High school basketball's second season begins Tuesday night, with the first round of the Class 4A girls tournament. Broomfield is the defending champion and has won 35 consecutive games and 50 of its past 51. In other words, the line forms squarely behind the Eagles.

Lou Piel Region

* Who's hot: Conifer, the second seed, enters on a 16-game winning streak that included a 13-0 blast through Jefferson County League play. . . . Top-seeded Mullen has won 13 of 14 and 18 of 20. . . . Longmont won nine of its final 10 and was 15-1 in Northern League play, with the loss coming to Broomfield. . . . Thompson Valley went 7-2 down the stretch. . . . Pueblo County closed with a 9-3 burst. . . . Delta put together a four-game winning streak before losing its league finale to Glenwood Springs.

* Who's not: Mountain View lost seven of its final 11, a stretch that included a four-game skid. . . . Falcon lost six of its final seven games and 11 of its final 14. . . . Palisade finished 5-8, which isn't so bad considering the Bulldogs started 0-10.

* Bracket buster: Fifth-seeded Wheat Ridge (17-6) is a few bounces from an even loftier record, and the majority of the Farmers' losses were narrow and against quality competition.

* Prime-time players: Mullen senior Laura Palmere has upped her scoring production in the second half of the season and enters the playoffs averaging 17.3 points. . . . Sharpshooting Conifer sophomore Alison Gorrell averages 20.9 points and has made 195 trips to the free-throw line this season. . . . Longmont sophomore Jamie Katuna is averaging 19.5 points and 2.3 steals. . . . These players lead their respective teams in scoring and average a little more than 14 points a game: Jordan Sibrel (Thompson Valley), Jen Ingargiola (Harrison) and Erin Stumbaugh (Mountain View).

* Buzzer beater: Though Mullen initially appears a no-brainer to advance to the final four in Boulder, this perhaps is the most challenging bracket, with red-hot Conifer and Longmont in the mix.

Brenda House Region

* Who's hot: Mesa Ridge won its final 10 games, including a dramatic 64-63 triumph against Sierra in the Colorado Springs Metro League finale. . . . Montrose had won 19 straight before losing its finale to Grand Junction Central. . . . Centaurus closed on a 17-1 spurt, its loss a 50-43 decision at Conifer. . . . Mitchell won 11 of its final 14 after starting 2-7. . . . Rifle finished 6-2 and Silver Creek 6-3.

* Who's not: Elizabeth dropped five of its final six. . . . Widefield went 2-5 down the stretch and Berthoud 3-6. . . . Pueblo Centennial put together a three-game winning streak to begin things after the holiday break, then thudded to a 4-8 finish.

* Bracket buster: Sixth-seeded Rifle beat fifth-seed Pueblo West this season, and although the Bears fell to top-seeded Montrose in December, they proved they could hang with the Indians for stretches in the 54-38 setback.

* Prime-time players: Centaurus center Nikki Lindow and Mesa Ridge sophomore Kaitlyn Mileto each average 17.5 points a game. Lindow also has blocked 36 shots. . . . Silver Creek senior Lauren Wolfinger leads the Raptors with an 18.5 scoring average. . . . Elizabeth senior Hillary Hawkins averages 14.7 points and eight rebounds. . . . Rifle's Cortney Cordova puts up 16.3 points a game. . . . Berthoud's Amy Ekart (14.7 scoring average), Mitchell's Bri Johnson (13.5) and Widefield's Mindi Church (13) lead their teams in scoring.

* Buzzer beater: While there is a pronounced drop-off after the first three seeds, this side of the bracket has a classic in the making if Mesa Ridge and Centaurus meet in the Sweet 16.

Tracy Hill Region

* Who's hot: Top-seeded Pueblo South has won 20 straight under new coach Shannan Lane and reached the 100-point plateau in its regular-season finale. . . . Sierra had won 19 consecutive games before getting nipped by Mesa Ridge in the final game of the regular season. . . . Fossil Ridge had won 11 of 12 before dropping Northern League tournament games to Broomfield and Longmont. . . . Roosevelt had reeled off 14 straight before a lopsided loss to Broomfield in Northern League tournament final. . . . Cheyenne Mountain closed with a 6-2 run. . . . Fort Lupton has gone 10-2 after enduring a five-game losing streak midway through the season.

* Who's not: Niwot lost nine of its final 10 games, and fellow Northern League squad Greeley West finished 1-8. . . . Eagle Valley has won only two of its past seven. . . . Arvada has gone 1-6 since Jan. 27. . . . After starting 8-2, Lewis-Palmer limped to a 5-8 finish.

* Bracket buster: Fifth-seeded Cheyenne Mountain enters the tournament hot, and as conventional wisdom often follows in tournaments, a team's record isn't as important as how well the team currently is playing.

* Prime-time players: Pueblo South's Kalli Kemling leads all South Central League players with a 17.8 scoring average. . . . University of Colorado-bound Chucky Jeffery averages 22.1 points and 9.2 rebounds for Sierra. Chelsea Rotondo adds 17.9 points a game for the Stallions. . . . Roosevelt junior guard Sendy Valles averages 18 points a game. . . . Kennedy's Jamee Leichtle has posted 16 games of 20-plus points and averages 21.5.

* Buzzer beater: While Pueblo South and Sierra have been outright dominant in their respective leagues, this is their opportunity to show how much clout they truly have.

Tanya Haave Region

* Who's hot: Broomfield has won 35 straight and has gone 77-2 during the past three seasons. . . . Glenwood Springs won 16 of its final 17 games and avenged the loss to Moffat County by beating the Bulldogs in the rematch. . . . Despite virtually starting over this season, Moffat County earned a No. 4 seed by winning 10 of its final 11 and coach Craig Mortensen won his 500th career game in the process. . . . Third-seeded Pueblo East also closed with a 10-1 burst. . . . Windsor won eight of its final 11. . . . Jefferson recently reeled off a 14-game winning streak, but the Saints played a 3A schedule.

* Who's not: Playing in a daunting 5A Continental League, Rock Canyon lost eight of its final nine games. . . . Denver West skidded to a 2-7 finish. . . . Northridge finished on a 3-7 slide.

* Bracket buster: With Krystal Pittman capable of going on a devastating scoring rampage at any time, D'Evelyn is a team to fear, particularly in a close game late. The sixth-seeded Jaguars have scored more than 80 points six times.

* Prime-time players: Broomfield center Anna Prins averages 13.4 points, and Eagles forward Chaundra Sewell averages 12.5 points and 3.3 steals. . . . Glenwood Springs senior Katrina Selsor compiled averages of 16.6 points and 9.2 rebounds, while connecting on 78.8 percent of her free throws. . . . Pittman averages 20.8 points and has combined with teammate Rachel Reinke for 97 three-pointers. . . . Evergreen's Jordan Florshuetz has been a solid post presence (9.3 points, eight rebounds). . . . Amanda Acosta averages a team-leading 15.2 points for Jefferson and Elly Carter a team-best 14.2 for Pueblo East.

* Buzzer beater: If there is a word stronger than "shocking," then that's what it will be if Broomfield doesn't emerge from this quadrant.

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