie: The Tigers had four players scoring at least 10 points per game during the 2019-20 season, and all return this year. Grace Moyers, Genevieve Gudino, Deb Altshuler and Anna Hefner were all solid scorers, and each contributed when it came to rebounds and assists as well. Erie averaged 67.1 points per game as a team and rattled off 14 straight wins before falling to Berthoud in the 4A Great 8.

Green Mountain (Lakewood): Three of the top four scorers for last year's Jeffco League champions were underclassmen, which bodes well for the team this year. Courtney Hank scored 10.1 points and grabbed seven rebounds per game for the Rams last year. She was supplemented by those three underclassmen as Avery Oaster, Jayda Maves and Shea Murphy all averaged at least 6.6 points per game. Green Mountain's only losses last year came to Pueblo West, ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) and Holy Family.

Holy Family (Broomfield): If there is one team in the state that can make a great case for having unfinished business from last year, it's the Tigers. They return their top three scorers in Alyssa Wells, Tyler Whitlock and Dylan Sanders. Cecilia Aanerud also comes back for her senior year after pulling down 6.5 rebounds per game to lead the team. In all, just two seniors departed a team that played its way into the state championship game.

Mullen (Denver): After winning the 4A championship in 2019, Mullen returned to the court as the favorite to win again last year. While COVID prevented the Mustangs from taking back-to-back crowns, they return a squad talented enough to go for a 2021 title. Senior Megan Pohs averaged 11.6 points per game to lead the team, while juniors Gracie Gallegos (10.2) and Imani Perez (9.3) also put up significant numbers. It also helps that Mullen gets battle-tested through the regular season by competing in the Centennial League.

Returning All-State players: Breanna Fowler (Berthoud, 2nd team); Courtney Hank (Green Mountain, 2nd team); Megan Pohs (Mullen, 1st team); Alyssa Wells (Holy Family, 1st team).

Class 3A
The Academy (Westminster): The Wildcats ended the 2019-20 regular season undefeated and advanced to the 3A quarterfinals before being stunned by Brush. Aryanna Perez led the team in scoring last year at 18.5 points per game and was also solid defensively by grabbing four steals per contest. She will have some help as Mikylah Espinosa brings 16.9 points and 5.5 assists per game with her.

Eaton: It helps that the Reds bring back their top scorer from last year in Nakaiya Kuskie (10.9 points per game). The only teams that Eaton lost to during the 2019-20 season were those that picked up top-five seeds in the 3A tournament. That helped them battle through as the 10 seed and advance to the Final 4. Overall, Eaton returns five players who saw playing time in at least 20 games.

St. Mary's (Colorado Springs): There will be a lot of turnover for the Pirates as they go for a third championship in four seasons. Gone are graduated standouts Josephine Howery, Seneca Hackley and Catherine Cummings, as well as head coach Mike Burkett. But the program can't be discounted after what it has done in the past several seasons. Junior Ellie Hartman will have to pick up some of the scoring load after averaging 7.4 points per game last year.

University (Greeley): Kylie Kravig was a multi-level threat on the court. She averaged 13.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 3.8 steals per game. Younger sister Taryn Kravig added 9.2 points and should be a solid secondary scoring threat for the Bulldogs. Miranda Wiedeman led the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.8 boards a game last season as a freshman. University will try to defend its Patriot League title as it makes a run for a state championship.

Returning All-State players: Kylie Kravig (University, 1st team); Stephanie Schultz (Lutheran (Parker), 2nd team).

Class 2A
Del Norte: While it's going to be tough to replace the production lost from graduated senior Kendra Parra, the Tigers are expected to have plenty coming back from a team that advanced to the 2A Final 4. Kaeci Madrid scored nearly 10 points and pulled down 4.8 rebounds per game. Gabby Jones (8.9 points per game) also played well last year and will see an increased role this season.

Holyoke: The Dragons lost only one game last season behind a balanced lineup. Kristin Vieselmeyer scored 14 points per game and added 9.8 rebounds to the effort. She will have Lauren Herman back as well. Herman scored 9.7 points per game, and both players, juniors this year, will be key components in Holyoke repeating its success from last year.

Rye: Having lost just one senior from last year's team, Rye comes into the year as a legitimate contender for the 2021 state title. The Adamson sisters, Sophie Adamson and Sydney Adamson, combined to average 23.6 points and more than 10 rebounds per game as sophomores. Jolee Ortiz led the team in scoring at 13.5 points per game and returns to give the Thunderbolts a triple threat that could lead to a high level of success this season.

Sanford: The junior duo of Asia Caldon and Cheyenne Caldon played big roles in helping the Indians advance to the 2A semifinals. The team had its up-and-down moments but lost just two games after Feb. 4 and beat Rye in the 2A quarterfinals.

Returning All-State players: Abi Snyder (Rocky Ford, 1st team); Kristin Vieselmeyer (Holyoke, 1st team).

Class 1A
Cotopaxi: The Pirates didn't score a lot of points during the 2019-20 season, but they didn't have to. They showed their toughness on the defense end and their ability to rebound the basketball, which ultimately led to an upset over No. 2 Springfield in the state basketball tournament. Koylynn Gulliford led the team in scoring last year with 16 points per game but her 9.6 rebounds and 4.3 steals played perhaps a more important role in Cotopaxi's success.

Fleming: The Wildcats are expected to return their three top scorers from last year, two of which were first-team all-state players. Kendyl Kirkwood averaged 18.2 points, 12.3 rebounds and 3.9 steals per game. She is one of the top players in the classification and is leading a Fleming team looking to rebound from a loss in last year's quarterfinals. Whitney Chintala and Kally Kirkwood also averaged double-digit scoring numbers for Fleming.

Shining Mountain (Boulder): Although the Lions lost their top scorer (and lone senior) in Lola Conaway, they get so much back from a team that made a run to the state semifinals. Frances Hilliard and Kalea Zeender each averaged double-digit scoring numbers and played a major role in Shining Mountain's success during the 2019-20 season. Zeender, a junior, led the team in steals per game with 3.5. Leading rebounder Sophia Matarrese also returns this year.

Springfield: Like Fleming, Springfield returns its top three scorers from last year. Perhaps more telling for the Falcons is the fact that they lost just two seniors who scored a combined 2.5 points per game. Kylie Krise averaged 20.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per game as a sophomore and should have plenty of help in the form of Shelby Hoffman and Peyton Nicklaus. The No. 2 Falcons were upset by Cotopaxi in the 1A Great 8 last year.

Returning All-State players: Whitney Chintala (Fleming, 1st team); Koylynn Gulliford (Cotopaxi, 2nd team); Kendyl Kirkwood (Fleming, 1st team).