Holiday hoops over

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Strong's Marandalynn Parker hit a 3-pointer with just over two minutes left in the game to help Ouachita Baptist upset St. Mary's 77-69 on New Year's Eve.
The Lady Tigers snapped the Lady Rattlers' 21-game home winning streak. St. Mary's hadn't lost at home since the 2006-07 season.
If St. Mary's sounds familiar, it's the school in San Antonio that former El Dorado guard Kristian Tester transferred to from Southern Arkansas University.
The Lady Tigers, meanwhile, have improved to 8-2 on the season and appear to be fully recovered from last year's sickly campaign which saw key players leave the squad during the year.
I spoke to Parker briefly during the Holiday Classic and she likes this year's team, especially the uptempo style of play. OBU uses a deep, balanced lineup, which includes a rotation of about 8 to 9 players.
Parker is happy to be a key person in that rotation. When I last checked their stats, she was averaging more than 8 points and leading the team in rebounds with more than 5 per game.
* * *
The Holiday tournament season concluded Tuesday with El Dorado falling to Watson Chapel in the third place game of the Holiday Classic and Parkers Chapel winning the Harmony Grove Classic over Drew Central on a buzzer beater.
El Dorado dropped a pair of games in the Camden tournament but didn't play badly in either. The Lady Wildcats are tough to beat when they're shooting it well from the outside. Sophomore Whitney Frazier has been surprisingly consistent scoring in the paint.
To go a ways this season, El Dorado has to find perimeter points when the 3-ball isn't falling.
I didn't see the Lady Trojans' victory over Drew Central. The newspaper reporter covering the game made a mistake, saying Hope Phillips hit the game-winning 3-pointer. Coach Young texted me today and told me it was Dallas Phipps who hit the 3-pointer with a hand in her face.
Phipps is one of my favorites so I felt especially bad that she didn't get credit for the biggest shot in her life.
People always ask me why I cover the girls instead of the boys. I guess that's the reason. I will make the effort to give the girls good coverage. I don't trust other guys to do the same and, unfortunately, once again I was proved correct in my mistrust.
I hope Dallas hits another game-winning shot and this time, I hope I'm there to report it.

Parker is top female athlete

The Associated Press named Candace Parker it's Female Athlete of the Year. Perhaps they should change the name of the award to American Female Athlete of the Year.
I've talked enough about Candace Parker. She's a great player who might one day very soon be known as the greatest female basketball player of all time. She had a great year, winning the NCAA national championship at Tennessee and a gold medal in the Olympics. She was named WNBA MVP even though her Sparks team woefully underachieved, losing in the Western finals at San Antonio.
Despite falling short in the professional ranks, it was still quite a year for Miss Parker. It's hard to argue she might be the Female Athlete of the Year in the United States. Although, I'm sure Danica Patrick fans would talk about how Patrick made history, becoming the first woman ever to win on the IRL circuit. Dara Torres made history, not only qualifying for the Olympics at 41 but bringing home a silver medal.
Still, Parker's year might eclipse all of those in the United States.
But, in the world? I don't think so.
Croatia's Blanka Vlasic was the world's most dominant athlete, literally owning the high jump. The 6-4 glamazon was upset in the Olympics, however, taking silver and losing some of the lustre off her year. How about Russia's Yelena Isinbayeva? She has re-written the record books in the pole vault, breaking the world record about 20 times. Her performance in the Olympics was nothing short of brilliant, easily winning gold while trash talking her American rival Jen Stucynski in the process. Brazil's Marta is recognized as the best female soccer player in the world with Italy's Francesca Piccinnini the same in volleyball. Italy's Federica Pellegrini is the most dominant swimmer in the world not named Michael Phelps.
There are so many great female athletes. But, alas, most of the American media members don't know any of them unless they have a commercial that airs during a men's sporting event.
Parker had a great year and, barring injury, could have about 12 more even better years. She's bringing a lot of positive attention to the WNBA, which sorely needs it. She may be the best thing to happen to women's sports in this country since Anna Kournikova applied for her passport. But, calling Parker the best female athlete in the world is uninformed and just plain lazy.

Cool baby names

I blogged a few weeks ago about ridiculous children's names. Actually, it wasn't the names that bothered me but the spelling.
Jasmine is a nice name. Jhasmine is stupid.
Well, I risk contradicting myself when I tell you of the greatest name ever for a girl. I told a few people and was met with some, uh, confusion. But, there is a great story that goes with the name Boudica.
Yep, if by some miracle I meet a woman, fall in love, get married and father a daughter in the next few months, I want to name her Boudica Rose Burns.
Why Boudica?
Well, I discovered this great woman's story a few weeks ago while browsing Wikopedia online. I found her story simply amazing. Here's a brief synopsis:

Boudica (or Boadicea) was the wife of Prasutagus, king of the Iceni, a British tribe, at a time when Britain was a Roman province. When Prasutagus died he willed half of his kingdom to the Roman empire and half to Boudica and their two daughters, Camorra and Tasca1 or, according to legend, Voada and Voadicia2. British law allowed royal inheritance to be passed to daughters in the absence of male heir, but Roman law did not. The Roman administrator ignored the will and proceded to take over the entire kingdom. Roman historian Tacitus wrote, "Kingdom and household alike were plundered like prizes of war... for a start, his widow Boudica was flogged and their daughters raped. The chieftains of the Iceni were deprived of their family estates as if the whole country had been handed over to the Romans. The king's own relatives were treated as slaves."
Enraged Boudica joined Iceni forces with another tribe, the Trinobantes, and together they fought back. They attacked and conquered the Roman colony Camulodunum (now Colchester) and burned the temple dedicated to Claudius, the Roman emperor who completed the conquest of Britain. The Romans retaliated against the insurgents by sending a whole division of soldiers, but they were defeated. The insurgents then marched on London, which they sacked, and killed its Roman population, as well as their sympathizers. They did the same at Verulamium (now St. Albans) and other settlements.
Finally, Gaius Suetonius Paulinus, the Roman governor of Britain, gathered all the Roman troops in the south of Britain and attacked the British in a narrow valley so that the superior numbers of rebel force would be of no advantage against the smaller Roman army. Tacitus reported that Boudica was seen riding her chariot and inspiring her troops before the battle.
However, this time the Romans were victorious, and slaughtered the rebel troops. Boudica and her daughters escaped but then poisoned themselves rather than allow capture. Roman retribution for rebellion was swift and cruel but the British kept up the fight for another year, when Suetonius was succeeded by Publius Petronius Turpilianus, who changed the policy toward the native population to one of appeasement, which remained in use for three hundred more years of Roman occupation of Britain.

Yeah, still think Boudica is a funny name? Yeah, I guess it still is but I love names that mean something. If I had a daughter, I would love for her to have the strength this woman had. Look up the complete story and read it. It really hooked me.
Don't steal my name, though. That's for my little girl.
As soon as I get a date.

Good basketball, thank God

Just when I thought I had no good girls basketball to cover this year, El Dorado's team decides to get serious. The Lady Wildcats followed up Tuesday's 10-point win at Camden Fairview with a 48-43 overtime win over Southwood (La.).
That's two wins over defending state champions in a three-day span.
The Lady Wildcats have talent. I believed that all along. But, I wasn't sure if they'd put it all together.
I didn't see Thursday's win in Bossier City but Tuesday's win in Camden was the real deal. The Lady Wildcats put forth a complete performance and were actually fun to watch.
That's a far cry from last week when they got blasted by Bryant and looked like crap in a win over winless Little Rock Hall.
I sure hope they can keep up the good play. It would make my season a lot more enjoyable.
In Magnolia this week, Smackover beat Trinity Christian; Parkers Chapel beat Hope and Norphlet beat Genoa Central.
The Lady Bucks play the Lady Trojans tomorrow. It should be fun.
I guess this basketball season might not be so bad after all.

Sue me, I care

I wasn't devastated when El Dorado lost to Lake Hamilton 42-28 Friday in the Class 6A football state championship game. I watched the Wildcats lose at Lake Hamilton 38-21 in the first meeting and pretty much tabbed the Wolves as the better team the first time I saw them.
I thought El Dorado had a chance but it needed a little bit of luck.
The better team won and, like I said, I was far from surprised. Still, my emotions got the better of me after I made my way to the field at War Memorial Stadium for the post-game interviews.
The players were not just crying, they were blubbering, uncontrollably. I guess I'm just a sensitive guy because that kind of stuff gets to me. Before I knew it, tears were rolling down my shivering face, too.
I tried wiping them away before I got spotted. I don't know if anyone saw me. I hope not. Don't tell anybody.
It's something about the state championship game that brings out these raw emotions. This was the first time I actually shed a tear, however.
When Strong's girls won their first state championship, I felt relief. To have the kind of season they had not end with a ring would've felt like a waste of a year.
When Strong's girls won their second title, it was almost a ho-hum feeling. The Lady Bulldogs' big game was the semifinal win over Carlisle. The state final was almost an after-thought. There were never a doubt in my mind Strong would beat East Poinsett.
When Union's girls lost in the state finals to Poyen, I felt numb and disappointed. I invested a lot of emotion in that team and really wanted to see them pull off the championship. Not only did it not happen, the Lady Cyclones got bum-rushed in the second half. I was sad they didn't win but really disappointed they didn't play better.
When El Dorado lost to Bentonville in the football finals in 2001, I felt proud. The Wildcats were picked to lose in every one of their playoff games. Getting to the finals was an incredible accomplishment. They stayed with a much-better team until the very end, which made me feel good.
The emotion Friday was a little pride, laced with a touch of disappointment. I liked this team, which worked as hard and was as together as any team I've ever followed. It would've been a classic story book season if the Wildcats could've won the title. My disappointment is for the coaches and players, who poured their heart into this season.
I guess that's why they were so emotional after the loss. I guess that's why it got to me a little bit, too.
I know I'm not supposed to care. But, for me, caring makes it fun.

Big school vs. small school

It was two-for-Tuesday for yours truly as I caught two girls basketball games in two locations. I watched El Dorado dispatch Little Rock Hall 56-40 in the Simmons First Oil Belt Classic. Then, I headed over to Parkers Chapel to see the Lady Trojans fall for the first time this season to Nevada County 39-35.
PC's game was close all the way throughout. El Dorado's victory was a lot more competitive than the final score might indicate. The Lady Wildcats led by three with less than two minutes remaining in the third before going on a 14-2 run.
The point of this blog, however, is about the difference between the two games.
El Dorado and Hall are typical big-school programs. Both teams put athletic girls on the court. The pace is fast and, a lot of times, out of control.
Parkers Chapel and Nevada are typical smaller-school programs. They aren't nearly as athletic and deep as the big schools. The pace is a lot slower and more deliberate.
I strongly prefer the smaller school style. Could El Dorado and Hall beat both PC and Nevada? Maybe. Maybe not.
But, the style of play is a lot more fun to watch. I like basketball and, with the more deliberate pace, you get to see the girls actually doing basketball stuff. They run plays, set screens, go backdoor.
Because they're not as out of control, the players actually make most of their layups and don't kick the ball out of bounds as often.
The big schools, unfortunately, rely more on speed, size and strength and less on skill. It's a turnover fest because, number one, the man-to-man defense is more aggressive and played with bigger, stronger, faster kids and, number two, the pace is much faster than their skill level.
When players with junior high skills play at WNBA speed, it makes for ugly basketball.
Big school coaches will say the small schools need to speed up their pace. Small school coaches will say big schools are playing a less skilled brand of ball.
In a perfect world, you'd see teams with both skill and athleticism. It would be Strong and Carlisle from three years ago in the state semifinals.
That would be perfect. I witnessed perfection. Once you see it, it ain't easy settling for less.
While I doubt I'll see anything close to perfection this year, if my only choices are slow basketball or fast rat ball, I guess I'll see you at the next Smackover-Strong game.
***
Speaking of the Lady Trojans, their first loss wasn't a bad one. The Lady Bluejays made the plays down the stretch to win. PC didn't give it away. Nevada took it.
Any coach can live with that.
PC's 7-1 start still has Coach Mark Young pleased as punch. The Lady Trojans haven't played any heavyweights but the nonconference season has been competitive with wins over Norphlet twice along with Stephens and Strong.
I often criticize Young for not playing tougher teams to get his squad ready for the postseason. But, with what he lost from last year, I can't really complain about his first eight games.
More importantly, he believes his team has benefitted from the competitive schedule.
“Every nonconference game we played this year has been this type of game and this type of atmosphere,” said Young. “That’s what we’ve lacked in nonconference games in the past, having to go out there and play like heck every night to win a ball game. For us to be 7-1 right now, I’m just really proud of our team and the way they’ve competed. I think they’re real gamers.”