2021-22 COULD BE LITTLE RIVER’S YEAR

By William

LITTLE RIVER – Coach Brent Clark came in as a new coach with an extremely young team at Little River and turned the Lady Redskins into an efficient, team-oriented group of players that literally rocked the schedule.

Having had long runs of coaching success at both Quivira Heights and Chase, Clark knows how to mold a team for success, but the youth movement at Little River at first may have been a bit daunting.

At one point the Lady Redskins were just 6-3 for the season before rattling off 14 straight victories before losing in the first round of the Class 1A Division I state tournament and doing so with a team dominated by underclassmen.

Here is a look back at the 2020-21 season for the Little River Lady Redskins:

HOW DID YOUR TEAM FINISH THE SEASON OVERALL?

Here is what success meant for the Little River Lady Redskins in 2020-21:

  • They finished with an overall record of 20-4.
  • They went 8-0 in league play to finish 1st.
  • They won sub-state with wins over Goessel (49-34) and Rural Vista (50-31).
  • Lost in the first round of the Class 1A Division I state tournament to Doniphan West (57-44).

WHAT WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE 2020-21 SEASON?

According to Coach Clark, some of the highlights of the 2020-21 season were:

  • Going on a 14-game winning streak before losing in the first round of the state tournament.
  • Being unbeaten in league play.
  • Winning the Fairfield Invitational Tournament.
  • Winning sub-state.

WHAT PLAYERS AND PRODUCTION WILL THE TEAM LOSE?

Coach Clark had no seniors on the roster this season, playing the year with 4 juniors, 4 sophomores and 8 freshmen.

TAKE AN EARLY LOOK INTO THE 2021-22 SEASON AND TELL US WHAT YOU SEE?

When you have a team of 16 girls in which only four are juniors and the other 12 are either sophomores (4) or freshmen (8) and still have the success that Little River had in 2020-21, then next season best have an extremely bright outlook.

Among those players returning will be:

  • Lily Boughfman = a 6’1” junior and team captain who had an exceptional season averaging 13.5 points per game, grabbing 7.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.2 steals and a whopping 3.8 blocked shots per game. Boughfman has earned several post-season honors for her play.
  • Aubrey Olander = just a freshman, Olander was the most improved player for the Lady Redskins as the season progressed. Olander averaged 11.1 points per game along with 8.6 rebounds while playing some great lockdown defense.
  • Alaina Eck = another freshman who improved her play as the season progressed, Eck directed the Lady Redskin offense at point guard and averaged 2.6 assists, 7.3 points and 3.1 steals per game while also being an outstanding defender.
  • Amaya Sneath = a junior guard.
  • MeKenzie Renken = a junior guard and team captain.
  • Mea DeBaere = a sophomore guard.
  • Ashley Stephenson = a freshman forward.
  • Kate Ellwood = a freshman guard.
  • Courtney Stansbury = a sophomore forward.

According to Coach Clark, the Lady Redskins have some eighth graders who he claims may join the team next season and make an impact as well.

DO ANY TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE OR STATE LOOK TO BE THE CREAM OF THE CROP FOR NEXT SEASON?

When asked about a look ahead to next season as far as the league and state teams, Coach Clark pointed out:

  • “With everyone returning, we will probably be the team to beat in the league.”
  • “I also think that Elyria Christian will be very good next season as they return a lot of quality players.”
  • “There will be a lot of good teams in Class 1A Division I next season and hopefully we will be able to return to the state tournament again and find better success.”

OUR FINAL REFLECTIONS:

Coach Clark did an outstanding job of molding an incredibly young Lady Redskin team into a legitimate state contender.

Going on a 14-game winning streak while playing four high quality freshmen with a solid sophomore and three experienced juniors was a look into the future for Little River fans.

With everyone returning plus a few eighth graders who Coach Clark says could make an impact, we look to the Little River girls as being one of the teams to beat in Class 1A Division I for 2021-22.

{Little River Redskin Postings is needing SPONSORS for the spring and next season, contact crossdovewriter@gmail.com}