COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo (KOAA) — Round two of the girls' basketball playoffs wrapped up on Saturday with five teams punching their ticket to the Sweet 16.
Pine Creek remains the only Southern Colorado team to stand in the 6A bracket, while Falcon, Palmer Ridge, Pueblo East, and Air Academy all advanced in the 5A tournament.
Pine Creek 58, Horizon 32
It took a while for Pine Creek to get going, but eventually, they ran away with this game. The game was tied at 6 after the full first quarter, and Pine Creek held just a 26-20 lead at the half. In the third quarter, they found their footing. The Eagles outscored Horizon 21-5 in the third quarter, which made the difference. Brenna Hallam scored a game-high 15 points for Pine Creek, who will visit Northfield in the next round.
Lutheran 53, Cheyenne Mountain 29
After pulling off a first-round upset over Eagle Valley, Cheyenne Mountain looked to do the same against the number one seed, Lutheran. However, the Hawks were not as successful this time around. Cheyenne Mountain trailed by 13 points at the half, a deficit that only grew larger throughout the course of the game.
Falcon 53, Pueblo County 43
Falcon looked as if they were ready to run away with this game in the first quarter. After the first eight minutes, the Falcons found themselves with a 23-5 lead. Pueblo County showed up in the second quarter, though, closing the gap as they only trailed 26-22 at the half. Falcon’s full-court defensive pressure allowed them to push the lead back to double digits and keep the Hornets from mounting a real comeback. Cobelyn Wiesner scored 19 points for the Falcons. Parker McCafferty, Emma Carter, and Rylee Stupnik each scored 8 for the Hornets.
Palmer Ridge 62, Lewis Palmer 46
For a third time this season, and the most important of their three meetings, Palmer Ridge defeated district rival Lewis Palmer. Corinna Arellano knocked down seven threes on her way to 25 points for the Bears. Palmer Ridge will host Pueblo East in the Sweet 16.
Pueblo East 74, Severance 35
The Eagles won their first playoff game in eight years, and did so in dominant fashion. They held Severance to just 4 points in the first quarter and scored 19 themselves. By halftime, the Eagles had a 41-17 lead. Freshman Dejanay Arrington led the way with 21 points, and senior Ilyne Avila added another 16. East will travel to Palmer Ridge for their next playoff matchup.
Frederick 48, Widefield 42
Widefield played a close game on the road against Frederick but ultimately came up short. The Gladiators finish the season with a 16-8 overall record.
Air Academy 45, Canon City 19
Both teams struggled to score in the first half. Air Academy held a 16-8 lead after the first two quarters. The Kadets opened the game up in the second half by scoring a lot of fast-break points and limiting Canon City to one shot per possession. Kinley Asp had a game-high 18 points for Air Academy, and Addison Reutter put in another 14 for the Kadets. Canon City’s 19 points were scored by a collective of seven different players.
Air Academy will host Thompson Valley in the Sweet 16.
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