Emerson back at full speed
Healthy equals better for the Emerson Lady Pirates.
After injuries and various ailments hindered its progress during the early portion of its schedule, Emerson has generated some steam since it’s gotten some key players back.
“We haven’t lost a single game when we’ve had all of our players healthy, not a one,” Emerson Coach T.C. French said. “Every single game that we’ve lost, we didn’t have a starter. But just having all of our pieces to make it a full unit has been the difference for us.”
That also spells trouble for anyone the Lady Pirates face in the coming weeks.
Emerson (18-4, 7-0 1A-8), ranked No. 6 in Class 1A, dropped four of its first six games, with two of those losses coming to Bradley, but it’s since won 16 straight contests. The Lady Pirates have picked up quite a few impressive wins during that streak, namely a 53-46 decision at Taylor and a 6354 conquest over Gurdon in the final of the Lafayette County Cougar Classic in late December.
Those victories have given credence to what French believed before the season began.
The Southern Arkansas University alum said he felt this year’s team could be one of the top in not only their region but also its class. Emerson returned everyone from last year’s group that went 25-10, including leading scorer Savannah Pyle. The senior, who notched her 1,000th career point during a 6719 win over Columbia Christian in November, averaged nearly 20 points per game last season.
French also planned to lean on other seniors, like Sidney Tinnell and Bra’lee Phillips — both of whom were double-digit scorers as juniors — but he received a boost in the offseason when Layla Tell transferred in from Louisiana. The 6-0 junior has also scored more than 1,000 points as a varsity player.
“Our main three are Savannah, Layla and Bra’lee, but if a team goes zone, then Sidney can really light it up because she can shoot it,” French said. “Our team is very versatile and can adjust to what opponents are doing. If another team is big, we can plug in somebody and get bigger.
“If another team is small and quick, we can put others in to kind of counter that. So just being able to adjust to what anybody throws at us and having the personnel to do that has been really big for us.”
According to French, that wasn’t always the case this season.
“Shoot, at the first of the season when we played Bradley the second time, we only had five players,” he said. “Nobody really knew that Layla played maybe the first four or five minutes of the game, and then I ended up taking her out because she was about to pass out. She ended up going to the emergency room.
“It was tough for us, and it showed.”
What’s also been evident is that the Lady Pirates have put that rough patch behind them. In its current 16-game run, Emerson has 11 victories by 13 points or more. The recent winter weather that’s swept through Arkansas has put a pause on Emerson’s tear, but it isn’t expected to end it.
The Lady Pirates have already beaten six of the past nine regular-season opponents they’ll face. They’ll play two games against Hampton ( 7-10) and one against Foreman (4-13).
Regardless, French said he is that his team will be up to the challenge against whoever as it looks to make a return to the regional and state tournament.
“We’re a senior-led group,” said French, who has six seniors on team. “No matter what you throw at the them, the situation, the adversity, they can deal with it because they’ve been there. They never get too high, they never get too low.
“For some teams, they’ll jump out and hit you with a 10-0 run, get all excited and then lose focus. These ladies don’t do that, they just keep going.”