Air Academy and Pine Creek girls basketball teams lost a strong group of seniors last season but remain prominent in their respective classes. Both schools closed December with blowout wins and play at Air Academy in January ahead of league contests. Below are highlights from both teams as wel l as Thomas MacLaren’s squad, which features one of the state’s top rebounders. Air Academy undefeated as Kinley Asp posts gaudy numbers An 8-0 record one season after a state title game appearance and the loss of a plethora of players shows the Kadets remain a force in 5A. The Kadets have won seven of their eight games by double figures and pour in 67.1 per night. Kinley Asp leads that charge with career highs in multiple areas. Asp averages 23.4 points per game, 6 rebounds, 6 steals and 3.8 assists. Asp’s 23.4 ppg is up nearly 10 points from last year’s 13.5 average and her steals total is 1.7 higher than her best mark when she averaged 4.3 as a sophomore. But Asp competes with a swath of hungry underclassmen who also power the Kadets. Addison Reutter averages 7.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game and is second on the team behind Asp with 3.3 steals per night. Grace Mooney is second on the team in scoring at 7.4 points and found her touch in the Kadets’ final two games prior to break. After hitting four 3-pointers in the Kadets’ first six games, Mooney went 9-of-12 shooting combined from deep against Delta and Fruita Monument. Pine Creek climbs to 5-2 despite notable losses from 2025 Final Four team The Eagles soared into break with a 58-44 victory against ThunderRidge to give Pine Creek its fifth win of the season. Pine Creek lost multiple key seniors from last year’s team including Brooklyn Stewart, who’s at the University of Oklahoma, and Leekaya Burke-Perryman, now at University of Nebraska Omaha. But staples from the Eagles’ 2024-25 6A semifinals team remain critical in their success this year. Alli Dreessen leads the team in scoring with 14 points per game and has 7.5 boards per contest. Freshman Leah Dreessen leads the Eagles with 7.7 rebounds per game. Brenna Hallam (11.4) and Paige Murdock (9.8) are second and third on the team in scoring and Hallam paces the Eagles in assists (3.8) and steals (1.7) per contest. Thomas MacLaren thrives as Sara Christensen dominates the glass If Thomas MacLaren played two more games prior to break, Sara Christensen would be the nation’s eighth leading rebounder. The Highlanders own a 5-1 record and, with the help of Christensen, have their best start in team history. MaxPreps currently requires teams play eight games to join its national list, however, in Colorado, Christensen ranks third at 17.2 boards per contest. The Highlanders senior also ranks 12th in Colorado with 7.2 steals per night. In a 59-46 win against Vanguard on Dec. 10, Christensen, who also leads the Highlanders in scoring at 14.6, had 25 points, 25 rebounds and 8 steals.   Christensen’s boards primarily come on offense as she’s reached double-figure offensive rebounds in all but one matchup. Sarae Johnson and Aneace Forman have also bolted to hot starts for the Highlanders. Johnson is second in scoring with 11.8 points, third with 3.2 steals and has knocked down nine 3-pointers. Forman averages 11 points, 8.4 rebounds, 4.2 steals and leads the Highlanders at 3.2 assists per contest and a block per game. Honorable mention: Palmer Ridge, Evangel Christian Academy, Falcon and James Irwin all shine in December contests Palmer Ridge, ECA and Falcon all looked formidable in their early batches of games and combined to go 16-1 so far. The Bears continue to press teams in every sense of the word and own a 7-1 record through eight games. Evangel Christian Academy (5-0) and Falcon (4-0) both have perfect records and have won games via blowout and thin margins. Though James Irwin played just three games prior to the break, the Jaguars are 3-0 for the first time in team history. The Jaguars have not surpassed four wins since 2016-17 when they finished 7-12. ...read more read less