Spotted chatting before viewing last Friday’s wrestling feature at the 61st Colorado High School Coaches Association All-State Games, it was pretty clear 2A Paonia’s Colorado Mesa University-bound Sophia Anderson and Colorado Springs-based 4A The Classical Academy’s McClain Walker had formed quite a basketball bond.
And after the mat action ended, they showed it on the hardwood to fans refilling Adams State University’s Plachy Hall — combining immediately for 32 points (Walker 18) in the All-State Red team’s tense 60-57 semifinals loss to the White team, and then 27 (Anderson 15) in the next day’s 62-41 rout of the Black team with third place at stake.
Also part of the equation was graduated Dolores senior guard Madi Archuleta, who joined Mancos cross-country runners Emma Most, Kaylee Rose and Hannah Skinner in bringing Montezuma County skill to Alamosa.
In defeat, Archuleta she scored one basket in each half to finish with four points, but in victory she totaled eight points — six via two early three-pointers, which helped the Red team build an imposing 42-23 lead after one 18-minute half.
“It truly was an awesome experience!” Archuleta said of her final prep-level contests. “The talent there was incredible, and being able to play with some other people was unique and fun.”
“I don’t have plans to play in college,” she continued, “but I will be attending Western State Colorado University to study recreation and outdoor education in the fall.”
Walker (an Otero Junior College recruit) logged 12 points, and 3A Parker Lutheran’s Shelbie Sperle also reached double figures with 10. Class 1A Wiley’s Diana Morales, removed from the semifinal after badly rolling an ankle with 5:01 left in the first half, scored six points against the Black team, while 4A Elizabeth’s Olivia Whitworth and 1A Kit Carson’s Shayla Bogenhagen each netted four, 1A La Veta’s Gabriella Lopez two, and San Luis Valley local Danielle Chacon (3A Monte Vista) one.
San Luis Valley product Quincy Lester (2A Sargent) paced the Black team in defeat with 10 points and totaled 21 in her side’s two unsuccessful outings, the first being a 61-55 loss to the Blue teamin the second semifinal. Behind 20 points from 1A McClave’s Tatum Chase and 15 from SLV star Bailey Jones (2A Del Norte), the Blue team then downed White 82-65 in the first-place test despite 4A Golden’s Sydney Prey dropping 14 and 5A Parker Chaparral’s Reagan Chiaverini 12.
Mancos runners make final run togetherThe Mancos-graduated trio of Most, Rose and Skinner ran with nine others listed in the girls’ showcase, held upon Alamosa’s Cole Park-centered course. Requests for full results from the Colorado High School Coaches Association were unanswered as of press time, but Rose reported she’d finished 10th in a time of 30 minutes, 4 seconds.
“We didn’t come to this race with the desire to ‘win,’” she said. “We came with the idea that we could ... run one last race together. Although we all were sick or suffering from allergies, we managed to overcome these challenges and have a fun race.”
Skinner reportedly took ninth in 29:16, while Most finished seventh (time unavailable at press time).
“The ... Games were an absolute blast for me and my teammates,” said Rose, eager to continue learning at Western State Colorado University (she noted joining Western State’s trail-running club is a possibility) in Gunnison.
Heading to Colorado MesaSigned by Colorado Mesa to play basketball and golf, Prey pumped in 26 points in a Valentine’s Day home win over Evergreen — the Lady Cougars’ last defeat in a state championship campaign overseen by former Fort Lewis College standout Amy Bahl (née Mohr).
In fact, Golden High dealt Evergreen — which actually finished second to the Lady Demons in 4A Jeffco League play — two of its three defeats (against a school-record 25 wins) this past winter, with Prey also scoring six inside Evergreen’s Laurice ‘Lo’ Hunter Gymnasium on Jan. 20.