Redwoods women set up championship clash

By barstoolfanatics on February 15, 2020 • ( Leave a comment )

Photos by Ray Hamill/HumboldtSports.com – CR’s Juliana Ortega-Miranda in action during Saturday’s game.

By Ray Hamill — The College of the Redwoods women’s basketball team took care of business at home to Feather River on Saturday, setting up a championship-deciding clash on Wednesday.

The Corsairs pulled away in the second half for an 85-62 win over the Golden Eagles to move into a tie for top spot in the Golden Valley Conference with one game remaining.

A win at home to Shasta on Wednesday night will guarantee the CR at least a share of a first conference title in the sport since 1980.

If CR wins and Butte loses at home to Feather River on the same night, then the Corsairs will take the championship outright.

“That’s a very big one on Wednesday,” CR head coach Jain Tuey said. “We’re really excited about it.”

To set up the big showdown, the Corsairs had to win on Saturday, and they made sure they took care of business, gradually pulling away in the second half.

Dennise Horton led the way with 18 points in the win, and had a big impact at both ends of the court.

CR’s Dennise Horton drives to the basket on Saturday.

“She had a very strong presence down low getting rebounds,” Tuey said of the former Del Norte standout.

Abiona Katri also had a big game, giving her teammates a spark off the bench in the third quarter, as the Corsairs began to take control.

“I felt like we settled in and brought more energy defensively in the second half and that kind of led to our offense taking off,” Tuey said.

Ashley Quigley finished with 16 points in the win, while Bree Northern added 13, as the Corsairs played with a lot of composure late in the game, especially knowing what was at stake.

“As we took the lead, we stayed composed and took care of the ball,” the head coach said. “I felt it showed a lot of growth for our team, just understanding the game and that we don’t have to rush our offense.”