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FISD teams laboring through district play
BY ANDREW MAY, Staff Writer
The Mexican crab theory is holding true through the first two weeks of district play as it relates to the four Frisco ISD boys basketball teams.
Parity has been on full display through the first four 9-4A games. Frisco has beaten Wakeland. Wakeland has beaten Liberty. Liberty has beaten Centennial. Centennial will get its shot to complete the loop tonight when it faces Frisco.
“It’s a battle every night in this district,” Liberty head coach Jim Miller said. “If you don’t show up ready to play, chalk it up as a loss.”
For that matter, Wakeland knifed deeper into the postseason, but it came at the 3A level. Though the transition has been relatively seamless to this point, head coach Brent Benningfield doesn’t want to hear about it.
“It is one game at a time,” he said. “That’s all we are focused on.”
There is good reason the Wolverines appear savvy veterans, aside from the fact that they’ve been through playoff wars the past two years. Benningfield pitted them against some of the state’s best competition in non-district play. Wakeland beat Everman the third game of the year and then squeaked by Geogetown in the Frisco Classic. Benningfield said both games would have equated to losses last season. The Wolverines also beat Fort Worth Southwest in the ultra-tough Whataburger Tournament. And simply playing Ponder in that tournament should help out down the line. Ponder, the defending 2A state champ, has won 50 straight games.
All things considered, Frisco (10-8, 2-2) is in great shape one game off the leaders’ pace. The Raccoons were seal-clubbed in the district opener by McKinney, 75-37, but have since responded with wins in two of their last three, including a thrilling defensive struggle against McKinney North on Tuesday in which the two teams combined for just two quarters of double-digit scoring. The 35-34 victory pulled Frisco even in conference play after Friday’s impressive 68-58 victory over Wakeland. Three Raccoons scored in double figures, led by reigning Newcomer of the Year Ben Dillard. Senior guard Tyler Cutrer has returned to give the team another scoring option in the backcourt along with shifty junior Quince Jackson.
Recent history is on Frisco’s side. The Raccoons were rocked by McKinney in last season’s district opener before winning five of their last six to qualify for the playoffs. Tonight’s meeting with Centennial can either pull the team above ground or back under .500, though there is no doubting the game is more important for the Titans.
Centennial is 1-3 in district for the second year in a row. An inability to win close games is the reason why.
The Titans’ 58-51 loss to Denison on Tuesday was a blowout by recent standards. Centennial has dropped games to Sherman and Liberty by five combined points and notched its only win by two points Friday over favored McKinney. To claw back into the district race, the Titans must abandon their patchy play and consistently string together four quarters. When they do, they are very difficult to beat as the reigning district champion Lions find out the hard way. Problem is Centennial has never been to the playoffs and lacks the mental toughness associated with trying to win big games at crucial times. That’s why the team must wait no longer to begin digging out of the hole it is currently burrowed in.
Liberty (5-12, 1-3) finds itself in a similar situation after consecutive losses to Sherman and Wakeland. The momentum from the squad’s only district win over Centennial failed to carry over into Friday’s game against Sherman. Result: 72-53 throttling.
Unfortunately for the Redhawks, the meat of the schedule is on the horizon. The next three opponents feature an 8-4 combined league record and all made the playoffs last season.
The following are comments from the readers.
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com
94A Fan wrote on Jan 24, 2009 12:58 PM:
" Coach Miller does not have the ability to recognize and coach talent. Libertys player abilities are harnessed by his lack luster coaching skills. He fails to motivate the team and is frankly loosing the respect of all his players. They are confused and frustrated. His decision to bring in players who could not make the varsity team anywhere else and either don't play Select ball or get very little playing time on a Select team is baffling. His attempt to provide equal playing time to 90% of the team, only hurts the team chemistry, and is a coaching practice only done in recreation ball. Any winning coach knows that you keep your best and committed players on the court as much as possible. Telling your valuable players that everyone has "bench time" is un-heard of. The majority of the teams in district 9-4A keep a staple 3 or 4 players on the floor the majority of the time. It is apparent that Coach Miller's job is not dependant on winning, motivating the team and developing players. The mere fact that he has very few seniors on the team who even aspire to play at the next level, may be the reason he coaches so carelessly. Whenever you bring in bench players with 4 mins left in the game, only down by 12, your coaching ability must be questioned. "
YellaJacket wrote on Jan 25, 2009 9:48 AM:
" I have to agree. I was happy when the Liberty Coach took out a few of his players that were really challenging us. It gave us the opportunity to get back into the game and eventually win. I'm sure our coaching staff like the fans were saying, "Thanks Coach". "
Frisco BBall Fan wrote on Jan 25, 2009 2:06 PM:
" Don't feel bad 94A Fan, Coach Green at Frisco High is no better. Rather than play your top players the majority of the minutes and put teams away, he plays the bench players at critical moments, gets behind, then tries to play catch up. What else would you expect from teachers pretending to be coaches. "
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