AD says Riley out at Hickman

Doug Mirts, the Hickman athletic director, said Wednesday that Hickman girls’ basketball coach Curt Riley will not be the Kewpies’ coach next season.

Mirts, who declined any further comment, said Riley, who coached his first season at Hickman this year, “will not be returning.”

Riley said Wednesday he was planning on fighting the termination, and he said Mirts told him that the program was not going in the direction the school wanted it to. Riley also declined to comment further.

Riley’s team struggled to an 11-17 record after playing four teams ranked in the state’s Class 5 top 10 poll and ended its season with a loss to rival Rock Bridge in the district semifinals.

Riley, who coached Kirksville to more than 200 wins in 11 seasons before moving to Columbia, has collected 434 wins in more than 20 years of coaching.

• The Rock Bridge boys’ basketball team lost 51-44 to Troy-Buchanan on Wednesday night in a Class 5 sectional game at St. Francis Borgia in Washington, Mo. The Bruins finished their season at 25-2. Troy (26-4) moves on to Saturday’s state quarterfinals against Kickapoo.