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Risco Tigers gear up for redemption
RISCO, Mo. - Head coach Brandon Blankenship and his Risco Tigers are coming off their best season since the turn of the 2020 decade.
They finished last season 23-5, exceeding their win percentage in 2019 (24-6) which ended with a district title and a trip to the state tournament.
Despite their efforts, the Tigers were denied another state run. They lost to Richland in the district championship game, ultimately ending their season.
Now, Blankenship returns a determined and hungry squad searching for redemption.
“We had a really good year,” Blankenship said. “We lost some good seniors, some good shooters, but we bring a lot back. We have a lot of experience we are bringing back.”
The Tigers return six players who played significant varsity minutes last season. This includes Landon Baker and Sammy Smith who were vital to the team’s success.
“It was a heartbreaker getting to the [district] championship game and not finishing the job,” Smith said. “I think as a team, we have state championship aspirations. We are 100% a state championship-capable team. Not getting it done last year gives us motivation for more this year to get to Columbia.”
Blankenship said he is excited about the experience he has this year, with mostly juniors and seniors.
According to him, now having a veteran ball club and not having to rely on underclassmen as much, he believes their varsity experience will carry them even further this season.
“These guys have been in tough championship games,” Blankenship said. ‘Every tournament we were in last year we made it to the championship game. Now they have grown a little more, they are strong and they’ve been working. It’s just about going out there and being tough now.”
The Tigers find themselves with a chip on their shoulder this season. Even though they didn’t win the district tournament, everyone in the area knows to look out for them.
This pushed them to work harder in practice and the off-season.
“Personally, I think we look really good so far,” Baker said. “Our older guys have taken the leadership role pretty well, leading the younger guys through practice. I think we are doing things well and there’s no reason we shouldn’t win the District Championship this year.”
According to Baker, he is seeing the results of their work in practice and in their physical appearances.
“This year we have a lot more bulk,” Baker said. “I’ve been skinny my whole life and so have a lot of the other players but this year we are pretty strong and we have more size and length. We all want to go to Columbia and win the state championship this year and we are working hard to get there.”
Even though they aspire for their season to end with a State title, the Tigers still have a long journey ahead until Columbia.
Blankenship points out how every game will matter this season.
“I think we would all like to fast forward to the end of the year already just to get another chance,” Blankenship said. “But it’s a process. We obviously want to improve from where we finished last year. We just have to understand that a basketball season is a long journey. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. This all started back in the summer with summer camp and preseason conditioning and now these first few weeks of practice.”