New coach leads ‘feisty’ Dardanelle

The Dardanelle Lady Sand Lizards graduated nine seniors in the spring, so first-year head coach James Roby said he will have a lot of players on the floor without a lot of game experience. “We are also in a really tough conference,” Roby said. “I do like how competitive the girls are, and we believe we can surprise people.” Senior point guard Jorika Alvarez is the only returning starter from last year’s team, and the coach said she is “a strong and athletic player.” “She is a good leader and a good allaround basketball player,” Roby said. Roby hopes the Lady Sand Lizards don’t become too dependent on Alvarez, saying he is putting forth a strong effort to have a very balanced team. Senior forward Darby Brown is “a strong player with a good skill set,” and senior forward Taylor Lawrence is “very athletic and a good shooter,” Roby said. He also said senior forward Kyndal Crow is a smart and athletic player and a good rebounder. “We have got some good post players, and it should look balanced,” the coach said. “My style of play is based on the strengths and weakness of my team. “We are going to try to play inside-out and force teams to defend the post, then throw it out and let the guards attack from there.” Senior guard Allie Weber is quick, a good shooter and a hard worker, and junior Abigal Apple is a “consistent 3-point shooter,” Roby said. “I would describe our team as a feisty group of girls who will compete hard,” Roby said. “We are pretty strong physically and a fairly well-balanced team. “We do lack game experience, so we are in a position where we just need to learn from our early games and try to keep building.” Roby was the head boys basketball coach at Dover High School before moving to Dardanelle. He said the job seemed like a good opportunity, and Dardanelle seems like a good school. “We have a lot of players who are getting the opportunity that they have been waiting for, but we still have plenty of sophomores and juniors,” Roby said. “I expect us to have some tough games early on, but if we just keep plugging away, we will, hopefully, peak come January or February.”