Wish come true; Wolverines have Trailblazer in their sights

SWITZ CITY -- White River Valley seniors (from left) Samantha Goodman, Ashley Graves, Danielle Gardner and Kelsey Anderson pose with the sectional championship trophy and game ball after winning their second straight Class A sectional title last Saturday. (By Travis David/Greene County Daily World).

Since that loss, the team has had one thing on their mind -- get back to the same game this season, and WIN. Head coach Joe Pigg, who has won two regional titles -- back-to-back in 2000-01 -- made it clear to his team after the season ending loss that good could come from it.

"I told the girls in the locker room after the game that this could serve as motivation," Pigg said of last season's loss to University. "We wanted to make it a point of emphasis to get back to this game."

Many times in sports you will hear analysts or sometimes even coaches say that a team is "a year away" from reaching their potential. I don't think that coach Pigg would say that his team was a year away from reaching their maximum potential last season, but truth be told that could be an accurate assumption. The team finished the season 19-5 and lost just two players to graduation, both of which came off the bench.

Samantha Goodman, now a senior, finished last season watching from the sidelines as she was inactive with a knee injury. Goodman has more than filled one of the vacant spots left from last year's team by averaging six points per contest and gives the team a formidable one-two punch on the interior with leading scorer Stephanie Fougerousse.

Also stepping up this season has been junior outside shooting specialist Alicia Tally. As a sophomore, Tally made some spot starts, but has been a full-time starter this season.

"Its exciting to be able to be more of a contributor this season," Tally said after she scored 16 points in the Lady Wolverines sectional championship win over Union (Dugger) Saturday night.

Senior Kelsey Anderson has also had a coming out party this season. Anderson complements Fougerousse as the second scoring threat for the Wolverines as she is averages just under 18 points per contest. She also joined Fougerousse in the 1,000 point club this season.

With a healthy Goodman and the emerges of Tally and Anderson being scoring threats in addition to Fougerousse, Ashley Graves and Tayler Kail, this just may be the Lady Wolverines best shot at making a strong run for a state title.

Even though the Wolverines returned their nucleus from last year's team and more well rounded players this year, it doesn't mean championships will just be handed to the team. It would be easy for the team to have the mindset of "we got so far last year so that means we are guaranteed to get there and beyond once again this season."

You hear coaches say so many times that the game is 90 percent mental. Having one particular team and date circled on the calendar from the start of the season could easily cause a team to lose focus from game to game, but thus far the Wolverines have showed they can be hungry to get back to a certain game and still be able to take care of business on any given game night.

After breezing through the Class A Sectional, for the most part, for the second straight season, the Wolverines will have their chance to avenge that disappointing loss to University. The two teams will square off in the first game of the Southwestern (Shelby) Regional this Saturday at 10 a.m.

The players showed some signs of jubilation after their 17-point sectional title win, but you could tell the team was far from satisfied with their work.

"We just want to use the momentum from this game and carry it into the regional with us," Goodman said after their sectional championship. "We have wanted to play them since the end of last season. We are excited we drew them first."

Anderson echoes the same thoughts and made it clear last season's loss still looms in the back of her mind.

"Last year they (University) embarrassed us," Anderson said. "We have been determined to get back there to face them again. And now that we are back we will not let a repeat of last year happen again."

Pigg acknowledged he did not know much about their team this season -- as he asked WRV boys coach Gene Hall to scout the Trailblazers in their sectional championship game -- but said he knows one thing for sure about his own squad.

"We will be ready to compete against them on Saturday," the veteran coach said. "The girls made it a goal to see them again and you can tell they are determined for a different outcome this time around."

There's an old adage of "be careful of what you wish for," but being around this group and seeing the hunger in their eyes, I think the Lady Wolverines are well aware of what they wished for and knows what lies ahead of them.

I have come to realize there is no sure thing when it comes to high school sports or really at any level, but if I was a gambling man I would put money down that this years WRV/University contest will not be another 19-point blowout.

Travis David is a sports writer for the Greene County Daily World and can be reached at 812-847-4487 ext. 20 or tdavid@gcdailyworld.com.