Two Rivers coach: Returning starters, balance are key

The Two Rivers Gators girls team, 23-8 last season, is a proven performer after making it to the finals of the 3A-4 District Tournament. Second-year head coach Jordan Riley, with an overall record of 41-14, is optimistic about this year, too. “We had quite a bit of success last year, despite our youth,” he said. “We got hot at the right time and were able to win our district and region tournaments. We fell a little bit short in our first-round game at the state tournament. It was a good experience for us and, hopefully, gave our team a little bit more insight as to where we need to be in order to reach our ultimate goal of winning the state tournament.” Riley has five returning starters. They are senior forwards Kiyah Hunt, 12 points and 6 rebounds per game, all-district and all-state tournament teams, and Paige Meredith, 7 points and 9 rebounds per game and all-district; junior guards Kaitlin Hunnicutt, 20 points, 7 rebounds and 2 1/2 steals per game, all-district, all-state, and Somer Frost, 8 points per game, 42 percent 3-point percentage, all-district; and sophomore guard ClaraGrace Prater, 14 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals per game last year. She was all-district and was ranked top 10 in the state class of 2021 by Arkansas Basketball Rankings. “Hunnicutt and Prater will both play big roles for us inside this season,” Riley said. “Their size and athleticism allow them to post up guards. Meredith was our best rebounder last season, and we expect good production out of her this year in that area.” Sofia Figueroa Valcarce, a 6-foot exchange student from Spain, joined the program in August and will add value around the basket, the coach said, and the outside game will belong to Hunnicutt and Prater.

“Hunnicutt and Prater both play really well out on the floor, possessing the ability to get to the rim, as well as hit from outside,” Riley said. Frost led the team in 3-point field-goal percentage last year as a sophomore, “and we expect her numbers to only get better,” the coach said. “Hunt and Meredith are also capable of knocking down shots and really came on for us at the end of last season. “We have six girls who can all hit shots pretty consistently from outside. That should allow us to really stretch defenses and allow for a more balanced offensive attack.” The team spent the offseason focusing on the details, Riley said “Those close games we lost last year, including the state-tournament game with Melbourne, came down to just a couple of plays,” the coach said. “Now that we are a little bit older and more experienced at this level, we can hopefully expand on where we left things last year and make a run at the end. “We should be able to play fast and push the ball on teams. We hope to be balanced offensively, getting several different players involved in the scoring. You shouldn’t be able to key on just one of us.” The biggest weakness on the squad is depth, but 10th-grader Karrah Hunt and freshman Jalyn Bull will help in that area,” Riley said. “We are still fairly young, with only two seniors, but returning all five starters from a season ago should give way to a promising season,” he said. “We try to hold ourselves to a high standard and have really high expectations. “I have a great group of kids. They’re hungry. I am excited to see them play.”