I must admit to being a tad confused Monday when Norphlet coach Justin Welch was so unhappy with his team's win over Prescott in the Camden Fairview Holiday Classic. The Lady Leopards won despite some questionable decisions in the fourth quarter.
After the game, Welch gave his team a tongue-lashing in the dressing room and was still upset when he spoke to me.
I actually said to him, "you know that was a good team you just beat, don't you?"
Prescott is a perennial state tournament team in Class 3A. Norphlet is an upstart Class 2A team, coming off its first state tournament appearance in well over 20 years.
That the coach's expectations for his team had grown so large, so quickly, caught me off guard. Then again, I should've known how he felt when he entered the Lady Leopards in the Holiday Classic, known as a big-school tournament with the likes of El Dorado, Camden Fairview, Magnolia, Texarkana and others. You don't put your name in the same hat as big schools like that unless you feel good about your team.
Norphlet will be one of just two names left in that hat in Thursday's championship game. The Lady Leopards knocked off the host Fairview team on Tuesday.
Apparently, Coach Welch was correct. His team looked a lot better, a lot more focused, a lot more aggressive and a lot more energetic in its win over the Class 5A Lady Cardinals.
I've probably not given Norphlet enough credit for being an elite team. Despite the success of last year, I'm still remembering all those years they had good records but came up short at the end.
This group didn't come up short last year, advancing to the state semifinals. All five starters are back from that team and, apparently, they're aiming even higher. Their coach certainly is. He's setting the bar high and daring his talented athletes to get over it.
More than likely, the Lady Leopards will face top-seeded El Dorado in the championship game. I thought they could beat Fairview but I don't think Norphlet has much of a shot against the Lady Wildcats, the heavy favorites to win the 6A state title.
Don't tell that to Coach Welch, who is not satisfied with anything less than their best effort.
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Norphlet. PC go old school
I watched Norphlet's girls play at Parkers Chapel on Friday and it took me back a few years. I haven't seen two local girls teams play an intense, meaningful basketball game since the days of Union and Strong.
I liked it.
I really liked walking into the gym having no idea who was going to win.
I liked watching the really good players up their games.
PC's Savanna Langston was a beast with 25 points and 24 rebounds (by my count). She also blocked four shots.
Did I mention she did all this while in foul trouble for much of the game?
Of course, pretty much every girl was in foul trouble. Langston's teammate Jordan Carr had three fouls in the first half and four midway in the third. She finished with 22 points and was blur in the fourth quarter.
Norphlet's Kyia Williams played with a determination that I liked. She led her team before fouling out in the fourth. Twins Jalisha and Kalisha Willis are the real deal.
This is going to be a great series to watch this season. These two teams are head and shoulders above the rest in the conference.
I can't wait until they hook it up again.
I liked it.
I really liked walking into the gym having no idea who was going to win.
I liked watching the really good players up their games.
PC's Savanna Langston was a beast with 25 points and 24 rebounds (by my count). She also blocked four shots.
Did I mention she did all this while in foul trouble for much of the game?
Of course, pretty much every girl was in foul trouble. Langston's teammate Jordan Carr had three fouls in the first half and four midway in the third. She finished with 22 points and was blur in the fourth quarter.
Norphlet's Kyia Williams played with a determination that I liked. She led her team before fouling out in the fourth. Twins Jalisha and Kalisha Willis are the real deal.
This is going to be a great series to watch this season. These two teams are head and shoulders above the rest in the conference.
I can't wait until they hook it up again.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Congratulations Coach Harshaw
Congratulations to El Dorado coach Stephen Harshaw. I'm not congratulating the coach on losing 57-45 at Star City on Friday. But, I do want to shake his hand for not being afraid to lose.
Coach Harshaw knew exactly what he was walking into when he took his unbeaten, unchallenged Lady Wildcats to Star City. The Lady Bulldogs are a perennial power, capable of beating any team in any classification. They are especially tough at home with Coach Becky Brown, who has been there for 18 years.
When El Dorado's schedule was released, Coach Harshaw was criticized by some for scheduling the trip to Star City.
"You can't win there," said one critic. "He's going to get screwed." "Why would you take your team into a pit like that?"
Those were just a few of the comments I heard.
My responses were always the same - "so what."
So what if you can't win there. So what if the officials screw you over. That's exactly why you take your team into that type of environment early in the season.
At some point, the Lady Wildcats will have to win a game in a difficult environment. At some point, the team will have to overcome bad officiating. There will come a time when every call goes the other way.
That's life and basketball.
Why not get used to it?
One of my pet peeves is coaches who care too much about their won-loss record. They carefully schedule tournaments where they know they can win without too much of a challenge. That's fine. But the only problem is those teams don't win state championships.
To win a state championship, your team will have to overcome some adversity. It will have to fight through a hostile crowd or play through biased referees.
If a loss in Star City in early December will help El Dorado win at Mountain Home in March, then this was a great job by Coach Harshaw.
Might as well congratulate him, now.
Coach Harshaw knew exactly what he was walking into when he took his unbeaten, unchallenged Lady Wildcats to Star City. The Lady Bulldogs are a perennial power, capable of beating any team in any classification. They are especially tough at home with Coach Becky Brown, who has been there for 18 years.
When El Dorado's schedule was released, Coach Harshaw was criticized by some for scheduling the trip to Star City.
"You can't win there," said one critic. "He's going to get screwed." "Why would you take your team into a pit like that?"
Those were just a few of the comments I heard.
My responses were always the same - "so what."
So what if you can't win there. So what if the officials screw you over. That's exactly why you take your team into that type of environment early in the season.
At some point, the Lady Wildcats will have to win a game in a difficult environment. At some point, the team will have to overcome bad officiating. There will come a time when every call goes the other way.
That's life and basketball.
Why not get used to it?
One of my pet peeves is coaches who care too much about their won-loss record. They carefully schedule tournaments where they know they can win without too much of a challenge. That's fine. But the only problem is those teams don't win state championships.
To win a state championship, your team will have to overcome some adversity. It will have to fight through a hostile crowd or play through biased referees.
If a loss in Star City in early December will help El Dorado win at Mountain Home in March, then this was a great job by Coach Harshaw.
Might as well congratulate him, now.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Tough times at Fairview
I watched with some despair El Dorado's lopsided win at Camden Fairview on Tuesday. No, I wasn't sad that the Lady Wildcats won. I couldn't help but feel bad for Fairview coach Ronald Rogers.
The Lady Cardinals went from championship contender to rebuilding mode in one game when two starters, including Marva Graves, went down with knee injuries. Both injuries occured during the SAU Tournament with Fairview taking on Springhill.
It's amazing how quickly one's season can take a 180 degree turn.
I thought someone said Fairview has had five girls go down with ACL injuries in the junior high and senior high programs already this year. As tragic as that sounds, unfortunately, it's the way it is in the world of girls and women's basketball. At some point, a team will get hit hard with the ACL virus. And, there doesn't appear to be anything anyone can do about it.
College programs with state of the art training equipment are bit with the same bug. Remember when Arkansas' women made it to the Final Four. That was because Stanford lost two All-Americans to ACL tears just before the tournament, including one who tore hers in the layup line just before the Cardinal became the only No. 1 seed in history to bow out in the first round against Harvard.
These types of injuries have become too common. Still, you can't help but feel bad when an entire team's fortures swing from so dramatically, so quickly.
I don't often root for Fairview but I hope brighter days are ahead for the Lady Cardinals.
The Lady Cardinals went from championship contender to rebuilding mode in one game when two starters, including Marva Graves, went down with knee injuries. Both injuries occured during the SAU Tournament with Fairview taking on Springhill.
It's amazing how quickly one's season can take a 180 degree turn.
I thought someone said Fairview has had five girls go down with ACL injuries in the junior high and senior high programs already this year. As tragic as that sounds, unfortunately, it's the way it is in the world of girls and women's basketball. At some point, a team will get hit hard with the ACL virus. And, there doesn't appear to be anything anyone can do about it.
College programs with state of the art training equipment are bit with the same bug. Remember when Arkansas' women made it to the Final Four. That was because Stanford lost two All-Americans to ACL tears just before the tournament, including one who tore hers in the layup line just before the Cardinal became the only No. 1 seed in history to bow out in the first round against Harvard.
These types of injuries have become too common. Still, you can't help but feel bad when an entire team's fortures swing from so dramatically, so quickly.
I don't often root for Fairview but I hope brighter days are ahead for the Lady Cardinals.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Scroggins back for senior year
Emilee Scroggins, daughter of former Parkers Chapel coach Lee Scroggins, is nearly all the way back from an illness that caused her to miss almost her entire sophomore season.
The 5-9 senior has led Class 3A Cutter Morning Star to a 6-0 record, including a league win at Arkansas Baptist. Scroggins scored 24 points in that game, despite being defended by two defenders in a triangle-and-two in the final period.
On the season, she is averaging 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 3 assists per game.
"She is having a great time playing and really enjoying her senior year," said Lee Scroggins, who is elementary principal at Hot Springs Lakeside.
Cutter Morning Star's win total includes Danville, Caddo Hills, Centerpoint and Abundant Life.
The 5-9 senior has led Class 3A Cutter Morning Star to a 6-0 record, including a league win at Arkansas Baptist. Scroggins scored 24 points in that game, despite being defended by two defenders in a triangle-and-two in the final period.
On the season, she is averaging 19.2 points, 5.8 rebounds, 3.3 steals and 3 assists per game.
"She is having a great time playing and really enjoying her senior year," said Lee Scroggins, who is elementary principal at Hot Springs Lakeside.
Cutter Morning Star's win total includes Danville, Caddo Hills, Centerpoint and Abundant Life.
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