By Steve Keenan
Sports Editor
MEADOW BRIDGE — A berth in the state tournament is on the line when the Valley and Meadow Bridge girls face off at 7 p.m. tonight in one of the two Class A Region 3 final games.
The contest will be staged at Meadow Bridge by virtue of the Wildcats’ 54-53 victory over Iaeger Tuesday in the Section 2 title game. Valley (10-5) lost to Pocahontas County 76-58 in the Section 1 final.
In the regular season, the Greyhounds defeated Meadow Bridge twice, 53-40 on Dec. 8 and 45-43 on Feb. 1.
“In the second game, we had a nine-point lead three times in the fourth quarter, and our girls acted like we were losing,” said Valley coach Marshall Murray. “They were jacking up shots.
“There was a real lack of paying attention to what was going on, and we had some missed defensive assignments.”
Murray said Meadow Bridge played good defense in its win over Iaeger. “They did a pretty good job. We’ve got a good shot. We really didn’t play up to our potential (in the February game). We’ve got a lot more weapons than Iaeger has. I think we match up pretty well.”
“We had control against Iaeger and did some knucklehead things and they got back in the game,” countered Meadow Bridge coach Steve Taylor, whose team defeated two Class A top 10 schools to land its hosting gig tonight. “A lot of people didn’t expect us to be in this situation, but I guess the girls did.
“They told me before the tournament started that they were going back to Charleston. If they’re going to go, I’m going with ‘em.”
To accomplish that task, the ‘Cats (11-9) must dispose of Valley.
“Valley’s got a very good basketball team,” Taylor said. “They’ve got speed out front, and they’ve got size underneath.
“We match up similar, but we’re a little different team than we were a month ago. The girls are feeling very good and very confident. Our defense has stepped up, and each girl knows their roles.”
While Meadow Bridge is seeking to return to the state tournament for the first time since 2003, Valley has to go a little further back. The Greyhounds competed in the state event in 1991.
Taylor warns the Valley contingent to be prepared for an intense atmosphere tonight.
“I would say that the place will be jam-packed. I hope he (Murray) thinks he’s going into a hornet’s nest; he may be right.”
— E-mail:
skeenan@register-herald.com
