For the first part of the game, we were equal or better (than Hunters Lane). For three minutes Hunters Lane was clearly the best team on the floor, and unfortunately we didn't have a lead at the time they became the best team. Give them credit. We had a good game plan. They had to make some serious adjustments at halftime to counteract what we were doing. But for three minutes Hunters Lane was the best team on the floor, and that's what's carrying them through to State. |
I thought that was the difference in the game. |
If this can help, I hope it did. Because, after all, this is just basketball. |
Our big guys ran the floor about as well as they have all year. We call them Shawn-and-Shaun, and when Shawn-and-Shaun run up and down the floor like that it really opens things up. I was really worried about two things with Northwest. No. 1 was their 3-point shooting and No. 2 was their rebounding. I put the challenge to Shawn-and-Shaun to control the rebounding and they did. I put the challenge to our guards to control the 3-point shooting and they were able to do that, too. |
The guys can take pride because when we started on Nov. 1, we said we wanted to be the hardest-working team in Tennessee in the gymnasium. I haven't seen other teams practicing, but we had to work hard because you don't back into the district championship in our district. Not in Clarksville. You don't back into it. You take it from the other teams, and that's what these guys were able to do. |
The pat on the back (for winning the regular season) is gone. The first do-or-die games for the girls are (today) and on Saturday for the boys. Everything you've worked for is gone on Saturday if you're not prepared for it mentally or physically. |
They've got a lot of different guys that can do things. But we're going to get down and guard them and try to do the best we possibly can. ... Probably we're pretty similar in that aspect that it's not just one man's that going to turn a game around all the time. |
We came out in the third quarter with a lot of energy, then I thought we got a little fatigued. Defensively, I thought we did a great job. To hold Thayer to 27 points ... |
We didn't play our best game today, but we were still in it. |
We didn't win today, but it wasn't for a lack of effort. We wished we won, but our kids will always play hard. |
We encouraged our kids to get off to a good start. That really helped us last year and we thought it was important to do that. |
We had open looks all night long and the ball didn't fall for us. We told our team we'd be lucky to score 10 points per quarter. I told them I'd seen their coach at five of our ballgames. |
We thought with our experience, and being they hadn't been here for a while, if we got a good start that could be the difference in the ball game. |
We've always wanted to get out and run the floor, and if you get an easy one, great, but be patient and get the best shot available. |
We've really been impressed with the way Kenwood has been playing. They've got a good fire lit under them. So we came in here mentally and physically focused. One of the reasons we played so well was that we were ready for Kenwood. |