Fresh off a spectacular 34 – 5 season, the Riverside Lady Rebels reload rather than rebuild under head coach Tyler Timms, returning a tough, guard-heavy group determined to stay among the state’ s elite in 2A basketball. The Rebels bring back three experienced starters, including two All-State selections. Sophomore sensation Arden Vaughn, last year’ s 2A-3 Player of the Year, enters the season as one of the top underclassmen in Arkansas. A fierce competitor and explosive athlete, Vaughn is a scoring threat from anywhere on the floor and a relentless rebounder despite her size. Senior guard Ryley Eakins returns for her fourth year as a starter, anchoring Riverside’ s defense while stretching the floor as a confident shooter. She brings invaluable big-game experience to a team with championship ambitions. Joining her is fellow senior Carly Jo Womack, a two-year starter, defensive stopper, and steady floor general who keeps the Rebels poised in pressure moments. Riverside will also rely on several key contributors, including senior Briley Travis, a dependable defender and shooter, along with Shelby Clay, Scout Priest, Bella Richardson, and Henleigh McAnally, all of whom fill important roles and provide stability off the bench. Coach Timms says the formula for success is clear: rebound better, share the basketball, and turn good shots into great ones. With a roster built around quick, experienced guards who can apply chaos-creating defensive pressure, the Rebels expect to be right back in the mix. Depth and rebounding remain their challenges, but if this group stays healthy and continues to improve, Riverside has the talent to make another deep postseason run.
The Riverside Rebels went 30-8 last season capturing the 2A-3 regular season title with a 15-1 record. They would lose a heartbreaker in the toughest regional in the state to end their season. This season, Coach Buster Campbell will look to a young group of Rebels to get back to the postseason in his 50th and final year of coaching. Coach Campbell earned his 1,000th victory earlier this season becoming only the seventh coach in Arkansas history to accomplish this feat. To honor his historic career, the Riverside district named the court at the high school gym, Buster Campbell Court. Senior Tucker Emery and junior Daniel Couch return the most experience from last year’ s senior laden squad. Couch started and averaged 10 points and six rebounds a game for the Rebels last season. The 6’ 5 post player can score inside, but also has good touch from the perimeter, and is a rim protector on defense. Emery saw a lot of time off the bench last year. The guard will look to expand his role and production this season as one of Riverside’ s leaders. Junior guard Maddox Stone saw the next most time last season. He will look to play a bigger role on the perimeter, along with senior Zain McClure and junior Lawson Beck. Senior Isaiah Harris and juniors Kylen Chappel and Reece Clay will look to provide depth at the forward positions. Coach Campbell knows his guys will have to gain experience early on in the season.“ We are fairly young and green, so we will need to mature in a hurry!” Coach Campbell exclaimed.“ We have decent size, several shooters, and a few makers. If we can get tougher mentally and physically we should be in the mix.” The 2A-3 is as tough from top to bottom as ever, but the Riverside Rebels should be right in the mix, as Coach Campbell said. Look for the Rebs to gain valuable experience throughout the season, improve along the way, and be a tough out come tournament time.