2023 Baseball Magazine Preview | Page 23

2A-3 Boys Postseason Preview The 2A-3 conference has traditionally been a tough and exciting conference with title hopes always coming down to the wire . This season has been no exception . The Rector Cougars , Buffalo Island Central Mustangs , and Bay Yellowjackets have all been battling it out at the top of the conference as all three teams finished first as co-conference champions . All three teams ended the season with three conference losses . The Mustangs beat the Yellowjackets both times while losing to the Cougars twice . The Yellowjackets beat the Cougars both times while losing to the Mustangs on each occasion . Rector suffered two losses to Bay while sweeping BIC . It made for a wild conference finish as everything came down to the final night . Due to the conference rules on tiebreakers , Bay will hold the one seed with Rector heading to the district as the two and BIC as the three seed . The Riverside Rebels and the East Poinsett County Warriors lurk not too far behind , and pose dangerous threats to anyone ’ s title hopes . Riverside plays host to the district tournament . Never count out the tradition of the Earle Bulldogs as they have begun to find their stride late in the season . The Marmaduke Greyhounds could easily upset some folks come tournament time as they hold a big conference win over Riverside and have also upset Marked Tree this season . Cross County sits at the bottom of the conference and hopes to make a surprising late season run . Rector is led by a couple of all-everything players in Cooper Rabjohn and reigning conference MVP Kameron Jones . Both players have the capability to put up big scoring numbers each and every night they step on the floor . BIC is led by Jax Whitley , Nick Patterson , Riley Whitehead , and Jack Edwards . Whitley at guard and Whitehead in the post have been playing very well down the stretch , while Edwards has shot it and defended well after starting the season with an injury . The midseason addition of Patterson makes BIC a state tournament final threat . Coach Taylor Layne has done a remarkable job in his rookie season after inheriting a team that lost two of the league ' s top players to graduation and transfer while he worked half the season without Patterson . It would be a travesty if he is not named the 2A-3 Coach of the Year and only politics could possibly spoil that . A trio of scorers hope to push Bay into the postseason . Justin Brannen ( 21.6 ppg ), Evan Stotts ( 13.8 ppg ), and Landon Therrell ( 10 ppg ) have all shot it well and filled up the stat sheet for Coach Brad Brannen , while Seth Spencer , Drew Long , and Kaden Hartley will be key factors down the stretch . Brannen has done everything possible to prove that he is this season ’ s conference most valuable player . He ’ s scored 30 and 40 points on more than a few occasions this season and done so in the most pivotal games . His partners in crime have put it into a new gear and look like the Bay of the previous decade geared for a trip to Hot Springs . A loaded team led by four-time state champion Brad Brannen could be the most dangerous game in town . Buster Campbell ’ s Riverside Rebels have used a balanced attack to be in condition for a late season run . Cash Gillis ( 12 ppg , 6 rpg ), Brayeson Timms ( 11 ppg ), and Harrison McAnally ( 9 ppg , 6 rpg ) have led the Rebels this year , while Thatcher Durham has provided a spark late in the season . EPC won Division 1 of the NEA Tournament , and Tyrus Real , Dennis Gaines , and Jamarkius Garrett are hoping to rely on that experience this postseason . They have clearly shown signs that they have extreme talent although they do lack discipline at times . Joseph McVay ( 16 ppg ) and Kwantin King ( 12 ppg ) have led the Earle Bulldogs in scoring , while Leon Cody can get a double-double any night . Don ’ t be surprised to see Earle in the state tournament even going into their district tournament as a six seed . Marmaduke ’ s Blake Gipson , Chandler Harrelson , and Gary Bear have had the Greyhounds in many games . They are looking to get over the hump and put it together for a late season run . Realistically , Bay , BIC and Rector all have a legitimate shot to win a state championship this season . With the district at Riverside , regionals at BIC and state at Rector , it will be fun to watch post-season basketball all locally this season .

2A-3 Girls Postseason Preview The Riverside Lady Rebels and the Rector Cougars have secured their spots in the postseason and are looking at making postseason runs to cap off stellar seasons . Riverside has used a balanced attack to race to the top of the conference . Amber Courtney leads the Lady Rebels with 11 points and eight rebounds a night , while Ali Towles , Mackenzie Thomas , Gracie Washington , and Brooklyn Berry are all averaging eight points per contest . Coach Tyler Timms came into Riverside in total rebuild mode three seasons ago and has done nothing but prove his excellence in the 2A-3 . The Riverside faithful will soon get a taste of the championship end of that rebuild . The Rector Lady Cougars have relied on Carly Rodden , Madison Wolfenbarger , and Mattie McClung to lead the Lady Cougers into the postseason with their eyes set on making the state tournament . The Marmaduke Lady Greyhounds are no strangers to the postseason and have experienced a lot of success in recent years . The Lady Hounds hope to use that tradition and experience to make another deep run . Mackenzie Hampton , Baylie Joiner , and Maranda Bear have been the leaders for Maramaduke during the regular season . Hadlie Goodson and Hallee Wells have been a huge part of the Buffalo Island Central attack . Goodson has been one of the best players in the conference and she is only a freshman . It will be fun to watch her perform in her first postseason at the varsity level . The Lady Mustangs have seen six different players lead them in scoring on different nights and seem to be coming together at just the right time . The Bay Lady Yellowjackets sit on the edge of a regional tournament berth and are hoping to finish strong to get there . Seniors Vidalia McIntire , Hannah Lane , and Keyana Dodson are hoping to lead the team on one final run . McIntire has pushed through a late season concussion having to miss several games toward the back end of the season . She put up 28 points on senior night and will look to lead the attack as she has done for the last two years . The Lady Yellowjackets get a huge spark from the junior high in Macky Morgan as she immediately moves up and becomes an instant threat which only begs the question in regard to why she has not been up all season . The East Poinsett County Lady Warriors could also play spoiler . Kyla Harston and Denissia Gaines lead EPC in an effort to pull some upsets and surprise some people . The Earle Lady Bulldogs and the Cross County Lady Thunderbirds sit at the bottom of the conference and will have to pull major upsets to advance . This girls ’ conference should produce a team or two that can compete with anyone in the state with Riverside leading the way .