(Another smaller person whose powers were greatly underestimated. Go get 'em, Polly)
One of the areas where the University of Louisville women's basketball team had difficulties this past season was finding a scorer to augment Monique Reid's efforts. A combination of injuries and inexperience hobbled the Cards at times in offensive execution. If incoming freshman Polly Harrington's performance in the
Midwest All-Star Classic is any indication of the future, Louisville has at least one player on the way that will help solve that problem.
Harrington was named co-MVP of the game and contributed 18 points for the West Squad.
Harrington, a 6'0" power forward from Kansas City, may seem smallish for the position but plays a lot taller than her height. Think of Victoria Dunlap from UK. She has the ability to get to the boards and her strength and aggressiveness allow her to be a force inside. She's had to deal with coaches trying to switch her to guard because of her height but her game is best served when she is inside and creating on both ends of the court.
Antonia Slaughter, another UofL signee, played for the winning East squad in the game and picked up eight points and six boards. We like Slaughter's all over the court hustle and intensity. She'll be a force for the Cards and at 6'2' a rebounding asset.
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Speaking of all star games, isn't it time the Derby Classic folks woke up and brought in a girls' Classic game for the weekend? There is a ton of women's talent in this area and too few girls' All-Star games offered to the deserving players out there.
The game could be played before the boys' game on Saturday...or it could follow the Night of the Future Stars on Friday. I'm sure the attendees wouldn't mind being moved for the competition to the downtown arena for both of the 2 days.
Time to get the upgrade here and make this local event a "must play" for the best male and female high school players. And, while you're at it, do something about those garish coats that the Derby Festival officials wear each year. Strutting around like a peacock in a Rodney Dangerfield type outfit...yeah, we all just love that. Elitism really impresses the majority of us, correct? The sad thing is, they think they look really cool and stylish...but we're all laughing behind your backs when you walk away. Maybe I should break out my old leisure suits and polyester, flowered shirts and pants...Or not.
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The Women's Final Four has two teams that have punched their ticket for San Antonio last night and each game was a thriller to the final buzzer. Baylor went on a game ending 10-0 run to defeat Duke in the first contest 61-57. The Bears' freshmen, especially Brittany Griner, upset the apple cart on the veteran Dookies. At 6'8", Griner has changed the way opponents play defense (prayer and triple teams don't even work) and the shot swatting, inside scoring abilities of the towering freshman are just darn fun to watch.
Unless you're playing against her.
The nightcap was just as exciting. A towering Xavier team took it to #1 West seeded Stanford all night long in a see saw battle that went to the final buzzer. Twin towers Ta'Shia Phillips and Amber Harris sent Stanford All-American Jane Appel (anyone else think that she looks like a young Jane Curtin of Saturday Night Live fame?)to the bench before the game ended and Xavier looked to be on the way to springing the upset. Then, the fun really began.
Jeanette Pohlen drove the length of the court with 4.4 seconds remaining and tossed in a layup at the buzzer for the 55-53 win. This followed two misses on two straight plays at the other end, unguarded and under the basket by Xavier's Dee Dee Jernigan that would have given the Muskies the lead. Tough to say that any three plays can be considered the difference between a win and a loss...but Pohlen's mad dash to the hoop for the win and the two blown opportunities by Jernigan were game changers.
UConn plays tonight..expect another 20-30 point walk in the park win for them. UK vs. Oklahoma will be the one to watch as the Cats see if the glass slipper fits in Kansas City.
Written by Paul
3/30/10 (Happy birthday, sis-in-law Anita! Go out to dinner!)
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