I’m impressed with this year’s Blackhawks

Before I crashed with the flu last Thursday, I managed to get down to Springdale to the see the ’Hawks boys and girls battle long time rival Shiloh. I watched the boys team miss a bunch of point blank shots. Even though 3-point shooting superiority is a big part of the ’Hawk offense, I watched as the ’Hawks were outshot from the 3-point line getting, outscored 33-9 from behind the arc. I watched as a bunch of peculiar officiating calls went against ’Hawks. I watched as it seemed that everything that could go wrong did. I came away impressed. Though the ’Hawks were missing a lot of shots, they weren’t putting up bad shots as they were nearly all within the cylinder. They just would not go down a lot of the times, rimming the hoop, bouncing out, etc. At the same time, it seemed like the other side could just fling the ball in that direction and it would go in. Coaching basketball games myself as well as observing them since the 1960s, that kind of thing just happens. Sometimes the better team doesn’t win. What was impressive about the win over Shiloh as that, in spite of it all, they won anyway.

Shooting can slump but hustle never does. The one constant in the game last week was the ’Hawk’s attack. They never let up. With eight boys sharing the scoring load (and sometimes more on some nights), Pea Ridge applied pressure and played like a team that knew they were going to win. Any number of players on this year’s team could lead the team in scoring, but this team has shown they can pass the ball and find the open man. That’s the recipe for ultimate success.

During the Razorbacks run for the national championship in 1994, I got to watch a number of games that season. When they were on fire, the Hawgs did great things like beating the unbeaten Big 8 champion Missouri Tigers by 60 points, and even when they didn’t play well, their hustle usually carried them to victory.

This edition of the Pea Ridge boys varsity basketball team is steadily progressing towards a special year. A core of senior leaders combining with a cast of talented underclassmen gives this year’s team a chance to go far into the post-season.

I was hoping for a blow out win last week but it turned out to be a nail biter. It was reassuring to see how things could have easily gone south for our home boys but didn’t because as the old saying goes “they refused to lose.”

It was interesting to note that the ’Hawks’ win was their 10th straight, reminiscent of the football ’Hawk’s 10th straight win, which also came against Shiloh. Even more interesting was during the last 30 seconds of the game last week with all five Shiloh defenders pressing the ’Hawks on the inbounds end of the gym following a Shiloh score, Nick Hardy, switched from throwing the ball in, to running a “football like” post pattern to get behind the hosts’ defence. The Sheppard pass went deep and Hardy ran under it, gathering it in for a lay-up attempt when he was fouled from behind. He sank both shots, a big part of the final victory.

I’m sure football coach Tony Travis, who was there to support the team, was probably thinking on the play mentioned above “there goes 85!” (Hardy’s football number as a receiver last fall.)

43. Berryville as the party who “dunnit.”

I thought about that for a moment, and I wondered how a ball slightly deflated would have changed the outcome of that game. Also, if it was so underinflated, how did the other team not notice. The Colts quarterback who handled the ball on nearly every offensive snap didn’t feel the difference.

Colts player even remarked that they could have played with bars of soap and would have still lost, so thorough was their beating. So why all the hoorah about something that cannot be changed and also something that no one can point to any advantage any team with an underinflated ball might have.

You can almost guarantee that “deflate-gate” will be mentioned on Super Bowl Sunday.

Me personally, if deflating footballs a pound or two is the best cheating idea the Pats can come up with, they won’t be winning a lot of games through that avenue. I’m not a Pats fan or a Seahawk fan either, wishing for a way for both teams to lose.

••• Editor’s note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@nwaonline.com.