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Richfield High School
School Info
Conference: 1AD2 Sawtooth Conference
Classification: 1A D2
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Head Coach: Buck Hendren
Years as Head Coach: 5th Season
Previous Experience: JV Boys Richfield 12 Years
JV Boys Tomales, CA 4 Years
Freshman Boys Tomales, CA 1 Year
Record Last Year: 23-2
State Titles: 1979, 2007, 2009, 2010, 2015
Assistant Coaches:
Mike Smith
Returning Players:
Brittney Buckner F 12
Mariah Lezamiz G 12
Taylor King G 12
Jade Williams F 12
Hannah Walker F 12
Monce Rivas F 10
Gloria Kent G 11
April Wood F 12
Returning Players with Honors:
Mariah Lezamiz- 1st Team All-State, 1st Team All-Conference
April Wood- 1st Team All-State, 2nd Team All-Conference
Taylor King 2nd Team All-State, 2nd Team All-Conference
“Key Players” lost from last year:
Assistant Coach Mirian Rivas. Her experience at the State level(2 time State Champion) was invaluable when it came to preparing the team to play big games.
Incoming “impact” players:
Torie King G 9
Shelby Buckner F 9
Jennifer Fajardo G 10
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Photo By: Steve Conner - #5 Mariah Lezamiz & #12 Taylor King |
Team Preview
Written by: Sven Alskog
Playing with no seniors and a six-player rotation, the Richfield Lady Tigers took home the 1AD2 state championship last season.
What an effort it was.
With everybody back from last year, Head Coach Buck Hendren has plenty to work with once again.
Consider the expectations raised.
“I’m excited to see what this group can achieve with such high expectations placed upon them,” said Hendren.
It had been a four-year run of dominance at the top of the classification by Dietrich, a story featured on E60 this past spring.
Now, Richfield is the favorite, with First Team All-State performers Mariah Lezamiz and April Wood back to form an outstanding inside-outside combination.
The strength of the Lady Tigers is obvious.
“Up-tempo play with a balanced scoring attack,” said Hendren. “With four girls averaging double figures last year, it will be hard for opponents to figure out who to try and stop.”
Taylor King will also be a key performer on each side for a team with more depth naturally than it had at the end of last season thanks to the return of players from injury and freshmen additions.
With the talent in place, Richfield will again pressure opponents on a consistent basis.
“Pressure, pressure, pressure. We want to pressure the ball and force other teams into mistakes,” said Hendren. “Playing physical is also a big key for us because we are not very big.”
Wood is one of the top inside players in the state, who helps offset the lack of depth in that role.
With few true inside players, Richfield must receive rebounding and strong defense from the guard line.
“When you’re not very big you have to learn to play physical, box out and go get the ball,” said Hendren.
To repeat the success from last year, the formula is a simple one on paper, although much more difficult to reenact on the floor.
“We used team basketball to achieve great success last year,” said Hendren. “We need to do the same this year.”
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