Dave Sentz
12-11-2007, 12:25 AM
Smithfield girls raise eyebrows
Daily Press
It’s easy to go overboard talking about high school basketball "surprises" early in the season. That’s particularly true in the Bay Rivers District, where a traveling distance of two hours between some of the schools often makes comparing talent an educated guess at best.
But there’s no question that the Smithfield girls’ 51-33 win over Poquoson last week is one of the most stunning results in district history. Expectations and past performance are two reasons.
The Packers rarely have had a winning record in 17 seasons of Bay Rivers play, finishing last in the league a year ago and were picked ninth this preseason.
The Islanders, by contrast, entered the season as the district favorite because they returned all of their key players from a team that came within a victory of reaching the Group AA state tournament.
Regardless, Packers coach Richard Pullen sensed his team was poised for a breakthrough.
"We took the whole year rebuilding and learning to believe in ourselves," he said of the 2006-07 season, when the Packers went 3-15. "They can see now that hard work pays off.
"One of our irritations last year was breaking the press, but we did that very well. We also took good shots, passed well and played aggressive, in-your-face man defense."
Pullen said that all of the players pitched in to beat the Islanders’ pressure. Forward Tiffany Butler scored 16 points, while freshman guard Olivia Hampton added 17.
Hampton made three 3-pointers to open things up for Butler inside. Hampton and Deshara Boone contributed solid ballhandling, while Kenya Hargrove and Lanika Thomas pitched into the defensive effort.
"This is probably one of the bigger wins we’ve had as a program," Pullen said. "It lets the girls know they can play with the best in the district. This gives us a lot of momentum."
Daily Press
It’s easy to go overboard talking about high school basketball "surprises" early in the season. That’s particularly true in the Bay Rivers District, where a traveling distance of two hours between some of the schools often makes comparing talent an educated guess at best.
But there’s no question that the Smithfield girls’ 51-33 win over Poquoson last week is one of the most stunning results in district history. Expectations and past performance are two reasons.
The Packers rarely have had a winning record in 17 seasons of Bay Rivers play, finishing last in the league a year ago and were picked ninth this preseason.
The Islanders, by contrast, entered the season as the district favorite because they returned all of their key players from a team that came within a victory of reaching the Group AA state tournament.
Regardless, Packers coach Richard Pullen sensed his team was poised for a breakthrough.
"We took the whole year rebuilding and learning to believe in ourselves," he said of the 2006-07 season, when the Packers went 3-15. "They can see now that hard work pays off.
"One of our irritations last year was breaking the press, but we did that very well. We also took good shots, passed well and played aggressive, in-your-face man defense."
Pullen said that all of the players pitched in to beat the Islanders’ pressure. Forward Tiffany Butler scored 16 points, while freshman guard Olivia Hampton added 17.
Hampton made three 3-pointers to open things up for Butler inside. Hampton and Deshara Boone contributed solid ballhandling, while Kenya Hargrove and Lanika Thomas pitched into the defensive effort.
"This is probably one of the bigger wins we’ve had as a program," Pullen said. "It lets the girls know they can play with the best in the district. This gives us a lot of momentum."