The Rivercrest Lady Colts finished last season at 18-12 earning conference and district tournament runner-up finishes and a trip to the regional tournament. Coach Ronnie Dye will look to three returning starters and a cast of younger Colts to remain in the top half of the 3A-3 conference. Senior forward Lakiya Speed returns after starting the last two years for Rivercrest. Speed used her strength to average 5.2 points per game and 6 rebounds. Another two year starter is junior Ella Gonzalez. The six foot forward earned All-Conference the last two seasons averaging 5.7 points and 7.5 rebounds a game. She is a great rebounder, runs the floor well, and is a shot blocker in the paint. Another All-Conference selection returning is sophomore Randashia Booker. Booker averaged 5.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game as a freshman. Defensively, she will draw the opposing team’ s best player most nights. Coach Dye will call upon a new freshman call up this season as Armani Facon will bring her long, athletic frame and high motor to the high school level. Coach Dye says Facon is the hardest worker he has ever had, and that she has a knack for the ball and can get the rim very well. Junior post player Gabby Harris will look to expand her role after seeing time in every game last season averaging 4.6 points and 6 rebounds per contest. Fellow junior Kamryn Goodlow also saw substantial time and can change a game with her quickness and ability to shoot it from the perimeter. Sophomores Lani Latham, Shakyra Gordon, Taraiji Davis, and Semaj Newson are looking to add depth to the Lady Colts’ lineup. Latham saw some time last season and uses her quickness to cause problems on defense, while Gordon is one of the quickest guards on the team. Davis is a strong post that can provide some depth inside, and Newson is returning after sitting out her freshman year.“ We will be a young team with only one senior,” Coach Dye said.“ This is the most athletic team that I ' ve had since I ' ve been here and this group bonds together like no other team before. Keys for us are going to be getting the ball to the rim more and not settling so much for the three pointers. We will continue to guard hard and pressure folks as much as possible. We are working a lot on communication on defense and stressing winning the boards. If our young players can handle the quicker pace and pressure of high school basketball, we should be very competitive and contend in the 3A-3 conference.” Look for the Rivercrest Lady Colts to battle near the top of the conference once again, and be a tough out in the postseason.
The Rivercrest Colts have been in the conversation about the 3A state title it seems every year and after missing out on the state tournament last year, Coach Hunter Robinson’ s group is hungry to get back. The Colts have four returning starters from last year’ s 21-11 squad, so there is a lot of experience and a lot of talent in south Mississippi County. All-State selection Jayden Young averaged 17.9 points and 5.3 assists to lead Rivercrest last season. The senior guard will be out to start the season, but should make his presence felt immediately upon his return. Classmate Buddha Harris always makes his presence felt wherever he is on the floor. The senior forward averaged 17.1 points a game last year. His athleticism is next level, and Harris can score at all three levels on the floor. Classmate Asier Burks returns to a forward position after averaging 8.2 points and seven rebounds a contest. Burks is strong around the rim and a leaper who can clean the glass. Jamarius Byrd is a senior guard who is a playmaker that averaged 6.1 points a game last year. Byrd is good off the dribble and can attack the rim. Senior guard Marquis Nunn is back after having his season cut short by injury last year. Nunn was a major factor averaging 10.3 points before going down just 10 games into the season. Some new faces should provide some depth that Coach Robinson needed last season.“ We have the chance to have more depth if we stay healthy,” Coach Robinson said. Junior Landon Barnes has transferred in from Paragould, while junior Markell Mickell moves in from Blytheville. They should provide depth at the guard spot along with fellow juniors Zane Robinson and Kris Burk, and senior Steve Lewis. Sophomores Christain Nunn and Lathon Bolden should make an impact at the high school level. Nunn is a good ball handler and scorer, while Bolden was also a big scorer for the Jr. Colts last season. The Colts have put in a lot of work to prepare for this season.“ We put a lot of emphasis on shooting the three point shot and on the free throw line,” Coach Robinson shared.‘ We look to use our defense to create high percentage shots on offense with turnovers. We are also putting an emphasis on crashing the boards on the offensive side of the ball.” It may take some time for the Colts to get started depending on how far the Rivercrest football team goes in the playoffs, but once they get rolling the talent is undeniable. The Rivercrest Colts should once again move into the conversation as one of the favorites in the 3A-3 and statewide in what proves to be one of the deepest classifications in the state.
The Ridgefield Christian Warriors finished last season with a record of 20-20 and played well late in the year to make it to the 1A State Semifinals. Coach Morgan Colburn’ s squad lost several key pieces to that team, but RCS has several returning pieces looking to create their own identity and make another run in the postseason. Jacob and Jaxson Ray return after starting for the last two seasons. Jacob is a good defender, shooter and rebounder, and Jaxson is a good defender and a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Luke Martin is another two year starter returning. Martin can score the ball in many different ways and will look to increase his production for this year’ s Warriors. Sam Strait is back after starting a year ago and averaging right at 10 points a game as a sophomore. Jackson Billing is a good decision maker and playmaker from the guard spot, while Will Spencer is a good rebounder inside. Jimmy Pierce and Ben Ellenberg are both good shooters, rebounders, and defenders. Coach Colburn will be looking at a guard heavy lineup to disrupt the opposing team’ s offense.“ We will be small, but athletic,” he said.“ We can shoot the ball well, and if we can learn to play great team defense, we will give lots of teams some problems this year. This is a very intelligent group and they have a strong desire to win and play good team basketball.” The 1A-3 conference looks to again be one of the toughest in the state with teams like Earle, CRA, and Marked Tree all returning key players. Ridgefield proved last season that they are on the same level as those teams. The league along with a tough non-conference schedule should prepare the Warriors for the off season once again. Look for Ridgefield Christian to battle near the top of the conference with a chance of making another run towards Hot Springs.