In the opening game on Tuesday @ Athens Gymnasium, the Redhawk's welcomed in the Berkley Bears for the 1st game of the 2025-2026 season.. Our Freshman Ladies basketball team jumped out to an early 16-5 first quarter lead and ran away with a 25 point win. Sophia Alexander with 8 points and Emily Cousino with 4 points gave the Redhawk's the early lead. The second quarter was much of the same as the ladies outscored the Bears 9-4 to take a 25-9 lead into halftime. Arianna Saracevic had 3 points in the quarter to lead the Redhawks. The second half was much the same as our ladies outscored the Bears 22-13 to run away with the victory by the score of 47-22. Charlotte Riffe had 6 second half points and Sophia Alexander chipped in with 5 more. 7 of the 10 ladies scored in the game led by Sophia Alexander with 13 points and Charlotte Riffe with 10 points. Emily Cousino chipped in with 8 points, Carmen Cavataio with 6 points and Arianna Saracevic had 5 points. A great win for our ladies in their first high school game. Keep up the good work. Coach Gleason had high praise for Sophia Alexander afterwards. "The thing about Sophia is - I mean, she's got a skill set; she's a good ballhandler and shooter; she's a better than expected defender - but the thing about her is she makes no bad decisions. None. She might stretch it every once in a while. She'll try a pass or a drive to the basket, but it's never bad. She understands when to speed up and when to slow down, when to attack or re-set. She has a very good idea of how to play offensive basketball from the guard position, especially for a 9th grader." He also singled out Sarah Kesto, who is currently out with a stress fracture of the tibia, and has taken on the duties of a de facto assistant coach. "Sarah has her own opinions, but she's a good listener. She has her own mind, which is a good thing to see in a young person. The thing I like most about her is she takes ownership, more so than many adults I know. If I ask her to do something, and she says yes, I can just cross it off my list. If I check again to make sure, she says, 'Hey, I GOT it,' like why would I ask her a second time. I'd rather have her playing, but for me, it's a pretty good second option." Sarah explains how she feels about the coaching, "I help the players with their plays; I just do whatever needs to be done. It's pretty good. It's fun, but as a player, as a high schooler, I'd rather be on the court." She is expected to return mid-January.