With most of the players coming back from last season’s playoff team, Sedona Red Rock High School’s girls basketball team knew that expectations would be high this year from the moment that last season ended.
When the Scorpions went on the road to take on Scottsdale Prep in the season opener on Tuesday, Jan. 19, they did a lot to validate those expectations.
The SRRHS team was in control throughout. The Scorpions scored 20 points in the first quarter, opened up a 37-11 lead at halftime and went on to defeat the Spartans by a comfortable 70-29 margin.
“I think we played really good — it was a great way to open the season,” sophomore guard Annabelle Cook said. “I think it’s super important [to start strong]. It gives us momentum for the rest of the season to come. It gets us in the mood and makes us more hungry for more wins.”’
Sophomore forward Helen Westervelt was Sedona’s top scorer, finishing the game with 13. One of her goals coming into the season was to shoot more effectively from the outside. She did that in the opener, nailing a trio of three-point shots.
Cook and freshman center Rachel Roderick each scored 12. Junior forward Stephanie Medel and sophomore guard Leah Pedersen scored eight and six, respectively. Junior guard Hannah Lanchbury added six off of the bench, sophomore guard Mayra Parra-Landaverde had five, while junior guard Nyah Valdez and sophomore forward Annalee Dearden rounded out the scoring with four each.
The performance of the 6-foot-2 Roderick in her first varsity game caught the attention of her more experienced teammates.
“Rachel did great — she was a great player,” Medel said. “Especially as a freshman. Her height definitely helps us a lot more.”
“I’m so proud of our freshman, Rachel,” Cook added. “She came out and was ready to go. She was firing on all cylinders. Stephanie played well underneath, too. She was going against a girl much bigger and matched up well with her the entire game.”
One of the challenges that both the Scorpions and Spartans faced on Tuesday was playing a game in a mask for the first time.
While masks have been a prominent part of people’s lives for months, one exception has been for players active in games. But when the Arizona Interscholastic Association executive board reinstated the winter high school sports in its meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 12, one of the caveats was that all participants would be required to wear masks at all times, including during games. That left teams only one week of practice to get used to it.
“It was difficult — I’m not going to lie,” Cook said. “But whatever keeps us safe and allows us to have a season. It was hard to breathe but you get used to it, you adjust.”
Medel echoed her teammate’s sentiment but also found some positives in the experience.
“It was tough,” Medel said, “They kept moving and it was really hard to breathe. Every time I would have to run down the court my mask would move up. But they let us pull it down to get a breather and put it back on and you’re allowed to use whatever mask you feel comfortable with. That was good.”
The Scorpions were set to play their next game on Friday, Jan. 22 on the road against North Pointe Prep but a COVID-19 outbreak in the Falcons program caused that game to be canceled.
Sedona’s next scheduled game is on Friday, Jan. 29 against Glendale Prep. at 5:30 p.m.
“Like I say all the time, look out for us,” Cook said. “There’s more to come.”
