Basketball teams from Resurrection Christian, Berthoud, Loveland Classical and Campion Academy will begin postseason play this weekend after playoff brackets for the state’s lower classifications were released by CHSAA on Sunday.
The top 32 teams in each classification from 4A-1A qualified for regionals, with the top eight earning the opportunity to host. The RCS girls and boys will host their regionals this weekend while all of the other teams will play on the road.
In Class 4A, the Berthoud girls missed hosting by one spot. The Spartans are the No. 9 seed and will play their regional at No. 8 Alamosa.
The first game of the regional will feature the Spartans (14-9) against No. 24 Montezuma-Cortez (11-12) at 5:30 p.m. Friday. That will be followed by No. 8 Alamosa (16-6) against No. 25 Wellington (9-14) at 7 p.m. The winners will then play at 1 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum.
Berthoud is led by its high-scoring duo of senior Avery Pfohl and sophomore Sofia Sigg. Sigg is averaging 22.6 points per game and Pfhol is averaging 19.7. Junior Kiera Harris leads the team in rebounds with 10.7 per game, while Pfohl averages 4.3 assists and Sigg averages six steals.
The Berthoud boys just made it into the playoff field as the No. 32 seed. The Spartans will play their regional at top seed and defending 4A state champion Kent Denver.
Berthoud (10-13) and Kent Denver (20-3) will open the regional at 6 p.m. Friday. The nightcap at 7:30 p.m. will feature No. 16 Moffat County (14-9) against No. 17 Stargate School (12-11). The winners will play at 1:30 p.m. Saturday for a berth in the Great 8 at the Denver Coliseum.
The Spartans are led in scoring by senior Ryan Callies (14.7 points per game) and senior Jayce Newbill (13.0). Newbill leads the team in rebounds with 6.1 per game while Callies leads the squad in assists with 2.9.
In Class 3A, the defending state champion RCS girls are the No. 7 seed and will host No. 10 North Fork, No. 23 Brush and No. 26 Peyton.
RCS (16-7) will face Peyton (13-10) at 2:30 p.m. Friday, and North Fork (20-3) will face Brush (13-10) at 5:30 p.m.
The winners will play at 12:30 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the Great 8 at the University of Denver.
The Cougars are led by senior Bethany Vrooman, who averages 17 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. Junior Tatum Van Pelt leads the team in assists (2.3) and steals (4.7).
On the boys’ side, the defending state champion Cougars are the No. 6 seed and will host No. 11 The Vanguard School, No. 22 Thomas MacLaren School and No. 27 Addenbrooke Classical Academy.
RCS (16-7) will face Addenbrooke Classical (15-8) at 4 p.m. Friday and The Vanguard School (17-5) will face Thomas MacLaren at 7 p.m.
The winners will play at 2 p.m. Saturday for a spot in the Great 8 at the University of Denver.
RCS is led by senior Egan Koenig, who leads the team with 17.7 points, 4.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Senior Reagan Cunningham leads the Cougars in rebounds with 5.5 per game.
In Class 2A, the Loveland Classical girls are the No. 13 seed and will play their regional at No. 4 Sargent.
The Lions (17-5) will face No. 20 Hoehne (14-9) on Friday, and Sargent (19-3) will play No. 29 Vail Mountain (11-9). The winners will play Saturday for a berth in the Great 8 at Moby Arena. Times for the regional games had not yet been announced Monday morning.
Classical is led by senior Kaelyn Doan, who leads the team in points (11.4), rebounds (3.5) and assists (0.9). Senior Abigail Ruppert and Doan lead the team with 3.5 steals per game.
While the Classical boys just missed qualifying for regionals by finishing the season ranked No. 33, the boys team from Campion Academy made it in.
Campion, the No. 14 seed, will play its regional at No. 3 Heritage Christian. The Cougars (13-4) will face No. 19 Dayspring Christian Academy (12-11), and Heritage Christian (17-6) will play No. 30 Crested Butte (11-12) on Friday.
The winners will then play Saturday for a spot in the Great 8 at Moby Arena. Times for the regional games had not yet been announced Monday morning.
In Class 5A, the No. 11 Thompson Valley girls (19-5) will play their Sweet 16 game at No. 6 Air Academy (20-4) at 6 p.m. Wednesday. In the second round Saturday, the Eagles defeated No. 22 Aurora Central, 71-38, while the Kadets defeated No. 27 Canon City, 45-19.
The winner will advance to face the winner between No. 3 Montrose and No. 14 George Washington in the Great 8 on Saturday at the Denver Coliseum.
