CHS girls basketball starts varsity endeavor with soaring
victory
It’s all about building a strong foundation for the Christopher High girls varsity basketball team.
On Wednesday night, the Cougars set down the first sturdy layer.
Second-year CHS head coach Heather Stewart had the luxury of evaluating a winning performance following her Cougars thumping of a rebuilding Stevenson 43-17 in the teams’ 2010-11 opener.
The Cougars jumped out to a 17-0 first-quarter lead and didn’t look back in their varsity debut.
Hanna Tabron posted a team-high 13 points, including the team’s first 11 of the game. And Merrett Brown added 10 points.
Both Brown and Tabron are part of a core group of eight returning players who saw time on the JV team headed by Stewart last season.
Stewart and the Cougars mounted a 12-10 record a year ago – the Cougars first season as a program – and now face the transitioning phase to varsity level.
“Our games will get tougher,” said Stewart, who added that she is upbeat about the team’s chances and has noticed a newly found confidence among her players.
“All the returning players have all improved and that’s great to see when you are building a program. They have taken on a leadership role and helping the new players adjust to the system.”
The Cougars feature 14 players in total, though only four are juniors. Six sophomores and four freshman round out the Cougars’ roster.
“Our priority as a young program trying to get established is getting our fundamentals down,” Stewart said. “We have a lot of work to do.”
Wednesday’s season opener came after just six full practices in which all members of the team were together. Despite the short order, the Cougars were able to execute well on offense against Stevenson’s man defense.
“We started off strong,” Stewart said.
Gabriela Soria and Mariza Rodriguez will hold down the Cougars’ front court, while Brown and Tabron, who both stand near 6-foot, will patrol the middle.
A scrappy Hayley Peterson, who is described by Stewart as a defensive gnat, will see significant time at guard.
