Still breathing: CR women make it to postseason

Shorthanded team to play No. 4 Ohlone Friday

The six-member College of the Redwoods Corsairs women’s basketball team has been brought back to life.

Despite flat-lining in their final game of the regular season in Eureka on Wednesday and losing to Shasta by three points after going just 5-for-18 at the free-throw line, the College of the Redwoods Corasirs were resuscitated on Monday as it was announced that the team made the postseason.

No. 13 Redwoods (16-8) will play at No. 4 Ohlone (23-5) in Fremont on Friday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the NorCal Regional Championship Tournament.

“After that loss, I really felt we were a long shot,” said CR’s second-year head coach Doug Oliveira. “We were very disappointed with how we played, and we’re just very pleased that wasn’t our last game.””

CR, which would have secured a share of its first Golden Valley Conference championship since 1981 with a win against Shasta on Wednesday, lost the game 54-51, and ended up finishing the year second in the GVC with an 8-2 record behind No. 7 Siskiyous (9-1).

Siskiyous will host No. 10 San Mateo (17-10) on Friday.

“The fact that we got a No. 13 seed really speaks to what these girls accomplished this year,”” Oliveira said. “The GVC doesn’t get a lot of respect in the state-wide picture.”

The Corsairs, who haven’t been to the postseason since 2002, lost to Ohlone 67-51 back on Dec. 11 in the Caren Franci Invitational at Santa Rosa Junior College.

The squad started the year with 12 players, but a number of factors, mainly on the injury front, have whittled the team to only six active players, one of which is 2011 Del Norte High School graduate Kristyn Rook.