Submitted photos – The Redwood Elementary girls celebrate their breakthrough win at last weekend’s tournament.

Third time was the charm for a determined Redwood Elementary girls basketball team at this past weekend’s Jaycees tournament in Crescent City.

Competing in the AAA bracket at the prestigious annual tournament, the Redwood girls not only avenged two earlier defeats this season to Rio Dell in the championship game, but also took home a first-ever Jaycees tournament AAA win for the school, boys or girls.

They defeated Rio Dell 40-21, after also getting the better of Douglas City 46-14 and St. Bernard’s 45-42 in earlier rounds.

And it was the team’s collective determination that made the difference in their biggest tournament of the season.

“The girls came out determined to beat (Rio Dell) and bring the first AAA banner back to our school,” head coach Nick Perez said.

Three outstanding guards led the way for the team on the way to their historic breakthrough championship.

DeAnna Rock-Salas was named the tournament MVP, while teammates Jaylee Keeling and Josephine Antonetti were both named to the all-tournament team.

“We had really good guard play,” Perez added. “Each one of them could have been our point guard. They all handled the ball well and they all played really good defense.”

Sydney Moerke and Sophia Webster rounded out a dangerous starting lineup that won its three tournament games by an average of 18 points, and both of those players helped set the tone on the defensive side of the ball.

Moerke “played lock down defense,” according to the coach, while Webster “rebounded well and hit the outlet for us to push the ball up the floor.”

The Reds closed out the season with a record of 15-5, saving their best for last with their first and only tournament win of the season.

And the victory was well deserved, according to the team coaches.

“They’re an athletic team, they work hard and they were determined to win,” assistant coach Andrew Antonetti said.

They also had plenty of depth on the bench, including Lucy Garcia, who was the team’s sixth player, as well as the lone sixth grader on the squad, Haivyn Percy, who played well beyond her years and saw a lot of minutes on the way to the championship.

“(Garcia) was an additional ball handler when she came in and she could probably have started on any other team,” Perez said. “She’s athletic and she’s a really good teammate. Probably a better teammate than she realizes.”

For a sixth grader, Percy was not intimidated by the older players in the bracket.

“She plays physical,” Andrew Antonetti said. “And she really added a lot to our team. She didn’t play scared.”

Allie Bartley, Sophie Ater, Taylee Bjorkstrand and Elli Brow rounded out the 11-player roster and all played a big role on a squad that has set a new standard for the future of Redwood Elementary basketball.

“They’re a special group of girls that wanted to win for us and for the school,” Perez said.