Scotts Valley junior Brooklyn Williams had little to no trouble getting back on track in Tuesday night’s regular season-opener against visiting Pacific Grove.
The Falcons’ standout had 12 points in a decisive 55-22 victory over the Breakers in non-league action.
“Overall, we did really good being aggressive, getting to the basket, looking for second shots,” she said. “I think that’ll all progress with the season. I think it’s gonna click pretty soon.”
The Falcons have a solid core of returning players in juniors Sammy Rebbert, Amaya Guerra and Williams, along with seniors Claire Skinner and Abi Shi, who was an All-Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League honorable mention in 2023.
Williams said it’s amazing not having to start from the ground up and going off the same chemistry they built last season. She mentioned their team motto this year is “Together,” which is imprinted on their shooting shirts.
“That’s our break. It’s ‘Together’ because this squad is just so intermixed. The chemistry is just so great,” Williams said. “I think it’s a really big advantage to come back with the same group of girls because you don’t have to integrate anyone new into your rotation, and you’re not losing anyone. That was super vital.”
Scotts Valley last season was at a disadvantage because it didn’t have any big bodies under the hoop, leaving them with a smaller lineup.
However, this year Williams has more faith in their bigs, such as Skinner and senior Lily Watson. Plus, the Falcons will be getting junior Isabella Williams, who transferred from Monte Vista Christian, when she becomes eligible in two weeks.
Scotts Valley head coach Stu Hurvitz said he’s committed to taking the taller and bigger girls, and integrating them into the offense.
“We can only go so far with a small lineup, we need to have height and more physicality,” he said. “Knowing that I had everybody come back, we’re working on some of those things.”
Another big contributor coming from outside the perimeter is sophomore Hanna Shehorn, who is coming off a stellar cross country season. She had a team-best 14 points in Tuesday’s win, hitting a pair of 3-pointers in the first half and pouring in six points in the fourth quarter.
“I think they’ve all improved so much. That’s gonna be a really valuable asset throughout the season,” Williams said. “It’ll be a little tricky transitioning from that faster guard pace to running the big offense, but it’s gonna be beneficial once we can get it down.”
Williams emphasized they’re aiming to make this season a memorable one for the senior class, and they want to develop as a team that’ll compete for an SCCAL crown.
The Falcons placed third with a 6-4 record in the SCCAL standings behind Aptos (8-2) and defending league champion Santa Cruz (10-0).
Scotts Valley qualified for the Central Coast Section playoffs, but the season came to an end following a 60-37 loss to Half Moon Bay in the Division IV quarterfinals.
Williams said last season they struggled with keeping a consistently intense game, noting they would have a really good first half and stall in the final two quarters, or vice versa.
“We’re gonna have to keep up the intensity, especially with such a small roster and a small bench,” she said. “We’re gonna need to play together. It doesn’t matter who starts, it doesn’t matter what happens, because everyone’s getting so much playing time. Everyone’s gonna contribute and help out, you can’t do it alone.”
It helps the majority of them play on the same Amateur Athletic Union basketball team, and a good chunk also played together on the Falcons’ flag football team that won an SCCAL title.
In order to bring home a girls basketball league crown, the Falcons will once again have to go through Aptos and Santa Cruz. Other teams in the SCCAL include Harbor, Soquel and rival San Lorenzo Valley, which is off to a 2-1 start this season.
“I think we can compete for the league,” Hurvitz said. “That’s why we’ve been working all summer and all fall. We want to be league champions.”
Hurvitz said he’s been impressed with how dedicated the team was going into the summer break. They were ready to hit the gym by 6am to shoot while also working on speed and agility with Scotts Valley football assistant coach Reggie Stephens.
“That dedication makes it all the more better for a coach,” Hurvitz said.
Next up, the Falcons are scheduled to take on some challenging opponents in the upcoming The Kings Academy and James Lick High tournaments. Hurvitz also set up games against Silver Creek of San Jose on Dec. 5 and at Woodside on Jan. 11 just prior to the start of league play.
“I’m looking for some of those harder games to try to test us, push us. Get hit in the mouth a few times and see if we can come back from it,” he said.
Williams said without a doubt they’re an athletic group, yet it’s everyone’s commitment to the team that has really shown up, thus far. She added the biggest thing for them is flourishing as a team and making the season as special as it can be.
“I don’t think we’re anywhere near perfect, yet,” Williams said. “We’re definitely gonna go pretty far. I have a lot of confidence in this group’s work ethic and commitment, and athletic ability.”
