Strong faces tough test against Caddo Hills
For Strong to qualify for the state tournament, they face the tough chore of having to get past the team that is hosting the regional tournament.
The Lady Bulldogs (1111), the No. 3 seed from the 8-1A, take on Caddo Hills (21-11), the No. 2 seed from the 7-1A and hosts of the 4-1A Regional Tournament today at 4 p.m. with a spot in the state tournament at stake.
Strong qualified for the regional tournament with a 52-28 win over Taylor, but was upended by district tournament host Hermitage 56-44 before recovering to top Dermott 39-22 on Saturday to claim the No. 3 seed.
The Lady Indians have been on a roll down the stretch having won 10 of their last 12 games, including an eight-game winning streak that was snapped at the hands of Kirby in the finals of the 7-1A District Tournament.
Caddo Hills finished third in the 7-1A during the regular season, but their 53-43 win over Ouachita in the semifinals improved their seeding.
For Strong coach Jason Porter, drawing Caddo Hills was a bit of a surprise considering that Ouachita had swept the pair of conference games against the Lady Indians during the regular season.
“During the season, they finished third over there,” Porter said. “It was Kirby, Ouachita and Caddo Hills. Through the district, we were thinking we were going to play Ouachita. They were 27-6 and Caddo had lost 11 games. We assumed we would be playing Ouachita, but Caddo Hills upset Ouachita, so I don't know if we got a break, but I had seen Ouachita before, and I felt like Ouachita was probably a better team and a bad matchup for us.
“I feel like we match up a little better with Caddo Hills honestly. They were going to be a little quicker. They shoot the ball really well. They have one shooter (Jaci Vines) that's a knock-down shooter, so we're going to have to pay attention to her and the rest of them are kind of role players.
“Playing there on their home court is going to be a huge deal because this game is to go to state, and that's usually the most important game, just to be able to get into the tournament. We've been preparing for it since Sunday to mentally be prepared for them to be raucous, and we'll do what we can.”
The Lady Bulldogs saw firsthand how tough it can be to have to play a postseason tournament host after falling to Hermitage in the semifinals of the 8-1A District Tournament.
“Hermitage ended up getting us at the end, but it was a close game the entire game,” Porter said. “We knew it was going to be tough because it was their home court as well.
We had our chances to win at the end, but we had to start fouling. It was a four-point game with two minutes left.”
However, Strong bounced back to take the No. 3 seed, which Porter said was critical.
“The problem with that is we played the late game on that Friday and had to come back at noon and play Dermott for the third or fourth seed,” Porter said. “I was worried about that, but they came out and handled their business.
“We wanted to stay away from Kirby, who is the No. 1 seed from the other side, and they're the No. 2 or 3 team in the state. That's a team we didn't want to play. We saw them last year, and that would've been a problem. Winning and getting that third seed was a big deal.”
Porter also singled out senior Dynasty Davis and junior Chrischunda Williams for their play in the district tournament.
“Dynasty Davis is our leading scorer, and she did what she normally does,” Porter said. “She did most of our scoring. Our other post player, Chrischunda Williams, in the first half against Dermott, she didn't really have a good game, but in the second half, she dominated. They got in foul trouble, and we just kept feeding it in to her.
“The rest of the team is playing pretty well, too. I think everybody has kind of figured out their roles. I feel pretty good going into the regional.”
If the Lady Bulldogs are to advance, Porter said his team must be able to handle the Lady Indians' defense, as well as adversity when Caddo Hills goes on runs.
“They play a 1-3-1 run-andjump trap defense, so if we can limit the turnovers, that's a big deal,” Porter said. “Our guards are fairly small, and we've been working on spreading out and being able to pass the ball.
“Also, we're going to have to overcome some of their runs. With them being at home, we know that's going to happen. There's a lot at stake. They make a run, and we've talked about it, we're just going to get back to what we do and go from there.”