Women’s Basketball All-Stars Shined in Playoff Victory

The five College of the Siskiyous women’s basketball players who earned all-conference honors in 2024 made huge contributions to the team’s dramatic 64-63 playoff victory February 28 on their home court.

After finishing second to Butte in the Golden Valley Conference, sophomores Karli Reynolds of Weed and Asia Hendrix of Mount Shasta were both chosen to the All-Conference team, sophomores Breanne Hands of Yreka and Alexus Woodard of Central Point, OR, were All-Conference Honorable Mention, and freshman Samantha Freitas of Yreka was named to the GVC’s All-Freshman team.

Yes, four of the Eagles five starters are Siskiyou County locals, as is head coach Noelle Collier of Yreka.

Freitas threw the long inbounds lob pass with 13 seconds left for Hendrix, who caught it in stride for a lay-in and the final points in the playoff win over Reedley. With the Eagles trailing by a point, Freitas was standing next to Collier on the sideline after a time out when she launched that pass over a crowd of players in the paint, including Reedley’s 6-foot-3 post player Leyocha Marigney.

The Eagles also trailed by a point before Reynolds made a lay-in on a perfect backdoor pass from Hands with just 19 seconds to play.

Both those key plays were called during timeouts as the Eagle student cheering section chanted and swayed in unison.

Reynolds also made a lay-in a minute earlier to cut Reedley’s lead to 61-60 after freshman Ella Sannar made a pair of shots from the paint that both narrowed the deficit to 3.

And who knows what might have happened if Woodard hadn’t made a series of shots as the Eagles were clinging to a slim second-half lead. Woodard also scored a key basket from inside after Reedley took a 5-point lead with 4 minutes to play by getting the rebound on a missed and-one free throw and immediately making a three-pointer.

Siskiyous’ defense held Marigney to 6 points, and she missed two attempts from just under the basket in the final seconds. Hendrix and Freitas both got their hands on the ball after the second miss, crouched low, and wouldn’t let go until the game ended.

What followed, as described by Collier, was “a moment of pure joy.” The Eagles screamed, hugged and beamed while celebrating with each other and fellow students who were propelled onto the court as the buzzer sounded. Fans in the large crowd stood shouting with arms raised.

Seeded No. 13, the Eagles finished the season with a 19-9 overall record after losing their second-round game in the NorCal Regionals at No. 4 Folsom Lake, 77-43. Folsom Lake followed that win with a victory over North No. 5 San Francisco and advanced to the State Championships, along with North No. 1 Butte, No. 2 San Joaquin Delta, and No. 6 Laney. Folsom Lake lost in the state quarterfinals to Glendale, and Butte, the No. 1 ranked team in the state, lost in the semifinals to Glendale, which lost to Orange Coast in the state championship game.

But those who were there and those who have seen one of the video clips of the Eagles’ thrilling playoff victory won’t soon forget Siskiyous’ first postseason win since 2020 and first postseason win since the COS gym was officially named Tom Powers Court. (See more about the end of that below).

ALL 5 STARTERS EARN GVC HONORS

Karli Reynolds, a 5-foot-7 guard, made 1st Team All-Conference after putting up the second highest scoring average in GVC games (17.3 ppg), tying for the conference lead in three-point shots made per game (3.0), and ranking 5th in steals (2.4). Reynolds scored 9 points in the playoff win over Reedley with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals.

“Karli improved so much this season,” said Collier. “She was our most consistent scorer by far. She had a green light to shoot when open and shot 55 percent from the corner. Karli figured out what she’s good at and how to go for it this year. She was a difference-maker. It was fun to watch her.”

Asia Hendrix, a 5-8 forward, was 1st Team All-GVC after ranking 2nd with 9.4 rebounds per conference game and 2nd in offensive rebounds (4.0), while averaging 8.3 points, 2.3 assists and 1.5 steals. Hendrix scored 7 points in the playoff victory with 6 offensive rebounds, 11 total rebounds, 5 assists and 3 steals.

Collier pointed to Hendrix’s ability to get “locked in” on defense. “She’s so athletic – she was a point guard in high school -- and can guard point guard or post. She was seeing the court better this season, making good passes, and driving to the basket… She played with confidence, and it showed (in the playoff game) when she went up against somebody who was 6-3.”

Breanne Hands, a 5-5 point guard/guard, was All-GVC Honorable Mention. She scored less during her sophomore season while taking on a different role for the team, and did it well, according to Collier. Still, Hands averaged 8.4 points per game and ranked 4th in conference with 3.8 assists per game. She had 3.5 rebounds per game and 1.1 steals. “She led the team in a different way and did great in the big games against Redwoods, Shasta, and Reedley,” Collier said. Hands made 3 three-pointers in the playoff victory, scored 15 points and led the team with 5 steals.

Alexus Woodard, a 5-10 power forward who played just one season for the Eagles, earned All-GVC Honorable Mention. She ranked 2nd on the team and 10th in the GVC with 9.6 points per game, was 10th in conference in assists (2.6) and had 3.3 rebounds and 1 steal per game.

Woodard got hit in the eye in the first quarter of the playoff win over Reedley and had a black eye. But her shooting carried the Eagles in the third quarter, and she finished with a team-high 18 points on 9-for-16 shooting from the field.

“She was coming on in the second half of conference and starting to come into her own,” Collier said of Woodard. “She did a good job of finishing and figuring out ways to score.”

Before she threw the long inbounds lob that rattled the gym walls, Samantha Freitas, a 5-7 guard, was named to the GVC All-Freshman team. She did a bunch of everything for the Eagles, ranking 5th in conference games in assists (3.6), 14th in steals (1.8), and 15th in rebounds (5.0), while averaging 6 points per game. She was 2nd on the team in both rebounds and assists during conference play.

“She was our most improved player,” Collier said of Freitas. “She was constantly working on defense, getting a hand on the ball and getting rebounds.” Freitas had 8 assists, 4 points, 3 offensive rebounds, 7 total rebounds, 2 steals and a block in the playoff victory.

Another freshman, Ella Sannar, also played a key role in the playoff win, coming off the bench to score 11 points on 4-for-5 shooting from the field.

EAGLES KNEW AND RAN GAME-WINNING SIDELINE PLAY WELL

Coach Collier said the Eagles practice the game-winning play they call “Sideline” every week and run it maybe twice a year. But, “We’re probably going to have to come up with a new one now.”

She said everything had to work perfectly. All five players had a role to play, and “they ran it great” against Reedley. Freitas made the long pass, Woodard set a screen, Reynolds got in position for a three-point shot, Hands got in position for an outlet pass, and Hendrix broke for the basket on the far side of the paint.

The goal, Collier said, is for Freitas to throw the pass up and over six people without looking in the direction she plans to throw. “We expect a lot from the person who passes the ball in, and she’s our best passer. I’m really proud of her… That pass at that moment will help her next year.”

At one point, Collier said she worried that Reedley’s 6-3 girl might get a hand on the pass, but she ended up turning her attention to Woodard.

Collier was also concerned that Hendrix was going to run into tight defense after the pass, but she ended up getting an open shot.

After the game, Collier said she got a couple of congratulatory text messages from former Eagles who recognized the play.

The playoff win was the first for Collier in three seasons as head coach, and she gave some of the credit to her assistant coach, Tom Powers, for whom she was a player and an assistant during many past playoff wins. “Coming from Tom and knowing the end-of-game strategy he taught me, it helps me prepare (current team members) for it,” she said. “He was my teacher and taught me to always be ready for the next thing. And he’s right there with us.”

Collier said, “It was amazing for the team to feel the community’s awesome support, from other athletes, students, board members, and so many people.”

By Steve Gerace