Rebels are rising (again) on the hardwood this winter

In the past 13 varsity boy’s basketball seasons, the Richland (Essex) squad has managed to achieve just one winning season (13-12 in 2018-19). However, the Rebels were thisclose last season, as they won their first MSHSAA Class 1 District 2 title and finished 14-14 overall.

This winter, Richland (Essex) is delivering signs that it may just be able to snap that streak, IF, and Rebel coach Matt Cline emphasizes this clearly, IF his players continue to “toughen up” daily over the next two-plus months.

“We have to toughen up every day,” Cline said. “There are a lot of (talented) pieces here, but every day we have to toughen up more and more.

“If we can do that, come February, then maybe we have a shot at making a decent run.”

The Rebels will host Delta (1-3) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., which is the team that Cline’s group beat in the District championship game last spring.

Not only is Richland (Essex) good this year, but this Rebel uprising has been coming for several seasons.

Over the past five seasons, Richland (Essex) has improved from seven to nine to 10 to 14 victories before this season’s solid start.

“Coach Cline does an excellent job with them,” Dexter coach Chad Allen said after his team beat the Rebels (barely). “They have some guys coming through who have been playing at the varsity level for several years.

“They have a lot of experience, and they have a lot of good guys.”

Though Cline does not start a single senior, most of his rotational players, including junior forward Eric Williams, have been playing for “several years,” as Allen noted.

“I don’t know what (Williams) has done this year has been any better,” Cline said, “he has just been really consistent. He gets a little bit bigger each year.”

Williams is listed as a 6-footer, but in a recent game against Dexter, he seemed lanky and athletic and gave the Bearcats all sorts of problems on the glass, particularly at the offensive end of the floor.

“He has played well,” Cline said of Williams. “He has done a good job of running the floor.”

Williams joins classmates Hunter Sanders and Tucker Hughes in the starting lineup, along with sophomores Gary Tilley (another lengthy athlete) and Hayden Conner.

Cline only has two seniors (Lucas Cline and Jaden Pope), and Pope, after starting for three seasons is coming off the bench this year.

“He has been nicked up this year,” Cline said.

Despite his reserve role, Pope still plays a majority of minutes and Cline said he was “a spark” in the recent battle against the Bearcats.

The Rebels were given the No. 9-seed in the upcoming Bloomfield Christmas Tournament and will open the event against No. 8-seed Twin Rivers (4-4) on Dec. 26 at 11:15 a.m.

The Royals, as well as the Bobcats on Tuesday, can expect to see a much-improved Rebel squad at both ends of the court.

Richland (Essex) is producing offensively (nearly 65 points per game) better than any Rebel group since 2010, and defensively, Cline’s kids are defending better (57.2) more stringent than any other coming out of this program in (at least) 20 seasons.

“It has to be one shot or no shot,” Cline said of his defensive philosophy this season. “You can’t get two or three looks at it (each possession).”