Parkers Chapel to take on Acorn
Parkers Chapel's players and coaches walked the halls of the school Monday morning, where they were cheered and serenaded by the school's students and faculty. The Lady Trojans left for the 2A State Basketball Tournament, which will be held in Melbourne.
Parkers Chapel takes on Acorn Tuesday at 10 a.m.
The Lady Trojans didn't need Monday's send-off to feel good about themselves heading to state. Parkers Chapel is coming off a 2A South Regional championship, where it held opponents to an average of 32.3 points per game.
Acorn will enter the state tournament as a No. 4 seed. The Lady Tigers won their conference and boasted a 25-4 record at last report.
“They're a really, really good basketball team. They're a tough draw for the first round of state,” said PC coach Justin Welch.
Acorn beat Yellville-Summit 64-56 in the regional tournament before losing to Flippin 69-58. Welch said, physically, the teams appear fairly even.
“I wouldn't call them big, but they look like they're more post-oriented. They've got a couple girls inside that will be some possible matchup issues. But they're not gigantic by any means,” he said.
“I think we're as athletic as they
are, if not a little bit more. They’re not super quick or anything but they’re one of those teams that just goes to work. They’re real steady about what they do. It’s almost like it’s methodical the way they run their offenses and such. They’re not super athletic. They’re not going to jump out of the gym but they’re a well-coached bunch. You can tell they have a game-plan, and they stick to it.”
Welch said Acorn’s best player is 5-7 senior Ashlynn Bissell, who plays shooting guard.
“She’s pretty versatile. She can shoot it outside. If you push her off that line, she’ll attack the basket pretty hard, too. Not a bad finisher,” described Welch. “She’s a perimeter player. I think she wants to be a shooter first. But if you run her off the 3-point line, she wants to attack the basket.”
Other players to watch are 5-5 twin senior guards Corryn and Halli Holland.
“They try to create shots,” said Welch. “They penetrate and pass the ball really well, but they also finish around the basket if you let them get to the rim.”
As far as what the Lady Tigers present defensively, Welch said watching film has offered a smorgasbord.
“I’ve watched several games. I’ve seen 1-3-1 halfcourt. I’ve seen 1-2-2 halfcourt. I’ve seen halfcourt man-to-man. I’ve seen fullcourt diamond-and-one, fullcourt 2-2-1 and I’ve seen fullcourt man. They do a little bit of everything,” said Welch.
With one day to prepare, the coach said the Lady Trojans aren’t going to reinvent the wheel and create something different.
“At this point in the season, you’ve got to make sure you don’t get away from what got you here. I don’t think we’re going to make any major adjustments to try to prepare for it,” he said.
“I’ve got, basically, one practice before we play them Tuesday. I’m not going to spend two hours going over every one of their defenses. Luckily, the offense we run, we’re a motion team and we run that whether they’re a man or zone. As long as my girls don’t lose their cool or anything like that, which I don’t foresee that, and start chunking the ball away, I think we’ll be fine against all of that. We’re basically going to run the same offense against all of them – maybe a few adjustments – but I want to do what got us here.”
The Lady Trojans have competed in big events like state tennis, golf and cross country events. They played in the state softball tournament two years ago. But this is the first-ever state basketball appearance for all of the players.
“The biggest thing is just getting settled in. Anytime you go to the state tournament, you’re always concerned about the nerves and all of that stuff,” said Welch. “I’m going to try to do whatever I can to prepare them and make sure those nerves don’t get the best of them.”
The Lady Trojans left a day early to watch a game and to get a feel for the arena. As for the 10 a.m., tip, that shouldn’t be a problem.
“We, typically, practice around 10 o’clock every morning. That’s our first practice. We practice twice a day, but our first practice is at 10 a.m., or around that time. I don’t think that’s going to be an issue,” Welch said.
“Also, we’ve been saying for a couple of years now, we’ll play anybody, any place any time. So, 10 a.m., is no different from 4 or 6 or 8. It’s a mentality. I’m not too concerned about that. I’m already making arrangements to have shootaround prior to the game so we can do our typical routine. It should be no different than any other game.”
According to the Arkansas Activities Association, all state tournament games will be available to watch on live stream. Welch hopes the fans that can, however, will travel to Melbourne.
“I’m excited for these girls. I’m excited for the school and community. The support we had last week in the regional tournament was phenomenal,” he said. “We maxed out those stands at Caddo Hills. We had a sea of blue up there with all of our fans. I know they’re excited about it. I’m not just happy for the players.
“I’m proud of the community and their support. I know they’re supporting our team. When you’re going into a state tournament and you feel like you’ve got that support, it makes all the difference in the world.”