Alicia Jones and Kelsey Yenney were used to being the big fish in the little pond last year.
Now freshmen at Columbia Basin College, they’ve both had to get used to starting over in a bigger pond with a tougher learning curve.
But the pair got to taste their first East Region women’s basketball victory Wednesday night, leading the Hawks to a 79-51 win over visiting Treasure Valley in Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges play.
Jones — out of Skyline High School in Idaho — led the way for the Hawks (1-1 East, 5-9 overall), scoring 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds.
Yenney, from Ephrata, has worked her way from being a substitute at the start of the season to being in the starting lineup. On Wednesday night, she had a game-high 21 points.
And now that they’ve picked up their first East Region win, they’ve got a newfound confidence. It has been a long journey since they came to the Pasco campus for the first time in September.
“It’s not the change in the game that was the biggest adjustment,” Yenney said. “The hard thing was learning the different players on this team and what they could do. Everyone on this team was a captain on their own high school team.”
Jones, who moves smoothly through the key and has an adept shooting touch, said she felt she had to step up her game.
“I was nervous when this season started,” Jones said. “This (level) has been the hardest game I’ve played.”
CBC coach Cheryl Holden likes what she’s seen of Jones.
“She just keeps getting better,” Holden said. “She understands what her shot should be. She has found what works for her at the college level.”
Wednesday’s game was a great opportunity to work on those shots.
CBC never trailed Treasure Valley (0-2, 1-12).
The Hawks led 49-22, outscored the Chukars 27-10 off of turnovers, and 10 players had at least 10 minutes of playing time or better.
“I like that last part,” Holden said. “That gives us a chance to play a lot of kids, and that’s great because everyone practices hard.”
Jones said they key was rebounding, because the Hawks had trouble with that against Walla Walla last Saturday.
“We needed to box out,” she said.
That’s what Holden stressed in the past few days of practice. The result? CBC outrebounded Treasure Valley 52-38.
And now, the defending NWAACC champs — with 11 freshmen on the roster — have their first East Region win.
“We got that monkey off of our backs,” Holden said. “I think it can give us some momentum. They may be freshmen, but they battle like sophomores.”
TREASURE VALLEY — Kelly 1-6 0-0 2, G.Rodriguez 3-14 0-0 8, Pack 5-15 1-2 12, Honena 3-6 0-0 9, Jordan 1-4 0-0 2, Swabb 3-8 0-2 7, Cornie 1-2 2-2 4, A.Rodriguez 1-1 0-0 2, Workersien 1-1 1-2 3, Alexander 0-0 0-0 0, Wood 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 20-60 4-8 51.
COLUMBIA BASIN — Jones 7-10 6-7 20, Ross 3-6 0-0 9, Yenney 8-15 2-2 21, Higheagle 1-8 0-0 2, Depew 2-7 3-8 7, Cardenas 0-1 0-0 0, Williams 1-2 0-0 2, Avery-Winchester 1-2 2-2 4, Cuevas 0-1 0-0 0, Bingham 3-7 0-0 6, Olguin 3-5 0-4 6, Harrod 1-5 0-3 2. Totals 30-69 13-26 79.
Halftime—CBC 49-22. 3-point goals—TV 7-18 (Honena 3-4, G.Rodriguez 2-7, Swabb 1-1, Pack 1-3, Jordan 0-1, Kelly 0-2), CBC 6-18 (Yenney 3-5, Ross 3-6, Cardenas 0-1, Williams 0-1, Higheagle 0-5). Rebounds—TV 38 (Pack 4, Cornie 4), CBC 52 (Jones 9). Assists—TV 9 (Kelly 3, G.Rodriguez 3, Pack 3), CBC 17 (Higheagle 4). Turnovers—TV 25, CBC 18. Fouls—TV 20, CBC 11. Fouled out—Pack.
