The harsh realities of playing a tough preseason schedule dawned on head coach Teresa Soracco November 19, after Provo poured in 21 second-quarter points to take hold of a lead it wouldn’t relinquish. Cottonwood lost, 60-32 at Provo, marking the worst loss it has had in more than two years. 

On the scoresheet were two freshmen, Kahlei Nu’usila and A’mya Jones. Each scored five and two points, respectively, in their high school varsity debuts. 

To be fair to the Lady Colts, it has been a very long time since they were forced to play such young kids. After the graduations of three key players, however, Coach Soracco and her staff were left with little choice but to trot out Nu’usila and Jones. 

Freshman Jelena “Juju” Cecez, younger sister and teammate of Jovana and boys hoops standout Luka, joined the other two frosh in the scoresheet at Hunter November 21, in a 62-52 loss. Juju dropped six points on a highly touted Wolverines squad out of Class 5A, and was the only Cottonwood freshman to score in that game. 

In the next game November 24, the Lady Colts were playing in their home opener against Summit Academy. For Cottonwood’s three freshmen, it was their coming-out party. The welcome mat was laid out on the brand-new gymnasium floor for Nu’usila, who poured in 14 points, a team-high. Juju dropped eight and Jones, six, as the Colts blasted their opponent 73-21 to capture their first win of the season. 

There was no such welcome mat for the Lady Colts in their fourth game of the season. Cottonwood got thumped 63-26 at Olympus December 3, a game in which the Colts only made seven total shots. Another newcomer, senior transfer Savannah Staheli, swished 12 points on two threes and hit some mid-range jumpers to lead Cottonwood. 

For Coach Soracco, to be at 1-3 in a season had to have been a serious wake-up call. It has been years since Cottonwood has gotten off to such a rough start. 

Know the saying, tough times don’t last, tough people do? That’s the epitome of Cottonwood’s girls basketball program. 

Coach Soracco coaches with her palms out, as she stands sentry on the sideline in her trademark sweater, one foot out on the floor, helping her kids learn. Her Lady Colts mirror that behavior. 

Never was that more apparent than on December 5, at home against Granger. Cottonwood raced out to a 34-16 lead by halftime, and 24 by the end of the third quarter. By the time the game was over, the Lady Colts blasted the Lancers out of 5A by the final score of 67-41. 

On December 6, the Lady Colts hosted Roy, a game in which Cottonwood again galloped to a double-digit halftime lead at 27-14 and won 51-36 to even their season record at 3-3. What these six games also showed were an evolution not only by three freshmen, but by the veterans placed in charge of keeping the Lady Colts’ rich tradition intact. 

For senior Carley Caton, this is her year to shine. Everything she’s been working towards for four years is now in her grasp. Caton leads the Lady Colts in scoring, averaging 15 points per game. 

To help Caton and give Cottonwood another scorer, senior transfer Savannah Staheli is averaging 13 points. Juju Cecez, the freshman sensation, is averaging about five points per game and Leila Nu’usila and Piper Wilking, four points. 

If you really think about it for a minute, there are similarities to Caton and Juju Cecez, for Caton was once in Juju’s shoes, a highly regarded freshman with skills. 

If you’re Coach Soracco, the hope is that Juju develops parts of her game so that like Caton, four years ago, the younger Cecez is a complimentary piece to the Lady Colts. 

Will that happen? Time will tell that story. In the meantime, all the Lady Colts can do is play the games.