The Riverside Lady Rebels put together a splendid season a year ago . They finished as conference , district , and regional tournament champions compiling an overall record of 31-9 . The Lady Rebels suffered a loss in overtime to Mount Vernon who ended up winning the 2A State Championship . Coach Tyler Timms only loses one player from last season ’ s squad and will look to make a run at Hot Springs in March . Riverside returns three three-year starters in Gracie Washington , Amber Courtney , and Ali Towles . Washington is the reigning 2A-3 MVP . She will look to lead things from the point guard position . Washington is a lights out free throw shooter that plays with great tenacity . Courtney returns as one of the top post players in Northeast Arkansas . She averaged just shy of a double-double a season ago with nine points and eight rebounds per contest . She is solid around the rim . She will need to elevate her game to the next level if Riverside hopes to do anything significant . Towles is another great shooter . She averaged 12 points per game while shooting 81 % from the charity stripe . Klaire Womack is the other returning starter . Womack is considered the top defensive player in the conference and Coach Timms states “ she ’ s the best defensive player that I have ever coached .” She will look to become more credible on offense . A couple of other juniors will continue to find time on the hardcourt from the Lady Rebels . Annalee Qualls and Brooklyn Berry will both battle for the final starting spot while getting plenty of playing time . Qualls provides versatility and toughness . Berry is a sharp shooter . She averaged eight points from the bench a season ago . She was often the team ’ s spark plug . Carly Jo Womack moves up from a junior high team that has finished 51-5 over the last two seasons . She ’ s a true point guard that will provide solid minutes off the bench . Ryley Eakins is a good all-around player that will also push for a chance to start . Briley Travis serves as a swingman . She is a good scorer . “ As always , we will be a defensive-minded team ,” said Coach Timms . “ This will be the most balanced team we have had since I have been at Riverside ( 4th year ). Our quickness and athletic ability this year is much improved as is our depth . We have nine girls who compete and play the right way . Very excited to see what we can be . We will need to rebound the ball better and limit teams to one shot . We should play at a higher tempo than we have in the past . Our kids are excited to get the season started and we hope to compete at a state level . Our early season schedule is extremely tough ( MVE , Bergman , Brookland , England , etc .) but we feel this will help us long-term . Look for the Riverside Lady Rebels to run the table in their conference and make a strong run in the postseason finding their way to Hot Springs .
The Riverside Rebels put together a solid 2022-2023 campaign . They finished 22-11 while going 7-7 in the conference . The Rebels run ended at district as they lost a quarterfinal match against EPC in which Riverside was the host . The Rebels play in a tough 2A-3 , and it will once again be a legit battle to make the regional tournament . Riverside is a dark horse with the talent to finish near the top of the conference . Coach Buster Campbell returns four starters and expects good things from his group . The Rebels are led by senior Harrison McAnally . McAnally is a senior forward that is physical . He averaged just under nine points and eight rebounds last season . He will look to be the veteran leader on the team . The Rebels have a trio of juniors that will look to continue their success from junior high and their sophomore campaigns . Brayeson Timms serves as the team ’ s point guard . He ’ s fast and a work horse . He scored just under 12 points last season while also averaging a trio of assists and steals in each game . Thatcher Durham worked his way into the starting lineup a year ago . He can shoot the trey . The sharp shooter averaged 9.1 points per game . The third junior that returns to start is Cash Gillis . Gillis plays one of the post positions . He garnered 12.8 points and 5.2 rebounds during each matchup . Coach Campbell believes that he has several other weapons that will see time . Seniors Seth Couch and Grayson Taylor will get minutes . Couch will work down low while Taylor will be a scoring threat . Junior Bryce Smith and Kade Laird will see action as well . Smith is a quick scorer that defends well . Laird is a solid shooter . Two sophomores move up to the senior high squad this season in Tucker Emery and Zain McClure . Emery will play forward . He can shoot and provides versatility . McClure has speed while he can also score and distributes the ball well . “ Must get better on defense and on the boards ,” explained Coach Campbell . “ We will be pretty good but unfortunately , so will every else in our league ! It should be a fun year , and we should be in every game . If we mature some from last year and become more consistent we should be in the hunt .” Riverside could finish as high as number one or fall below fifth in the 2A-3 . They are certainly capable and one would imagine their early season oust from last year will motivate them to get into the regional and state tournament .