ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: Community sports
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: CHAD WILLIS
Go west, young girls.
That's exactly the direction the Amateur Athletic Union pointed coach Don Bowman's Pulaski 11-and-under girls basketball team after it defeated Prince William 47-46 recently in Charlottesville to win the state tournament.
The next stop for the Lady Cougars will be Ogden, Utah, site of the 11-and-under national championship tournament. The tournament takes place June 29 to July 6 and is, according to Bowman, the fulfillment of a dream for his group of young athletes.
"We started practice in late January and then finished second in a tournament in Roanoke in March that qualified us for the state tournament," Bowman said. "This team has come a long way, and then to win the state title the way we did made it all very special."
Pulaski, which entered the state finals with a 16-1 record, found itself trailing Prince William by 13 at the half, the largest deficit the team has faced all year.
"You should have seen the girls at halftime," Bowman said. "They had worked so hard to get to that point and then to be down like that. They could see it all slipping away."
With a berth in the national tournament one miraculous half away, the Lady Cougars clawed their way back into contention. A furious defensive stand brought the Pulaski team to within seven, then a pair of 3-point baskets in the final 1 minute, 30 seconds trimmed the lead to a single point.
"It was one of the most amazing things to see," Bowman said. "Our girls always play hard, but that was a furious rally. If you can imagine the NBA played at this age level, with all the physical play, that is what the game looked like.
"I work for the sports information office at Radford University and have been involved with sports for years, but that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen. It was despair to total exaltation in 30 minutes."
With six seconds left, Pulaski's Rika McKinney was fouled and went to the line with a chance to win the game. McKinney made both shots to send her team packing for Utah.
"The team kind of called [the parents'] bluff on this one," Bowman said. "We were all expecting to have a good run, but when the girls came through and won it, and especially after the way they won it, we feel as if we must raise the money for the trip to Utah."
Bowman said the team will have to raise approximately $16,000 for travel and lodging to the national tournament. Most of the money is being raised through car washes, bake sales and a 50-50 raffle that's being held weekly at the New River Valley Speedway.
"We're about a tenth of the way to our goal right now, so we're in good shape," Bowman said. "The parents are working just as hard as the kids are to make this happen. They all feel as if they have to give the girls the chance to win a national title."
Members of the Pulaski team include Lolitta Bishop, Brenna Blevins, Greta Blevins, Sarah Blevins, Beth Chrisley, Ebony Finley, Brandi Hendricks, Kellie Hodges, Lindsey Jones, Alisha Lawrence, McKinney, Mackenzie Moore, Lindsey Ratcliff, Jackie Slaughter, Jessica Trackert and Page Wiggintor and coaches Bowman, Joyce Blevins and Mike Holcomb.
LENGTH: Medium: 68 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: GENE DALTON/Staff. Lindsey Ratcliff works on herby CNBdefensive skills during a drill as she and her Lady Cougar teammates
prepare for the AAU National
Championship. color.