Is the best yet to come? Lady Raiders look to build on trip to elite eight

With so many new faces on the roster at the beginning of the season, the Three Rivers College women’s basketball team did not quite know what to expect in terms of how the Lady Raiders would do when it was all said and done.

They need not have worried. Three Rivers finished the season 29-5, made its fourth trip in a row to the national tournament and reached the round of eight at nationals for just the third time in school history.

“At the beginning of the year, we knew that this group had a chance to be special, but just didn’t know, with 14 new players and 13 freshmen, how quickly they’d grow, they would mature and that they would do those things,” TRC coach Alex Wiggs said. “But I’m really proud of the way that they battled every day, that they competed every day and the growth they made throughout the season.”

With 13 freshmen and just three sophomores — and just two returnees, Da’Kariya “Lia” Jackson and Amiya Johnson — on the roster, many would have expected the Lady Raiders to possibly have a rebuilding year.

Instead, the team reloaded. Jackson made all-Missouri Community College Athletic Conference first team, as did freshmen Kaleigh “KT” Thompson and Lexi Weaver, while freshmen Jasmine Davis and Laylah Reese were second-team all-MCCAC.

Johnson said how the Lady Raiders came together with a freshmen-dominated roster and made it to the round of eight nationally stood out.

“We had a lot of people come in and we did a good job of putting our abilities together,” Johnson said. “How we just came together (stands out).”

Jackson echoed her classmate’s sentiments.

“This is the best team I have played for in my 20 years,” Jackson said. “(If I had to) do it all over again … I would pick them over any team.”

There were several turning points this season for the Lady Raiders. Wiggs pointed to his team playing Division I schools like Murray State, Southern Illinois and Central Arkansas in the preseason to test the team — then traveling to Texas over Thanksgiving weekend and playing played Angelina and fellow national tournament qualifier Trinity Valley also toughened TRC up.

“They got to see what it was like to go down there and compete against a national tournament team and to see where we stood and what we needed to work on,” Wiggs said, “but also how talented and how skilled we were, if we, and when we, did what (assistant) coach (Caleb Livingston) and I we’re asking them to do.”

Later, Three Rivers traveled to southeastern Illinois in January and defeated national power Wabash Valley after losing at home to the Lady Warriors in November. But TRC then lost starting point guard Brittany Wells to a season-ending injury and then lost Region 16 games at State Fair and at Mineral Area.

For some teams, that would have derailed their season. But not the Lady Raiders. They won 14 in a row, taking the Region 16 regular-season and tournament titles and winning their first two games at the national tournament before losing to eventual national runner-up Northwest Florida State.

“This team, I feel like because of the challenges and because of what we’ve put them through already, they were ready to step up to the challenge,” Wiggs said. “They were very prepared and just determined to get it done.”

Thompson echoed her coach’s sentiments.

“When we lost to State Fair and Mineral Area,” Thompson said. “After that, it was a lot different. … I think we (realized) we need to win the (region) and that drove us to go and play our best every game.”

With just three sophomores graduating — Jackson, Johnson and transfer Mya Davidson — there’s a good shot next season could be even more successful for Three Rivers.

“I think we’re going to be really good next year because a lot of us are coming back,” Davis said. “I think we’re just going to be better.”

Added Thompson: “I think we’re going to be really good next year. We’re going to be even better than we were this year.”

Thompson said making to nationals this season but finishing just short of a national title has left the team hungry for a return trip.

“We’ve talked about it and we know what it feels like to be there,” Thompson said. “We know what it takes to get there, so that’s going to be the driving force all (next) year.”

Wiggs echoed his players’ sentiments.

“We’re excited for for the future,” Wiggs said. “Credit goes to those two sophomores for paving the way for this group. They did a great job of leading this group and of showing them what it took to win and to be successful on and off the court. With a majority of the young ladies coming back, I think they’ve all got it in their mind that they want to go back and that we’ve got some unfinished business to take care of there in Casper.”