Smackover aiming for spot in regional tournament
In their first two meetings, the games between Smackover and Genoa Central were decided by a combined seven points with one game going into overtime.
Given that their respective seasons are at stake tonight in their clash at the 7-3A District Tournament, another nail-biter should be in the offing.
The Bucks (6-13), who are the No. 4 seed take on the fifth-seeded Dragons (7-16) at 8 p.m. tonight at Centerpoint with a spot in the regional tournament at stake.
Each team held serve at home with the Dragons winning 59-58 in December, while the Bucks prevailed 55-49 in overtime last month.
“Both games were close,” said Smackover coach Reggie Turner. “At their place, they ended up beating us by one on a free throw with less than a second left. That game, we got outrebounded. We got killed on points in the paint. The second time around, we got down 14, but we were able to fight our way back into the game.”
So what was it that allowed the Bucks to get back into the game in their meeting just over two weeks ago?
“We started blocking out and rebounding,” Turner said. “It also came down to free throws. We started putting pressure on them by attacking the basket and forcing them to put us on the line. We didn’t make as many of them as I thought we should have. If we would’ve made them in the fourth quarter, the game probably would’ve ended in regulation, but because we missed so many down the stretch, we ended up going into overtime and we were able to close the deal.”
Now comes the rubber match with each school having a dangerous weapon that will need to be accounted for.
While junior Jaqueze Modica shoulders the scoring load for the Bucks, the Dragons counter with senior Colby Cobb, who is a tough matchup for
the Bucks down low.
“He’s very well-rounded underneath the basket,” Turner said. “When he gets the ball, he knows how to use his strength and size to his advantage. We’re kind of undersized, so he kind of has his way inside against our post players.
“He’s very physical. He goes after rebounds hard, and more times than not when he touches it in the post, he either scores or goes to the free-throw line.”
For the Bucks, keeping the ball out of Cobb’s hands will be a huge key.
“We’ll try to keep the ball out of his hands and try to make them beat us from the outside,” Turner said.
“That’s kind of what we did the second time around when we played them, and it helped us be successful against them. As long as we can keep the ball from getting inside and make them shoot over the top from the outside, I think that our chances are good.”
Smackover is very young, starting a freshman and two sophomores, and Turner has been happy with his team’s progress.
“Those guys weren’t expected to start this year, and they’ve had to come in and fill roles,” Turner said, adding that he has also moved up three freshmen from the junior high squad.
“I think those guys have done an excellent job as of late. They’ve grown up and gotten some games underneath them.
“They’re getting used to playing at that level, and I think we’re playing well at this moment. We played our last regular season game at Centerpoint, and it was a six-point game in the third quarter.
“They ended up hitting up some big shots and pulled away, but I told them at the end of the game that they played a great ballgame and not to hang their heads. They made shots and we missed shots. I’ve been impressed with our effort as of late.”
For Turner, getting off to a good start as well as keeping the Dragons off the glass will be vital in whether or not they can reach the regional tournament for the second straight year.
“We can’t afford to keep digging ourselves out of holes,” Turner said. “We’ve had slow starts this year for whatever reason, and we’ve been able to turn it on in the second half, but I think that having a good start is a key to our success. That’s very, very important.
“The first two times we’ve played them, they’ve pounded us on the glass and inside. We have to be disciplined on rebounds. We have to make shots. We just have to come out and play well and do what we do best.”