2Cents

I don't want to bang a hornets nest with a stick, but I do want to comment on some of the responsibility that is being thrown at the seniors on this team. 1. I agree that seniors need to be leaders. 2. I agree that the young players need to be encouraged. 3. Yes, everyone on the team needs to take pride. Now, it's easy to be judgemental of these things as we watch from the bleachers, but unless you're at practice, in the locker room, at the school, on the floor, in the huddle, etc.; you can't really make a judgement as to whether these things exist and if they don't, why not. The dynamic of this team has been on a rollercoaster for the past two years. I've seen it suggested that the seniors need to step up and lead. I've seen it posted that the seniors need to rebel and do what they want on the court. Are you kidding? I've personally seen coaches sit on the bench during an entire timeout with nothing to say. I've seen players pulled from the game without any encouragment and/or instruction given. I've seen tantrums thrown on the floor without being addressed. I've heard about coaches remaining on the bench during the entire half time. Yes, this team needs leadership. It also needs an example set for these impressionable teenage girls to look up to and learn from. Yes, someone needs to step up and lead the way. I'm waiting to see it happen.

Any opinions of this performance by Rose Hill? Any stats? Is this the Oak Hills that Mayo and Walker played for?

Now, as to the Lady Royals. In order for any team to be truly successful many things are required. Excitement and joy for the game being played A common team goal Harmony among the team members Respect for the coaching staff by the team Respect for the players by the coaches Distribution of talent among the players Competent and well prepared coaching staff Support of the team by the fans Support of the team by the school Leadership from the sidelines Leadership on the floor Trust in each of these places of leadership Team spirit and team respect Selflessness on the part of every member of the team Awareness that improvement is possible and desire to do so I could continue this list until you all were tired of reading it, and you may be already. In my opinion, some of these key components are lacking and have been lacking from this Lady Royals team. Sometimes an strength here compensates for a weakness there. Sometimes it doesn't. Until this group of young women and their leadership become a TEAM, they will be on a success rollercoaster. If true success is indeed the desire of this program, no one should be above self-examination and no-one should be above making some changes. I truly wish all of these wonderful girls all the success that they deserve at this level and beyond, in basketball or anything and everything else that they do.

First and foremost I want to congratulate the Lady Rams on a well earned and deserved victory. I think that, for the most part, a lot of courtesy and mutual respect has been displayed by supporters of these two teams. This respect has been earned and given by both the players and the fans. This is what good, clean, beneficial competition should be about. You play us hard, we play you hard, may the team that plays the best win. I think all can agree that this happened in this game. Congratulations Lady Rams! Good luck and go all the way!

I'm sure that I can't even come close to appreciating the overwhelming pressure that these highly recruited athletes must endure. It's difficult enough for most kids to pick a college and what subject to study. These young athletes have to consider these choices as well as the "How much playing time will I get and when?" questions. Whether an athlete chooses a top ranked school, growing program, big school or a smaller school, we all should step up with support and encouragment. Remember these are still just kids. Albeit, kids with a highly sought after gift.

This thread lulled for a while, but I was exploring the KHSAA site and found that they list statistics for teams that send in reports. These are listed only for team leading scorers and leading rebounders. If an average is not shown below, the athlete was not listed on this site in this manner. Just as more food for though and discussion, I looked up those who were mentioned in this discussion and provided the stats shown. Not all schools have reported stats this year, but since I had stats for Queen and Terry from Himmelfarb, I listed these in italics. Also notice that the stats may not be in complete agreement with other sources, so I would use this for comparisons only as opposed to considering these as perfect. I could not find comparable statistics for 2003/2004. 2006/2007 PPG RebPG Ballinger, Witney Carrol Co 24 13.8 Gray, Rebecca Scott Co 24.9 Heaton, Melly Caldwell Co 25.9 Madden, Kristen Perry Central Queen, Emily Rose Hill Christian 24.3 13.4 Terry, Laura Rose Hill Christian 17.8 6.6 Waters, Lindsey McCreary Co 21.3 9.5 2005/2006 PPG RebPG Ballinger, Witney Carrol Co 20.3 10.6 Gray, Rebecca Scott Co 20.5 Heaton, Melly Caldwell Co 15.5 Madden, Kristen Perry Central 26.5 10.6 Queen, Emily Rose Hill Christian 18 11.6 Terry, Laura Rose Hill Christian 16.5 6.8 Waters, Lindsey McCreary Co 20.8 9 2004/2005 PPG RebPG Ballinger, Witney Carrol Co 11.1 8.1 Gray, Rebecca Scott Co 20.8 Heaton, Melly Caldwell Co Madden, Kristen Perry Central Queen, Emily Rose Hill Christian 22.8 12.2 Terry, Laura Rose Hill Christian 18.5 7.4 Waters, Lindsey McCreary Co

Looks like I'm late for the party, but didn't really miss much discussion about the game either. Looking at the stats provided by Himmelfarb causes my eyebrows to raise. Anyone have a game analysis that explains the discrepancy between these game numbers and what we have come to expect (and I guess take for granted) from especially Terry and Queen. Points aside, the rebounding numbers are way off from what these two usually pull off the glass. Was Shelby this much the better team, not enough misses to pull down, tired legs, Terry and Queen kept out of the paint? What goes on here? Please enlighten an absent, but interested party.

Some of the best wins for improving a team are those that do not come easily. As some have said already, Rose Hill's offense was not firing on all cylinders. The jump shot was missing from basically all but Johnny Bush. Some nights you have to find another way to win and Rose Hill did just that. Great games off the bench from Chase Jackson, Johnny Bush, and #23(sorry, I don't know his name). I will also agree that this game was won on the defensive end of the floor by Rose Hill. Great effort by Fairview. Good game to watch. Side note: No complaints about the refs. IMO - They did their jobs and pretty much faded into the background in this game.

I think it would be interesting to see a side-by-side comparison of several of the supposed Miss Basketball candidates. Himmelfarb has provided the following statistics for Emily Queen. Does anyone have comparable statistics for Melly Heaton, Rebecca Gray, Laura Terry, etc.? Emily Queen ’06-‘07: 24.3 pts, 13.4 rebs (To date) '05-'06: 16.7 pts, 11.3 rebs '04-'05: 22.7 pts, 11.5 rebs '03-'04: 24.8 pts, 13.2 rebs Career totals: 2530 pts, 1337 rebs

GoRadio, did you watch the game being discussed? Or are you just back on your soap box about criticisms of refs? Letter of the law Intent of the law Enforce the rule Abuse of power Ridiculous!

He is quite a "handful" to guard. Of jersey that is ...

Spandex jerseys may help. Duck tape? Needle and thread? Safety pins? With the continued tugging on this player's jersey tonight, the only thing that would have worked would have been a one-piece basketball uniform.

What threw me was even after an official made a call against West Carter for pulling Jackson's jersey, Mr. Obsessive continued to target him over this issue.

Fast and furious. Fun game to watch. (Well the part where the boys played basketball, anyway.) Never have I seen one person so focused and obsessive about a single player over a single issue. Petty and pitiful. I'd like to aknowledge the tremendous effort by RH's 1st man off the bench. Bush played an excellent game and contributed in many ways to this victory.

A great game. Both teams played very well. Minford looks to have a quality group who really know how to work together and who never gave up. Great effort. Good win and confidence booster for the Lady Royals. As the leaders keep leading, others seem to be maturing. Good sign for RH. Good experience and hard work will continue to improve many of the younger players on this team. Although foul trouble again plagued Terry, all were able to finish the game. Keep up the hard work and congratulations on a well deserved tournament win and the well deserved individual honors.

8 minutes in a 32 minute game is pretty significant time on the bench for a starter, IMO. I am tempted to say that the RH starters need to watch their fouls, but isn't that always the case with every starter? It's also hard to ask someone who has played so hard their entire HS career, to suddenly "back off" on defense. Again, good win for the Lady Royals. The more time on the floor and less time on the bench, the more wins this season. Profound, huh?

Missed this game, unfortunately. Good win for the Lady Royals. Any problems with starters remaining on the floor? I know foul trouble is their nemesis.

A lot to ask of a 6'1" player, to be the sole person responsible to get the ball across the timeline against a relentless press. A lot to ask any team, to come back in eight minutes from a double digit hole. Great determination shown by the Lady Royals. With what was allowed to take place basically the entire 3rd quarter, this group of girls could have easily folded.