Othello girls basketball team works to build on success

OTHELLO — Othello High School girls basketball coach Adolfo Coronado said he expects the Huskies to maintain, and even build on, the work they did last season.

Othello finished third in the Central Washington Athletic Conference for the 2021-22 season with a 15-9 record, with eight wins and four losses in the CWAC. The team won their first 2021-22 playoff game.

“My honest opinion is, I think we’ll be just as competitive as we were last year. I think we have the players (with) a little more experience,” he said. “We do have a couple holes to fill, but I do think we have some players who can come close to filling those holes.”

Among the holes that need filling is a replacement for defensive standout Hailey Guzman.

“She just had a knack for putting her hands on the ball on defense. (Guzman) may not have been physically dominant, but man, her hustle and her defense – it’s going to be hard to replace. But we’ve got some players that are built similarly, that have similar skills; we just have to work on the confidence issue,” Coronado said.

The Huskies return three starters, including seniors Annalee Coronado – second in the CWAC in scoring – and Brianna Andrade, and the coach said he’s looking to them to provide leadership.

“(They) bring a lot of experience and confidence to the team,” Adolfo Coroando said. “We’re going to have some other kids that hopefully step up, for sure.”

With some players that have the potential to play in college, Coronado said he’s looking for a good season from his team.

“There’s no reason we shouldn’t be in every game,” he said. “My expectations for them are huge.”

Defending state champion Ellensburg is the favorite in the CWAC.

“They just have the athletes. I think everybody will be chasing them,” Coronado said.

Third-place state finisher Prosser also is expected to be competitive and Grandview returns almost all of its players from 2021-22, he said.

“Every game is going to matter, for sure,” Coronado said.

He took his players to watch some of the playoff games after Othello was eliminated.

“As Prosser kept winning, I (said), ‘Look we played Prosser - I want to say three or four times last year, and we were one (win) and two or three (losses), and even in those losses we were right there. We were right there with them. Look how close we were.’ I really think that stuck in their heads and I’m hoping that motivates them to pull it out this year.”

The 2022-23 schedule includes 4A schools Wenatchee and Eastmont and defending state B champion Warden.

Coronado said he likes Othello’s chances even in a tough league.

“I think we’ll be very competitive,” he said. “We’re hoping to do something that hasn’t been done in a long time. Which is to get to state. We know it’s going to be easy by any means, but we’re going to give it our best shot, that’s for sure.”

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at cschweizer@columbiabasinherald.com.

Othello Girls Basketball Schedule

Dec. 1 – vs Wenatchee High School

Dec. 2 – @ Wapato High School

Dec. 6 – @ Eastmont High School

Dec. 10 – @ La Salle High School

Dec. 13 – @ Connell High School

Dec. 17 – @ Grandview High School

Dec. 20 – vs Naches Valley High School

Dec. 22 – @ Pullman High School

Dec. 28 – vs Warden High School

Jan. 3 – vs Selah High School

Jan. 6 – @ Prosser High School

Jan. 7 – vs Ephrata High School

Jan. 10 – @ East Valley High School (Yakima)

Jan. 13 – vs Ellensburg High School

Jan. 19 – vs Grandview High School

Jan. 21 – @ Selah High School

Jan. 27 – vs Prosser High School

Jan. 28 – @ Ephrata High School

Jan. 31 – vs East Valley High School (Yakima)

Feb. 2 – @ Ellensburg High School