Season a win for Lady Raiders

The Three Rivers College basketball team wrapped its season with another trip to the NJCAA women’s basketball tournament, and according to head coach Alex Wiggs, that’s a win.

The Lady Raiders finished the season 22-6 and ranked No. 20 in the country, but had their postseason cut short in the first round against Gulf Coast State. Despite the early exit, Wiggs believes this season was another step forward for the Lady Raiders.

“After graduating 10 kids from the previous season, making it back to the national tournament is a successful season,” Wiggs said. “I thought the team grew as the season went on. I thought we won some big games, but we did let some slip away. I think that just proves how many good teams are within region 16, but overall I think this was a successful year for our program.”

Freshman Da’Kariya Jackson led the Lady Raiders in scoring at 13 points per game and received MCCAC all-conference and All-region 16 honors. Other all-conference and all-Region 16 honors include Niaisya Ervin, Amiya Johnson, Ari Winston and Maiya Bergdorf.

While Wiggs is proud of how his team performed, he noticed a few obstacles that would’ve allowed them to capture some of the losses during the season.

“One of our biggest struggles was not being able to fight through adversity when our shots weren’t falling, if we didn’t get those calls or got into foul trouble,” he said. “When we did the right things, we were great, but when we got low, it was hard to pull ourselves back up, and when you’re playing against really good teams, it’s hard to get over that hump.

“Moving forward, we have to make sure that we continue to work on and get better at battling through adversity.”

As for any returners for the Lady Raiders, Wiggs understands the transfer portal has become lucrative with recruiting and encourages his players to take advantage of every opportunity. Still, his mission to build a great program will remain the same.

After getting a bid to the national tournament for the third straight season, Wiggs believes the sky is the limit for the Lady Raiders as they continue to find the right pieces for their program.

“You’ll never hear me complaining about making it to the national tournament, but the goal for us is to always work towards getting better,” Wiggs said. “As our region counties to flourish, we’ve got to continue to work and get really talented kids who are taller and athletic to help us move ahead for the program.”