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Players, coaches, fans have emotional week in Troy

February 23, 2008

krogers

They don’t give out tickets to Birmingham and the high school basketball state tournament. You have to earn the trip.
That’s what is so difficult, and uplifting, about the week of the South Regional tournament in Troy.
It’s a proving ground to the four boys and girls teams in each classification. Are you good enough? Are you worthy?
Only sometimes the scoreboard is cruel. Let me tell you: Ashford’s boys were good enough. Ashford’s boys were worthy of a Final Four appearance next week.
The Jackets’ deep freeze in the second half of Saturday’s game — 4-for-17 in the half, 0-for-7 in the final 5:30 — was a fluke. They’ll be back.
Less mind-boggling was Geneva’s convincing girls victory Saturday morning. The Panthers are headed to Birmingham for the third time in the past four years.
Rich Bixby noted after his game that his father coached the Geneva boys for years — and some of Rich’s players are daughters of guys who played for his dad.
Kind of a neat story, I think.
So is the angst this week takes on a person’s psyche — coaches, players, parents, fans. It’s not easy to face elimination in any team sport. Every team comes to Troy knowing it is two wins away from the state tournament — and one loss away from going home. Most seniors who lost this week have played their last game of organized basketball.
The lasting image I’ve got for the week came in a game that didn’t involve a Wiregrass team. J.F. Shields and McIntosh were in the final seconds of a tense 1A final. There were 13 seconds left on the clock and both teams were in their huddle for the final time.
Fans on both sides were screaming and the pressure was sky high. A J.F. Shields cheerleader stood on a bench with her back to the court — holding her head in her hands. She couldn’t watch. She didn’t turn around after play resumed. The moment was too much.
That’s what we love about high school basketball. The highs are soaring and the lows are devastating.

Ashford’s Herbert pulls double duty at Troy Regional

February 21, 2008

krogers

Win or lose, coaches almost always tell their teams to forget the last game and move on.
Ashford coach Bill Herbert had to do the same on Thursday.
There was no time to dwell on the Ashford girls’ 52-48 loss — as heart-pounding and as heartbreaking as it was. For as his team was leaving the court, the Ashford boys were coming out of the dressing room to warm up.
Herbert is the only coach to lead both the boys and girls teams to the South Regional in Troy this year.
It’s his second year with the boys team and his first with the girls. That he took both to the Class 4A regionals was impressive enough. The girls finished 21-7. The boys are 24-10 — and will play for a trip to Birmingham on Saturday.
As part of his responsibilities as head coach, Herbert had to meet with the media after each game, including the girls’ loss. Ashford cut a 13-point deficit to one point before falling to T.R. Miller.
“Just coaching the games wasn’t so bad,” he said. “Not being able to be with the girls after a heartbreaking loss was tough. Fortunately, I asked a couple Ashford coaches to check on them.”
As for the boys, Herbert said it was gratifying to see a program he took over playing ninth-graders two years ago get to this level.
“Last year we got beat in overtime in the sub-regional in overtime,” the coach recalled. “Since then, the kids have been focusing on getting here and winning. That’s what they talked about all season.”
He is justifiably proud of the progress made in both programs.
And he’s proud of his players. Asked if he was Tim James’ barber — James sported a freshly shaved mohawk haircut for the game — Herbert smiled, shook his head and said, “I’m his daddy. I’m all of them’s daddy.”
The girls don’t have a senior on their roster; the boys start one senior, Jeremy White, and bring another senior, Kendrick Russaw, off the bench.
Both teams learned key lessons for the future Thursday. The girls fell behind 14-4 after the first quarter. The boys were leading 15-5 after the opening period.
There is another game to prepare for Saturday. But just one.
“It won’t be weird,” he said, noting the area tournament games were on staggered dates. “I’ve done it both ways.”
And he’s done it pretty well.

Tuesday regionals update

February 19, 2008

dchamplin

In Class 6A boys, Dothan’s season came to an end against No. 1 LeFlore.

Florala boys, Providence Christian boys and girls are slated to play today.

Providence Christian girls make Sweet 16

February 14, 2008

krogers

Providence Christian’s girls basketball program took another big step Thursday night.
The Eagles’ 62-43 victory over Florala sends Providence to the Southeast Regional in Troy next week. Providence is one of Class 1A’s Sweet 16, which is ironic since most of the Eagles are barely 16 or younger.
The team starts one senior, Kelsay Layer, two sophomores—Andrea Charlton and Katie Dowd—and two freshmen—Madison Longchamp and Mackenzie Stewart. Most of the reserves are either underclassmen or in junior high. One of the biggest ovations of the night came when the junior high squad, called the Eaglets, went to the scorer’s bench to check into the game with two minutes remaining.
This week is going to be exciting for the school. It’s going to be an education, too. Top-ranked McIntosh awaits Providence in Troy on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Providence has nothing to lose—and a great learning experience to gain. They are quick, smart and eager to take the next step as an AHSAA basketball program. That makes the young Eagles a dangerous opponent for a team with state championship expectations. It should be fun to watch.

Locals sign on the dotted line

February 06, 2008

jjohnson

It was great to see a great crowd of football players, along with their coaches and family members, gather at the Holiday-Inn South in Dothan for the 2008 National Signing Day event. This event was sponsored by the Dothan Eagle, WDHN TV and WTVY TV. Players from throughout the Wiregrass were invited to the luncheon and 23 showed up.
It’s such a special day for these athletes who have done the necessary work on and off the field to qualify for a college scholarship to continue their football careers.
It was fun to see the recruits mingle. As the luncheon was coming to a conclusion, Auburn signees Spencer Pybus (Northview) and Ken Adams (Enterprise), stood and talked with Alabama signee Courtney Upshaw (Enterprise) and Georgia Tech signee T.J. Barnes (Enterprise). Those guys could be butting heads on the field in the future.
A real congratulations to all the football players who signed on this day. We look forward to following your future in the college ranks.