And then there were 10.
At least, that’s how many local teams remained alive in the Class 5A and 4A boys and girls basketball state tournaments as of early Friday night.
While numerous local teams in the 1A-3A classifications will wrap up district play this weekend and regional play next weekend before officially embarking on their state tournaments, local teams from bigger classifications have already begun to contend for state titles with 32-team state tournaments that began this week.
Six local girls teams won first round games Tuesday to set up games in the Round of 16 on Friday night: 4A’s Eaton (18-6), University (22-2), Severance (9-15) and Resurrection Christian (13-11), in addition to 5A contenders Roosevelt (22-2) and Windsor (17-7).
University and Eaton approached Friday night’s games with hopes of renewing their rivalry next week at the Denver Coliseum. A win by both teams in the quarterfinals yields a matchup between the two teams in the semifinals Friday.
Four local big-school teams will compete in second rounds of boys tournaments Saturday: 4A’s Severance (18-6), Resurrection Christian (20-4) and Eaton (19-5), in addition to 5A’s Windsor (20-4).
Another possible semifinals showdown featuring all local teams exists in the 4A boys bracket. Wins by Resurrection Christian and Eaton on Saturday would mean the two teams match up in the semifinals Friday at the Denver Coliseum.
On the dotted line
University senior Kendree Kern signed a National Letter of Intent this week to continue her competitive softball career.
She will play at the National Junior College Athletic Association level for McCook (Neb.) Community College.
This past fall, Kern helped lead the Bulldogs to a 22-7 record and a runner-up finish in the 3A state softball tournament.
She overcame injuries to hit .238 with 21 RBI and five doubles. Playing third base, she fielded .826 with just 12 errors on 69 total chances.
Four figures
Windsor senior boys basketball player David Hageman is one of the latest in a line of local players to surpass the 1,000 career-point mark on the hardwood.
Hageman accomplished his feat on Feb. 10 during an 83-50 road win against Centaurus.
Hageman is averaging 20 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.2 steals per game for the Wizards (20-4), who will carry a 14-game win streak into the second round of the 5A playoffs Saturday.
Also eclipsing the 1,000-point mark: Platte Valley senior Andi Schissler reached this major career milestone on Tuesday during the Broncos’ 59-44 district semifinals win against Highland.
Schissler is averaging 17.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocks per game for the two-time defending 3A champion Broncos (14-7).
Bobby Fernandez covers high school sports for the Greeley Tribune. Reach him at (970) 392-4478, by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @BobbyDFernandez.
