Colorado small schools have eyes on the girls basketball prize

There is a small part within Rebecca Howell that wishes her Bishop Machebeuf (Denver) girls basketball team had been able to take another shot at Holy Family, perhaps adding what surely would have been a thrilling tiebreaker to a season series the rivals split.

That said, the Buffaloes weren't exactly sad to see the Tigers make an early exit.

For the first time since 2007, a school not named Holy Family will claim the Colorado Class 3A girls basketball state championship. It was Bishop Machebeuf that won the previous 3A title before the Tigers' four-year reign, and as the No. 2 overall seed in this year's field, the Buffaloes suddenly have been thrust into the role of the tournament favorite.

"(Holy Family) has been our toughest competition all year and it's always a really fun game," said Howell, who helped hand Holy Family its only loss of the season before the four-time champs were ousted Saturday by Florence. "Our first game is against DSST, and they're going to be really tough. We're trying to take it one game at a time and not get ahead of ourselves."

MaxPreps Colorado Girls Basketball Playoff Brackets

Led by Howell, the team's leading scorer at 15.8 points a game, Bishop Machebeuf (23-1) has rebounded from a regular season-ending loss against Holy Family in the Metro League District Championship to post dominant wins against Mead (63-35) and St. Mary's (57-29) en route to Thursday's quarterfinal round in Fort Collins.

Howell said the state tournament disappointment Machebeuf suffered last year, when the Buffaloes were defeated in the quarterfinals by Jefferson Academy, has fueled much of the fire that led to the 21-game winning streak Machebeuf put together before its loss to Holy Family.

"I think our jitters are kind of out, because last year we got upset in the first round," Howell said. "Now we know what we're going in to. We have a totally different team this year. I think we all have a little bit of a cooler head this year."

The winner between Machebeuf and seventh-seeded Denver Science & Tech Stapleton (Denver) will advance to Friday's semifinals at CSU's Moby Arena to face either Bayfield (20-3) or defending 3A state runner-up Eaton (23-1). The Great 8 matchups on the opoosite side of the bracket feature upstart Florence (15-9) taking on Faith Christian (Arvada) (17-7) and Olathe (22-2) facing Trinidad (24-0).

Class 2A
Everyone knows exactly what the Paonia Eagles are going to do each time they step on to the court.

Stopping them, however, is another matter entirely.

Paced by perhaps the deepest roster in the classification and a furious pace that keeps opponents on their heels, the top-seeded Eagles will take an 18-game winning streak into their Class 2A state quarterfinal showdown against Del Norte on Thursday at the State Fair Events Center in Pueblo.

"I'd be willing to bet that in 23 games, we've had seven or eight leading scorers," Paonia coach Scott Rienks said. "We rotate 10 each game, and if we get some foul trouble, I feel comfortable going to 12 or 13. We use that to our advantage."

The Eagles roll out enough athletic players to resemble wave after wave of hockey lines, all of whom are prepped to apply pressure defense up and down the floor. Paonia is surrendering only 39.3 points a game and advanced to the state tournament with a 58-36 second-round win against Denver Christian.

"We pressure. We attack. There is no secret that that's what we do," Rienks said. "There is no reason to change what you do best when you get to this point."

The winner between Paonia and Del Norte (17-5) will face either Lutheran (Parker) (17-5) or Vanguard Charter (Colorado Springs) (18-4) in the semifinals on Friday. The other quarterfinal games include Sargent (Monte Vista) (16-7) against Akron (22-1) and Rye (18-6) facing second-seeded Evangelical Christian (Colorado Springs) (22-2).

Class 1A
Will any team ever slow down the Simla Cubs?
The defending 1A state champions enter the state tournament riding a two-year, 49-game winning streak. The top-seeded Cubs have not lost since getting ousted from the 2010 state tournament, but head coach Al Snyder is preaching caution entering Thursday's state quarterfinal match against Kit Carson (14-8) at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.

"These kids have a good core group that has been together a long time. That's been a lot of it," Snyder said. "This group is extremely unselfish. They don't care who gets the points. They don't care who gets the rebounds. As long as they get the win. I just have to stay out of their way and let them play."

The Cubs, who posted a 31-point win against Kit Carson on Dec. 10, feature a high-octane offense that boasts three players averaging at least 10 points. Leading the way is Kenzi Mitchell, who is averaging 17 points a game, and Snyder is leaning on his team's experience in order to come the pressure of maintaining its robust winning streak.

"I do think they feel it a little," Snyder said. "It's not all those games we've won. But after you've won so many it's expected. There are a lot of good teams when you get to this point. Nothing is easy when you get to this level."

The winner between Simla and Kit Carson will face either Pawnee (Grover) (20-2) or Wiley (20-2) in the semifinals on Friday. On the other side of the bracket, sixth-seeded Gilpin County (Black Hawk) (21-2) will make its state tournament debut against third-seeded Merino (21-2), while 2010 state champion Kim (17-6) faces second-seeded Norwood (21-1).