| Wilmington StarNews
Saniya Rivers was not thrilled to leave Laney High School Gymnasium one last time.
Instead, the senior stoic was relieved. The last time Ashley and Rivers traveled to face the Buccaneers, the Screaming Eagles needed an extra time to get a win in last year’s regular season final.
On Tuesday, Ashley crossed from start to finish in a 60-39 victory over Laney. Rivers led the game, scoring 30 points, the best mark in the game, with 11 rebounds, five steals and four assists.
“My last time in that gym, it’s always good to go out with a win,” said Rivers. “We played very well in the first half and I think we all remember what happened the last time we were here. We didn’t want it to be that close again.”
Rivers had great memories wearing blue and gold. In his two-year career at Laney, Rivers was 56-5, and the Buccaneers played for the Regional NCHSAA 4A East title in 2018.
Ashley has similar aspirations this season, and Rivers knows that she cannot do this alone. The Screaming Eagles received significant contributions on Tuesday from Brynn Little and Lauryn Craig, two attackers who do most of their damage in the lower block.
Craig scored seven points, while Little scored six against Laney. Much of the score came from Rivers’ assists, who are on the lookout for Little and Craig to get a position in the low block.
“I don’t want to prove to people that they are right that Ashley can’t do this without me. I want to prove that people are wrong and show everyone that we have other scorers on this team that can do the job,” said Rivers.
Still, the beginning of 2021 revolved around Rivers. She set a school record with 41 points in the season’s opening victory over Topsail on Thursday. The next day, she broke that record with 45 points against New Hanover.
Ashley’s head coach, Adrienne Gale, believes that Rivers can continue to score in this clip throughout the season, and the Screaming Eagles need her to have the best offensive season of their career. Mia Seemadray was Ashley’s most consistent scorer last season and graduated in 2020.
However, there is another factor that takes Rivers to these incredible heights.
“We don’t have Mia’s buckets, but I think Saniya also realized that this season is short,” said Gale. “She will still look for her teammates and pass the ball at the right times, but I think she also wants to make this last year special and can score whenever she wants.”
Reporter Jackson Fuller can be reached at [email protected] or 910-343-2262.