The fear is no longer there. The fear of not being ready and the fear of not measuring up has gone away. For the Alta girls' basketball team, fear is something that no longer defines them.

"We've come a long way from last year," said senior Becca Beaudoin. "We were afraid to take on some of those teams but we've grown so much. Now we know we can compete with anybody."

It's easy to see why the Hawks were nervous about facing state-title contenders like Bingham and Riverton in the preseason last year. Alta was a young squad, oftentimes playing a lineup containing two sophomores and one freshman.

They lost by a combined 41.5 points to the Miners and the Silverwolves and took their lumps against teams like Fremont and Weber.

Even though the season had some growing pains, there were successes, too. The Hawks finished 6-4 in Region 2 and advanced to the Class 5A state tournament before losing to eventual champion American Fork in the first round.

With almost all of its starters back, the Hawks are confident this year.

"We just want to build off that," said junior Hayli Schurtz. "I think we're going to surprise some people. We're picking up where we left off."

Alta has gone 5-0 in the preseason and in those five wins, the Hawks have shown they have more than one weapon. Beaudoin is the team's best shooter and averages 15.6 points a game.

But when she is taken out of the equation, like she was against Cottonwood last week, Alta turned to its other three experienced guards: Schurtz, Makenzi Morrison and Erin Foster.

The Colts keyed in on Beaudoin and put a box-and-one defense on her. One player shadowed Beaudoin while the rest played a four-man zone defense. The plan worked -- Beaudoin was held scoreless but the three other players scored in double digits.

"If they take one out of the game, another steps up," said Alta coach Kristi Horrocks. "They know their offense better and their role. They're just more cohesive than they've ever been."

Last season's rebuilding year allowed players to develop a better team chemistry and to improve their fundamentals. Also, most of the team's starters played club basketball during the summer. Now during the season, Horrocks doesn't have to spend so much time working on the basics, giving her more time to work on a press, a press break and man-to-man defense. Alta will need that extra preparation to take on a tough region schedule.

The Hawks are in Region 4, the toughest region in Class 5A. It will be a dogfight for every playoff spot but the Hawks like their chances.

"It would have been a big struggle last year. We were a very young team," Foster said. "We are so thrilled about the team we have. We want it so bad and we feel if we set our minds to it, we can take it all."