The path is clear for the Broomfield Eagles girls basketball team, as it should be this time of year.
Broomfield has been the favorite in the Class 4A field all season, as it was last season. The Eagles’ 2006 state quarterfinal exit was quicker than they had hoped for, but call it lesson learned.
“They know where they want to go. They are not out there with a ‘happy to be here’ mentality,” Broomfield coach Mike Croell said of his team.
With senior leadership in guards Katie Calderwood and Caitlin Stem mixed with sophomore talent and size with Chaundra Sewell, Sophia Rhodes and Anna Prins, the Eagles (23-1) are proven favorites.
The 5A Sweet 16 will play out tonight, with 4A scheduled for Friday. Championships for the two largest classes will be decided March 9 at the Coors Events Center in Boulder.
Golden was looking just that until Cassie Lambrecht, the state’s leading scorer, went down with an ACL tear. That opens the door a bit for Fossil Ridge, whose rival Silver Creek will play Harrison in the other game in that region.
Moffat County is playing in the same region as Glenwood Springs, the only in-state team to beat the Bulldogs.
Berthoud has won 11 of its past 12 but faces defending champion Mullen, which knows all about top competition. Sierra or Pueblo East will take on the winner.
In 5A, Arapahoe’s Amy Barczuk and cross-town transfer Abby Thorderson will try to beat Jeffco champion Dakota Ridge again. The winner will face defending state champion Highlands Ranch or Colorado Springs power Doherty.
Give coach Bill Bradley credit for preventing ThunderRidge from crashing into the abyss after post Kelly Hartig went down with a leg injury early in the season. The Grizzlies, led by Meagan Malcolm-Peck, will have their hands full with a dangerous Lakewood team.
The Tigers have won eight in a row behind leading scorers Taylor Johnson and Kait Goodall after an uneven midseason. The winner will play two-time runner-up Horizon, with the state’s leading rebounder for three years running in Hannah Tuomi, or Chaparral.
Legacy is rolling after Melissa Jones led the way in a late-season victory over Horizon. But the Lightning sits in a loaded region with Heritage and Air Academy (23-1). In the lower portion of the bracket, top-ranked Regis is showing little weakness, as sisters Ari and Alana Curtis will try to upend Cherry Creek.
In 3A, defending state champion Centauri started the season shaky with a new lineup. But after an early four-game losing streak, the Falcons have won 13 of their past 14 games, with Marcia Cooley’s 15.3 points per game leading the way.
All of last season’s other Final Four programs are back, including Eaton, runner-up Denver Christian and Faith Christian.
Colorado Springs Christian is the No. 1 seed in a region of unfamiliar teams, except one. The Classical Academy stunned the Lions 37-31 on Feb. 8 after losing to them by 17 a month earlier. But Colorado Springs Christian won the rubber match in district play and is one of the heavy favorites with a 20-2 record.
For Classes 3A-1A, “Great Eight” play begins March 8, with the championship to be decided March 10.
In 2A, Sangre de Cristo will need to respond after Sargent ended the Thunderbirds’ perfect season with a 52-49 score in a district championship game.
Eads knocked out three-time reigning 1A champion McClave, and then the Eagles avenged an earlier loss to Kit Carson to advance in the regional bracket. North Park is another team to watch.
