Prep girls
Their stiffest test came at No. 3 University Dec. 14, when they rallied to beat the Bulldogs, 51-43, behind an 18-6 fourth quarter.
Back in the championship conversation
The Mavericks, looking for their first title in girls basketball, have been in the mix the past two seasons at the Denver Coliseum. They reached their first semifinals in program history in 2022, then the quarterfinals last year, and in both instances, their season ended at the hands of league-foe Windsor. (Which, for those interested, mark your phone calendars as the two teams play Jan. 23 and Feb. 14.)
So, what to make of the Mavs’ 7-2 start? At a glance, they’re young on paper, and perhaps that youth showed through in their seasonopening loss at Frederick. They’re also full of talent, led by junior guard Darby Haley (13.9 ppg), and are great defensively under coach Mike Ward.
Get this: In wins over 6A No. 4 Erie and 4A No. 2 D’evelyn last month, they
forced 45 combined turnovers.
They’re home against Longmont (6-2) Friday.
Can’t-miss preps talents
Between Peak to Peak’s Alexandra Eschmeyer and Legacy’s Olivia Mortensen, Eschmeyer is more recognized in the wider basketball community. The 6-foot5, easy-to-pick-out-of-thecrowd junior is a four-star prospect on ESPN. She has interest from a number of big-time programs, including the University of Colorado.
Through six games of stats listed for the Pumas (6-2), she’s averaging 23 points and 12.5 rebounds. If her towering presence in the paint is frustrating for opposing teams, they’ll really hate to see that she’s also 12 of 25 (48%) from behind the arc.
Then there’s Mortensen, who at just 5-foot-10 has been just as dominant on the stat sheet. She finished with a double-double average last year (17.3 points, 12.3 rebounds), and has been even better as a junior, putting up 22.5 points and 14 boards through six games for the Lightning (1-5).
Though her team has struggled early, Mortensen has had monster doubledoubles in five straight games. In its win over Platte Valley Dec. 8, she was one steal away from a tripledouble, finishing with 22 points and 14 rebounds.
Erie, Frederick keep impressing
The Tigers (6-1) narrowly missed the postseason a year ago and are currently ranked fourth in 6A. If the CHSAA coach of the year wasn’t normally awarded to the eventual champion, Skyline boys coach turned Erie girls coach, Tyler Cerveny, would be among the
leading candidates at the start of 2024.
Leading his team, Maddie Hartel is the star guard you may not have heard enough about yet. The Erie senior was great last season and is averaging 16.9 points on 50% shooting this year. Next to her, Juliet Slater (10.9 ppg), who is just a sophomore, has been marvelous in her own right. She’s put up a career-best 17 points in three games this season, the latest coming in a 49-40 win over Frederick before winter break.
Speaking of Frederick (52), it appears to be building nicely off its postseason win as the 27th seed in March.
Ranked 10th in 5A, Frederick has proven stingy defensively outside of a loss to 6A No. 1 Legend, holding six of its seven opponents under 50 points, and two under 15. It also has the best win in the classification per the current CHSAA rankings, beating 5A No. 1 Mead 4842 on Nov. 28.
More about the Golden Eagles will be known after their next two games. They’re home against defending champ Roosevelt Friday. Then they face one of the top players in the state, Brihanna Crittendon (29.6 ppg), when they go to 4A No. 8 Riverdale Ridge Jan. 9.