Top 10 Colorado girls basketball games for February

The stretch run is officially here for girls basketball, but there is a lot to decided before you pencil in your bracket for any the five classifications. Here's a look a 10 key games in February that could tilt the balance of the postseason picture.

Longmont at Holy Family (Broomfield), 2:30 p.m., Feb. 6
Two league leaders – and state contenders – will clash in this one, a Saturday matinee affair the day before the Super Bowl. Longmont (15-1) is in firm command of the Class 4A Northern League with an 8-0 mark and features one of the finest athletes in the state in Sydney Wetterstrom. Ditto for Holy Family (10-4) in the Tri-Valley League, where the Tigers are 7-0 behind four-year starting point guard Katie Chavez, who continues to fill up the box score in multiple categories.

Pueblo East at Sand Creek (Colorado Springs), 7 p.m., Feb. 8
Buoyed by Division I-bound Oliana Squires (22.2 points a game) and Liah Davis (17.1), top-ranked Sand Creek has had no difficulties maintaining its designation as the team to beat in 4A. The Scorpions (11-1) have an interesting nonleague tilt here against an Eagles squad that has won nine of 10 after a shaky start against upper-tier competition. Pueblo East, led by senior Kassidi Day, is the lone unbeaten team in South Central League play.

Green Mountain (Lakewood) at Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch), 7 p.m., Feb. 9
After dropping its opener to 5A Fossil Ridge, Valor Christian has reeled off 14 straight wins. The defending 4A champs, led by Heidi Hammond and Madison McCoy, didn't face Green Mountain in the initial foray through Jeffco League play. The Rams (12-4, 6-2) have proven to be upset-minded, as illustrated by their one-point win over No. 8 Evergreen earlier this season. Delaney Bernard leads the Rams with a 14.4 scoring average.

St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) at Manitou Springs, 5:30 p.m., Feb. 9
Like top-ranked Pagosa Springs, No. 2 Manitou Springs (14-0) is eyeing a perfect regular season in Class 3A. The largest challenge remaining for the Mustangs, led by Shelby Megyeri and Angala Jensen, comes in the form of No. 4 St. Mary's. While this one will affect the overall state landscape, it could decide the Tri-Peaks League as well, although it's worth noting that La Junta also is unbeaten in league play. The lone loss for St. Mary's and coach Mike Burkett was a nonleague decision to Pagosa Springs.

Ralston Valley (Arvada) at Broomfield, 6:30 p.m., Feb. 9
Hefty nonleague matchups are typically reserved for the first half of the season, but this one will serve as a solid late-season diversion from the 5A  league slate. Each team enters the weekend 13-2, and No. 5 Broomfield has two of the most intriguing players in the state in BYU-bound point guard Brenna Chase and sophomore sensation Delaynie Byrne. No. 6 Ralston Valley's Ashley Van Sickle leads her team in scoring (17.5) and the state in assists (6.5) and steals (5.4.).

Kit Carson at Idalia, 6 p.m., Feb. 9
The 1A circuit is so widespread that many of the top teams are virtual strangers to each other because of their vast distance apart. That's how five teams entered the week without a loss, but this top-five dandy won't disappoint. No. 2 Kit Carson (12-0), guided by sophomore Micayla Isenbart and surprising freshman Tess Hornung, will make the trip to No. 4 Idalia (11-1), which has won nine straight. The Wolves are led by the senior trio of Susana Herarra, Jennay Terrel and Reagan Shaffer.

Regis Jesuit (Aurora) at Grandview (Aurora), 1 p.m., Feb. 13
Make no mistake, Grandview (15-0) firmly believes it can run the table in the 5A regular season and perhaps beyond. This one could prove to be one of the biggest challenges the rest of the way, as it doesn't appear anyone in the Centennial League can slow down Michaela Onyenwere (24.3 points, 11.1 rebounds) and the No. 2 Wolves. Granted, this isn't the Regis team of two seasons ago that finished third in the nation, but the Raiders (11-5) have been solid through an ambitious schedule and will know what's at stake.

Centauri (La Jara) at Pagosa Springs, 5:30 p.m., Feb. 13
While the frontrunners have done their thing in 3A this season, Centauri has lurked on the periphery with a solid 11-2 mark. The No. 6 Falcons, led by senior Roni Fringer and the sophomore tandem of Alyssa Gomez and Ember Canty, might represent the best chance to keep top-ranked Pagosa Springs (11-0) from an unbeaten regular season. The defending-champion Pirates, which won the initial Intermountain League matchup 51-36 last week, have won 37 straight overall and are 62-1 over the past three seasons.

ThunderRidge (Highlands Ranch) at Chaparral (Parker), 7 p.m., Feb. 16
No. 3 ThunderRidge endured a tough spell with back-to-back losses to Highlands Ranch and Grandview, but last season's 5A runner-up is poised to end the regular season with a bang. Jaz'Myne Snipes and the Grizzlies (13-3) probably didn't circle this one on the calendar, but Chaparral (12-4) quietly has put together a nice season under longtime coach Tony Speights and, like the Grizzlies, has only lost to Highlands Ranch in league play.

Yuma at Wray, 6 p.m., Feb. 19
Thank you, may we have another? OK, so this is the third time these teams are meeting, but No. 5 Wray is the only 2A squad that has been within the stratosphere of top-ranked Yuma this season. And now Eagles have the luxury of a home game for the first time. Yuma edged the Wray 69-66 in a December tournament then followed with a more convincing 64-43 home win a week later. Sure, Yuma and Logan Hixon are undoubtedly rolling after a recent 41-point win over No. 4 Akron, but Wray (7-3) already knows it can hang with the Indians if things are clicking.