Weed celebrates its first-ever female sports champions after the devastating Mill Fire

Green trees touched the skyline of Weed, a small town tucked west of Mount Shasta along the I-5 freeway.

The town had a cheerful vibe, after being able to rally around the success of its basketball programs nine months after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed some neighborhoods in the close-knit community.

Weed rejoiced with the 12 girls players and their coaches, who gathered at City Hall on June 5 to celebrate the team's historic 2023 season.

Weed girls basketball became the first women's team in school history to win a CIF Northern Section title when it earned the Division VI crown by beating Redding Christian 43-33 on Feb. 25.

Weed finished the season 22-12, scored 1,492 points, sank 113 3-pointers, completed 154 assists, blocked 85 shots and made 490 steals on defense.

The team's accomplishments were memorialized with a ceremony conducted by Mayor Ken Palfini.

Weed incoming senior captain Renaissance Johnson was elated at receiving her championship ring after leading her team with 12.6 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.

More:Four takeaways from 2023 Redding 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament

"It's marvelous, it's a dream come true," Johnson said. "After all the hard work and how long we've been together and have it all pay off is awesome."

'It gave us something to fight for'

Weed's hope of playing basketball was jeopardized two months before the season was scheduled to start, after the Mill Fire in September burned more than six square miles of the city, prompted widespread evacuations, killed two people and destroyed 118 buildings, including the homes of some the players' relatives.

"This city needed to display some positive energy after some local tragedies in the past year," Palfini said. "I think it's a good sign to show that we are healthy, wealthy and wise."

Weed girls basketball guards Alayja Oliver and Brooklyn Bivens said both of their grandmothers lost their homes during the Mill Fire. Oliver, Bivens and Johnson were among the many students who had to evacuate.

The blaze began at the Roseburg Forest Products Co. lumber mill, less than a mile away from the high school.

"When you have a fire with that kind of devastation, it affects everybody," Weed coach Kent Cunningham said.

Somehow, Weed's school buildings, gym and football field were spared.

"It helped me appreciate things because everything can be gone," Oliver said. "My grandmother's house was like my second home. It just pushed me to work harder in the gym."

When the Mill Fire subsided, Johnson and her teammates began practicing at a more intense rate than in 2021-2022.

"We were able to take the life lessons of the fire," Weed coach Kent Cunningham said. "It gave us something to fight for."

The defense became more aggressive while installing an offense centered around Johnson, a 6-foot-1 post player. Johnson's scoring in the paint forced the opposition to send double teams, leaving Bivens and Oliver open for clear shot attempts.

"The coaches had high expectations on me starting as a freshman and I wanted to help my team the best way I could," Bivens said.

Bivens, at 5-foot-3, was an effective point guard while Oliver, at 5-foot-11, guarded multiple players at different positions because of her length and quickness.

Bivens averaged 11.5 points per game and Oliver averaged 9.5 points per game.

"My coach realized I could guard anyone I put my mind on to guard," Oliver said. "I feel like it all came the same to me, no matter whether I was in the post or defending guards. I guarded whoever he wanted me to and I felt it helped the team in different ways."

Cunningham said more local town residents began attending games once they saw his team's potential.

"During our home games, our gym would be stacked with fans and give us that home court advantage," Cunningham said. "I tell this to the girls — that winning matters. It matters to these people of this small town and it matters to the school. When we play, we play for each other, our families, our school and our town."

Weed is favored to repeat as section champions with Johnson returning for her senior year, while Oliver will be a junior and Bivens will be a sophomore. The team's goal is to win its first CIF NorCal Regional title in 2024 after falling to Cornerstone Christian of Antioch in the CIF NorCal Regional Division VI on March 8 — the Cougars' last game of the season.

Johnson knows repeating as section champions won't be easy.

"It's going to take a lot of dedication from our goals," Johnson said. "It's going to require long nights in the weight room and conditioning. It's going to take the same values that we had this year, but amplified."

Ethan Hanson started working for the Redding Record Searchlight after four years with the Los Angeles Daily News as a freelancer. His coverage includes working the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in South Bend, Indiana, and writing about the St. Louis Rams' move to Los Angeles with the Ventura County Star. He began his career as a play-by-play broadcaster for LA Pierce College from 2011-2017. Follow him on Twitter at @EthanAHanson_RS.