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Indians
come together down the stretch
There’s
usually not a whole lot to say about a 10-18 season, especially when
that season comes from a storied MSU men’s basketball program. But
if you’ve been keeping up with the Indians, you will agree the three-week
transformation this basketball team has undergone is worth mentioning.
You see, three weeks ago this team was sitting in the cellar of the
LSC South Division – victims of poor stretches of basketball and countless
single-digit losses. They were on the verge of missing the postseason
for just the second time in 30 years. And the really scary part is
to think where the Indians would have been had junior guard Marquette
Wilkins not been playing some of the best basketball in his career.
In a microcosm of their season, they lost a critical LSC shootout
to Texas A&M-Kingsville in which the Indians scored six points in
the final seconds only to eventually lose 100-96 in overtime. At that
point, the Indians stood 2-7 in the LSC and had about as good a chance
of making the postseason as I have in competing in the 2004 Olympics.
Most teams would have quit. They could have been focusing on Spring
Break vacations or weekend road trips. I mean, if they hadn’t turned
up their intensity in the first 24 games, what makes you think they
would have in the final four? But in MSU’s final home game of the
season, a rather unexplainable metamorphosis occurred, sending this
team into a direction that I, or any follower of the Indians, could
not have even predicted. First, senior Kris Sivertsen drains seven
three-pointers en route to a 27-point performance in his last game
at D.L. Ligon, and the Indians rolled to a 92-83 win over playoff-bound
Texas A&M-Commerce. Okay, I figured, still a little skeptical. These
guys must win the next two games on the road (where they were 2-9
at the time) against a solid Angelo State squad and an Abilene Christian
team that had defeated MSU by 11 points in Wichita Falls not too long
ago. Keep in mind that the Indians hadn’t won TWO straight games yet,
much less three. But I guess the size of one’s heart is not a measured
statistic. And the Indians showed lots of it when they knocked off
the Rams by five points and overwhelmed the Wildcats by 17. So what’s
the reward for a clutch three-game winning streak that propels you
into the quarterfinals of the LSC Conference Tournament? None other
than Northeastern State, the No. 3-ranked team in the nation who inconveniently
provided MSU one of its worst losses in school history with a 92-48
shellacking earlier in the year. If there’s something I have learned
about MSU basketball, it is you just don’t lose 92-48, regardless
of the situation. And even though this wasn’t the same MSU basketball
team, nothing less than an appearance by a Mr. McGrady or Mr. Bryant
in maroon and gold could have made a difference. I’ll be quite honest.
I thought there was no way in hell they could win. Keep it close,
yes, but win? There were talks among friends about how MSU could hopefully
keep it under a 30-point margin of defeat. And then what happened
next was shocking, jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring, all wrapped into
one. Only a desperate three-pointer by the Redmen at the buzzer denied
what would have been one of the biggest upsets in MSU basketball history.
The Indians brought their sub-.500 record into Tahlequah, Okla., and
gave Northeastern State all they had to offer and more. MSU was the
better team that night. And the opposing coach even said so. What
I saw and read about over the past three weeks gives me a newfound
admiration about a team that only a month ago was sailing upstream
without a paddle. You can’t call them losers anymore because their
latest performance suggests otherwise. And you absolutely cannot question
their heart, because when it really mattered most, they laid it all
on the line. And these last four games also bring new, fresh aspirations
for next year. The Indians did not lose much to graduation, and assuming
everyone else returns, they should field a very competitive team next
year. Right when they appeared to be running on empty, MSU gave all
that were watching an unforgettable ride to end the season.
Still
Alive Despite losing their semifinal game Friday night to Northeastern, the Lady Indians found out Sunday that they received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament. The Lady Indians scored just 16 first-half points in the 52-40 loss to Northeastern State. The second half did not begin much better as MSU missed their first six shots and fell behind by 19 points in the course of the half. The Lady Reds scored the first eight points of the second half to increase their lead to 34-16 until Jel-ani Armstrong hit a free throw, and Kristin Ramsey made a basket nearly six minutes in. Haley Hobson drained a jumper and two three-pointers as the Lady Indians went on a 12-0 run that put them back in the game, 38-31, with almost seven minutes left. Meosha Walker hit a three-pointer that pulled MSU to within five points, but the Lady Reds outscored MSU 11-4 the rest of the game. “We just didn’t shoot very well,” head coach Shannon Burks said. “They (Northeastern) are ranked seventh in three-pointers, and they have a tight defense. We just couldn’t get in. “We didn’t play bad; we just couldn’t hit shots.” The Lady Indians had season lows in points (40), field goals (15), field goal percentage (27), assists (5) and made free throws (5). Haley Hobson scored 13 points and Jel-ani Armstrong grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Meosha Walker dished out three assists and swatted away four steals in the game. The 21-8 Lady Indians still had a shot at a bid to the tournament. All they needed was a loss by West Texas A&M to Northeastern State in the finals to keep their season alive. MSU was ranked eighth in the last regional ranking, while the Lady Buffs of West Texas A&M were ranked ninth. The women found out Sunday that they will take on No. 1-seeded Washburn University in Topeka, Kan. on Friday. This is the second time MSU has advanced to the regional tournament in three years. “The girls are really excited, and it’s obviously very satisfying,” he said. “It’s pretty impressive.” Burks was also named the Lone Star Conference South Division Coach of the Year on Sunday. “Good players make good coaches,” he said. “The kids are responsible for a large part of that.” Some of the good players Burks was referring to are Hobson, Armstrong and Walker. Hobson was named Lone Star Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming the second from Canyon to receive the honor. Lindy Lombard was the LSC Freshman of the Year in 1999. Armstrong, who led the women with 14.8 points and eight rebounds per game, picked up the LSC South all-conference, first-team honor. Walker was named to the second team, with her 12.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.5 steals per game. “This is a tribute to the season they’ve had,” Burks said. “I’m happy for all of them.”
Despite ankle injury, Woodward a leader for the Lady Indians
A season of emotional highs and lows and an injury made junior basketball player Kelly Woodward a leader on the court in her second season with the Lady Indians. The kinesiology major started playing basketball when she was just seven or eight years old. “I just liked it at the time,” the 6-0 forward said. “I’m from a small town, and at the time, everyone just seemed to play basketball.” Years of basketball brought her to play at Cameron University in Lawton. Woodward says that the atmosphere is different at MSU. “It’s a little harder here,” she said. “It’s more demanding, which is good for me.” Her coach at Cameron took the wins with the losses and did not seem to pay too much mind either way. “I feel I fit better here,” she said. “Coach Burks does not accept mediocrity.” Kelly and her husband Jeremy celebrated their two-year anniversary Monday, while the Indians celebrate what got her to MSU. “I wasn’t very happy at Cameron,” she said. “It wasn’t very demanding. Plus Jeremy got a job down here, so of course I followed him. “He was very supportive of the transfer.” With one year with the Indians under her belt, Woodward entered this season with several new faces. She said the best thing about being an Indian is being able to be part of a team and having fun. “There are so many new people and everyone had to come together and learn to play together,” she said. “It’s been a lot of fun showing people what we can do with new people. That was a question mark at the beginning of the season.” The question of what to do without one of the leaders on the court came to the surface Jan. 18 in the 67-65 win over East Central. Woodward started and played just two minutes before collapsing on the court with a grade-three high ankle sprain. “When I first got injured, I didn't think it was as bad as it was,” she said. “Then I had to get a cast. “I need to work on the defensive aspect of the game, especially after being injured, and get stronger and faster. “I was doing pretty good until I got hurt,” she laughed. Up until her injury, Woodward was averaging 8.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per game, including a career high 12 rebounds in the 85-59 win over Southwestern Oklahoma in January. She was able to come back nearly one month later against Eastern New Mexico, and she scored six points in just 11 minutes of play in the 72-62 Indian’s win. After coming back, Woodward averaged 3.1 points and 1.4 rebounds per game. Woodward’s roller coaster season resembles that of her team. The 21-8 Lady Indians lost their last two games regular season games, only to turn around and win in the first round of the playoffs. “When we went to Angelo, we tried our best, but in the end it just didn’t work out,” she said. “It was a pretty big letdown. “Then in Abilene, I think we were dwelling on the game before and just slipped up before we could get back on track.” The Lady Indians were able to get back on track to derail East Central, 88-55 last Tuesday. But their bout with Northeastern proved to be too much. “I’ve been not thinking about it, actually,” Woodward said. “Northeastern is a very good team. They’re a team that with the way they defend, it’s going to be a hard game if you can’t shoot on the perimeter.” Looking into the future, Woodward wants to spend her senior season much like this one; winning. The Lady Indians did not have a senior on the team this year. She also wants to advance further in the playoffs than this season and end up in the championship. Further ahead, she said, she doesn’t want to go into the WNBA but would like to work with kids. “I just want to get a job and be a normal person,” she said. “Coaching kids in elementary PE would be fun.” But Woodward says not to count the Lady Indians and their arsenal out next year. “We’re very dangerous with all of us coming back,” she said. “If we come back and play like we’re capable of playing, who knows how good we can be.”
Women’s
soccer teams sign six The women’s soccer team chose quality over quantity this recruiting period, signing four high school and two mid-term transfers for next year. “It was a class based on needs,” MSU coach Jeff Trimble said. “We only lost five seniors, and we have a couple of redshirts (Sarah Wyles and Kristal Torres) coming back, so we felt like we only needed to bring in four or five players.” Headlining the list are TCU transfer Jennifer Schroeder and Wichita Falls High School defender Cassidy Guice. Schroeder, who graduated from Rider High School, will replace the void left by midfielder Heather Mathews. “She’s a very smart player, and she gives us great size,” Trimble said. “She’ll help us in the central midfield area.” Guice, who was District 4-4A’s Defensive MVP last year, will be an important asset as a defender. “I’m very excited about Cassidy,” Trimble said. “She provides us with speed in the back and size too. She’ll help out quite a bit.” Also signing with the Lady Indians are goalkeeper DeDee Belton, defenders Crystal Dossey and Sara Abdelschife and Burkburnett midfielder Blair Maxwell. Belton, from Garland Naaman Forest, will add much-needed depth to the goalkeeper position. Maxwell is a skilled offensive player who will play as an outside midfielder. Even though most of the recruiting is complete, Trimble said he still is looking for one or two more players to complete his roster. “We got what we needed, now it’s down to more wants than needs.” While Wichita Falls is not generally regarded as a soccer hotbed, that may be changing. Half of Trimble’s recruits come from the Wichita Falls area. “This is a very talented soccer community for the size of the town,” Trimble said. “I feel fortunate that some of the top talent comes to MSU.”
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