Young Royals in search of confidence, offensive groove

DEXTER – The trajectory of the Twin Rivers High School girl’s basketball program this winter is following the same path as it has for several seasons in its recent history.

The Royals have only had one winning season in the past four years (though they have won consecutive MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 championships). However, Twin Rivers was close to doing so last season (11-12) and in the 2019-20 season (14-14).

This year, the Royals are at .500 (6-6) with 11 regular season games remaining, in addition to the Ozark Foothills Conference Tournament in early February.

“This is a young group,” Royals coach David Crockett explained. “We’re not shooting the ball very well, and we’re letting that determine how we play defense.

“That can’t be that way.”

One of those young Royals, who showed in Tuesday’s loss at Dexter, that she definitely can shoot the ball with proficiency, was sophomore guard Reese Crismon.

“Reece is a sophomore and plays hard,” Crockett said. “She is shooting the ball better here, recently, than she did earlier in the year.”

Against the Bearcats, who have one of the better defensive teams in Southeast Missouri, Crismon sank a pair of 3-pointers and finished with nine points.

“Her (issue) is confidence, too,” Crockett said. “She is starting to get a little more confidence in her shot. She has seen it go through the net in practice more. That is what we have to see more and more.

“We have to see the ball go through the hole.”

The Royals have struggled offensively this season to the point that they are averaging just 38.4 points per game, which is the lowest figure in over a decade.

“When we (shoot better),” Crockett said, “we play better defense. When we do that, we play better team basketball. It just lifts their spirits.”

Twin Rivers started two seniors (Hannah Bader and Charly Johnson) and played another (Alexis Yeley) off the bench. However, the other seven players on the roster will all return next season.

“With a young team,” Crockett said, “you’ve got to have (confidence) and right now, we’re struggling with that.”

The Royals have lost three of their past four games, which followed an impressive four-game winning streak.

“We’ve got to be more aggressive,” Crockett said of his offense. “We’re playing too passive. We’re afraid that we’re going to make a mistake or we’re going to miss a shot.

“You can’t play that way. Our mindset has to change.”

Bader is heroically playing on one leg, as her left leg is hampered by a knee brace from an off-season injury. She provides the bulk of the Royals’ offense, but Crismon and junior Amelia Douglas can also produce.

Twin Rivers will embark on a road trip to Indiana at 5 p.m. on Friday. It will face Ellington (5-4), in the historic former Knightstown (Ind.) High School gymnasium (an hour east of Indianapolis), where the movie “Hoosiers” was filmed as the home to the fictional team, Hickory Huskers.