The Fossil Ridge girls basketball team drove over five hours and spent the night in southwest Colorado, all in preparation for their playoff game against the ten seed Fruita Monument Wildcats.

The two teams have two very different paths to lead to this point. Fossil has faced some of the toughest teams in Colorado, including seven teams ranked top 50 in the state. The Sabercats were 2-5 in these matchups, but neither of the wins came against a top 30 opponent. As a result the underdogs will have to pull off a monumental win against the 25th ranked Wildcats. 

For Fruita Monument, their journey started going 3-1 during an out-of-state tournament in Utah. But their relative distant location severely limited the quality of teams the Wildcats faced this season. Fruita Monument only played five games against opponents in the Colorado top 50, going only 2-3 in those contests.

The Wildcats were in a similar situation last year, finishing as the ten seed and was able to secure a home victory to move onto the final 16. However, Fossil Ridge had more success than Fruita, making the elite 8 despite being a lower seed. 

Even though this is a much younger Sabercat team which has had their struggles, they are hungry and ready to fight their way to a road victory. Sophomore Gianna Leone expressed that sentiment before the team departed for Fruita on Monday afternoon.

“We know that it’s going to be hard,” Leone says. “We just need to play our game to get us the win.”

Leone has been a revelation for Fossil, working her way up from the bench to a starting role while still being an underclassman. The forward has been a major force on the boards in her last seven games averaging over six rebounds a game.

Leone and the Sabercats hope to emerge victorious when the two teams match up on February 21 at 6 p.m.

The Fossil Ridge boys basketball team will be in for an early test against the battle-tested Chaparral Wolverines at home on February 22 at 6 p.m.

While Chaparral enters the tournament as a thirty seed, they have picked it up late in the season. After starting 7-10, the Wolverines have won four of their last six games to end the regular season. This included home wins against #13 ThunderRidge and #10 Highlands Ranch, and a close road loss to #2 Rock Canyon. But similarly to Chaparral, Fossil Ridge and head coach Matt Johannsen feels that they are playing their best basketball of the season.

“You want to play your best basketball at the end, not in the middle,” Johannsen says. “I think we’re turning that corner and trending in the right direction.”

These two teams met twice last year in a pair of instant classics. The Sabercats won both meetings, including a 65-56 comeback victory during last year’s Final Four in the Denver Coliseum. Forward Nick Randall was an absolute force during the two meetings last year, with a combined 54 points and 27 rebounds. Now as the Sabercats’ number one option, he knows he has to lead the way for his team in the postseason.

“I’m the [top] role this year,” Randall says. “You can’t be selfish, if you get doubled you have to pass it out, find the open guy.”

On the defensive end, Fossil has to contend with junior breakout guard Gavin Carter. Carter averages a team-leading 21.7 points with an efficient 46% field goal percentage. Sabercats defensive presence Ty Brown will be drawing the assignment most of the night, but Brown understands his role and will give maximum effort on the defensive. Brown will also need to contribute offensively, using his three-pointer as a deadly threat to stretch the defense and rack up open points. But the three ball hasn’t been falling for Brown lately, shooting only 6-33 from beyond the arc in his last seven games.

“Just have to get in the gym and see what I need to work on,” Brown says. “Is it my follow through, my thumb flicking on my left hand…just making sure I know what’s wrong and how to fix it.”

As the games have now entered do or die, every team is desperate to stay alive. Fossil fell just short of a state title last season, and aren’t ready to give up on that dream yet.