C3D1 GBB has an abundance of young talent geared up for the future

PORTAGEVILLE – There was no shortage of senior standouts, who competed in the highly-competitive 2023 MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 girl’s basketball tournament recently, but for the fans who are skeptical as to what the future holds for these teams, they need not worry.

Portageville got past two-time defending District champion Twin Rivers after the Royals survived a battle with Malden, while host Bulldogs REALLY survived a stunning upset-bid by New Madrid County Central, each of whom had sophomores playing massive roles in their team’s success.

“I’m glad that you pointed (Mariah Loya) out,” first-year Green Wave coach Alexis Roberson said, “because most people don’t see her talent like we do.”

Loya scored just two points in Malden’s final game, but her hands were all over – literally – the 40-38 loss to Twin Rivers.

The athletic point guard handled the ball against a stifling Twin Rivers defense and she was the one breaking down that defense and getting the ball to open teammates.

“She is only a sophomore,” Roberson said, “and she started last year as a freshman. She is very essential to setting the tone. She is our point guard, so she is bringing the ball up the court (and) she is calling our plays.”

Roberson was just as effusive about Loya’s game at the other end of the court.

“She is great at defense,” Roberson said. “Everything that we need done, and things that need done that we don’t even realize, everybody needs a Mariah Loya.”

Twin Rivers’ coach David Crockett could concur about his sophomore point guard, Reese Crimson.

“(Crimson) plays within herself,” Crockett said. “She is not super athletic. She is not super fast.”

But…

“She knows when to drive,” Crockett continued, “and she knows when to shoot it. She knows when to find open teammates.”

Like Loya, the scorebook doesn’t tell Crimson’s story.

She also scored just two points in the title game, but the Royals weren’t going to have a chance at a third straight championship without her.

“Reese is my lockdown defender,” Crockett continued. “When I need somebody to guard, she is the one I want. She is just a great basketball player. She is smart and has a high basketball IQ.

“I love her to death.”

In that championship game, Portageville sophomore Ja’niya Smith had just two points through the opening three quarters but sealed the win by scoring five points in the final eight minutes, as she continually drew fouls from the Royal defenders.

“My girls were really smart with the ball,” Bulldog coach Kellye Fowler explained of the late strategy. “We were forcing Twin Rivers to come out and guard us, and we knew that we were more athletic than they were.”

At 5-foot-9, Smith had the ability to rise up over defenders and finish.

“I know my group is young,” Fowler said, “but they are special. We have played them a lot.”

For New Madrid County Central, sophomore guard Emani Summers was often unguardable, as the Eagles scared the bejesus out of Portageville in the semifinal round.

“Emani is kind of the heart of (our program),” first-year New Madrid County Central coach Danna Woods said. “She is the energy.”

Summers got into foul trouble against the Bulldogs, which normally isn’t catastrophic for most teams, but with New Madrid only having five players on its roster, it was in that situation.

“I had to get her to calm down,” Woods said. “I told her that she was the leader and she was going to have to step up. And she did.”