Lady Rebels put 4 on all-conference

Four members of the Riverside Lady Rebel basketball team have been named to the Class 1A all-Northwest Conference team.

Brooklyn Paxton, Johnna Clifford, Vinaya VanderPloeg and Kennedy Bassett were key contributors to a Riverside team that finished 19-10 overall, 6-2 in conference play and finished fourth at the state tournament in Casper.

Paxton, voted the conference player of the year, also made the all-state team for a second time.

Coach Jason Mitchell offered the following assessment of the four players:

Vanderploeg “transformed herself as a basketball player entering and during her senior season. As an already impactful defender, she became even more effective as a defender as both an on- and off-ball defender this year. On the offensive end, Vinaya added an effective perimeter game to an already impactful transition game, and was among the team leaders with 48 assists and 58 steals. Vinaya led us in both transition points and in 3-point percentage. She averaged 5 points per game, while shooting 46% from the field and 37% from the 3-point line. Where Vinaya’s presence on the floor was felt the most was in her rebounding. By the end of the season, Vinaya was the most effective rebounding guard in the state. Rebounds are not easy to come by, but despite spending a large amount of time on the perimeter, Vinaya averaged over 6 rebounds per game. The way Vinaya rebounds should be a model to emulate for guards everywhere.”

Bassett “has been a huge contributor to our team over the past two years as both a ball-handler and perimeter shooter. She was constantly counted on to break opponents’ presses and provided big shots for us from the 3-point line when defenses over-helped into the paint. As her junior year progressed, Kenn also became increasingly impactful off the dribble. She finished the season scoring 5 points per game, while adding 50 assists and 56 steals on the year. Even more impactful than what she did on the offensive end was Kennedy’s impact as a defender. She is as good of an on-ball defender as you’ll find at the 1A level. On multiple occasions this season, we relied on Kennedy’s defensive impact to change the flow of a game.” 

Clifford “is one of the most well-rounded basketball players in all of 1A girls basketball. She scored 17 or more points five different times this year, including 18 in our state win versus Upton. Johnna averaged nearly 10 points per game, while also contributing 119, rebounds, 55 assists and 49 steals. Johnna was, at times, asked to force the issue as a scorer, to do work in the paint when necessary and also nearly always asked to help handle the ball versus pressure from our opponents. Johnna’s athletic abilities and basketball IQ allow her to be one of the greatest teammates and leaders you could ask for.”

Paxton “is one of the most effective scorers in small-school girls basketball. While unorthodox at times, her offensive abilities not only provided 15.9 points per game, but did so while shooting 48% from the field. In addition to the efficiency and scoring, Brooklynn also led the team in assists, rebounds (school record, 285), steals and blocked shots. In addition to those season stats, she became the program’s all-time leader in both points and steals in a career. In addition to those honors within the program, Brooklynn was also recognized as the 1A Northwest Conference player of the year.”