COLUSA, CA (MPG) – It may have taken the Colusa girls basketball team a half to figure out the visiting Gridley Bulldogs, but once it did, it was game over as the No. 3 RedHawks pulled away for the 40-29 victory last Thursday night in the second round of the Northern Section CIF Division IV playoffs.
Coming off its first round bye, Colusa jumped out to a 9-0 lead to start the contest, but missed opportunities and turnovers allowed No. 6 Gridley to stay in it and take a one-point lead into the locker room at the half.
But the RedHawks came out a different team in the third quarter and regained the lead for good on a layup by Danica Chavez early in the period.
On a night when the Bulldog defense did a good job containing Chavez, who finished with 14 points, having gone 10 for 10 from the charity stripe, Olivia Huskey stepped up with an 11-point effort for Colusa.
Another part of the RedHawks’ second half success was the way they were able to control the glass led by Aliah Ramirez with nine boards and McKenna Azbill who pulled down eight.
Colusa (24-5) headed to Cottonwood on Tuesday to square off against No. 2 West Valley with the winner punching their ticket to the section title game on Saturday at Shasta College.