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Vols anxious for fresh start at tournament |
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Monday, 08 February 2010 |
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By DANNY P. SMITH
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One wouldn’t think that anything good could come from a 61-27 loss.
Don’t try to convince Starkville Academy boys basketball coach Clay Stringer of that.
For a young team trying to gain experience, the lopsided loss to Madison-Ridgeland Academy in their last regular season game can be used to the Volunteers’ advantage,
Stringer was anxious to find out how his squad would measure up against the top-ranked team in the state.
“It gave us an indication of where we were going into the tournament,” Stringer said. “For the first quarter for sure, I felt we really competed and in half the second. I was really proud of them for that for that performance. They are beating people 40 to 50 points by halftime.
“I told the guys this is the best practice we could get for our next opponent.”
Stringer said MRA is similar to Presbyterian Christian which Starkville Academy plays in the first round of the Division I-AAA Conference Tournament Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. The tournament is being hosted by Jackson Academy.
“PCA is not as talented top to bottom, but have got some very quick guards,” Stringer said. “Their post players aren’t as big but very athletic. I look forward to see how we are going to respond.”
The Volunteers only have one win this season when they defeated Oak Hill right before Thanksgiving, but Stringer likes the way his squad has competed down the stretch of the season.
“I thought we’ve played better than we’ve played all year the last four or five games,” Stringer said. “We’ve played some very good competition and of course we didn’t get any wins from it, but as far as competing and our energy, I think it has been as good as we’ve had all year.”
Stringer has been pleased with the progress and believes he has something to build from with juniors Adam Crittenden, J.R. Gerhart and Patrick Jones.
Lady Vols look to continue winning ways
After two impressive victories against Kemper Academy and Madison-Ridgeland Academy to close the regular season, Starkville Academy girls coach Glenn Schmidt hopes to carry that momentum into the Division I-AAA Tournament.
Schmidt understands that the slate is clean for every team when it comes to postseason play.
“Everybody’s equal,” Schmidt said. “We’ve got a chance and have played two really strong games. We’ve got some confidence back. Our shooters are shooting well. We’re rebounding really well and playing aggressive.”
The Lady Vols take their 19-14 overall record into Tuesday’s first round matchup against Jackson Prep at 4 p.m.
“They are aggressive and are very deliberate offensively,” Schmidt said of Prep. “They don’t have one player that really stands out, but are a pretty good team.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 09 February 2010 )
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