After preparing for the start of the new season, the Falcons women’s basketball team began its first tournament at Sierra, Calif.

As it competed in its first match on Friday, Cerritos College won 66-56 against Ohlone College.

With the loss of last season’s playoffs still in mind, head coach Karen Welliver has new hopes for the new recruited team members who will be guided by sophomores this year.

“This team has really bonded well together and we have a nice group of sophomores, and we’re looking forward to some really good leadership from them and I’m really excited about getting the season started,” Welliver said of the newly drafted and returning team members.

By focusing on their athletic capabilities of running and playing scrimmages, the women train through the competitiveness that they need to rehearse when it comes to playing during games.

“We try to make our scrimmages more game-like in order to practice for all different situations that we’re going to face in our games,” Welliver said about her coaching methods on the women’s exercises.

Asserting structure to the team with discpline and advising the women to mentally focus on rehearsing  plays in their head is coming along for Welliver as she coaches the team to execute and be equipped for the games.

But as she sees the talent within the team, the mere motivation in the women to win the championship this year, according to Welliver, makes her job as a coach a lot easier.

Shooting guard and returning sophomore Jazlyn Afusia noticed this year’s teammates have developed a bond, which has inspired them with the enthusiasm to collaborate with one another.

“We have a really athletic team and we work really hard, we hustle to get rebounds, and we get along really well on and off of the court,” Afusia said.

Returning sophomore Montanique Washington discussed how these drills are being affected by communication skills that have been required for them to learn in order to prepare for games.

“The practices are going good, we just need to work on talking more and on defense, because sometimes we get lost if we don’t talk to each other,” Washington said.