These seniors saved their best for last, part 2

When Desmond Walker took over the coaching duties at Richfield High School, his goal was to revitalize a program that experienced plenty of success back in the days when Jessica January was the star attraction prior to a big-time career at DePaul, a selection in the WNBA draft, and a strong career in Europe. The Spartans have shown substantial improvement this season, thanks in no small part to the play of their seniors. Today, in part 2 of our look at 2025s who've saved their best for last, we'll tell you about those Spartans and a Pony who has been sprinting down the home stretch to the finish line.   [player_tooltip player_id='891452' first='Aniiya' last='Johnson'] & [player_tooltip player_id='520266' first='Desirai' last='Chappell'] – guards, Richfield   It has been an uphill climb for Richfield. In the 2020-21 season the Spartans won just three games. The year after that yielded 9 wins. In 2022-23 the victory number was 8. As Coach Walker put it, Richfield was considered an easy W for most opponents. That's no longer the case as the Spartans have already earned 14 wins this winter with another seven or eight opportunities remaining to enhance the total. Much of the improvement can be attributed to the individual growth of Chappell and Johnson, who lead the team with a combined 35 points per game.   Desirai is a point guard, Aniiya is a shooter. Combined with the contributions of uber-physical senior forward Zarihana Rennie – Walker says she's his Dennis Rodman – and the work of youngsters like 8th grader Zuri Hayes and 9th grader [player_tooltip player_id='969766' first='Iona' last='MacNabb'], the Spartans are more competitive than they've been in very long time.   “We've improved quite a bit,” said Walker, who is well-known in AAU circles for his work with [program_tooltip program_id='713420' first='Minnesota' last='Diamond Elite']. “We just have to take the next step and beat the perennial powers like DeLaSalle and others in our conference. Desi is dynamic. She is a super athlete, she's super-fast. She just needs to improve her handle and her jump shot. There's not too many girls who are as athletic as she is.”   Chappell has always had talent; Now she has experience and maturity to make the most of her natural abilities. We saw the improvements back at the Fall Exclusive and the upward trend has continued all season. She'll see a good bump up the list when the final Class of 2025 rankings are released next week. As Desi's distribution has improved, Richfield's results have done the same. “She plays bigger than she is,” Walker said of Chappell. “She has long arms. She rebounds well. She's a ball hawk who can play one-on-one defense with the best of them. She causes some problems.”   As for Johnson, she's the kind of player that has opposing coaches and players yelling “SHOOOOTER!!” every time she gets the ball. The 5'6 senior has always been able to find the cylinder but her willingness to let it fly this season has made for much better production. Aniiya is shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Earlier in the season she had a game where she went 7-for-12 from three. Johnson followed that up with a 7-for-15 performance. It was an ‘aha' moment for a player who has had her ups and downs over the past couple of years. Now the consistency is there.    “Anniya is a sniper!” said Walker. “The biggest thing for her is getting her to just shoot the ball and not think that she's being selfish doing so. We put in a dribble-drive motion offense this year which has created more opportunities for her.”   [player_tooltip player_id='396433' first='Annika' last='Peper'] – guard, Stillwater   The crafty point guard has always operated away from the limelight. On her [program_tooltip program_id='712687' first='Minnesota' last='Fury'] teams Peper competed in the shadows with some of the biggest names in Minnesota basketball, delivering more than her share to their collective success but never garnering headlines. In high school, she was always behind the likes of Amy Thompson, the 2024 graduate who averaged over 25 points per game and never met a shot from distance she didn't want to take. Thompson is now at D1 South Florida. This year, things are different. The Ponies are Annika's team to quarterback, and she has done an awesome job of directing and delivering when it matters most. Peper's individual production has soared, rising 40% to nearly 19 points per game.   “She felt like her role on the team was to be more aggressive on the offensive end and she isn't worrying about making mistakes,” said Stillwater coach Tim Peper, who happens to be Annika's dad. “She's just focused on helping the team be successful which helps build that confidence.”   The self-believe is obvious. Peper is playing with so much more flow. She's more relaxed, clearly comfortable on the court. Watching highlights of a recent three-game stretch, we saw Peper make big plays and attack the rim. The results were impressive. Of course she was draining threes with the always-smooth delivery and high arc we've come accustomed to seeing. Peper scored 25 against East Ridge, 20 versus White Bear Lake, 27 more against Cretin-Derham Hall. Her season high is 37 at Rochester Century.   Just as important, the 5'8 senior is making life difficult for opponents, too. “She is working hard on defense,” said Coach Peper. “She leads us in steals and also defensive rebounds. With the other seniors also serving as great leaders helping our younger players understand what is necessary for success.”   Annika has not made a college commitment as of yet. She's still searching for the right fit academically and athletically. Regardless of how that process turns out, some lucky coach is going to land a point guard who is trending in the right direction at exactly the right time.

When Desmond Walker took over the coaching duties at Richfield High School, his goal was to revitalize a program that experienced plenty of success back in the days when Jessica January was the star attraction prior to a big-time career at DePaul, a selection in the WNBA draft, and a strong career in Europe. The Spartans have shown substantial improvement this season, thanks in no small part to the play of their seniors. Today, in part 2 of our look at 2025s who've saved their best for last, we'll tell you about those Spartans and a Pony who has been sprinting down the home stretch to the finish line.