Persistent work key for young Lady Badgers
The Beebe Lady Badgers return two starters from last year’s squad that finished 20-11 and advanced to the Class 5A State Tournament, where the team lost to Batesville in the first round. Returning starters for this year’s team include seniors Marianna Richey and Abbie Henley. Last year, Richey averaged 9.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Henley averaged 4.1 points and 3.5 assists per game. “We have two very experienced seniors that are very good players, and they are doing a great job of leading our inexperienced players,” Beebe coach Greg Richey said. “This group has a lot of speed and has shown the ability to shoot the ball well early on in our practices. The good thing about this group is that they are all competing for playing time, and this makes practices a lot more intense and more competitive. “This group will only get better as we continue through the year.” Richey said his team’s best inside players are sophomore Meredith Webber, junior Riley Bridges and senior Kyia Jackson. “All three are very talented and can shoot the ball well from outside, along with Riley and Meredith being 6 feet tall and Kyia at 5-10. Their versatility will make them a hard matchup for other teams. “All three are good shot blockers because of their timing and long arms, and this will allow us to pressure the ball out on the floor more.” Richey said the best outside players are Henley, Marianna Richey, freshman Madelyn Atkins, senior Chloe Flowers, sophomore Asharia Brown, sophomore Teighlor Farmer, junior Kelcie Jackson, junior Madison Arrowsmith and junior Nadia Miller. Coach Richey said his team’s biggest weakness is inexperience. “But in the same turn, it can be a strength because they know they have to work hard, and they have’t done anything yet, so they work hard to improve every day,” Richey said. “We have shown inconsistencies this summer with not being able to score at times, but I think persistent work and the willingness of this team to work hard will help that.” Beebe is in a different conference this season. Previously, the Lady Badgers were members of the 5A-Central. Their postseason conference consisted of Little Rock Christian, Little Rock Parkview, Pulaski Academy, Sylvan Hills, Little Rock McClellan, Little Rock Mills and Little Rock Fair. With the restructuring of the Arkansas Activities Association from seven classifications to six, Beebe was placed in the 5A-West with Alma, Greenbrier, Greenwood, Little Rock Christian, Russellville, Siloam Springs and Vilonia. “Vilonia, Little Rock Christian, Greenwood and Russellville are all very good and should be favorites in our conference, so those games will be very important for us,” Richey said. “The one thing is that the 5A-West is loaded with talent, and every conference game will be a battle.” Richey said he has several players who have college potential. “Quite a few of the players have a lot of talent, and there have been inquiries about some of the players on the team, but we are very young,” he said. “I expect a couple of the seniors to have a chance to play college basketball if they want to continue playing, and a lot of underclassmen will garner some interest as they get more experience.” Richey said he thinks this year’s squad will surprise some teams. “As we gain experience, we could become a very good team,” he said. “The Beebe senior girls have a winning tradition with four straight 20-plus-win seasons, and I expect this team to try and live up to the tradition of our former teams.”