Cherry Creek’s march toward recapturing the girls lacrosse championship got another boost Tuesday.
The Bruins (15-0) were selected as the No. 1 overall seed when the Colorado High School Activities Association unveiled the state playoff bracket. They’ll open the tournament against the winner of the play-in game between Summit, champion of the Mountain League, and No. 16 St. Mary’s Academy.
Cherry Creek, then the three-time defending champion, lost the 2009 championship to Air Academy. It has been a source of motivation ever since.
“That state game is always in our thoughts at every practice,” senior Annie Anton said before the season.
Cherry Creek certainly has the offensive talent to reclaim the title, especially in its trio of Division I signees.
Boston University-bound Kameryn Downing leads the team with 50 goals. Anton, headed for Stanford, has 27 goals and 29 assists, while Cal recruit Shelby Barret has 25 goals and 23 assists.
The Bruins have played in every state championship game since girls lacrosse became a sanctioned sport in 1998.
Denver East (14-1) was selected as the No. 2 seed. The Angels’ lone loss this season came last Tuesday to Cherry Creek, 14-10.
Air Academy (13-1), Columbine (15-0) and Centaurus (11-3) round out the top five seeds.
The semifinals will be May 22 at Denver University. The final is set for 7 p.m. May 26 at DU.
GIRLS LACROSSE PLAYOFFS
Times and dates are to be announced unless noted:
• Play-in: Summit at No. 16 St. Mary’s Academy
• Play-in winner at No. 1 Cherry Creek
• No. 9 Golden at No. 8 Mullen
• No 13. ThunderRidge at No. 4 Columbine. 6 p.m. Friday at Trailblazer Stadium.
• No. 12 Regis Jesuit at No. 5 Centaurus
• No. 14 Arapahoe at No. 3 Air Academy. 5 p.m. Friday.
• No. 11 Smoky Hill at No. 6 Kent Denver. 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
• No. 10 Heritage/Littleton at No. 7 Chaparral
• No. 15 Cheyenne Mountain at No. 2 Denver East
Ryan Casey: 303-954-1983 or rcasey@denverpost.com
