The Dalles High Riverhawks opened their OSAA Class 4A girls basketball schedule Nov. 29 with a 55-27 home win over the Class 3A De La Salle North Catholic Knights.
The Knights are the defending Lewis & Clark League Champion, a 2023 state playoff squad with a 17-10 record. They return 11 of 14 players from that team.
The victory for the Riverhawks (10-11 in 2022-23) was the first in a season opener for third-year Coach Darcey Hodges.
“We have a young team with some really good freshmen in Morgan Donivan, Evelyn Rodges and my daughter, Kestley,” Hodges said. “They each stepped up today and they did very well in their first varsity game … It’s just one game though, so it’s really hard to tell how good our team is actually going to be.”
The Riverhawks jumped out to a 7-0 advantage, led by Sidney Newby (14 points), Jackie Begay (career-high 17 points) and Morgan Donivan (four points) who each scored baskets in the offensive spurt.
“I feel pretty good and it’s good to be back and I feel proud of myself,” Begay said, who suffered an injury (torn ACL) in the first game of the season last year. “I feel like we really moved the ball well together and we all worked together very well.”
The Knights didn’t get their first basket until 3:59 was left in the first quarter. Kestley Hodges’ corner three-point buzzer beating field goal gave The Dalles a 16-6 lead at the end of the period.
The Riverhawks’ momentum continued throughout the contest. Rodges said she was nervous playing her first high school game. “I feel like our team works really well together and everyone just played with a high energy level to help us have such a good game,” she added.
A jumper in the lane by Newby lifted the Riverhawks in front with their largest lead of the game at 48-17 in the fourth quarter.
The Riverhawks had eight players who scored and made six three-point field goals. The Riverhawks played without starting junior post Laci Hoylman, who is recovering from an injury that she sustained during the volleyball season.
The Riverhawks play their next contest Friday in a non-league 7:30 p.m. matchup versus Banks — last year’s Class 3A state champion. The Riverhawks lost 52-25 at Banks a year ago.
“Obviously, we’ll face better competition and more challenging teams, so we’ll have to see how they handle that,” said Hodges.
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