The Colorado High School Activities Association released its 4A and 2A boys and girls basketball brackets earlier this week, officially announcing that the Hayden girls and Steamboat Springs boys teams will compete for a chance at a state title. 

Hayden Girls
Ranked No. 22 in 2A, the Hayden girls will take on No. 11 Byers at 6 p.m. Friday in Simla. 

The Tigers closed the regular season with a 10-8 record, 5-4 in league play. Byers will take a 14-9 record into the playoff game. 

The Tigers ended the regular season winning two of their last three games, with victories over Caprock Academy and a tight win over Soroco. The girls have scored 686 points this season, giving up 664. 

Taryn Schlim, a junior, leads the team in points per game, (9.1), rebounds per game, (10.7), and steals per game, (2.6). 

The winner between Hayden and Byers will take on the winner of No. 6 Simla and No. 27 Loveland Classical at 1 p.m. Saturday. 

Steamboat Springs Boys 
The Steamboat boys closed out the season winning three of their last six with wins over Basalt, Moffat County and Rifle. The Sailors’ 8-15 record to end the year was just good enough to squeak into a playoff spot as the No. 32 seed. 

Steamboat will take on No. 1-seeded Kent Denver at 5 p.m. Friday. Kent Denver posted a 20-3 record this season, taking a point differential of +601 into the playoffs. 

The Sailors have scored 1,071 points this season, while giving up 1,181 points.

Leading the Sailors in points this season is senior Jeffrey Sturges, averaging 21 points per game. He joined the school’s prestigious 1,000-point club earlier this season. Junior Connor Baptiste is the team leader in rebounds at 5.3 per game. 

Friday night’s victorious team will play again in Denver at 1 p.m. Saturday, taking on the winner of a matchup between No. 16 Eaton and No. 17 Bennett.