It Takes Lots Of Luck

The Lady Knights of Northern Nash went the entire regular season undefeated and earned the right to play home games in the first three games of the playoffs.  They finally lose in what was going to be the last home game of the season because all games from this point on are on neutral sites.  Well equip to win it all the Lady knights come up short.  The answer to why is not as simple as here's why they lost.  There are so many mitigating circumstances   into play.

It doesn't matter how good any team is luck is a major reason any team wins any game.  The ball bounced right straight to our players instead of the other team.  Luck encompasses more than the bounce of the ball.  Injuries, did a player have a nagging injury that kept them from playing at top performance?  Was there more than one injured??  Luck sometimes is even a player was injured but came back just in time for the playoffs.  UVA men's basketball team continues to win basketball games with two starters out of action.  Will those two come back this year?  Probably, Will they have time to get back in playing shape before the playoffs where they can make a difference to the team.

Even the schedule is a matter of luck.  Did it hurt the Lady Knights missing practice time during all of this winter weather we have had?  Was a huge factor that the Lady Knights played three  nights in four days instead of playing every other night which is the norm in the playoffs.  All teams had the same problem with practice time  during this weather so it may have come down to in the fourth quarter of the third game  of basketball that Rockingham County was in better shape at this point  with the situation all teams had to deal with. 

Here is where luck may not matter.  Rockingham County was a really good team and when you deal with all the factors all the teams had to deal with RC was in a better position than Northern to deal with all the factors. 

It was reported that the Lady Knights missed 12 layups in the game was it fatigue, defense by Rockingham County.  My guess you can give the reason any of the above and you might add in luck where the ball didn't roll on the rim like it does most of the time.

Grover Battle is a coach who loves to be physical with other teams.  Pressing all over the floor.  I sensed  the last week of there regular  season the players seemed tired that last week.  They have as close of games with Fike and Rocky Mount as they had all year.   So now you have a tired team, lays out two weeks with no activity from the weather and now you are forced into three games in four days in order to get the schedule back on time.

Then there is another factor.  the burden of carrying the weight of an undefeated season on your shoulders.  Don't care what you say any streak winning or losing straps teams down. Kentucky carries that burden into the NCAA tournament.  I personally don't think they will win the title because they are undefeated.  Whether any team can feel it or not you forget the lucky bounce three weeks ago that keep you undefeated then and you loose the perception that you can be beaten. 

Winless teams always some where in a game ask themselves is this where we fall apart?  Would it  have  been better to lose one time in mid season and as a team rededicate yourselves because you found out that you are beatable at the right time.  a playoff game is an awful time to find out you are beatable.

The Lady Knight basketball program at this point is the premium basketball program in our area.  They have for the most part been dominant for the last five or more years  with interruptions by Rocky Mount ever so often.  When they have ventured out into the real world of North Carolina High School playoff basketball they have held their own and have served us all proud representing us.

There is that old NASCAR saying "if you run up front of the pack sooner or later you are going to finish first once in a while.  I'll take running up front every year and once in a while the luck will fall my way and the Lady Knights are going to win another State title..