After suffering a stinging loss to Pierce on Jan. 14, Colusa basketball coach Brian Davis decided to add more depth to his team by elevating three additional sophomores – and the move seems to have paid off, when the RedHawks won the ensuing three games.
Starting last Tuesday, with a total of six underclassmen now on the roster, the RedHawks beat Willows 64-33, dismantled Sutter 71-41 on Jan. 20, then took down East Nicolaus 55-36 on Jan. 21.
Against Willows, Colusa came out like a house afire, putting up 48 first half points, then cruising to their first Sacramento Valley League win this season.
Making their varsity debuts, sophomores Seth Kalisuch and Isaiah Travis played impressively, with Kalisuch tossing in a game high 14 points, while Travis accounted for 10 rebounds and four steals.
Fellow sophomore Landon Humphrey, who has played the entire season for the varsity squad, added 10 points.
Hosting Sutter two nights later in a non-conference matchup, Humphrey led the way with 16 points. Kalisuch dropped another 14 points, Travis tallied 10 points and seven boards, and Luke Kalfsbeek, another of the sophomores, corralled nine rebounds.
To round out their slate of games, the RedHawks overcame a cold shooting night in Trowbridge to bypass the Spartans, behind 12 points from senior Ethan Lay, a double-double from Kalfsbeek, which included 11 points and 12 rebounds, along with a 10-point effort from Travis.
Colusa (11-7, 3-1) opened this week on Monday, at home against Durham, then traveled to Arbuckle to face Pierce on Wednesday, in games that will determine control of the SVL. The RedHawks return to Don Bransford Gymnasium on Friday to host Live Oak, a team with only two wins on the season.■
