The ball is ready to go up in 2024 as the prep girls basketball season resumes around Aurora after Colorado’s mandatory holiday break.
There is a lot to build on and plenty to correct for local teams in the new year.
Cherokee Trail holds the No. 1 spot in MaxPreps’ Class 6A rankings after the opening portion of the season, which coach Tammi Traylor-Statewright’s team open 8-2.
The Cougars (who were 9-1 at the same point last season during a 19-win campaign) opened with a win at Highlands Ranch, won the Castle View/ThunderRidge tournament and started 2-0 at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix before two losses going into the break to finish fourth in the Joe Smith Division.
Junior Delainey Miller (13.4 points per game), senior Damara Allen (10.9) and sophomore Karson Chaney (9.7) lead the way.
Eaglecrest holds a share of the city’s best marks through the break at 8-2, which includes four straight wins prior to winter break. Coach Robby Gabrielli’s Raptors (No. 9 in MaxPreps’ 6A rankings) have retooled after several longtime standouts graduated with depth.
Senior Shyann Farbes holds the scoring lead at 12.6 points per game, followed by junior Amaia Jones at 10.5.
Overland won 12 games all of last season, but has seven already during a 7-2 start under new head coach Wondame Davis. The Trailblazers’ losses came to Rock Canyon (No. 6 in MaxPreps’ 6A rankings) and then to Standley Lake (No. 3 in 5A) in the championship game of the Northglenn Shootout.
The senior tandem of Seilani Relford (14.4 ppg) and Destiny Moore (11.9 ppg) leads the way, with junior Ilaisaane Davis right behind at 9.6 points per contest.
Regis Jesuit owns a 6-3 mark with all three losses coming out of state at the She Got Game Classic in the Washington, D.C., area. Coach Jordan Kasemodel’s Raiders sit No. 10 in MaxPreps’ 6A rankings with Colorado wins over two teams (No. 4 Valor Christian and No. 7 Mullen) ranked ahead of them.
Senior Hana Belibi — who surpassed the 1,000 career points scored milestone — leads in scoring at 19.2 points per game, followed by senior Coryn Watts at 16.3.
A 3-1 performance at the Tarkanian Classic in Las Vegas brought Vista PEAK Prep into break at 6-4. Coach Howard Payne’s Bison won five of six before the hiatus to rise to No. 11 in MaxPreps’ 5A rankings. Juniors Eianna Jackson (8.6 ppg), Amirah Pena (8.4 ppg) and sophomore Knakai Starks (8.3 ppg) lead a balanced lineup.
Aurora Central entered break at 4-4, the identical mark it had last season at the same point. Coach Joseph Hill’s Trojans have had nearly a double-double every game from sophomore Jamaea Johnson Gonzalez (9.7 points, 11.9 rebounds), while junior Alayna McClain has averaged 10.6 points per contest.
Two-time defending state champion Grandview checks into the new year at 3-6 with decisive wins in its only two games in Colorado sandwiched between an o-3 trip to the She Got Game Classic in Dallas and 1-4 mark at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Phoenix. Three of the six losses for coach Josh Ulitzky’s team — which has worked through injury and absence of some regulars — have come by six points or fewer.
Defending Colorado Gatorade Player of the Year Sienna Betts is off to a massive start as she has averaged 24.8 points, 16.7 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 3.2 blocked shots per game. Junior Deija Roberson is next at 8.2 points per game and sophomore Lexi Yi — who missed one of the team’s tournaments — has averaged 6.8.
In the first season under Tony Speights as head coach, Rangeview sits at 3-6 after the opening portion of the season, a contrast from its 6-2 start last season. The Raiders finished sixth at the Best In the Nest Tournament to open the season, then won two of their last five.
Gateway sports a 1-4 mark at the break, with the majority of its schedule yet to come. Coach BJ Wilson’s first win with the Olys came against Hinkley in a local matchup.
Coach Rick Harris’ Smoky Hill team snapped a 21-game losing streak with a win against Hinkley and enters break at 1-9, while coach Dawn Quintero’s Hinkley team dropped its first five contests of the season.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
