The Fountain Hills High School girls basketball team opened the season with a road victory at American Leadership Academy West Foothills last Friday, Nov. 18. The Falcons won 36-15, and sophomore CC Smith led all players with 16 points.

The Falcons held the Guardians scoreless and led 10-0 after the first quarter. ALA bounced back with nine points in the second quarter, but the Falcons limited them to six second-half points.

Smith made one three-pointer, and three of her six free throw attempts. She added another 10 points from up close and mid-range, and according to Baca, Smith ran the court well. Smith had help from senior LJ Holland until Holland got in foul trouble late, but Smith was unphased after the start of the game.

“She just fit right in, like we never left,” Baca said of Smith. “She was the primary ball handler, she kept things together offensively. She just does a good job, she’s a good leader on the court too. She’ll start the offense, she’ll get them rolling, and she’ll get them where they need to be.”

Holland was the only eligible senior last Friday, and she made two three-pointers in the first half and finished with seven points. Later in the season, there can be as many as three seniors playing, but most of the leadership responsibilities fall onto Holland in the early stages.

“She’s grown into the role of a leader, and I’m excited to see how that kind of manifests this year,” Baca said. “Because last year, she took more of a backseat, I think. With her stepping up, I’m excited to see how this team runs.”

Freshman Zoe Jagodzinski was the second leading scorer from the opener with eight points. According to Baca, the freshman took quality shots and showed no fear on the court.

“[Zoe] shot the ball very well,” Baca said. “They were not layup points; these were wing shots. She just came out with a lot of confidence, more than I saw even in summer ball.”

The Falcons got two points from freshman Abaisia Scaife and a few relief minutes from freshman Ashley Quotskuyva. The Falcons had four ineligible players, including two transfer students, and another player out with injury.

“We were shorthanded a couple because of ineligibility, so the freshmen had to step up,” Baca said. “They were a little nervous before the game, but they came out guns blazing. They did a really good job.”

The Falcons had two defensive anchors in the post, sophomore Shania Rivera and freshman Kynzi Schaunaman. Schaunaman scored three points, and Rivera was one of the main communicators on the floor along with Smith and Holland.

“Shania’s solid in terms of helping get people where they need to be and manning the floor and finding a man,” Baca said. “She’s doing the little stuff, the cleanup work like rebounding and making sure the outlet is good.”

The Falcons survived their first trial by fire with four of their seven players seeing varsity action for the first time. They played at Valley Christian after press time yesterday, Tuesday, Nov. 22, and they play at Benjamin Franklin next Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 5:30 p.m.

The Falcons will play their first home game next week against Gilbert Christian on Wednesday, Nov. 30, at 5:30 p.m.