Last season, Riverside boys basketball held a 45-44 fourth-quarter lead over eventual 5-A D1 state-champion Greenville in the third round of the playoffs.
In that fourth quarter, according to head coach Allen Arnold, the Warriors’ youth and lack of experience showed. They wound up losing that game by 13.
But the team was close. Arnold saw it. The players felt it.
“With this program, we have an expectation of going deep in the playoffs every year,” said Arnold. “Greenville was probably a better team than we were last year… but there’s something to learn in every game, and there was certainly a lot to learn about our team in that game.
“But we try not to look too far behind. We learn from our mistakes and press forward.”
This season, the Warriors return nearly every key contributor from a talented 2024-25 team.
Senior small forward Sebi Boyogueno will steal the headlines, returning as one of the top players in his class following a stellar junior year.
In a 57-39 win over Mountain View Prep to open the season on Friday, Boyogueno had 24 points — 13 of which came in the fourth quarter.
“I think every coach will tell you that a good, dominant player like Sebi makes our jobs a lot easier,” said Arnold. “You can’t say enough about him. He’s improved his game even more this offseason and has put focus on becoming an even better leader for us.”
“I know this year teams will be paying more attention to me, but I also know I can be the best player on the court any night,” said Boyogueno. “My biggest focuses this year are crashing the boards and rebounding like [former Riverside power forward] Mikkel [Skinner] did for us the past few years.”
Senior guards Ben Sponaugle and Reeves Garner return to contribute elite shooting threats for the Warriors, while Keyon Knowles and 2024-25 Greer Sports Star Sixth Man of the Year Rickey Lassiter add more firepower at the guard spot.
Senior Cam Dather will see big minutes in the post following the graduation of Mikkel Skinner, and sophomore Huck Flinn will get a chance to showcase his skills at the point guard spot.
Flinn also had a very impressive showing against Mountain View Prep in the season-opener.
“I thought Huck did a tremendous job running the team and playing some really good defense today,” said Arnold. “He only scored two points, but what he did today and does for us doesn’t always show up in the box score. He’s just a tough, hard-nosed player.”
“I think we are playing pretty well right now,” said Flinn. “Obviously, it’s the start of the season, so we are going to make some mistakes and have some growth. But we had some good flashes.”
Just like Arnold, Flinn says the team believes they can make another deep playoff push.
“I definitely think we have the potential to be one of the top teams in the state,” said Flinn. “We believe we will be competing for a state championship. That’s always our goal.”
In a region as stacked as Region 2-5A, Arnold knows his guys will have to be ready for a dogfight every game.
He’s got confidence that this year’s team has what it takes to reach Riverside’s second state championship appearance in the last three years.
“This is probably the deepest team I’ve had since I’ve been the head coach here at Riverside,” said Arnold. “We’ve got a lot of good players, and we have a lot of players with veteran leadership and experience and discipline.
“We’re going to be battling every day. And I think if these kids trust the process and where we can be, we will be in a good spot.”
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