Lady Purple'Dogs Dealing With Illness, Injuries
Last updated Thursday, January 18, 2007 10:43 PM CST in Sports
By Nathan Allen
The Morning News
FAYETTEVILLE -- Absolutely nothing has been easy for the Fayetteville Lady Purple'Dogs this season.
Senior forward Brittany Huggins suffered a left ankle sprain Monday, and she wasn't able to play against Bentonville Tuesday.
Senior shooting guard Hailey Nutt also had an mishap where she accidentally severely cut the end of her right thumb last weekend, impairing her shooting.
Nutt did play against Bentonville, but made only 3 of 10 from the perimeter.
"As a coach, I've never had this kind of situation before," Fayetteville coach Bobby Smith said. "I mean, I'm not trying to make an excuse for all of this, but at the same time, we're really dealing with some tough, tough situations and it's pretty tough for all of us."
Along with the injuries to Huggins and Nutt, Smith said several other players are dealing with illness, and some have had to miss important practices.
"Hey, we're throwing girls in to play that haven't had much experience, so we're giving them looks right now," Smith said. "That's what we've got to do. We can't make excuses, we've got to keep fighting and get better in every game we play. That's the most important thing we have to focus on right now, no matter the hurdle that we're facing."
Tightening Up The Defense
SPRINGDALE -- Shiloh Christian's first half against Pea Ridge on Tuesday was as good a 16 minutes as could be expected on the road for the Lady Saints.
The Lady Saints (13-2, 5-0 3A-1) made 16 of 26 shots from the floor in the first half and broke out to a 39-20 halftime lead.
The second half was a different story.
"We kept them out of the lane, defensively," said Shiloh coach Victor Rimmer.
Then, holes began to be exploited in Shiloh's perimeter defense. Pea Ridge was able to drive toward the basket for layups or earn trips to the free throw line.
"We had Chelsea Garrison with 10 blocks. It's a great thing that she had those, but it also says that we are getting beat on the perimeter," Rimmer said.
Pea Ridge (7-10, 1-4) never threatened to overtake Shiloh, but the Lady Blackhawks did outscore the Lady Saints, 33-22.
"We are getting back to the fundamental stance and the way we want to defend," Rimmer said. "(Pea Ridge) did a good job in the second half. They found something and exploited it."
-- DUSTIN DEARMAN
Letting It Fly
PEA RIDGE -- Pea Ridge's Cody Trevathan knows his role is to shoot the basketball.
The senior reserve guard, made four 3-pointers Tuesday and gave the Blackhawks a chance to topple Shiloh Christian. Unlike Trevathan's shot Tuesday night, Pea Ridge fell short, 62-58.
In the second and third quarters, Trevathan knocked down 4 of 6 from behind the arc to lead the Blackhawks with 19 points.
"Cody got pretty hot," said Pea Ridge coach Charley Clark. "That boy can go three or four days without missing a shot in practice. His job is to shoot."
After Trevathan hit his final 3-pointer of the night with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter, Shiloh took notice and took the senior out of the game. Guards Jordan Schisler and Austin Tucker took turns clinging to the hot shooter. Pea Ridge could not answer offensively as it was outscored 21-12 in the fourth period.
"(Trevathan) surprised us," said Shiloh coach Brad Stamps. "I didn't know a whole lot about him. He hit some shots with hands in his face."
-- DUSTIN DEARMAN
Toughness Needed
ROGERS -- Rogers coach Preston Early will be looking for an attitude adjustment from the Lady Mountaineers tonight at Van Buren.
Rogers watched Fort Smith Southside use a game-ending 19-6 run in a 46-41 loss to the Lady Rebels Tuesday. The loss was the second-straight for Rogers and that makes tonight's game a must-win.
Rogers (9-4, 2-2 7A-West Conference) started three sophomores against Southside but youthful inexperience can only be used as an excuse for so long, Early said.
"I felt we melted down in the fourth quarter," Early said. "We have to play tougher than we did Tuesday. Things like that sound simple, but it's an attitude that we haven't had. It's time to start getting better again."
-- PAUL NIELSEN
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