By Ray Hamill — They may be small in numbers, but the Corsairs are showing plenty of heart this winter.

With just seven players on their roster after injuries hit the team hard in December, it’s been a challenging season so far for the College of the Redwoods women on the basketball court.

First-year head coach Bree Northern and her players, however, are embracing that challenge and not backing down.

“There’s been some ups and downs,” Northern said of the season. “We’ve had quite a few injuries within our team and that’s been a struggle. But I believe the ladies are doing a good job pushing through.”

The Corsairs will open The Golden Valley Conference at home against Butte College on Wednesday night at 7 after going 7-9 in their pre-conference schedule.

Most recently the Redwoods women traveled to compete at the San Jose City College tournament this past weekend and went 2-1 in tournament play, with victories over Pasadena (68-62) and Mission (84-59) and a loss to San Jose (77-58).

The good news for the team — apart from the fact all seven players are seeing plenty of game time — is that Northern is getting big contributions from the entire roster.

“Almost everyone has had a big game every week,” the coach said. 

And despite the long list of injuries that has seen three players lost for the season, the Corsairs have been competitive and are growing in stature.

“It feels like we’re getting over the hill and reaching our potential,” Northern added. “(What’s impressed me is) their resiliency on the court. They’re not giving up. They’re still playing their hardest the entire game, and I feel like a lot of them have stepped up.”

Sophomore and multi-sport standout Ali Prentiss, who also played soccer for two seasons at CR, leads the team in scoring (12.5 points a game) and has been one of Northern’s most consistent and reliable players.

Former Eureka Logger Moriah Bowles also has carried a big load for the team and is the only player to have started all 16 games so far.

The sophomore guard is averaging 10.9 points a game and has been CR’s most dangerous player from 3-point range, hitting on 31 percent of her attempts.

A pair of former South Fork Cubs also have made their presence felt.

Caidence Young is averaging 8 points a game in her first season playing college ball and also has been a big threat from downtown, while fellow freshman Macy Yarbrough has seen action in all 16 games and has been another consistent contributor for the team.

Freshman Aniah Gaither also is enjoying a big season with the team and is coming off a “great weekend” at San Jose, according to her coach.

The 2023 Eureka High graduate had 20 rebounds in one of the tournament games.

“She’s been working really hard down low,” Northern said of Gaither, who is averaging 8.4 points a game.

Rounding out the small roster are sophomore Kyla Albee and freshman Nora Talty, each of whom are also playing key roles.

Albee is averaging 9 points a game and Talty is chipping in 4.9 points a game as she adjusts quickly to the college game.

“She’s been doing great,” Northern said of Talty, who graduated from Arcata last year. “She had a breakout weekend at San Jose. She went off. She wasn’t letting anything stop her.

“She brings a different energy to our team.”

The Corsairs will be hoping to challenge for a conference championship, and judging by the pre-conference records of all five teams they could very well be in the mix.

“I think this year it could be anybody’s year to win conference,” Northern said. “It’s pretty even and anybody could beat anyone on any night.”

Siskiyous is 11-6, Shasta is 10-8, Butte is 7-8 and Lassen is 6-10.