Tri-County Seven

[krichunaka]

1) Hampton

1) Elizabethton

3) Cloudland

4) Unicoi County

5) Happy Valley

6) Johnson County

7) Unaka

 

For numerous reasons, primarily illness, going to Murfreesboro was out of the question. For that, I'm personally sorry.

 

The idea was to see ALL the Seven teams, in as many matchups as possible, and though we didn't see all the Big Games, we still managed to see every team in early, middle, and late-season. Enough to distinguish the good, middle, and not so good.

 

Our first season with this poll ended in a Tie. That season, the Lady Cyclones were tremendous, and made it to Murfreesboro, where they lost to the eventual state champs in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the Lady Rangers' thirty-one game winning streak was just as impressive. However, they lost to Cloudland, just as South Greene lost to Elizabethton this season - in the Regional Title Game - and didn't recover in time to win, on the road, in Sub-State.

 

This season there are two primary considerations:

1) Elizabethton swept Hampton.

2) Hampton won in Murfreesboro.

As to "2" it's no small accomplishment, getting to the State Tournament.

And for "1"? To say that the Lady Bulldogs closed the gap, from being crushed in Elizabethton, to losing a game that they actually should've won in Hampton, is reason enough (for me) to call them about even now.

 

We can consider several other, entire-season factors:

Unicoi County swept Hampton.

Elizabethton swept Unicoi County (three games).

Elizabethton swept Hampton

or...

Elizabethton and Hampton split with Happy Valley.

 

*Or, Tennessee swept Florida, however, Florida won the National Title. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

 

So, was Hampton's winning in the Quarter-Finals simply the luck of the draw? It would not only be unfair to penalize the Lady Bulldogs... for actually winning in Murfreesboro, but to do so, is (to me) an insult to a very good Cornersville team.

 

Anyhow, this Tri-County Seven weekly, is all about dialogue. There's no single authority here. This is not, nor was it ever... about me. I've merely put it out there.

 

What do you think?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

ALL STARS

 

Who is the best player?

On each team?

In the entire Seven?

Who are the best Five Players?

Who is the MOP?

The MVP?

Who are the best five... Position Players?

Who is the best Sixth Woman?

Most Improved?

 

Coach of the Year?

 

Assistant Coach of the Year?

 

Should I go first? /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

[Lord Vader]

ALL STARS

 

Who is the best player? Pietrowski

In the entire Seven? Pietrowski

Who are the best Five Players? Pietrowski, Oliver, Gardner, BJ Johnson, Bowling from HV

Who is the MOP? Pietrowski

The MVP? Pietrowski

Who is the best Sixth Woman? Bowling from Elizabethton

Most Improved? Mikki Oliver

 

Coach of the Year? Leon Tolley

 

Assistant Coach of the Year? Jerry Calhoun

[coachh17]

1) Hampton

1) Elizabethton

3) Cloudland

4) Unicoi County

5) Happy Valley

6) Johnson County

7) Unaka

 

For numerous reasons, primarily illness, going to Murfreesboro was out of the question. For that, I'm personally sorry.

 

The idea was to see ALL the Seven teams, in as many matchups as possible, and though we didn't see all the Big Games, we still managed to see every team in early, middle, and late-season. Enough to distinguish the good, middle, and not so good.

 

Our first season with this poll ended in a Tie. That season, the Lady Cyclones were tremendous, and made it to Murfreesboro, where they lost to the eventual state champs in the quarter-finals. Meanwhile, the Lady Rangers' thirty-one game winning streak was just as impressive. However, they lost to Cloudland, just as South Greene lost to Elizabethton this season - in the Regional Title Game - and didn't recover in time to win, on the road, in Sub-State.

 

This season there are two primary considerations:

1) Elizabethton swept Hampton.

2) Hampton won in Murfreesboro.

As to "2" it's no small accomplishment, getting to the State Tournament.

And for "1"? To say that the Lady Bulldogs closed the gap, from being crushed in Elizabethton, to losing a game that they actually should've won in Hampton, is reason enough (for me) to call them about even now.

 

We can consider several other, entire-season factors:

Unicoi County swept Hampton.

Elizabethton swept Unicoi County (three games).

Elizabethton swept Hampton

or...

Elizabethton and Hampton split with Happy Valley.

 

*Or, Tennessee swept Florida, however, Florida won the National Title. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

 

So, was Hampton's winning in the Quarter-Finals simply the luck of the draw? It would not only be unfair to penalize the Lady Bulldogs... for actually winning in Murfreesboro, but to do so, is (to me) an insult to a very good Cornersville team.

 

Anyhow, this Tri-County Seven weekly, is all about dialogue. There's no single authority here. This is not, nor was it ever... about me. I've merely put it out there.

 

What do you think?

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

ALL STARS

 

Who is the best player?

On each team?

In the entire Seven?

Who are the best Five Players?

Who is the MOP?

The MVP?

Who are the best five... Position Players?

Who is the best Sixth Woman?

Most Improved?

 

Coach of the Year?

 

Assistant Coach of the Year?

 

Should I go first? /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

 

I will agree with your final rankings and since both made the state tournament, I'll not argue the co-#1"s. I think Len Dugger and Leon Tolley are both deserving of coach of the year. I'll take a stab at all seven teams:

 

First Team

1- Brooke Johnson, Great career at Cloudland

2- Mikki Oliver, Led Hampton to Murfreesboro

3- Cara Bowling, Bright future for Happy Valley

4- Ali Gardner, Unicoi's Best

5- Mariah Pietrowski, MVP of the Seven

 

Second Team

1- Kristen Powell, Elizabethton's assist machine

2- Too many of about equal ability (Fritz, Thompson, Kiser, Buchanan, Mckinney, Mabe etc.....)

3- Too many of about equal ability (Weddle, Bowling, Jefferson, King, Byers etc....)

4- Summer Ward, Happy Valley will miss her

5- Ivory Shelton, Great freshman year for Unicoi Co.

[krichunaka]

Thanks, 17, for mentioning Mabe. Most often a team's won-loss record has very little to do with the best individual players. April Wilson also comes to mind.

 

And, to put it nicely, there are not five players in all the Seven, better than Unaka's Kayla Winters. In fact, she is at least as good as any of those already mentioned. None of them, or anyone we saw throughout this season, and in fact, throughout her four year career, could consistently guard her. Her numbers back this up.

 

Just sayin'

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

And Kayleigh Elsea.

And Jordi Miller.

How many games did those two bombers save?

[Lord Vader]

And, to put it nicely, there are not five players in all the Seven, better than Unaka's Kayla Winters. In fact, she is at least as good as any of those already mentioned. None of them, or anyone we saw throughout this season, and in fact, throughout her four year career, could consistently guard her. Her numbers back this up.

 

Winters has been a really good player for quite a while. If she would have been able to stay in the post instead of out on the wing (or whatever you wanna call it), she would have had a much better senior season...

[krichunaka]

Winters has been a really god player for quite a while. If she would have been able to stay in the post instead of out on the wing (or whatever you wanna call it), she would have had a much better senior season...

 

 

Many will agree with your last sentence.

 

However, whether she was sent out to screen, pick and roll, go one-on-one... regardless, Kayla Winters was one of the Seven's very best players. This season.

________________________________________

________________________________________

Coachh17, you actually made another good case with your "about-equal" players, while predictably, listing Six Lady Cyclones!

 

And, of course, not one Lady Ranger.

 

No doubt, a mere oversight. /dry.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="

 

And, which "McKinney?" I know two who had terrific seasons.

[coachh17]

Josie Mckinney of Hampton. If I had picked a third team, Shellie Mckinney and Kayla Winters would have been the posts. I'll just list each teams best players, in no particular order. I know the least about Unaka and only saw them play once in their season of angst!

 

Elizabethton- Pietrowski, Powell, Bowling, Jefferson, Fritz, Kiser

Unicoi Co.- Gardner, Shelton, Thompson, King, Webb

Hampton- Oliver, Josie Mckinney, Weddle, Calhoun

Happy Valley- Bowling, Ward, Toney, Byers, Hughes

Cloudland- Johnson, Shellie Mckinney, Miller, Buchanan, Hughes

Johnson Co.- Mabe, Wilson, Campbell

Unaka- Winters, Johnson, Elsea

[krichunaka]

Josie Mckinney of Hampton. If I had picked a third team, Shellie Mckinney and Kayla Winters would have been the posts. I'll just list each teams best players, in no particular order. I know the least about Unaka and only saw them play once in their season of angst!

 

Elizabethton- Pietrowski, Powell, Bowling, Jefferson, Fritz, Kiser

Unicoi Co.- Gardner, Shelton, Thompson, King, Webb

Hampton- Oliver, Josie Mckinney, Weddle, Calhoun

Happy Valley- Bowling, Ward, Toney, Byers, Hughes

Cloudland- Johnson, Shellie Mckinney, Miller, Buchanan, Hughes

Johnson Co.- Mabe, Wilson, Campbell

Unaka- Winters, Johnson, Elsea

 

 

For those who might be new to this, Coachh17 is truly a man of integrity; someone who has always been able to take, as well as dish out. With that in mind, it's still only fair to note that he kinda/sorta... bleeds ORANGE!

 

So, when he names an entire roster of nineteen, and even includes high praise for a couple enemy players... yet overlooks one of our area's best, then something is definitely amiss.

 

***Off the record, plans are in the works to handcuff him and drag him kicking and screaming into Snavely Gymnasium for at least one complete game next season. But again, that's on the hush hush.***

 

For my part, I wouldn't wish what the Lady Rangers, and especially the three seniors - Kayleigh Elsea, Rachel Lowe, and of course, Kayla Winters - endured this season... on my most-hated rivals. So yes, this is about much more than one player being left off an All-Star thread.

 

So, to approach this in another way, if we make this a team-building format, draft-type selection process, where we put all of them on the court before a team of unbiased experts (where ALL the players are given near-equal sightings)... then you can bet the light bill that Kayla Winters, due to her length, athleticism, handle, toughness, shot-blocking ability, etc., would rate at the very top. It's going a little too far, to suggest otherwise, based on her team's won-loss record.

 

And like Mikki and B. J., Kayla can play more positions, to greater effect, than any of the other Seven players.

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

 

And, of course, the Unaka coaching saga continues.

__________________________________________________

__________________________________________________

 

By the way, I really liked your choice, Vader, for best Sixth Player. In fact, I was pretty sure Chelsea Bowling would start for the Lady Cyclones this season, but as I recall she suffered multiple season-threatening injuries. She's a very cool player.

 

And a few others who really became big players off the bench:

Summer Hughes of Cloudland - Very good freshman season.

Brittany Reece, also of Cloudland - Could be one of our area's best next season.

Tayler Nidiffer of Unaka - As athletic as any returning player.

Chesnie Cox of Unaka - Actually won a starting position; another high-potential player.

Kamra Fritz - Elizabethton - Also more of a starter: Played a huge role for the Lady Cyclones at crunch time.

Maci Lewis - Bombs Away!

Kayla Wilson - Improved greatly in late-season.

And others...

 

Plus, of course, a group of Hampton players, Stout, Dugger, the other Dugger, Mollie McQueen (I'm probably missing at least one)... played like starters. Which played no small part in getting the Lady Bulldogs to Murfreesboro.

 

And another personal note: We don't get to see nearly as many games as we'd like, however, the trip to Cherryville, North Carolina, is one of my fondest memories of this season! It's also when (I think) the Lady Bulldogs proved to themselves that they could win, anywhere... even with one of their best players injured. A very impressive tournament effort! (The fact that I made a wrong turn, and turned the expected two-hundred-mile round-trip into a near-four-hundred-mile marathon... only added to the fun).

 

Later!

 

Kim