As the girls’ basketball season began, the Cottonwood Colts were questioning who they could count on to score points. Gone from last season’s team were four starters, including the top two scorers.

The team didn’t have to wait long for an answer as Kari Uncles exploded for 12 points — all of which were 3-pointers — in Cottonwood’s season-opening victory over Payson in November. Now, just over halfway through the season, Uncles is averaging nearly 12 points per game and leads the team with 18 3- point shots.

Despite her success, the junior says that being a starter on the varsity team has been an adjustment.

“It has been different playing varsity,” said Uncles. “I played JV and dressed for varsity last season, so I’m used to playing more than one game a day. I think things have gone well so far.”

After Uncles started the season off so well, she hit a rough patch seven games in. A loss to Northridge — in which the Colts only scored 28 points — was the first of three frustrating outings. In the middle of that stretch, coach Janae Hirschi felt that Uncles needed to slow down.

“Kari had a few off nights and I could tell she was not showing up mentally ready to play, which is common for young players,” said Hirschi. “She is incredibly capable, but we felt it would be better to have her not start a few games.”

Losing her starting spot was frustrating for Uncles, but she said she knew something needed to change.

“It was rough not starting, but it made me look at the game a bit differently,” said Uncles. “The issues with my game were mostly mental, so by slowing down and not starting a few games I was able to stop thinking and just play.”

Uncles appears to have made the adjustments her coach was hoping for. In her first game back in the starting lineup, Uncles scored a career-high 24 points, as Cottonwood picked up a 57-47 victory over region rival West Jordan. With six games left in the regular season, Uncles and the Colts are very much alive for a spot at the state tournament.

“Kari has a bright future, as do all of our younger players,” said Hirschi. “I think if everyone works their hardest we will be able to finish off region play nicely.”