GIRLS Championship: Hampton 75 Pulaski County 65 - FINAL
- Thread starter pizzzzza
- Start date
She has a very good touch when she shoots the ball - I was watching her form and follow through on her free throws (8 of 8)
Very smooth ballplayer. Those girls from Pulaski were tough. I liked how they fought back and made a game of it.
Congratulations to Hampton on winning the State Championship. Our girls from Pulaski County fought hard and left it all out on the court, so they have nothing to hang their heads about. As Coach Ratcliff said, changing up the defense in the second quarter was a mistake and allowed Harris to get hot. Once they realized the mistake and adjusted, it was too late and she couldn't seem to miss. Our girls kept battling back, but in the end we just came up short to a great team. I'd love to see us play them a few more times, just for the entertainment value of it all. Click this LINK to see pics from the game.
Overall, it wasn't a terrible weekend for Southwest Virginia. The Carroll County girls and Northside boys brought home State titles. The Pulaski County girls and George Wythe boys came up short but put in solid efforts. Patrick Henry lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds. A little further out from SWVA, EC Glass lost a nailbiter to Varina.
There's a lot of talk about the Radford vs John Marshall game. Do I think what John Marshall has put together is the best team in the state? Yes, I think they'd beat any team at any level they play. Do I think they should be considered a private school team and put in with the other private schools due to the amount of recruiting they clearly do (even if it's done in a way that is not a VHSL violation)? Yes. Will there be a change? I don't think so. The can of worms has been opened and you can't get all that mess back in the can now without major changes.
With that said, I'm also not a fan of the whole "my kid is going to such and such school next year so they'll have a better shot at a scholarship or championship." The college transfer portal, in my opinion, has opened a can of worms where parents (notice I didn't say students) have it in their heads that they can take little Bobby or little Sally to a different school every other year just to get them more exposure or a better shot at college.
Parents and social media are, in my opinion, the worst two things to ever happen to high school sports. And as much as I know that AAU and travel sports can offer a student more opportunities to play, grow, and improve, I also think that in the end, it will be the reason we lose rec league, middle school, and high school sports completely. There is no loyalty or honor left in some parents. There is no hometown pride. It's all about them and their kid, nothing else.
I believe that the VHSL allowing all sports to play and practice year round is also a big part of the problem. It was all done to give everyone a level playing field with football, but the only sport that CAN'T play year round is ... football. So now little Johnny or Sally has to play (insert sport here) all year if they want to be competitive with everyone else, meaning they may have to give up playing that other sport they love. For some of the smaller schools, that's a costly price to pay when the athletes aren't there to help the team.
Just some thoughts to ponder as I sit and wonder how many (insert school here) athletes will wear a different uniform next season.
Overall, it wasn't a terrible weekend for Southwest Virginia. The Carroll County girls and Northside boys brought home State titles. The Pulaski County girls and George Wythe boys came up short but put in solid efforts. Patrick Henry lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds. A little further out from SWVA, EC Glass lost a nailbiter to Varina.
There's a lot of talk about the Radford vs John Marshall game. Do I think what John Marshall has put together is the best team in the state? Yes, I think they'd beat any team at any level they play. Do I think they should be considered a private school team and put in with the other private schools due to the amount of recruiting they clearly do (even if it's done in a way that is not a VHSL violation)? Yes. Will there be a change? I don't think so. The can of worms has been opened and you can't get all that mess back in the can now without major changes.
With that said, I'm also not a fan of the whole "my kid is going to such and such school next year so they'll have a better shot at a scholarship or championship." The college transfer portal, in my opinion, has opened a can of worms where parents (notice I didn't say students) have it in their heads that they can take little Bobby or little Sally to a different school every other year just to get them more exposure or a better shot at college.
Parents and social media are, in my opinion, the worst two things to ever happen to high school sports. And as much as I know that AAU and travel sports can offer a student more opportunities to play, grow, and improve, I also think that in the end, it will be the reason we lose rec league, middle school, and high school sports completely. There is no loyalty or honor left in some parents. There is no hometown pride. It's all about them and their kid, nothing else.
I believe that the VHSL allowing all sports to play and practice year round is also a big part of the problem. It was all done to give everyone a level playing field with football, but the only sport that CAN'T play year round is ... football. So now little Johnny or Sally has to play (insert sport here) all year if they want to be competitive with everyone else, meaning they may have to give up playing that other sport they love. For some of the smaller schools, that's a costly price to pay when the athletes aren't there to help the team.
Just some thoughts to ponder as I sit and wonder how many (insert school here) athletes will wear a different uniform next season.
