Get Ready y'all for December Madness!!!
Today i'm leaving at one to go coach our second game in the Bigfoot Conference Girls B Team Tournament. Our first game was Tuesday, and pitted us against the Wolf Creek Lady Warriors in a rematch of our first home game of the season.
I will just say this, the refereeing was atrocious. Now, i was raised to be a player and coach that didn't let the officiating take me out of my game. Up here, it's a whole other story. The other coach intimidated the officials so much, that as soon as we got the ball across half court, he'd start crying, "3 seconds, 3 seconds, 3 seconds" and they'd call it!
Finally after one call, i said really loudly, (so that my mom heard me in the lobby) YOU DON'T HAVE TO CALL IT JUST BECAUSE HE TELLS YOU TO! That, coupled with my frustration at having to yell at the top of my lungs to get a time out warranted me a warning for a T. When they came over to tell me, i responded with, I'll take a T, if you guys stop letting him dictate your calls.
Anyway, due to the shoddy officiating, Dez Blacksmith, one of our best players and Sioux Dawn Janis, our offensive leader, both had 3 fouls at halftime. I put them both in to start the second half with us guarding a 5 point lead. Dez fouled out halfway into the 3rd and Sioux picked up her 4th foul, making me pull her out. This lead to a 8 point Wolf Creek run and gave them a 7 point lead to start the 4th quarter.
Before i put Sioux back in, we huddled, and i could tell the girls were ready to quit because of the Dez situation. They all really think she's the whole team. I took a time out and pulled them away from the bench. I looked at em and was like, "y'all having fun? and smiled
This is what it's all about, this is when real champions play, not when they're up by 20, but when they're challenged. Y'all can win this as a team, and we're bigger than one player, no matter how good she is. Now go out there, have fun, and lets win this deal."
Led by Sioux's 7 points in the quarter, we were up by 1, with 20 seconds left. i called another time out and told them not to foul. With 10 seconds left, Saige picked up a reach-in foul and put the W. Creek girl on the line for a 1 and 1. She missed the first and sioux got the rebound. Me and my asst. Melissa(Dez's mom) were screaming, HOLD THE BALL, HOLD THE BALL!! At 4 seconds, sioux went to pass to saige. Now, i swear, that ball lofted through the air and the entire gym seemed to suck in it's breath together. A Wolf Creek girl intercepted it, put it on the floor, and went to shoot, but, as she was falling back with the ball in her hands, the buzzer sounded and we won the game 33-32.
Jeez, i have never been so nervous in my entire life.
With our win, we advanced to today, to play the Little Wound Lady Mustangs. They were seeded 2nd and we were seeded 3rd. This could be our toughest oppostion all season. I need all you GCers that read this to cross your fingers for us, we need it. Hopefully i'll be reporting back tonight with good news. Regardless, win or lose, we'll play again friday for either the championship or 3rd place.
Kitso
KS 361 times i thought, crap, my whole coaching reputation rides on this tournament
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