Sterling girls basketball earns No. 5 seed, will host Class 4A regionals
Sterling earned the No. 5 seed in CHSAA Class 4A and will host the first two rounds at their gym, opening against No. 28 Rifle on Friday night at 7 p.m.
Sterling High School's girls basketball program secured the No. 5 seed in the CHSAA Class 4A state playoffs and will host the regional tournament's first two rounds at their gym, welcoming three other teams after CHSAA released brackets on Sunday. The Tigers open the regional slate by hosting No. 28 Rifle on Friday night at 7 p.m.
The Tigers finished the regular season 18-5 and averaged 47.3 points per game. Freshman Karsyn Tonche led Sterling with 16.6 points per game while senior Taylor Tonche averaged 11.9 points per game. Coach Amber Whitlock credited the team's defense as a key component of their success in tighter games.
Whitlock said the program and community are energized by the draw to host regionals after several seasons away. “It feels good being top eight in the 4A. I think one of the parents had told me that they're pretty sure it's been since 2018 that Sterling's been able to host regionals. We're pretty excited for the girls and bringing it back home for these first few games,” Whitlock said.
The Tigers carried momentum into bracket week after a 39-26 win over Platte Valley in which Makenzie Beck was photographed taking a shot. Whitlock noted that bracket-watching became a near-daily ritual for coaches and players as the regular season closed. “It was pretty cool. We kind of had a good idea after the Platte Valley game the other night, but just finding that solidification on the website, it made it pretty sweet. Between us coaches and I’m sure some of the girls did too, (bracket watching) was kind of a daily thing. It was pretty exciting with where we were sitting. We had a couple losses in there, but watching everybody kind of go up and down, it was kind of a daily thing for us,” Whitlock said.
Rifle arrives with a 12-11 record and a 44.4 points-per-game scoring average, led by Sofiya Seeman at nine points per game. With the Tigers seeded No. 5, Sterling will host the first two rounds of Class 4A regionals at its gym; if Sterling advances, the second-round game will also be played at home as part of the regional bracket structure. The Friday 7 p.m. tipoff against Rifle will determine whether the Tigers can capitalize on home-court advantage and extend their postseason run.
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