Colorado high school girls basketball state tournament overview

The postseason brackets were released by the Colorado High School Activities Association on Monday, with games set to begin Tuesday in all classifications. Championship games will be played on March 19 and 20 at the Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs.

But the path to those games is uncertain. Here is a quick overview of the teams looking to make a championship run.

Class 5A // Bracket
Valor Christian (Highlands Ranch) gets the No. 1 seed in a tournament that is anyone's for the taking. The Eagles finished the regular season undefeated and won the 5A Jeffco League title. Haley Huard (12.8 points per game) and Macey Huard (10.7) lead the Eagles in scoring while Kindyll Wetta dishes a staggering nine assists per game and averages 6.7 rebounds along the way.

Samantha Jones and Avery Vansickle lead Regis Jesuit (Aurora) into the tournament as the No. 2 seed. Vansickle has missed a couple of games this year but is still averaging 13.2 points. Jones leads the Raiders with 14 points per game and also grabs 2.5 steals. The Raiders lost just once this year, falling to Valor Chrisitan 67-45 on Feb. 20.

Grandview (Aurora) takes the No. 3 seed thanks to its 14-0 record and Centennial League championship. The Wolves were the only team to hand 4A No. 4 Mullen losses this year, and Stanford commit Lauren Betts is averaging a staggering 18 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

Others to watch: No. 4 Highlands Ranch has put together a solid season, losing to just Valor Christian and Regis Jesuit. Payton Muma leads the Falcons with 19.8 points per game. Sydney Bevington can help No. 5 Ralston Valley (Arvada) make a deep run as she averages 19.1 points and 9.1 rebounds per game.

Class 4A // Bracket
After dropping the first game of the season to Lutheran (Parker), No. 1 Holy Family (Broomfield) has been unbeatable in 2021. Alyssa Wells has shined while scoring 15.5 points per game. Tyler Whitlock averages 13.8 points, six rebounds, four assists and five steals per game and has shown to be one of the best all-around players in the state.

Sophomore Jayda Maves has made No. 2 Green Mountain (Lakewood) a powerhouse heading into the postseason. The Rams finished unbeaten, and Maves led the team in scoring at 18.5 points per game. Avery Oaster provided support with 12.6 points and 8.5 rebounds per game.

No. 4 Mullen (Denver) is going to be the beneficiary of playing in a tough 5A/4A Centennial League. The Mustangs enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed but have plenty of veteran production from Megan Pohs (10.6 points per game) and Gracie Gallegos (15.6 points per game), who know how to compete and win a state title.

Others to watch: Windsor has played at a high level all season and grabbed the No. 3 seed. The Wizards' lone loss came against No. 1 Holy Family in overtime. No. 5 Falcon had its fair share of battles in the regular season. Two wins over No. 8 The Classical Academy (Colorado Springs) have to make them a dark horse team in the 4A tournament.

Class 3A // Bracket
The Vanguard School (Colorado Springs) has taken St. Mary's (Colorado Springs) place as the dominant team of the Tri-Peaks League and grabs the top seed heading into the 3A tournament. The Coursers already have wins over the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the 3A tournament, making them the bona fide favorite as games begin Tuesday. Juliana Garcia has evolved into a 3A player of the year candidate, averaging 17.8 points and 3.4 assists.

The lone loss for Centauri (La Jara) was to Vanguard, although the Falcons led the Coursers on the road at halftime. Brenna McDaniel is averaging 15.9 points and four steals per game, while Courtney Hamilton has 14.9 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Centauri is hoping to get through to the state championship game for a potential rematch with Vanguard.

Lutheran comes into the tournament as the No. 4 seed, but might have the best overall resumé in the field. The Lions beat Holy Family to start the season, and the Tigers went on to get the No. 1 seed in the 4A field. Stephanie Schultz averages 18.3 points per game while Raelyn Kelty scores 12.7 points and pulls down 6.8 rebounds per game.

Others to watch: Platte Valley (Kersey) is certainly a threat as its only loss came to Vanguard. The No. 3 Broncos boast wins over several teams in the 3A tournament including Eaton, Brush and University (Greeley). No. 5 Delta suffered losses to Centauri and Grand Junction Central, but have played sound basketball through the course of the season. Alexa Huff leads the team with 13.8 points per game.

Class 2A // Bracket
After feeling like there was a chance to capture a state title last year, Holyoke enters the 2A bracket as the top seed - with something to prove. Kristin Vieselmeyer has been one of the top scorers in the state, regardless of classification, at 20.9 points per game. She also pulls down 11 rebounds and accounts for 2.3 steals per game.

Cedaredge played well all season and had just one slip up, a 29-27 loss to Paonia. The Bruins got the better of the Eagles 12 days later and played well enough to earn the No. 2 seed. Kammie Henderson leads the Bruins with 13.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. Paige McGovern has done a fantastic job finding open shooters as she averages 4.6 assists per game.

No. 4 Rye flourished against 2A competition all year. The only loss for the Thunderbolts came against 3A No. 2 Centauri, meaning they will be well-tested as the postseason begins. Jolee Ortiz, Sophie Adamson and Sydney Adamson all average double-digit scoring figures for Rye.

Others to watch: A win over Cedaredge has shown that Paonia shouldn't be underestimated in the 2A field. Like Rye, the only loss for Heritage Christian (Fort Collins) came to a 3A team. Kali Siemers has the Eagles playing at a high level as she averages 22.6 points per game.

Class 1A // Bracket
Briggsdale enters the bracket as the top overall overall seed thanks a 12-0 regular-season record. The Falcons were a defensive nightmare for their opponents as they recorded 17 steals per game as a team. Kylie Krise was one of five players to average at least two steals and also led the team in scoring with 15.6 points per game.

Kit Carson also enters the 1A field without a loss on its record. The Wildcats faced several 2A playoff teams during the regular season and beat them all. What's most impressive is that they did it all with underclassmen Tess Johnson and Sedonia Isenbart leading the team in scoring at 9.8 points per game apiece.

Flatirons Academy (Westminster) showed it had the chops to hang with the top seeds this season. A 65-60 overtime loss to Briggsdale makes the Bison a team that should be feared throughout the tournament. Sophomore Kenlee Durrill (video below) leads the team with 16.6 points per game, while freshman Emma Cox adds 14.