Franklin-Simpson 46 - Princeton (OH) 38

Greenwood Classic, Greenwood High School, Bowling Green, Kentucky

By J. Trace Kirkwood

About halfway through the second half I almost decided not to blog this game because I didn't want readers to think that I'm making excuses or taking up for my friend Jill Phillips, head coach of the Princeton Lady Vikings. I missed getting Coach Phillips a Christmas gift, but if I was going to get her a late one, I buy her this. Maybe I should buy her a nice Slip-and-Slide to go with the hosing her team took tonight against Franklin-Simpson.

I mean no ill will toward my good friend down in Franklin because I think they'll know that I've been a fan of the Lady Wildcats. A hosing is a hosing, though, and since Coach Phillips is a good friend, I have to label the game just as it was.

Now, I'm not making excuses. The Lady Vikings have to start hitting layups or its going to be a long season for them. They have to play better defense in the first half.

I told my friend before the game that the Lady Wildcats came within a heartbreak of winning the Sweet Sixteen last year, and Coach Phillips briefly coached in Kentucky and knows the significance of that tournament. She understood what I was saying, too. Franklin-Simpson is a team that has played and won big games and has the hunger of being so close to a championship.

Really, the Lady Wildcats controlled throughout the contest. They outscored Princeton in each of the four quarters. Princeton played them even in the second quarter, with each team scoring 10 points. Franklin-Simpson took a 20-19 lead into halftime.

There was a play from the first half that I want to point out because it exemplified good coaching and smart ball playing. A loose ball popped up into the air near mid-court, and Drea Gooch for Franklin-Simpson could have easily caught the ball in her own back court, but she would have been in the corner and easily trapped. Instead, she let the ball cross mid-court and then took possession of it. That's smart ball. She nullified any kind of trap and was able to create a play out of it. The play happened right in front of me, and my hat is off to Coach Lex Lindsey and Drea Gooch for such heady play.

My beef with this game was in the second half. To protect their legs, the Lady Vikings dropped back into a 3-2 zone and switched from that into a 2-1-2 and even a 1-3-1 zone. Franklin-Simpson, using sound strategy pressed Princeton throughout the half. With 1:43 left in the half, the officials had called seven fouls on Princeton and just two on Franklin-Simpson. I don't doubt that Princeton committed that many fouls, but I've never seen a pressing team commit just two fouls during a half. Franklin is good but not that good.

Franklin-Simpson won a tough fought game tonight, 46-38. The Lady Wildcats still only have one loss against 11 victories. Their one loss is to the Iroquois in the Lady Panther Classic at Pleasure Ridge Park. They are the team to beat in the Fourth Region this season, and the Road to Diddle runs right up 31-W through the city of Franklin, the finest little town in the South.

OBSERVATIONS

Good Fan Support: The Lady Wildcats have a throng of faithful fans. I'm sure some had a tough decision to make tonight with their boys team hosting their own tournament. They cheer hard, too. It was a good atmosphere.

Dancing with the Stars: Jill Phillips did a little dance on the court on Monday night demonstrating a proper layup to one of the officials. I think we can look for her on ABC in a few weeks. I haven't seen that kind of footwork out of Coach Phillips since she played at Georgia.

The Polar Express: I don't know the young lady's name, and I apologize. Number 30 for Princeton looks like the girl from the movie The Polar Express. I mean that as a compliment, too.

No Idea But Had to Include It: I just have to include a video about The Turtle Man. It has nothing to do with basketball, but I love Kentucky and her people. Watch and enjoy. I know a fellow in Hickman County, Kentucky, who noodles for catfish. I have an open invitation to go noodling with him sometime, but it takes a special kind of fortitude to do that kind of fishing. My friend says that it takes a "strong arm and a weak mind" to noodle catfish. The only way I'll go is if I can get Coach Phillips' professor husband to go with me.