Tag: Olivia Norton

Rose Bud drops Heber Springs in senior girls play

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Lady Panthers lost two non-conference basketball games after the Christmas break, but worked to shake off the rest before resuming  the 4-4A Conference schedule.

After a loss at Sheridan, Heber Springs (0-1 in conference, 7-7 overall) dropped a 47-43 decision to Rose Bud at the Panther Den before Tuesday’s scheduled conference game at defending conference championship Morrilton.

“The big thing was to knock the rust away,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “We have a quick turnaround with a conference game on Tuesday. We played competitive at Sheridan, but as a young team, we need to find a way to get more rebounds, limit turnovers and make a few shots. We didn’t do that at Sheridan. We got good shots against Rose Bud, but we didn’t make many of them.”

Kyndal Rooks and Kelsie Taylor scored 32 of Rose Bud’s 47 points. Rooks led the Lady Ramblers with 21 points, while Taylor had 11 points.

Jaylea Hooten scored 15 points for the Lady Panthers, while Ellie Riddle contributed 10 points.

The two teams were tied at 9-9 after the first quarter. Rose Bud assumed control midway through the second quarter and finished with a 7-1 scoring run and led 22-16 at halftime.

The Lady Panthers pulled to within three points during the third quarter before momentum shifted again. Rose Bud regained the 6-point lead, but Heber Springs rallied and pulled to within 34-30 going into the fourth quarter.

Rose Bud increased its lead to eight points, but the Lady Panthers didn’t go away easily.

Heber Springs went on a 10-4 scoring run, reducing the lead to four points, but never closer for the remainder of the game.

Riddle said the team is ready to resume conference play and begin the push for the postseason.

“We hope to play a good game at Morrilton,” he said. “We battled back in the Rose Bud game and that is a good sign. As long as we keep battling, that lets me know they want to win. We will keep working and see what we can do.”

The Lady Devil Dogs are a talented team and ranked among one of the top teams in Class 4A. Riddle said his team is prepared for the challenge.

“Morrilton won the conference last year and returns most of those players,” he said. “We must play well, rebound and play smart.”

Rose Bud 9 13 12 13–47
Heber Springs 9 7 14 13–43
Rose Bud scorers — Kyndal Rooks 21, Kelsie Taylor 11, Foster 5, Emily Norris 4, Tharp 2, Calhoun 2, Smith 2.
Heber Springs scorers — Jaylea Hooten 15, Ellie Riddle 10, Madison Clemons 7, Kylie Carr 5, Hope Turney 4, Olivia Norton 2.

Ozark topples Heber Springs senior girls

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

It was one of those nights that the Heber Springs Lady Panthers will try and forget quickly.

Heber Springs trailed 18-8 after the opening eight minutes, while Ozark dominated the final three quarters and defeated the Lady Panthers 54-25 in the 4-4A Conference basketball opener at the Panther Den Friday.

Ozark outscored Heber Springs 32-17 during the final three quarters.

“The big difference in the game was our inexperience,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “We were off 10 days from our last game, but had a good week of practice. When game time came, we just didn’t do what we needed to do to win.”

The Lady Panthers trailed 12-4 midway through the first quarter. Hailey Bresnahan reduced Ozark’s lead by making two free throws. Ozark responded with a 6-2 scoring spurt and led 18-8 going into the second quarter.

Heber Springs’ shooting remained cold from the field. The Lady Panthers scored four points during the next eight minutes and trailed 34-12 at halftime.

Ozark increased its lead to 49-19 by the end of the third quarter.
Kelsee Barnett, Carter Crane and Briley Burns each scored 11 points for Ozark. Jaylea Hooten led Heber Springs with nine points.

Home games against Newport and Cedar Ridge scheduled for Monday and Tuesday have been cancelled. The Lady Panthers (0-1 in conference, 7-5 overall) will return to action at Sheridan on Dec.

“Sheridan is a very good team,” Riddle said. “We’ve got to keep getting better evert game and learn from our mistakes. We can’t keep using our inexperience as an excuse, and I think we will. The girls come each week to practice and are doing the right things. We just need to to extend what we are doing right to the court.”

The next scheduled home game will be played on Jan. 2 against Rose Bud.

Ozark 18 16 15 5–54
Heber Springs 8 4 7 6–25
Ozark scoring — Kelsee Barnett 11, Carter Crane 11, Briley Burns 11, Autuman Joy 6, Jaci Bonds 5, Anna Woolsey 4,  McKenzie Powell 4, Gillian Lachowsky 2.
Heber Springs scoring — Jaylea Hooten 9, Hailey Bresnahan 4, Sophie Stone 4, Olivia Norton 4, Madison Clemons 2, Brandi Meredith 2.

Lady Panthers run past Shirley

IMG_7970
Heber Springs’ Ellie Riddle with a pass against Shirley in senior girls nonconference action at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Playing back-to-back basketball games didn’t slow down the Heber Springs Lady Panthers.

After Monday’s double overtime win at Guy-Perkins, the Lady Panthers (4-3) moved above the .500 mark on the season with an 63-18 non-conference win against Shirley at the Panther Den Tuesday.

Sophomore Jaylee Hooten and senior Ellie Riddle combined for 33 points. Hooten led the Heber Springs’ scoring with 19 points and Riddle contributed 14 points. Sophomore Hope Turney had nine points.

Alyssa Gatlin scored seven points for Shirley.

“I was curious to see how the players’ legs were after playing the night before at Guy,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “They played a lot of minutes. Sometimes, the more you play, a team can get into a better rhythm. We picked up where we finished the Guy game against Shirley. We were moving well, and our shots were falling better. It was good to see them playing consistency.”

Riddle said the team’s full-court press slowed Shirley down and created scoring opportunities.

“Our press confused and caused them to rush their shots,” he said. “We got a lot of rebounds and into our transition game for easy buckets.”

Coach Riddle also said Ellie Riddle and Hooten continued to lead the offense.

“Ellie is finding more of a groove with her shot,” the coach said. “Jaylee is starting to play well and doing a better job of driving into the lane and making shots. Other players are playing their roles.”

Riddle said Kylie Carr continues to play well. Carr scored 16 points at Guy after Ellie Riddle and Hooten fouled out.

“We need players to do that;,” coach Riddle said. “Ellie and Jaylee will not score 20 or more every game. Kylie is an unselfish player. It was her time to shine. She plays that way all of the time in practice. If she hadn’t, we might not have won the game (at Guy).”

Hooten and Riddle combined for 16 of Heber Springs’ 21 points during the first quarter. The Lady Panthers led 21-6 going into the second quarter.
Heber Springs didn’t slow down and went on a 18-4 scoring run and built a 39-10 lead by halftime. The Lady Panthers led 51-12 going into the fourth quarter.

“The two wins will give us momentum,” Riddle said. “We lost games to tough teams (Batesville and Greenbrier).”

Heber Springs will host Conway St. Joseph at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Shirley 6 4 2 6–18
Heber Springs 21 18 12 12–63
Shirley scorers — Alyssa Gatlin 7, Sidney Severn 3, Lilly Wymer 2, Ariana Bradford 2, Kayla Ginn 2, Hoydi Breedlove 2.
Heber Springs scorers — Jaylee Hooten 19, Ellie Riddle 14, Hope Turney 9, Hailey Bresnahan 8, Sophie Stone 4, Kylie Carr 4, Lili Chaney 3, Olivia Norton 2.  

Batesville races past Heber Springs

IMG_5431_(3)
Heber Springs’ Madison Clemons gets past a Batesville defender in action Tuesday night at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

University of Missouri commit Isabella Higginbottom scored a game-high 23 points and led the Batesville Lady Pioneers to a 78-44 win against the Heber Springs Lady Panthers in a nonconference basketball game at the Panther Den Tuesday.

Batesville began the game with a 9-0 scoring run and held the Lady Panthers scoreless until Jaylee Hooten made 2-of-2 free throws with 4:14 left in the first quarter. Heber Springs was outscored 11-8 for the remainder of the quarter and trailed 20-10 going into the second quarter.

The pace picked up during the second quarter when the Lady Pioneers outscored Heber Springs 26-18 for a 46-28 halftime lead. Batesville’s lead increased to 68-40 going into the  the fourth quarter.

Ellie Riddle led the Lady Panthers with 16 points. Hooten contributed 10 points. Taylor Rush scored 14 points for the Lady Pioneers, while London Cuzzort and Olivia Everretts each had 12 points.

Heber Springs (2-2) will host Greenbrier in a nonconference game at 6 p.m. Thursday.

Batesville 20 26 22 10–78
Heber Springs 10 18 12 4–44
Batesville scorers — Isabella Higginbottom 23, Taylor Rush 14, London Cuzzort 12, Olivia Everretts 12, Kayla Ward 6, Anna Ezell 5, Sophie Poole 4, Belen Sanchez 2.
Heber Springs scorers — Ellie Riddle 16, Jaylee Hooten 10, Hailey Bresnahan 9,  Sophie Stone 3, Madison Clemons 2, Olivia Norton 2, Hope Turney 1, Kylie Carr 1.

Lady Panthers open season with win over Bald Knob

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

Heber Springs needed almost eight minutes to shake off its inexperience against Bald Knob in the basketball season opener.

The Lady Panthers took the lead for good at 12-11 less than two minutes left in the first quarter and pulled away to 58-36 win in a girls’ high school nonconference basketball game at the Panther Den on Monday.

Heber Springs led 17-11 after the opening quarter and then outscored Bald Knob 41-25.

Sophomores Madison Clemons and Jaylee Hooten led the Lady Panthers with 18 and 16 points, respectively. Senior Ellie Riddle, the only returning player with high school game experience, contributed 13 points.

“The slow start could be attributed to first-game jitters,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “We were unsure how we played at times during the first quarter and our inexperience showed. We fouled too much. For the most part, when things didn’t start out smooth and you still win, you have to be happy with that.”

Riddle said he was pleased with three players scoring in double figurers, but the team will need production from other players off the bench to be successful this season.

“Ellie will play a different role than the past two seasons,” Riddle said. “Madison can score, but we will need to get her the ball in the right spots. We need other players, like Oliva Norton, Brandi Meredith and Kylie Carr, to come off the bench and make contributions.”

Bald Knob led 11-4 midway through the first quarter before the Lady Panthers made their move. Hailey Bresnahan connected on a 3-pointer and Hooten scored as Heber Springs pulled to within two points.

Clemons hit a 3-pointer for a 12-11 lead as the Lady Panthers never trailed again. Clemons connected on a 3-pointer and Riddle scored for a 17-11 lead going into the second quarter.

The Lady Panthers outscored Bald Knob 7-6 during the second quarter for a 24-17 halftime lead.

Heber Springs gained its first double-digit lead at 30-20 midway through the third quarter. The Lady Bulldogs didn’t go away and pulled to within six points. The Lady Panthers finished by scoring six unanswered points and took a 40-28 into the fourth quarter.

It will be a busy week as the Lady Panthers were scheduled to play at Newport Tuesday and will host Central Arkansas Christian on Thursday.

“We need to get into game shape and the best way is to play games,” Riddle said. “I’m glad we are playing three games this week. You can work on conditioning in practice, but it’s hard to simulate it in a game. The best way to improve conditioning is playing games. We will get there. I’m just exciting that the team is playing.”

Bald Knob 11 6 11 8–36
Heber Springs 17 7 16 18–58
Bald Knob scorers — Molli Pierce 15, Regianna Ward 14, Reese Brimer 3, Gunn 2, Karlie Cochran 2.
Heber Springs scorers — Madison Clemons 18, Jaylee Hooten 16, Ellie Riddle 13, Hailey Bresnahan 5, Oliva Norton 4, Hope Turney 2.

Lady Panthers topple Dardanelle

Heber Springs’ Ellie Riddle (left) drives past a Dardanelle defender during Tuesday action at the Panther Den. MICHELLE McCARTY PHOTO

January 14, 2020

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

It didn’t take long for the Heber Springs Lady Panthers to establish control against Dardanelle at the Panther Den Tuesday.

Libby Stutts and Ashley Spanel each made 3-pointers during the opening two minutes as the Lady Panthers coasted past Dardanelle 47-29 in a 4-4A Conference basketball game.

Heber Springs (3-1 in conference, 12-5 overall) built a 15-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.

Dardanelle (0-4 in conference, 2-16 overall) didn’t score until 5:21 remaining in the first half.

The Lady Panthers led 29-8 at halftime and took a 38-14 lead into the fourth quarter.

Stutts paced a balanced Heber Springs attack with 13 points. Jillian Herring scored nine points and Spanel had eight points.

Abby Apple led Dardanelle with eight points.

“Dardanelle is not having a good year, but it can play and make the game ugly,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “I’m glad we played with a lot of intensity to start the game. The players knew Dardenelle’s record, but they didn’t play that way against them. We made more shots than our last game. We did a good job of running our offenses.”

Riddle said the team improved in two areas from previous games.

“We did a better job of rebounding and played good defense by holding them scoreless in the first quarter and eight points for the first half,” he said. “We used different presses to speed the game up. We wanted to keep the ball from getting inside.”

Riddle said Spanel’s shooting was a pleasant surprise.

“We don’t rely on Ashley to score a lot of points, but she is capable of making shots,” he said. “It was good to see her do that.”

Heber Springs will face one of its toughest challenges this season by playing conference leader Clarksville (5-0 in conference, 9-9 overall) on the road at 6 p.m. Friday.

“We welcome the opportunity to  upset a team at the top  of the conference standings,” Riddle said. “We can do that if we will play with the same intensity against Dardanelle.”

HEBER SPRINGS 47, DARDANELLE 29
Dardanelle     0  8 6 15 - 29
Heber Springs 15 14 9  9 - 47
DARDANELLE SCORING (29): Abby Apple 8, Grace Eidson 5, Anette Navarrete 4, Elizabeth Flores 4, Brooklyn Tidwell 3, Whitley Catlett 3, Ellie Stokes 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (47) Libby Stutts 13, Jillian Herring 9, Ashley Spanel 8, Mary Shearer 6, Ellie Riddle 4, Claudia Newberry 5, Lili Chaney 1, Brandy Meredith 1.

JANUARY 9 BOXSCORE
HEBER SPRINGS 70, NEWPORT 51
Heber Springs 25 12 15 18 - 70
Newport       11 12 16 12 - 51
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (70): Jillian Herring 16, Libby Stutts 13, Ashley Spanel 10, Claudia Newberry 9, Ellie Riddle 8, Mary Sherear 6, Kylie Carr 4, Olivia Norton 4
NEWPORT SCORING (51): Jerikah Balentine 10, Kianna Fite 9, Maci Cagle 8, Alicia Neal 7, Hilda Price 5, Taniya Keener 4, Jakayla Dixon 2, Lindsey Marlar 2, Lucy Hernandez 2, Jiniekqua Rackley 2 
4A-4 STANDINGS
                 Conference Season
Clarksville          5-0      9-9
Morrilton            4-1     11-5
Heber Springs        3-1     12-5
Pottsvile            2-2      8-6
Dover                1-3     10-7  
Dardanelle           0-4      2-16
Ozark                0-4     12-5
HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
RECORD: 12-5
4A-4 RECORD: 3-1
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45
November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27
November 26 - Heber Springs 56, Clinton 54 (OT)
December 3 - Conway St. Joseph 47, Heber Springs 44 #
December 5 - Heber Springs 53, South Side Bee Branch 34 #
December 7 - Heber Springs 44, Wonderview 43 #
December 10 - Heber Springs 59, Dover 56 ^
December 13 - Marshall 70, Heber Springs 52
December 16 - Heber Springs 51, White County Central 31
December 20 - Heber Springs 55, Ozark 42 ^
December 26 - Heber Springs 70, DeWitt 34 *
December 27 - Pea Ridge 49, Heber Springs 44 *
December 28 - Mayflower 58, Heber Springs 37 *
January 7 - Pottsville 49, Heber Springs 45 ^
January 9 - Heber Springs 70, Newport 51
January 14 - Heber Springs 47, Dardanelle 29 ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(# - Denotes Conway St. Joseph Tournament)
(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)
(* - Denotes Steve Landers' Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Tournament at Heber Springs)

Heber Springs tops DeWitt in senior girls play

Heber Springs’ Ashley Spanel launches a 3-pointer against DeWitt Thursday night at the Panther Den. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

December 26, 2019

BY LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Lady Panthers dominated from the opening tip-off to the final buzzer and defeated DeWitt 70-34 in the quarterfinals of the Steve Landers Cowboy Chevorlet-Heber Springs Holiday Basketball Classic Thursday.

Heber Springs scored the game’s first 14 points and finished the opening quarter on a 15-7 scoring run. The Lady Panthers led 29-8 going into the second quarter and built their lead to 47-22 by halftime.

Heber Springs took a 64-32 lead into the fourth quarter.

Game MVP Heber Springs’ Claudia Newberry

Hailey Bresnahan came off the bench and scored 16 points for the Lady Panthers. Claudia Newberry and Jillian Herring each had 14 points.

Carrington Holliman led DeWitt with 12 points and Abby Noblin had 10 points.

“I told them before the opening tip not to do more than expected,” Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle said. “They ran hard, played hard and let the game come to them and settled in. We got a good lead, but we didn’t want to play soft and did what was needed by playing good defense and making shots.”
Riddle said he liked how the players came off the bench and contributed.

Game Hustle Award DeWitt’s Carrington Holliman

“The girls played well,” he said. “Hailey made shots and Mary (Shearer) got some rebound. It was good to see any rest from the time off.”

Heber Springs (10-2) will meet Pea Ridge in the semifinals at 6:30 p.m. today.

“Pea Ridge will be a tough game and one of the best teams we played so far,” Riddle said. “The five starters are capable of being the leading scorer in any game. We need to play good defense and shoot well to win.”

DeWitt          8 14 10 2 - 34
Heber Springs  29 18 17 6 - 70
DeWITT SCORING (34): Carrington Holliman 12, Abby Noblin 10, Ellie Cox 4, Alyssa Stewart 3, Paige Howard 2, Kiana Wright 2, Jami Fluker 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (70): Hailey Bresnahan 16, Claudia Newberry 14, Jillian Herring 14, Ellie Riddle 9, Ashley Spanel 5, Kylie Carr 5, Libby Stutts 3, Liz Chaney 2, Olivia Norton 2.

Heber Springs drops Riverview in senior girls action

November 21, 2019

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs Lady Panthers avoided a slow start and remained undefeated on the season with a 67-27 rout of Riverview in a non-conference basketball game at the Panther Den Thursday.

Heber Springs completed a 3-game homestand and appeared ready for its first road test when the Lady Panthers travel to Clinton on Tuesday.

“I told the players after the game not to be into a false sense of security from the last three games,” Heber Springs head coach Jamey Riddle said. “Our next game will not be like these games. It will be a new challenge at Clinton.”

The Lady Panthers came out firing and quickly gained control against Riverview. Libby Stutts started a 16-0 scoring run by making a 3-pointer and Ellie Riddle scored two field goals. Claudia Newberry converted a jumper and later sank 1-of-2 free throws. Jillian Herring capped the surge by making a pair of 3-pointers.

Riverview didn’t score until almost three minutes left in the first quarter.

Heber Springs finished the quarter strong as Ashley Spanel and Herring made 3-pointers for the 22-6 lead going into the second quarter.

“We fouled too much early in the game against Southside Bee Branch,” Jamey Riddle said. “We did a better job of trapping on the first pass and waiting to go for the steal on the second pass in this game. We converted our layups and made good things happen.”

Herring, who made three 3-pointers, led the Lady Panthers with 14 points. Ellie Riddle and Hailey Bresnahan each had 13 points. Newberry scored 12 points.

Heber Springs had its only scoring lull early in the second quarter. Riverview scored five consecutive points and held the Lady Panthers scoreless until midway through the quarter.

Newberry scored with 4:31 left in the first half, giving the Lady Panthers a 24-11 lead. The Lady Panthers closed out the quarter on a 17-7 scoring run and for a 41-18 halftime lead.

“We had that one cold period and couldn’t set up in our fullcourt press,” Riddle said. “When we can’t do that, it is more difficult for us to score.”

Heber Springs returned for the second half and left little doubt. The Lady Panthers outscored Riverview 18-4 during the third quarter and took a 59-22 lead into the fourth quarter.

“After the period when we couldn’t score, we picked up the pace late in the first half and played well in the second half,” Riddle said. “We got steals and kept rolling.”

The coach expects a tougher time against Lady Yellowjackets on Tuesday.

“We got good play from everyone,” Riddle said. “The players know the competition will be tougher at Clinton. We need to play well in our first road game and see how we will respond.”

Tuesday’s game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. following the junior high school games.


Riverview 6 12 4 5 -27
Heber Springs 22 19 18 8 -67
RIVERVIEW SCORING (27): Jonna Nicholson 7, Mackenzie Cook 5, Christa Bradley 4, Daisy Basinger 4, Riley Shanks 3, Annabelle Schmitz 3, Gabrielle Sullivan 1.
HEBER SPRINGS SCORING (67): Jillian Herring 14, Ellie Riddle 13, Hailey Bresnahan 13, Claudia Newberry 12, Ashley Spanel 7, Libby Stutts 6, Olivia Norton 2.

HEBER SPRINGS SENIOR GIRLS 
2019-2020 SCHEDULE/RESULTS
RECORD: 3-0
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - Heber Springs 70, South Side Bee Branch 45
November 21 - Heber Springs 67, Riverview 27
November 26 - at Clinton
December 2 - at Conway St. Joseph Tournament
December 10 - at Dover ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)

Experienced Panthers looking to reach postseason

Heber Springs Senior Girls Preview

Heber Springs coach Jamey Riddle gives some instructions during the Lady Panthers season-opening victory over Nemo Vista last week. PHILIP SEATON PHOTO

November 19, 2019

By LARRY “SCOOP” McCARTY

The Heber Springs senior girls started the basketball season with a bang with a 55-31 win against Nemo Vista at the Panther Den last week.

Heber Springs will begin a busy week with home non-conference games against South Side Bee Branch at 6 p.m. tonight and Riverview on Thursday.

  • HEBER SPRINGS LADY PANTHERS
  • COACH JAMEY RIDDLE
  • CONFERENCE 4A-4
  • LAST SEASON: 13-12, lost to Ozark in conference quarterfinals
  • KEY LOSSES: Jesslyn Johnson
  • RETURNING STARTERS: Libby Stutts, Jillian Herring, Ashley Spanel and Ellie Riddle

The Lady Panthers have plenty of experience with four returning starters –  Libby Stutts, Jillian Herring, Ashley Spanel and Ellie Riddle – and a fifth player – Claudia Newberry – who played a key role off the bench during the past two seasons.

“Those players’ experience showed in the first game,” Heber Springs head coach Jamey Riddle said. “They showed a lot of leadership and played with continuity on offense and played well on defense. They made good things happen.”

Libby Stutts, who earlier signed to play for Lyon College next season, led the Lady Panthers in scoring last season and expected to be one of the top scorers this season.

“Claudia is like a fifth returning starter,” Riddle said. “She played a lot of minutes during the past two seasons. Libby scored three points in the first game. That was one of many positives.”

Ellie Riddle led the Lady Panthers with 14 points against Nemo Vista and Ashley Spanel scored 13 points.

“Libby and Jullian (who had 24 points in a senior night victory over Morrilton last season) will be two of our leading scorers in most games,” Janet Riddle said. “We need seven to 10 points  a game from Claudia.”

Heber Springs came within one win of qualifying for the regional tournament in each of the past two years. The coach said game experience will play an important role in the team’s success.

“We lost by three points (44-41) to Ozark on the road at last year’s conference tournament,” Riddle said. “One of our goals is to make the regional tournament.”

The coach said the team’s depth will lead to more success.

“We got good production from Mary Shearer coming off the bench at post against Nemo Vista,” Riddle said. “Hailey Bresnahan will give us depth at guard and post. LiLi Chaney is a very good defensive player. She will make good things happen and can make the other team play faster.”

Olivia Norton and Brandy Meredith are two players to watch on the inside.

“They will provide good minutes throughout the season,” Riddle said. “It was good to see all of the players playing well in the first game.”

Heber Springs will play non-conference games against Clinton and White County Central, plus the Conway St. Joseph tournament before the conference opener at Dover on Dec. 10.

“We will play at Clinton before the Thanksgiving break,” Riddle said. “The St. Joseph’s tournament will have a lot of good competition. We will use those non-conference games to work on different defenses and putting players in the best places on the court.”

Riddle believes the team is capable of finishing among the top half of the conference standings and make a run at the regional tournament.

“We need to play defense with more intensity,” he said. “We are not the talest team, but rebounding will be important. That can separate you against your opponent. We need to limit possessions of the other team and push the ball fast up and down the court.”

HEBER SPRINGS 2019-2020 SENIOR GIRLS SCHEDULE
November 12 - Heber Springs 55, Nemo Vista 31
November 19 - South Side Bee Branch
November 21 - at Riverview
November 26 - at Clinton
December 2 - at Conway St. Joseph Tournament
December 10 - at Dover ^
December 13 - at Marshall
December 16 - at White County Central
December 20 - Ozark ^
December 26 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 27 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
December 28 - Cowboy Chevrolet Holiday Classic
January 7 - Pottsville ^
January 9 - at Newport
January 14 - Dardanelle ^
January 17 - at Clarksville ^
January 21 - Morrilton ^
January 24 - Dover ^
January 28 - at Pottsville ^
January 31 - at Ozark ^
February 4 - at Dardanelle ^
February 11 - at Morrilton ^
February 14 - Clarksville (Senior Night) ^
February 17 - 4A-4 District at Dardanelle

(^ - Denotes 4A-4 conference contest)

Team Photo: 2016 Heber Springs Junior Girls Cross Country Team

2016.HSJGXCountry
The 2016 Heber Springs Junior Girls Cross Country team. Front, from left, Elizabeth Bray, Olivia Norton, Natalie Buffalo, Brooklyn Barnes, XXXX, Maygen Jarvis. Back, from left, Allison Wildman, Sydney Buffalo, Maddie Vowels, Sterling Thomas, Stormi Bradshaw and Taylor Hammons. PHOTO COURTESTY OF WINGARD STUDIOS/COACH JOHNETTE GOLDMAN