The Denton Ryan Lady Raiders have been building a great program throughout the last couple of seasons. With the mentality to learn from every single moment- good or bad- the Lady Raiders are paving their way to what has the potential to be one of their strongest seasons yet... and maybe even a deep playoff run! VYPE DFW takes a dive into the program so far and what fans can expect out of the Lady Raiders for the rest of the season.
A Look Back
Just two seasons ago, the Lady Raiders were struggling in their season. Last season, they picked up the pieces and showed progress in their rebuild while defeating the likes of Carrollton Newman Smith, Fort Worth Chisholm Trail, Arlington Heights, Birdville, and more to post a 16-18 overall record (8-6 in district play) and finish third in their district standings. With a hard-fought 37-36 battle in playoffs, Denton Ryan fell to Granbury to end their season.
Despite an early exit from the playoffs, the Lady Raiders got right to work on sharpening their skills on the court, building relationships, learning from past moments, and building what could be an incredible future season.
This Season
Using every moment to power themselves through preseason play, the Lady Raiders posted only four losses against non-district opponents. Denton Ryan opened their season on a four-game win streak defeating Bridgeport (49-21), Frisco Wakeland (58-30), Lufkin (44-22), and Fort Worth Dunbar (64-22). Despite a handful of losses, the Ryan Lady Raiders continued on their path to dominate over their non-district opponents-- defeating Frisco, Keller Timber Creek, Mesquite Horn, Aubrey, Krum, and more before entering district play.
Led by Dashia Johnson, A'rosha Reed, Aspen Hicks, Janiah Allen, and more, the Lady Raiders have opened district play with an undefeated start. With three big victories over Birdville (41-20), Lake Dallas (40-31), and Grapevine (41-26), the Lady Raiders currently lead their district standings. So far this season, the Lady Raiders have outscored their opponents by over a combined 200 points and look to continue throughout the rest of the season.
What's to come
With a tournament over the holiday season, the Lady Raiders can be expected to continue sharpening their skill as they face off against Prosper and The Colony on December 29th and 30th. The team will then return to district play where they look to put up a strong fight against the likes of Argyle, Richland, Colleyville Heritage, Grapevine, and more for the rest of district play. Fans can expect to see a swift offense set the tone on the court. Fans can also expect to see the defense continue to step up and put big stops to their opponent.
District play will resume on January 3rd against Denton at 5:45 p.m.!