RedHawks take 4th in RedHawk Classic

Two out-of-section teams faced off in the championship game of the 34th annual RedHawk Classic and the host RedHawks lost to Sutter High in the third-place game on Saturday at Colusa High.

Oakmont from Roseville beat College Prep from Berkeley 43-42 in the title match, and the Vikings' Olivia Francis was named tournament most valuable player.

Sutter held off Colusa 38-31 in the third-place game.

The Huskies' towering lineup forced Colusa to shoot from the outside and Erika Larsen (21 rebounds) and Shelby Hill (15 rebounds) denied most second chances.

"I told the girls this is what it must have felt like to play us the last two years," Colusa coach Jerry Davies said.

For the last two seasons, Colusa had excellent height with Katie Mobley, Emily Mobley and Cheyenne Rogers but only Emily returns this season.

Forced to rely on outside shooting against the Huskies, the RedHawks were at a disadvantage because senior sharpshooter Savannah Miller missed most the tournament with an illness and didn't suit up against Sutter.

Larsen scored the final five points of the first quarter and gave Sutter an 11-8 lead, but Teale Stacey tied the game with a 3-pointer and Yasmin Moreno put the RedHawks ahead with a jump shot.

Sutter shut the RedHawks out in the final four minutes of the first half and posted a 18-13 lead at halftime.

The Huskies stretched the lead to 29-20 near the end of the third quarter before Colusa began to chip away at the deficit. Mobley closed the quarter with two free throws, and Moreno hit another jumper at the start of the fourth quarter before Stacey sank another 3-pointer to pull within four points.

Senior point guard Mattie Myers hit a trey to cut the deficit to 33-31 with a little more than two minutes left in the game, but Sutter held on.

Stacey scored a team-high 11 points, and averaged 12 points a game throughout the tournament. Mobley averaged more than 10 points and 10 rebounds a game.

Even though the RedHawks (2-2) lost the game, they played well against a strong opponent in a bounce-back game after playing poorly in a loss to College Prep on Friday, according to Davies.

"You've got to battle all the time. We've got to keep ourselves positive no matter what happens. We talked about focusing on the positives and learning all those things," Davies said.

Larsen scored 14 points for Sutter and was named to the all-tournament team. Mobley earned the RedHawks' all-tournament selection.

College Prep 45, Colusa 39

Mobley scored 19 points and grabbed 19 rebounds but the Cougars used a big third quarter to win.

Senior guard Paige Townzen had seven rebounds, five assists and scored five points. Stacey scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Colusa 58, Esparto 17

Colusa had six players score at least five points in a team effort, dismantling Esparto 58-17 on Thursday in the first round of the RedHawk Classic.

Stacey led the RedHawks with 14 points and Mobley added 11. Myers, Moreno and Townzen scored six points each, and Devin McKey added five points. Ruby Dunham scored four points, and Mikenzie Martinez and Kimberlee Harmon scored three points each.

Junior Varsity

Led by most valuable player Sally Loeza, the RedHawks went undefeated in the junior varsity tournament and claimed the championship. Jasmine Savage and Mollie Townzen also earned all-tournament honors for Colusa.

CONTACT Kirk Barron at 458-22121 or kbarron@tcnpress.com.