Coach Lane Campbell enters his third season as the Valley View Blazer head coach having led his team to the 5A State Tournament each of the last two years . The Blazers finished 19-11 ( 10-4 in the 5A East ) to finish third and advance to the state tournament . Valley View ’ s season would come to an end with a first round loss to Maumelle . With the majority of the team back , Valley View looks to battle for a conference title , return to the postseason , and make a deeper run . Arkansas Tech signee Hudson Rogers left a void in the middle for the Blazers , but a plethora of guards that can score will make the boys in blue a difficult matchup . Two time All-State selection Oliver Barr leads the way for Valley View . The senior is a strong , physical guard ( 6 ’ 5 ) who can get to the rim and shoot the three , and could play all five spots if called upon . Two year starter Gavin Ellis will be back to handle the bulk of the ball handling responsibilities . The senior guard earned All-Conference , has a high basketball IQ , is a great facilitator , and can score at the rim or from the perimeter . Defensively , Ellis creates disruptions and rebounds very well . Fellow senior Laird Cullen also returns to the starting lineup . The slashing guard can score at the rim and shoot the outside shot , and also earned All-Conference last season . Senior Josh Burnett is back after making an impact in the conference last year . The All-Conference guard is strong and physical , can get to the rim and score or create for teammates , and is a good defender . Junior Max Manchester is a long guard ( 6 ’ 3 ) that can shoot the three and get downhill to the rim . Manchester rebounds the ball well and hopes to give the Blazers some added depth either in the starting lineup or off the bench . Senior Noah Berry and junior Max Moody hope to add a presence in the paint . Berry ( 6 ’ 5 ) is strong , physical , and rebounds the ball well . He returns experience from last season with some starts and minutes off the bench . Moody ( 6 ’ 5 ) saw a bit of time late in the season . He is a hard-nosed player that goes hard after rebounds . Junior Cannon Driskell joins the team this season . He is a great shooter and facilitator of the basketball . Sophomore Eli Craig has turned some heads in the preseason . Craig is a hard working guard that will make hustle plays and can hit the open shot . Coach Campbell is excited about this group , but knows it will be tough in a grueling 5A East . He listed several keys to his team ’ s success this year . “ Defense is a priority ,” he said . " You either apply pressure or feel the pressure ! Defense is our backbone . We ’ re working hard on improving our defense , both man-to-man and in transition . If we can lock down on defense , we ’ ll control the game and keep our opponents on their heels .” The Blazers would like to control the tempo as well . " Our goal is to play an aggressive , high-speed game while staying disciplined ,” Campbell added . “ With a deeper bench this year , we are going to be able to keep up a higher pace with subs and not lose our tempo . We want to push the pace but know when to control the tempo of the game . With a heavy senior led team , we expect them to use their experience to take control and set the games pace for us .” There is a lot of excitement surrounding Valley View Blazer basketball , and they could produce a very exciting brand of basketball . Look for the Blazers to battle for the 5A East title and be a tough out in the state tournament in March .
The Valley View Lady Blazers are working on making their way back to the state tournament after an 11-17 finish last season . Coach Angie Ellis is hoping a long list of returners and few new talents will help them accomplish that goal . “ This team has experience under their belts with so many underclassmen playing a lot of minutes the last two years ,” Coach Ellis said . “ We need to stay healthy this year as the injury bug got us last year . The Lady Blazers need to play more consistently for four quarters .” Senior Annika Wilbanks returns inside as a three year starter . Wilbanks is a strong post player who knows how to use her body . She averaged 13 points and seven rebounds last season . Fellow senior Allanah Orsby moves over from JHS for her final high school season . Orsby will be a four year starter at the guard spot where she averaged 15 points and 10 rebounds as a junior . The Brown University commit is a versatile player that can score at all three levels and anticipates well on both ends of the floor . Junior Bonnie Fagan is a second year starter that can play guard or forward . Fagan averaged 13 points and seven rebounds a game last year . Another versatile player who is athletic enough to play on the perimeter and on the inside . Junior guard Bella Seeman battled through injuries to average eight points a night as a sophomore . Seeman is a hard-nosed defensive player that brings a lot of injury . She should make a bigger impact on both ends of the floor . Classmate Ruby Reynolds is a knock-down shooter from the outside . Reynolds will stretch the defense out to open up driving lanes to the basket . Junior guard Audrey Butler missed last season with an ACL injury . Butler is very quick and athletic who sees the floor well and is an exceptional passer . The addition of Orsby and Butler not only adds depth , but loads the backcourt with talented guards who can move the ball . Brianna Huff is a junior forward with tremendous athletic ability . Huff adds depth inside and will play a key role on both ends of the floor . With so many players back who earned experience taking lumps as youngsters last season while adding a few new talented faces , the Valley View Lady Blazers are hoping to make a little noise in the 5A East . Whoever emerges from the conference and earns a state title berth has definitely earned it and the Lady Blazers are poised to make a run to the postseason and could surprise some folks at the top of the conference .
The Tuckerman Lady Bulldogs finished last season 12-20 , but Coach Chad Soden feels his team will be much improved this season . “ We should be much improved from last year . We have a lot more quickness and explosiveness offensively ,” Coach Soden said . “ Defensively we will guard better and should be more consistent from the outside . We have the ability to break people down and get to the rim . Still going to be young , with only one senior seeing the floor , but several girls return with playing experience .” Juniors Emeri Baughn and Emily Gates return as the only starters from last year ’ s squad . Baughn averaged nine points a year ago and can play inside or outside . Gates is the leading returning scorer at 12 points per game . She will look to fill it up even more after several big games last season . Senior Gracee McGuire will be the loan senior on the roster . McGuire moved in and is smart player who can fill a needed role . Junior August Huckabee is a quick guard who has shown improvement over the summer . Sophomores Josie Branch , Ally Sampson , and Maegan Richardson all look to make an impact . Branch is a high IQ guard , Sampson can get to the rim and knock down the outside shot , and Richardson provides an inside presence . Freshman Maddyx Soden and Bristen Wheeler will move up and contribute quickly . Soden will look to make an impact as a scorer and ball handler , while Wheeler can really shoot it from the outside . Tuckerman moves into the 2A-2 which is a new look conference with loads of talented teams , which makes it tough each and every night . With a young but talented group , look for the Lady Bulldogs to round into form come tournament time and have a chance to make it to the regional tournament .