COLUMN: JACKSON — There were some tears shed by the Lafayette Lady Commodores and their coach, Amy Sutton, following Monday night’s 86-72 loss to Forrest County AHS in the MHSAA’s Class 4A state semifinal. A long season that brings so many close together has a tendency of producing raw emotion when it all comes to an end.
It’s natural to feel sad or a little disappointed about ending a year without a championship but in the case of the Lady Commodores, Monday’s loss — and the tears that were shed in the locker room — weren’t those of despair or anger or extreme pain. Sure the Cinderella Lady ‘Dores were sad that they didn’t win and that they weren’t playing Pontotoc for the third time this year, but the tears, according to Sutton, were more joyous than anything else simply because of what this senior group meant to the school and program.
“We had tears in the locker room. I had tears. It was tough to say goodbye, especially like that. In all it felt good because nobody expected us to be here, not even me,” Sutton said. “For to us to say goodbye in the Big House, it makes you cry tears of joy rather than tears of sadness because we achieved something we never thought we would.”
There weren’t a lot of people who thought LHS would be in Jackson at the end of February when the season started way back in November. I should be included in that number, not because I didn’t think Sutton couldn’t coach them up or that Mykira Buford couldn’t lead the team, but more because of what the team lost in 2011. Shaq Isom, the Lady Commodores’ top scorer the past few seasons, was gone as was Mrs. Do-it-All Nikki McChristian. There were some other players not back on the roster that made LHS a special group the past few years and well, it’s hard to replace raw talent in high school sports. It’s not like Sutton can just go and recruit a 6-foot-4 post player or a spot-up 3-point shooter like they do at Ole Miss. You have to make it with what you got and luckily for Sutton, she has a group of girls that love to hoop it up and play hard.
Those two things played big roles in the Lady ‘Dores getting this far even if it meant they finished the year with a 15-15 mark.
Sutton took time to reflect on the senior group, one that advanced to Jackson to play in the “Big House” twice in three seasons and what it means to the future of her well established program.
“The younger girls see what it takes to get to this point. My older girls have the pleasure of making it here a second time and not many teams get to do that at all unless you’re good and have a strong core group coming back. Going into the season we did not have that. We did not have a strong core group coming back so a lot of people who were role players the last two or three years had to step up,” Sutton said. “Mariah Buford has just been a defensive player and this year she had to beef up her scoring. Tiffany Ragsdale, who was a JV player her junior year, ended up being one of my starters. So for the group that is coming up again, it shows what it takes to get here. But if there is a group that deserves to touch this court for a second time it’s definitely my senior group because they gave their hearts tonight and I can’t be any more pleased with that.”
No, LHS wasn’t as good of a team as it was when it advanced to Jackson in 2010, but the group had heart. And determination and just enough of an attitude to play its way back to the 4A semifinals. That’s quite an accomplishment, no matter how you categorize it, and the community, school and students should be proud just like Sutton is for what the team accomplished this year.
JACKSON — There were some tears shed by the Lafayette Lady Commodores and their coach, Amy Sutton, following Monday night’s 86-72 loss to Forrest County AHS in the MHSAA’s Class 4A state semifinal. A long season that brings so many close together has a tendency of producing raw emotion when it all comes to an end.
It’s natural to feel sad or a little disappointed about ending a year without a championship but in the case of the Lady Commodores, Monday’s loss — and the tears that were shed in the locker room — weren’t those of despair or anger or extreme pain. Sure the Cinderella Lady ‘Dores were sad that they didn’t win and that they weren’t playing Pontotoc for the third time this year, but the tears, according to Sutton, were more joyous than anything else simply because of what this senior group meant to the school and program.
“We had tears in the locker room. I had tears. It was tough to say goodbye, especially like that. In all it felt good because nobody expected us to be here, not even me,” Sutton said. “For to us to say goodbye in the Big House, it makes you cry tears of joy rather than tears of sadness because we achieved something we never thought we would.”
There weren’t a lot of people who thought LHS would be in Jackson at the end of February when the season started way back in November. I should be included in that number, not because I didn’t think Sutton couldn’t coach them up or that Mykira Buford couldn’t lead the team, but more because of what the team lost in 2011. Shaq Isom, the Lady Commodores’ top scorer the past few seasons, was gone as was Mrs. Do-it-All Nikki McChristian. There were some other players not back on the roster that made LHS a special group the past few years and well, it’s hard to replace raw talent in high school sports. It’s not like Sutton can just go and recruit a 6-foot-4 post player or a spot-up 3-point shooter like they do at Ole Miss. You have to make it with what you got and luckily for Sutton, she has a group of girls that love to hoop it up and play hard.
Those two things played big roles in the Lady ‘Dores getting this far even if it meant they finished the year with a 15-15 mark.
Sutton took time to reflect on the senior group, one that advanced to Jackson to play in the “Big House” twice in three seasons and what it means to the future of her well established program.
“The younger girls see what it takes to get to this point. My older girls have
See COLUMN on page 10
Continued from Page 8
the pleasure of making it here a second time and not many teams get to do that at all unless you’re good and have a strong core group coming back. Going into the season we did not have that. We did not have a strong core group coming back so a lot of people who were role players the last two or three years had to step up,” Sutton said. “Mariah Buford has just been a defensive player and this year she had to beef up her scoring. Tiffany Ragsdale, who was a JV player her junior year, ended up being one of my starters. So for the group that is coming up again, it shows what it takes to get here. But if there is a group that deserves to touch this court for a second time it’s definitely my senior group because they gave their hearts tonight and I can’t be any more pleased with that.”
No, LHS wasn’t as good of a team as it was when it advanced to Jackson in 2010, but the group had heart. And determination and just enough of an attitude to play its way back to the 4A semifinals. That’s quite an accomplishment, no matter how you categorize it, and the community, school and students should be proud just like Sutton is for what the team accomplished this year.
–johndavis@oxfordeagle.com (February 28, 2012, Page 8)
