The Richmond Hill High School Lady Wildcats’ basketball team is set to take the floor for the first time in the 2024-2025 campaign on November 15 in Statesboro against Statesboro High School.
However, this year’s team will look a bit different than last year’s playoff team. Their season will begin without former 1,000 point scorer MaKiyah Matthews, and Lexi Oge, now playing at Augusta University and Randolph College respectively.
“We are looking to continue to build on our foundation,” head girls’ varsity basketball coach Sarah Jones said. “We have a good group returning and with people graduating there are always holes to fill, but these girls have been working to continue to get better each day.”
Junior playmakers last year, both Mmekom Inyang and Jada Brown will both return for their senior seasons this winter. Brown also picked up her first collegiate offer to continue her basketball career after high school, from Columbia International University, after attending a camp in which they were so impressed with her skills, they offered her on the spot.
Also returning to the group from last year’s playoff team are the sophomore sensations Cullen McCormick and Emari Brown, who will now be heavy contributors in their junior seasons. In addition, senior Ariyana Canady returns, who found significant playing time throughout last year, and looks to have a dominant senior year.
“Ariyana stepped up and was a leader for us this summer,” Jones said. “We have a lot of players who have stepped up and lead in a variety of ways, and the hope is that continues throughout the preseason and season for our team and program to continue to move forward in the right direction.”
In the midst of squad turnover, it's more important than ever for Coach Jones and her staff to continue to build and create the standard that they want to see out of the athletes and the program itself.
“We talk every day about being better than we were the day before and continuing to build and grow,” Jones said. “We want to make sure we are disciplined and doing the little things right that will help us be better all the way around.”
The first varsity home game is set for November 16, as the Lady Wildcats will take on nearby Glynn Academy.
Glynn played the Lady Wildcats tough in both games last winter, with Richmond Hill coming out on top in the first game 45-38 at home. In the second game on the road, the Lady Cats narrowly edged the Glynn Academy Lady Terrors 45-43.
The tip-off to that first home game against Glynn Academy will be at 4 pm on Saturday afternoon.