Prepared for Prep: Lady Vols need victory to reach Overall finals
March 2, 2012
Starkville Academy girls coach Glenn Schmidt, middle, instructs her team during a timeout. (Photo by Kim Murrell, SDN)
The Starkville Academy girls' basketball team hopes their prep is good enough to beat Jackson Prep.
That's the team that stands in the way of the Lady Volunteers today and a date in the finals of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Overall State Tournament. The semifinal matchup begins at 1 p.m. on the campus of Mississippi College in Clinton.
The Lady Vols and Lady Patriots split the two regular season games, each winning on their home court.
Prep also knocked SA out last year.
"We have put a lot of time for a year," Starkville Academy head coach Glenn Schmidt said. "We are not looking for revenge, instead we are going to play our game and try and win. We would like to make that (loss to Prep) right. It's not because it is Prep, but because it is a good time to do it. It is good motivation for us."
The past three games, the Lady Vols have found themselves down entering the fourth quarter.
Schmidt doesn't have an explanation as to how her team keeps pulling it out.
"Determination and confidence," Schmidt guessed as to how her team keeps coming from behind. "They never quit and they keep playing. They find a spark and rally behind that to win the game."
The Lady Volunteers have the same gameplan for most every game they have played in this year. That doesn't look to change.
"Nothing specifically," Schmidt said of changing her gameplan. "(Prep) has changed defenses over the past couple of games. We are going to make some adjustments offensively for that."
SA spreads the basketball around and the scoring.
Senior Julianne Jackson led the Lady Volunteers with 15 points in their first round win over Bowling Green (La.) School. Junior Tiffany Huddleston scored 14 points. Both players came of the bench.
"That makes a good team," Schmidt said. "Anybody (on our team) can do what it takes to win."
