Basketball season tipped off for the RedHawk girls last Tuesday night as they hosted the reigning Northern Section CIF Division IV champion U-Prep Panthers at Don Bransford Gymnasium.
And while Colusa got off to a hot start, foul trouble and struggles on the boards saw the Panthers pull away to hand the RedHawks a 49-36 setback in their first game of the season.
Having finished second in the Sacramento Valley League a year ago, there are lots of new faces for Colusa this season starting with head coach Manuel Cano, who takes the helm of the young squad.
Cano, who previously has put in time as the RedHawks JV coach, assumes the top spot after former coach Jim Pingrey stepped down after a two-year stint.
Sophomore point guard Danica Chavez, who dropped a team-high 15 points against the Panthers, will lead Colusa having averaged 13.3 points per game as a rookie last season.
Also figuring into the plan will be junior Edith Anderson, who last Tuesday in her varsity debut finished with eight points.
Five seniors, including Angelica Avina, Jessica Deniz, Karsyn Gwinnup, Ania Malone and Carly Simmons, bring the most varsity experience, while sophomores Addison Lay, Alena Sanchez and Carlie Sanchez will also be counted upon to make significant contributions.
Colusa is back at it this week having traveled to Shasta Lake to face Central Valley on Monday before opening play in its own Jim Ernst RedHawk Classic tonight.
