Ten Colorado high school girls basketball games to watch in February

Familiar faces in the state championship hunts continue to play great as St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) has yet to lose to a Class 3A opponent, while Mullen (Denver) looks strong in its bid to repeat as the 4A champion. Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) and Grandview (Aurora) are hoping for a state title rematch, but Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) has quietly dominated its schedule and is looking for its first girls basketball title since 2016.

Each game from here on out will play a role in the postseason picture, but below is a list of 10 games that will have perhaps the biggest impact with the playoffs just around the corner.

Class 5A
* Valor Christian (16-1) at Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) (13-2), 6:30 p.m., Feb. 20
Seeking its first state title since winning the 4A crown in 2016, Valor Christian has put together an impressive 2019-20 campaign. Raegan Beers and Kindyll Wetta have traded spots and No. 1 and No. 2 on the team scoring chart. Currently, Beers holds the honor with 15.4 points, while Wetta adds 13.2. Beers also pulls down nearly 10 rebounds per game. Valor will need as many tests as it can get heading into the state tournament, and the regular-season finale against Fossil Ridge should provide just that. Senior Lauren Zwetzig leads the Sabercats at 10.6 points per game, while also grabbing 6.1 rebounds.
* Ralston Valley (Arvada) at Grandview (14-2), 7 p.m., Feb. 10
After beating Cherry Creek late in January, the Wolves are riding high and appear to be the favorites to win a 5A state title. Sophomore Lauren Betts has maintained her double-double average with 17.1 points and 12.2 rebounds per game. After sweep through the first round of Centennial League play, Grandview gets one more tough non-league test in Ralston Valley. Junior Sydney Bevington (15.7) and Saya Sabus (10.5) lead the Mustangs in scoring and have them in contention for the Jeffco League title despite an early loss to Valor Christian.

Class 4A
* Sand Creek (Colorado Springs) (15-1) at Falcon (12-4), 6 p.m., Feb. 20
Sand Creek got the better of the Falcons in their first matchup, but the score is not an indication for how tough that win came. Despite a big first quarter lead, the Falcons rallied back to briefly take the lead in the second quarter, but a late Nikki Derrell 3-pointer gave momentum back to Sand Creek. At 15.1 points per game, Derrell will look to lead Sand Creek to a sweep of its district rival. But the Falcons refuse to go away easily. Junior Hannah Burg leads the team with 13.1 points per game and sophomore Billie Fiore isn't far behind at 10.1. The Falcons already have wins over two Final 4 teams from a year ago in Air Academy and Pueblo South so they know they have the ability to close out against tough teams.
* Holy Family (Broomfield) (14-4) at Berthoud (17-1), 5:30 p.m., Feb. 11
Assuming neither team slips up in the next week, the game between Holy Family and the Spartans could determine a Tri-Valley champion. In their first meeting on Jan. 16, it was Holy Family coming away with a 49-44 win. Dylan Sanders, Tyler Whitlock, Alyssa Wells and Cecilia Aanerud all scored in double figures for the Tigers. If Berthoud is going to need the rematch, leading scorer Emily Cavey has to contribute more than five points. If she gets closer to her nearly 17 points per game and gets support from Breanna Fowler (13.2 points per game), the race for the league title could get real interesting real fast.

Class 3A
* The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs) (13-1) at Manitou Springs (12-2), 5:30 p.m., Feb. 18
St. Mary's has the look of an eventual league champion, so this intriguing battle in the Tri-Peaks League comes down to a battle for the No. 2 seed in districts. The Coursers already beat Manitou in non-league play earlier this season and boast a young, talented roster. Alexis Garcia leads the team with 14.9 points per game, and freshmen Hailey Blanchard (12.6) and Juliana Garcia (11.2) provide a lot of scoring support. Senior Aniah Olson leads the Mustangs with 11.9 points per game, but freshman Grace Allen and sophomore Alexia Vigil have shown the ability to take a game over when needed.
* Alamosa (12-3) at Pagosa Springs (12-2), 5:30 p.m., Feb. 14
No one in the state might have a tougher stretch to end the season than Alamosa. The Mean Moose close out against Pagosa Springs and Centauri (La Jara). Although their league title hopes are slim, they're out for sure if they don't get a win over the Pirates on Feb. 14. The Lavier sisters - Lilly Lavier and Emily Lavier - are the only Alamosa players averaging double-digit scoring figures. Emily set a state record in January by sinking 12 3-pointers in a single game, so her ability to score is always a threat. Pagosa Springs is much more balanced, as four players on the team average at least eight pointers per game. Taylor Lewis (9.6) and Hailey Griego (9.4) lead the team.

Class 2A
* Sanford (8-5) at Del Norte (11-1), 5 p.m., Feb. 22
After a loss to Del Norte on Feb. 1, Sanford will have an opportunity to get back in the league championship picture in the last regular-season game for both teams. Kendra Parra leads the Tigers with 21 points per game and is one of the best overall scorers in 2A. She was held to just 15 points in the win over Sanford. The Indians might be one of the more balanced scoring teams in the class as Mackenzie Peterson is the top scorer at 9.5 points per game. The sophomore tandem of Cheyenne Caldon and Asia Caldon each score more than seven.
* Rye (15-0) at Rocky Ford (14-0), 5:30 p.m., Feb. 18
What a fun one this will be to close out the regular season in District 6 play. The Meloneers and Thunderbolts both enter February undefeated, and their clash toward the end of the month will likely come with a league title at stake. Junior Abi Snyder has been a stud for Rocky Ford, scoring 18.5 points while pulling down six rebounds and grabbing 6.2 steals per game. She has gone over 30 points twice this season. For Rye, the Adamson sisters (Sydney Adamson and Sophie Adamson) have been nearly unstoppable. Combined, they account for more than 25 points and 11 rebounds per game. Both of them, along with Jolee Ortiz, also average more than three steals per game.

Class 1A
* Genoa-Hugo/Karval (11-3) at Fleming (13-1), 3 p.m., Feb. 8
Fleming has been on a roll since dropping its only game of the season to Briggsdale on Dec. 20. Sophomore Whitney Chintala has been excelled of late, scoring no fewer than 17 points in each of the Wildcats' last four games. She scored 24 in a one-point win over Briggsdale on Feb. 1. The Pirates aren't a high-scoring team by any means, but that's okay when they're making their name on the defensive side of the ball. The team averages more than 11 steals per game and surrenders just 29 points per game to its opponents. Ryely Smartt does a lot of the dirty work on the floor, as she averages 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Though they play in different districts, their game will have big implications in terms of RPI rankings.
* Springfield (12-1) at South Baca (12-1), 4 p.m., Feb. 20
A potential league championship game, Springfield and the Patriots are two of 1A's top teams and it wouldn't be surprising to either make a run at a state title. Springfield relies on upperclassmen leadership, as senior Julia Mondragon leads the team with 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. Alexis Crane adds 8.5 points per game to the mix. The same dynamic applies to the Patriots as its senior Delaney Eskew leads the team with 15.7 points per game. Junior Alissa Hebberd adds 12.4 points while also leading the team with 8.1 rebounds per game. Their showdown is the regular-season finale for both teams.