Title hunt begins in Class 5A/4A Colorado girls basketball

In just 19 days, the culmination of months of hard work is going to pay dividends for only a handful of deserving teams. Starting tonight, the championship pursuit begins.

The Colorado high school girls basketball postseason gets rolling for Class 5A and 4A with first-round action this evening across the state. The 48-team brackets were released Sunday, with Fruita Monument taking the No. 1 overall seed in the 5A field. Pueblo West is the top seed in 4A.

The top 16 seeds in both classifications received first-round byes and will host second-round games on Friday night. The Sweet 16 will take place Feb. 27; the Great 8 on March 2; and the Final 4 is March 8 at the Denver Coliseum. Both championship games are slated for March 10, also at the Coliseum.

Here is a quick look at each of the four regions in 5A and 4A headed into Tuesday's first round, including a potential region-buster (a team seeded outside of the top 10) in each region:

Class 5A
Bobbi Brown-Vandenberg Region
Top Seed: 1. Fruita Monument
Overview: A year ago Fruita Monument was the No. 5 seed, and the Wildcats were bounced in the Sweet 16 round. But the team regrouped, and Fruita Monument (21-2) had its two losses come by only a combined nine points. No. 8 seed Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins.) and No. 9 Mountain Vista (Highlands Ranch) met during the regular season, with the SaberCats getting the victory. Both teams come out of challenging leagues. Denver East (18-5) won the Denver Prep League after overcoming a rough mid-season stretch where the Angels lost three of four to Continental League teams.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 17 Fort Collins. The Lambkins (19-3) dropped all three of their games in league play, taking No. 3 Horizon (Thornton) to overtime on Feb. 9 and falling to No. 12 Fairview (Boulder) by one point. Fort Collins struggled against No. 8 Fossil Ridge, but the Lambkins play tough defense – the team allowed only one opponent to score 50 points all season. Senior Delsie Johnson leads the team in scoring (14.7 points) and rebounds (7.3).

Kaye Garms Region
Top Seed: 2. Lakewood
Overview: Lakewood, the state runner-up a year ago, had to overcome the loss of Kira Emsbo before the season, and the Tigers lost three of their first 10 games. But Lakewood (20-3) won its final 13 to capture the Jeffco League crown. The Kaye Garms Region is Jeffco-heavy, with four of the 12 teams coming from Jeffco (including the top three teams). Castle View (Castle Rock) (19-4) is aiming to disrupt that party after finishing third in the Continental League.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 18 Liberty (Colorado Springs). The second-place team out of the Colorado Springs Metro has a good draw and could meet up with Lakewood in the Sweet 16 if it gets past Monarch (Louisville) and then Dakota Ridge (Littleton). Liberty (17-6) won five of its final six games, with the only loss coming to 4A No. 1 Pueblo West. Senior Jayda Lyon averages 15.5 points.

Jenny Coalson Region
Top Seed: 3. Horizon
Overview: This is a fun region, with a number of talented squads. Horizon (21-2) had only one in-state loss, which came to No. 4 Grandview (Aurora) late in the season. Sixth-seeded Regis Jesuit (Aurora) (20-3) won the Continental League and didn't lose an in-state game all season, and the Raiders defeated No. 2 Lakewood, No. 4 Grandview, No. 5 Highlands Ranch and No. 10 Castle View. Eleventh-seeded Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) (18-5) features one of the state's top talents in sophomore Jana Van Gytenbeek (16.6 points, 7.8 assists).
Potential Region-Buster: No. 19 Arapahoe (Centennial). The Warriors (15-8) finished third in the Centennial League behind Grandview and Cherry Creek. The team also owns a victory over potential second-round foe Chaparral (Parker), and is on the opposite side of the region from Regis Jesuit and Cherry Creek. The offense is balanced behind three players who average right around nine points a game.

Alice Barron Region
Top Seed: 4. Grandview
Overview: It's no surprise this is the toughest region, but it can't be understated how the Alice Barron is so stacked. Grandview (20-3), Highlands Ranch (19-4), Fairview (18-5) and Doherty (Colorado Springs) (20-3) make it heavy at the top, with a potential Grandview-Highlands Ranch quarterfinal worthy of at least the state semifinals.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 12 Fairview. The Knights (18-5) won their final 10 games of the regular season, including victories over No. 17 Fort Collins and No. 8 Fossil Ridge. The team also played Ralston Valley (Arvada) and Regis Jesuit tough early in the season. A tough 1-2 scoring punch of seniors Denali Pinto (19 points, seven rebounds) and Ashley Panem (16.8 points, 4.4 assists) could serve Fairview well in a challenging region.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 5A state bracket

Class 4A
Tricia Bader-Binford Region
Top Seed: 1. Pueblo West
Overview: Pueblo West was the No. 2 overall seed a year ago, reaching the final four by virtue of a victory over Mesa Ridge (Colorado Springs) in the quarterfinals. So it was interesting to say the least to see those two teams paired in the same region again, with the Cyclones (22-1) now the No. 1 seed. West's only loss this season came to 5A's top overall seed, Fruita Monument. Mesa Ridge (20-3) dropped its only games to three of 5A's top teams as well, and each loss came by less than 10 points. The Grizzlies would need to potentially get past a tough No. 9 Thomas Jefferson (Denver) (21-2) team first, though.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 17 Berthoud. The Spartans were fourth in the Tri-Valley League, having to face two of 4A's top four seeds (Holy Family (Broomfield) and Windsor) twice this season. Berthoud fell by only two points to No. 2 Holy Family back on Feb. 2, and feature a talented sophomore in Emily Cavey (19.8 points, 7.6 rebounds).

Anita Stites-Rowland Region
Top Seed: 2. Holy Family
Overview: Holy Family's only three losses this season came to the other top four seeds, though the Tigers did split with No. 4 Windsor. The Tigers also own a victory over defending state champion Evergreen. The bottom half of the region is Jeffco-heavy, with No. 7 D'Evelyn (Denver) (17-6) and No. 10 Golden (19-4). The Jaguars lost to the Demons twice this winter, but also swept fifth-seeded Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch). That could make this region a toss-up.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 15 Widefield (Colorado Springs). Save for a surprising loss to The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) late in the season, the Gladiators' other four losses this season came to teams seeded eight or higher. Despite a smaller roster in terms of depth, Widefield was second to Mesa Ridge in the Colorado Springs Metro. Talented junior point guard Aaliyah Ricketts leads the team in scoring and senior Shynesti Johnson averages more than five steals a game.

John Mraule Region
Top Seed: 3. Air Academy
Overview: With four league champions sitting in this region with at least 20 victories during the regular season, this very well may be the toughest one to claim. Third-seeded Air Academy (22-1) has won 19 games in a row; defending state champion Evergreen (21-2) won a brutal Jeffco League crown and has defeated the No 5, 7 and 10 seeds twice this season; No. 11 Centaurus (Lafayette) (20-3) closed out the regular season with 11 consecutive victories; and No. 14 Rifle (21-2) had won 17 in a row before a late-season loss. A potential quarterfinal matchup between Air Academy and Evergreen would more than worth the price of admission. It is worth mentioning, though, that Rifle defeated Air Academy in the third round a year ago, and those two teams could meet again in that same spot.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 19 Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs). The Thunder finished third in a 5A/4A Pikes Peak League that sent seven teams to the postseason. Discovery Canyon won seven of its final nine games, and lost by only six to Air Academy the second time around. Should the team get past No. 46 Roosevelt (Johnstown), Rifle would await. A potential Sweet 16 battle with league rival Air Academy could be in the cards with an upset of the Bears. Junior Ashten Prechtel (18.5 points, 14.5 rebounds, 3.2 blocks) is a tough matchup for any team.

Steve Hill Region
Top Seed: 4. Windsor
Overview: Windsor made the state semifinals as the No. 5 seed a year ago, and the Wizards (19-4) caught fire late in the season. Windsor won its final 12 games, including a victory over No. 2 Holy Family. Fifth-seeded Valor Christian (17-6) had to regroup after losing leading scorer Kindyll Wetta midway through the season, but the Eagles have a lot of big-game experience. Mead (Longmont) (15-7) finished third in the Tri-Valley but dropped its final three games of the season.
Potential Region-Buster: No. 12 Pueblo South. A potential Windsor-Valor Christian quarterfinal matchup would be fun to watch, but don't discount the Colts. Pueblo South (14-9) played a brutal nonleague schedule, and the team also had to face No. 1 Pueblo West twice in a little more than two weeks. But South also made the finals a year ago, has three players who average in double figures, and has junior Gabi Lucero (16.8 points, 11.3 rebounds) to cause matchup problems inside.

MaxPreps Colorado Class 4A state bracket