When the Class 4A, 5A and 6A boys and girls basketball tournaments first began a couple weeks back, the BoCoPreps area sent 20 teams to the postseason. Now only four remain.

When the lights shine down on the court of the Denver Coliseum on Thursday and Friday, both Holy Family teams, Monarch girls basketball and Frederick boys basketball will all fight for their spots in their respective championship games. All have proven themselves worthy of being called one of the best four teams in their classifications.

Here’s what fans can expect of their final push toward state glory, which will come to an end one way or another this week. All state championship games will be played on Saturday.

Class 6A

No. 4 Monarch girls

Game details: Friday, 2:15 p.m. against No. 8 Arapahoe

Scouting report: So far throughout the postseason — and almost the entire season — no team has been able to touch the 25-1 Coyotes. The ladies exacted revenge on the only team to get the better of them when, in the Great 8, they punched Regis Jesuit in the mouth with a 62-44 victory.

Their nearly unmitigated success has come as a result of an incredibly tough starting five and their collective ability to be the leading scorer on any given night: senior point guard Natalie Guanella (15.7 points per game), senior power forward Amelia Rosin (11.4 ppg), senior forward Arezo Safi (10.6 ppg), junior guard/forward Hayley Luther (8.2 ppg) and senior forward Caroline Walley (7.8 ppg).

The Coyotes will now face an Arapahoe team that upset top-seeded Valor a few hours after Monarch defeated Regis, and head coach Mike Blakely knows his ladies will need to be on their A-game on defense and crashing the glass if they hope to keep their state championship bid alive.

“Arapahoe is really good,” Blakely said. “We saw them play at the beginning of the year in Dallas and they were really good then, and I think they have only improved as the season has gone on. Knocking off Valor says a lot about what they are capable of as a team. I think a lot of people had Valor penciled into the finals and beating them helps everyone else see what Arapahoe is capable of. Beating them is going to take a team effort, offensively and defensively. If we can score a little and guard the way we have during most of the season, I really like our chances.”

Class 5A

No. 5 Frederick boys

Game details: Friday, 5:45 p.m. against No. 1 Air Academy

Scouting report: When the Golden Eagles earned the No. 5 seed after a season blemished by just one loss — a one-point stunner to Riverdale Ridge — there was collective shock among basketball fans and sports writers alike.

Sure, their Longs Peak League didn’t provide the best competition, but they blew out most of those teams by 20 points or more. They ended the regular season as the top-scoring team in 5A, averaging 79.5 points per game. Anyone who has watched this team play has witnessed a squad, led by senior point guard Luke Justice, that makes quality basketball look easy.

They make it fun.

And they have the talent and depth to back it up with Justice (22.4 ppg), senior small forward Matias Aldana (12.7 ppg), senior shooting guard Harry Singh (11.2 ppg), senior small forward Jacob Lovins (9.2 ppg) and junior shooting guard J.J. Strojinc (7.7 ppg).

They’ve made rather easy work of their ride to the Final Four, winning by margins of 28 (Centaurus), 17 (Harrison) and 15 points (Mead). Head coach Jeff Conway knows the top-rated Kadets will cause his boys headaches if they can’t defend the 3-point line well, and highlights defense in general as one of the keys to victory.

“I think we match up well with their size and speed,” Conway said. “A big key to the game will be rebounding and not giving them second-chance points. We gave up a lot of offensive boards against Mead and we need to do a better job of keeping Air Academy off the glass and not giving them easy put-backs.”

Class 4A

No. 1 Holy Family girls

Game details: Thursday, 2:15 p.m. against No. 4 Lutheran

Scouting report: For at least the past 15 years, the Tigers have served as one of the most formidable girls teams under the guidance of head coach Ron Rossi. Every year, it feels like they’re an automatic contender for a state title and, in fact, they’ve won six crowns in that time frame.

This year’s squad is no different. With game play defined by speed and suffocating pressure, it’s hard to put these cats back in the bag. In fact, only three teams out of 26 have been able to defeat them, even though the Tigers play as a small 4A fish in arguably the best 5A pond with the Northern Colorado Athletic Conference.

Led by senior small forward Fiona Snashall (11.4 ppg, 10.5 rpg), junior point guard Essynce Contreraz (10.8 ppg) and junior shooting guard Julia Hodell (9.7 ppg), Holy Family poses enough threats to fluster any opponent.

They’re hoping they’ll be able to pull one over on Lutheran, one of the very few teams to get the better of them this season, with revenge at the forefront in their minds. The Tigers know they’ll have to out-rebound and out-shoot a Lions team that excels at both.

“Besides getting to the finals, we’re kind of motivated. That was one of our losses that we felt that we could have won,” Rossi said. “You learn more from a loss than you do a win. I’ve always believed that. We learned a lot. Our team grew in spirit. Sharing the ball became more of a factor. They realized how important it is to be a team and they also learned how intense you have to play.”

No. 17 Holy Family boys

Game details: Thursday, 12:45 p.m. against Eagle Ridge Academy

Scouting report: Much like the ladies, the Tigers boys learned to wade through the best 5A league as a 4A team, and certainly suffered a few bruises along the way, especially through the last few weeks of the season.

A slump, during which they lost eight of 10, only sharpened their focus and intensity once the postseason began. That fire simmered within them when they barely beat out No. 16 DSST: Green Valley Ranch in round one, then sparked into a raging inferno when they dominated top-seeded Kent Denver in the Sweet 16.

The Tigers have relied on their speed and shooting acumen to carry them forward in the state tournament and house four strong shooters that can lead them on any given night: senior shooting guard Rocco Bridges (12.5 ppg), junior small forward Joseph Portillo (9.7 ppg), junior Jaxon Grable (8.1 ppg) and senior point guard Eric Quintana (7.8 ppg).

That opening-round victory was just the seismic shift the Tigers needed.

“We squeaked it out against DSST. From there, I felt like our spirit changed. I just felt confidence and our togetherness move in the right direction,” head coach Pete Villecco said. “(Eagle Ridge Academy) is huge. I mean, they don’t start a guy under 6-(foot)-4. Their length is a challenge for us and we got to keep them off the glass. Post defense is going to be a big deal. … We’ll present some challenges too with all of our little guys. Hopefully they’ll have a hard time guarding us as well.”