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03.10.10

How Dinosaurs became extinct.
The very first "senior moment"

Coaching Tool Blog
Make sure your best players are your hardest workers, best leaders. The other players follow their example.  This concept is evidenced in all great teams.   This pertains to practice more than the games. Most of the great players on teams work as hard in practice that they do during the game.

WV State Tournament
Several have asked when Ruth and I are heading to Charleston.  We more than likely won’t go up Wednesday or Thursday since blow outs are the norm in round one of the tournament.  With that said Friday looks like some great games on tap.  Here is what it may look like Friday in the semi’s  Tolsia vs Scott 9:00 am  Tucker Vs St. Mary’s 11:15 am  Summers Vs Ravenswood 1:00 pm     North Marion vs HHS 5:30 pm  Huntington St. Joe Vs Pocahontas or Charleston Catholic 7:15 pm and South Charleston Vs Parkersburg South 9;00 pm.

Ohio State Tournament
Wednesday Oak Hill Vs Alexander in what should be another walk over for the lady Oaks 8:00s pm Convo Center Ironton Vs Garaway 6:15 pm  in what should be a low scoring affair since Garaway runs a ton of clock on each possession.  South Webster Vs Waterford is also at the Convo Center Thursday

AP All District  Thunder Girls/Local  on the Team 

Division II First Team LeAnne Ross, Marietta  & Kayla Fletcher, South Point   Second Team  Tori Dixon, Vinton County, Jalynn Bradburn, South Point  Division III First Team Brea Tackett, Ironton, Rebecca Puckett, Oak Hill, Karissa Adkins, Oak Hill  Second Team Lakin Caudill, Oak Hill, Nikki Elswick, Ironton, Amanda Ruffner, Chesapeake    

First Team Kayla Cook, South Webster
Player of the Year  Division III  Karissa Adkins  Division IV Sina King & Kayla Cook 
Coach of the Year Division III Doug Hale  Division Iv John Burdette

Atmosphere of Greatness   by Rev. Bob Richards - Former Decathlon Champion (excerpts from a speech given at the 1973 LSU Basketball Banquet
We are all inclined to accept the thesis that sport is all physicality, and that athletes are all muscle and bone. However, I am going to prove a different hypothesis. That the world of sport is more determined by thought and goals than anything else. The world of sport is a world of emotion, it's a world of temper and most of all it's a world of ideas.

The French believe that every great man that has ever lived has had a fixed concept, Idee fixe, of what he wants to be. They believe that this fixed goal is the vital determinant of life. I have been in sports for twenty-five years and would like to give you three shocking summaries.

1. Great athletes will tell you what they're going to do years before they do it.
2. They predict to a 10th of a second the races that they are going to run or swim.
3. In most cases it is thought to be impossible. It has not been done in the history of the world.

They have an "idee fixe", a mental process of what they're going to do in life. Billie Jean King, Peggy Fleming, Johnny Bench, Mark Spitz are all examples of athletes that have predicted their success. I have watched this in athlete after athlete. They tell you what they're going to do long before they do it.

You become like the "Idee fixe" in your brain. You become like the thing you go for. That's why I say go out to be the greatest. In whatever profession you go into, go out to be the best in the world; because you will become like the thing you go after. The great ones go for the impossible. They go for world records.

You are what you think. The capacity of a person is still unknown. Muscles are capable of 100 times more work than the built-in limiter, the brain, will permit. Every weight lifter will tell you that you must think you can lift the weight before the body can. It is most staggering to realize in this world of so-called "muscle and bone" the mind is the determining thing.

Psychologists studying great people in all walks of life in an attempt to find a common denominator for greatness, cannot agree on anything except a principle called "F.Q." or Failure Quotient. F.Q. is the ability to bounce back. The great ones can be beaten but they bounce back. They do not let an injury or a mistake beat them. You will not be great unless you have F.Q. along with an "Idee Fixe". You have to be beaten to be great.

Champions are not born. They do not just spring up. If you study every great athlete in this country and in the world you will find that they come from an atmosphere of greatness. They go to a place where there is a coach who thinks great things can happen. They are surrounded by a loved one, sweetheart, friend or someone who says they can be the best in the world.

Study U.C.L.A. psychology of basketball. John Wooden expected greatness from his players. He expected them to perform to the peak of their efficiency. He expected greatness and the great ones went there - an atmosphere of greatness.

You are what you think. Expect a miracle and it will happen. You are programmed for success. All of us are over endowed. We have capabilities that we haven't scratched the surface of yet. We have physical powers that we haven't even discovered. We are made to win; and it takes a lot of messing up and wrong thinking to keep you from triumphing in life. Learn from the great game of basketball that you can win in this great game called "living."

1984 Songs When Doves Cry Prince   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gkbegMWGoj4
Someday When Things Are Good  Leona Williams in an old Merle Haggard song  http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=FlOPY1HfFTQ&feature=related

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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03.08.10

 Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly

Sunday Thunder Practice
This was day one on the road to the National AAU Title.  It is amazing how much all the girls have improved since they were last together in July.  The school coaches and the individual coaches who work with the girls have done a good job with them.  They continue to move up a notch with each passing year.  We had eight of the 13u team members out today.  Mychelle Johnson and Rachel Lee gave us ten for scrimmaging.  They both already  know most of our stuff so they don’t slow us down when we run our sets.  Those in attendance were Mychal Johnson who won the end of practice drill, Jordan Parker, Krista Maynard, Sidney Pell, Jenna Burdette, Kelli Harrison, Griffin Dempsey, and Terra Stapleton.  The drills and scrimmage went fine as they usually do with this group of girls. They are so focused and the leaders on the team work so hard it is difficult for anyone to slack off in practice.

Marshall Café  Cornhole Night  6-8 Monday Everyone Welcome
 

Thunder 8^th Grade Practice  Tuesday 6-8  at Huntington St. Joe
 

Good luck to all the Thunder girls who are still in the running as they pursue their dream of a state championship!!!  Ladies enjoy the journey.

Kayla Cook, South Webster; Karissa Adkins & Rebecca Puckett, Oak Hill; Dusti Chapman, Amber Chadwick,& Brooke Keeton, Huntington St. Joe; Erin Bailes, Leah Ching, & Dominoes Gibson, Huntington High School
 

 1983 Country Songs
 I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool  Barbara Mandrell  http://www.jango.com/music/Barbara+Mandrell?l=0     z      
You’re the Reason God Made Oklahoma David Frizzell/Shelly West http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pPM7FmLtyPs    
The Beginning of one great run of #1’s in Country Music  You Look So Good in Love George Strait  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GO_iS_U5FkA

The Second Mile Movie   http://www.thesecondmilemovie.com/   By Paula J Fox
The choice to go the second mile is the key that unlocks the secret of joy in difficult circumstances. It has the power to transform a tiresome, menial walk into a joyful act of giving; to infuse a contentious relationship with a new spirit of kindness and generosity; and to change an individual's self-perception from that of a victim to a victor.

The Second Mile represents a much higher law - the law of kindness, generosity and love.

North Marion's Byard Takes Top Honor
Mariah Byard has come a long way since being a ball girl for the North Marion Huskies during her elementary school years. She joined the Huskies as a freshman and led the team to a state tournament appearance. Her sophomore year she led North Marion to the school's first girls' basketball state title. And now she is the 2009-10 West Virginia girl's basketball state player of the year.  Summers County's Hallie Gunnoe was second, followed by Huntington High's Erin Bailes, Kelsea Fickleson from St. Marys, Scott's Mackenzie White and Martinsburg's Jackie Brewer. A total of 43 players received votes.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1543284750/North-Marions-Byard-takes-top-honor

Sporting News On-Line   http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20100308?sub_id=Ipb6vDYGBgdc&folio=CGI#pg1

Nice Article on the South Charleston Girls’ Team
SC coach Gary Greene welcomed three new faces to the program when sophomores Brittany Gordon and Keke Allen and junior Shelly Smith transferred from Nitro.  Greene had to mesh their talents with those of established starters Sissy Wagner and Karley Walker, the other senior, and sophomores Angelica Villanueva and Alexa Morgan.   http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/201003070697

How to Build Leaders   by Carey Casey, National Center for Fathering

Wayne Gordon is a close friend of mine and pastor at the Lawndale Community Church in Chicago. What has happened there under Wayne's leadership has been called a miracle: a blighted community has been transformed into a place of progress, purpose and hope. I had the privilege of serving with Wayne for five years during the 90’s.

Wayne’s book Real Hope in Chicago talks about the principles that helped to transform this community. His insights specifically on leadership are especially valuable and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t pass them on to you. After all, fatherhood is about leading today and raising up leaders for tomorrow.

1. See fifteen years into the future. The little children you see today—or even the teenager—will grow and mature. Even if things seem difficult right now, don’t give up! Your investments in your children’s lives will make a difference, even if you can’t see it for weeks, months, or even years.
2. Make them feel important. That’s how gang leaders build closeness and loyalty, and it works even better in families. When your child knows that he is precious to you and has a contribution to make in your household, he develops the confidence to develop into a leader.
3. Don’t go anywhere alone. Future leaders need to get out in the world, experience life, and become familiar with its problems and mysteries. And they need to see how Dad handles those issues. So include a child when you go to the hardware store, to the weekend softball game, or the church service project, and sometimes, if you can, even the out-of-town business trip. That’s how you share your life with your children, strengthen your relationships, and give them a vision for the world.
4. Be accessible. Our children need to know that they are among our top priorities, and one way we communicate that is by being available—even when it’s not convenient for us. When a child knows they can get your full attention in a time of need, suddenly they gain a confidence to reach beyond themselves.
5. Expose them to other role models. Give your kids opportunities to learn from gifted youth leaders, caring coaches and teachers, and other positive influencers. As we’re sharing the best of ourselves, we also need to share others with our children.
6. Let them fail. It’s hard to stand by and watch your child fall short of a goal. But that’s often when the most growth occurs. At times, we may need to take a few steps back to allow our kids to move forward through the process of making mistakes and learning from them.
7. Love, love, love. Love is empowering for a child; it gives confidence and security so she can try new things or recover when something has gone wrong. And I know you already know this, but dads, our love needs to be expressed in actions and in words.

Dads, it’s inevitable that our children will grow up and eventually be out on their own. Let’s make sure we’re equipping them to be responsible leaders who really make a difference.

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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03.07.10

You Think?

Movie Trailer Terms of Endearment  Jack Nicholson, Shirley MacLaine, Debra Winger   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fsdDeh0M_nk

Songs  Every Breath You Take Sting & the Police  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEnJDaqT3-0

Maneater Hall and Oates  http://www.youtube.com/watch#!v=ap-OO0xqTe4&feature=related

Thunder 13u Practice  The 8^th grade Thunder will hold practice Sunday from 1-3 pm at Huntington St. Joe

Oak Hill 82 Adena 33
Rebecca Puckett scored 26 points and Karissa Adkins added 19 to lead Oak Hill to an 82-33 victory over Adena in the girls Division III District Championship at the Ohio University Convocation Center on Saturday. Oak Hill (23-0) dominated the Lady Warriors (15-8) early, and the Lady Oaks never trailed.  Behind the shooting of Puckett, the Lady Oaks pulled away early, building a comfortable double-digit lead after one quarter. They led 52-17 at halftime. Mikie Strite added 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting, and Lakin Caudill added seven points, to go along with 10 rebounds and eight assists for Oak Hill. Oak Hill shot 58.6 percent from the field for the game, and was 15 of 16 from the free throw line. The Lady Oaks will face Alexander in a regional semifinal on Wednesday, Mar. 10 at 8 p.m.  http://www.thetelegramnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=7&SubSectionID=13&ArticleID=9459

Ironton 50 Zane Trace 30
No. 2 seed Ironton opened a 12-5 lead after one period and went on to defeat No. 1 Chillicothe Zane Trace, 50-30, Saturday in the Ohio Division III girls district championship game at Ohio University's Convocation Center.  The Lady Fighting Tigers (15-7) advance to the regional semifinals. They will play Sugarcreek Garraway at 6:15 p.m. Wednesday in the Convo. Game two will match No. 1 Oak Hill against Albany Alexander at 8. Lorna Ceaser led Ironton with 20 points. Brea Tackett added 12 and Nikki Elswick 10 and 13 rebounds as Ironton beat the Lady Pioneers (16-7) in the district title game for the second straight year. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x1543284291/Ironton-tops-Zane-Trace-to-capture-district-crown

Sporting News ON-Line  http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20100307?sub_id=Ipb6vDYGBgdc&folio=CGI#pg1

No Heavy Favorite in Wide-Open Girls AAA Field  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201003060551

Congratulations To Thunder Girls Karissa Adkins, Player of the year in Division III District 13 and Leanne Ross Player of the Year in Division II District 13

Congratulations to Thunder Girls Tori Dixon Division II, Lakin Caudill and Rebecca Puckett  they were all chosen first team for District 13 

District 13 All Stars

Division: II Girls
First Team
1. LeAnne Ross Marietta 12 Player of Year
2. Karla Fletcher South Point 11
3. Tori Dixon Vinton County 12
4. Bailey Tope Logan 11
5. Taylor Dolak Warren 12
6. Allie Troester Gallia Academy 12
7. Morgan Howard Meigs 11

Second Team
8. Jalynn Bradburn South Point 11
9. Kelsey Martin Jackson 12
10. Elena Lein Athens 10
11. Maegan Grosel Marietta 11
12. Amy Noe Gallia Academy 12

District 13 All Stars

Division: III Girls
First Team
1. Karissa Adkins Oak Hill 12 Player of Year
2. Rebecca Puckett Oak Hill 12
3. Brea Tackett Ironton 12
4. Morgan Grinstead Alexander 11
5. Amanda Ruffner Chesapeake 10
6. Whitney Daughtery Alexander 11
7. Lakin Caudill Oak Hill 10

Second Team
7. Chelsea Delong Coal Grove 12
8. Megan Brooks Fairland 12
9. Taylor Hale Oak Hill 10
10. Nikki Elswick Ironton 11
11. Kennan Clarkson Fairland 11 

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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03.06.10

I’m going to finish first!

Kara Pollinger Tolsia High School/WV Thunder Official Signing With The US Naval Academy
 

Kara, her parents, sisters, coach Larry and David.
 

Two basketball junkies who live in the gym  (Right Holli?)  Scott and Mychal Johnson Thunder Coach/Parent/Player.  Get pumped up Tomorrow begins the real basketball.

Thumbs Up To Tolsia High School
Tolsia is losing seven seniors off the girls basketball team.  Those seven girls have a combined grade point average just below a 4.0  that is simply terrific.  Academics is where it is at when you go into the real world after basketball.  Rick Marrone, Girls Basketball coach  is certainly one proud coach.

WVThunder Practice  13u

We begin the long journey to the AAU Nationals Tomorrow from 1-3 at Huntington St. Joe.  We have just nine girls who will be making the practices while school is in session and on occasions some of them will need to miss as well since several are obligated to their school activities and as we have mentioned in the past we don’t want our players missing school events for travel ball practice.  Your teammates at your local school more than likely depend on you to help lead them to victory regard of the sport.  We will need players to not only attend our Sunday practices but Tuesday 6-8 pm as well. We would prefer to have the same girls attend if at all possible so they too will know our sets and won’t slow us down each week teaching old stuff over and over.  If you think Thunder practice would benefit you and you are up to it, give Scott or me a call or shoot us an e-mail.

Parent Guide Do’s and Don’t In Dealing with Your Child in Youth Basketball                                                                                                              http://www.ihoops.com/training-room/parents/parents-guide-section-4-parental-do-s-and-don-ts.htm

Positivity Reconsidered  by Jim Thompson, Positive Coaching Alliance  http://coachczes.com/
Rebecca Puckett/Karissa Adkins Oak Hill/WV Thunder
Good luck in your game vs Adena at the Convo Center today.   Just remember to keep your game faces on.  Tip off is set for 11:00 am Today. S

Still Kicking
Several Thunder girls are still in the competition on the road to a state championship.  Good luck to Dusti Chapman, Amber Chadwick, Brooke Keeton as St. Joe goes for the title next week in Charleston.  HHS will also have several Thunder girls at the state capital as well in Erin Bailes, Leah Ching, Dominoes Gibson and Whitney Bays (injured).  Hannah Murray will be up there with the Ravenswood high school team and Kara Pollinger will be in that same division with the Tolsia team.  A couple of other girls who were with the Thunder in our 10u year Sissy Wagner and Karley Walker will be representing South Charleston as well.  In the state of OH where the tournament involves a lot more games we still have Kayla Cook, South Webster and Rebecca Puckett and Karissa Adkins off the Oak Hill squad.  A few other members of Lady Oaks also played for the Thunder in the past including Lakin Caudill and Breanna Butler. Nikki Elswick Ironton high school is still in the running.  Coaches Doug Hale, Lonnie Lucas  and Shannon Lewis have sent tons of girls to the WV Thunder program and there is seldom a year when at least one girl from their school is not a part of a Thunder team.  These three guys really foster and promote travel ball, so thanks fellows for all you do in the way of offering gym time and encouraging your players to play during the summer months. All of the people highlighted in this area are what makes the Thunder so special.

Sporting News On-Line http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20100306?sub_id=Ipb6vDYGBgdc&folio=CGI#pg1

1982 Songs   Eye of the Tiger  Theme from Rocky Survivor  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2uBN04M3R0&feature=related
Hurts So Good John Cougar http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_8RLvMOqZg
Hurts So Good  John Melloncamp  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4dOsbsuhYGQ
The Message  Grandmaster Flash  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4o8TeqKhgY
 

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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03.05.10
 

Friends Forever

In God We Still Trust  Diamond Rio http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVcoQcdjrsA

Thunder Practice 13u
The WV Thunder  will hold practice from 1-3 Sunday at Huntington St. Joe High School.  Welcome back ladies.

Kara Pollinger  Tolsia High School/WV Thunder
Kara Pollinger will be signing with the US Naval Academy.  She is signing at Noon Friday at Tolsia High School.   Kara is the 5^th Thunder girl off the 16u team to sign with a Division I School.

Dining Time With Dog Man  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f0KcJ9su_z4&feature=popt17us03

1982 Movie Trailer

Gandhi  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVwCeGxTN-A

Tolsia 64 Clay County 54
Karli Purvis went 9-for-9 from the field and finished with 21 points to lead the Rebels while Katie Lahoda added 16 points and nine rebounds.  Kara Pollinger notched 12 points, eight assists and four steals in the win.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x84984652/Tolsia-girls-earn-way-back-to-state

Ripley 53 Princeton 48
Alannah Sheets had a career-high 32 points Thursday night as Ripley advanced to the girls state tournament for just the third time in school history with a 53-48 win at Princeton in the Class AAA Region 3 co-finals. Sheets went from 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 14-of-17 at the foul line.  The Vikings (17-8) also got a double-double from Taylor Wilson (12 points, 11 rebounds). Brittany Lankford led Princeton (10-12) with 14 points, and McKenzie Akers and Cheyanne Walker chipped in 11 points each

Summers County 86  Wyoming East 32
Host and Class AA No. 1 Summers County punched its ticket for the state tournament in Region 4 behind 24 points from Hallie Gunnoe. The Bobcats (25-0) led at halftime 51-1. Ashley Brown added 18 points, eight assists and six steals. Selina Simmons led Wyoming East with 14 points.

Ravenswood 49 Weir 32
Emily Rector and Hannah Murray each scored 19 points as host Ravenswood (17-5) rolled to the state tournament with a victory in the Class AA Region 1 championship game. Nikki Robinson scored nine points for Weir (14-9).    http://newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/527354.html?nav=5063

Scott 63 Sissonsville 37
The Skyhawks rebounded from a loss in the sectional championship game to defeat Sissonville 63-37 in Class AA Region 4 and earn a berth in the state tournament. A near-capacity crowd attended at Sissonville High School. Makenzie White, who turned in 29 points, 10 rebounds and four assists. "We refused to lose. The 5-foot-8 White, who has verbally committed to West Virginia University, also bodied up and harassed Sissonville junior Jenna Curry, a 6-2 post player who netted 16 points  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/201003040883

Parkersburg South 59  Woodrow Wilson 52
Jessie Moore turned in 15 points and seven rebounds as Parkersburg South beat visiting Woodrow Wilson to earn a berth to the AAA state tourney. Mary Seagraves added 11 points, Kelsi Halbert 11 points and seven assists and Kristiana Hunt 10 points and six steals for the Patriots (19-3). South's Asia Greenleaf had eight points, seven boards and six blocks. Ashley Chipps and Alexis Allen tallied 13 points apiece for the Flying Eagles (10-11) and Haley Snyder 10. http://newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/527347.html?nav=5063

ST. JOE GIRLS NO. 1 SEED 
The WVSSAC released the Class A girls basketball state tournament brackets on Thursday and Huntington St. Joe is the No. 1 seed headed into next week's action.  The Irish take on No. 8 seed Meadow Bridge in the first round on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. A win would put the Irish against the winner of the Charleston Catholic-Pocahontas County matchup. Thunder Girls Amber Chadwick/Brooke Keeton/Dusti Chapman play for St. Joe

HHS GIRLS SEEDED NO. 4
The Highlanders will match up vs #5 seed Martinsburg  11:15 am Thursday. A win advances them inot the semi-finals vs the North Marion/Ripley winner and that game would be at 5:30 pm Friday.  Thunder Girls Leah Ching/Erin Bailes/Dominoes Gibson/Whitney Bays (Injured) play for HHS

TOLSIA GIRLS SEEDED NO. 3
Tolsia will open play Wednesday at 9:30 am vs #6 seed Oak Glen. A win will put them into the semi finals vs the Scott/Liberty winner at 9:30 am Friday  Thunder Girl Kara Pollinger plays for Tolsia.

Inspire Personal Accountability:
Excerpt from Change is Good...You Go First
By Mac Anderson and Tom Feltenstein

Something magical happens when we accept personal responsibility for our behavior and our results. But, it's not easy, because it's human nature to "pass the buck". I (Mac) know there have been times in my life when my business was struggling where I found myself blaming others, blaming the economy, blaming this, blaming that! But as I've gotten older (and a little wiser) when things go wrong in my business, or my life, I can always find the culprit...in the mirror. In every instance, it always comes back to choices I've made in my life that put me exactly where I am today. I have to say, that this one "tweak" in my attitude may sound like a little thing, but it has made a big difference in my life.

What does all this have to do with change? Plenty! As a manager, one of the most important things you can do in times of change is to get your people to understand how taking personal responsibility and recognizing problems as opportunities, will not only help the company, but will help them as individuals. In other words, sell the idea of...what's in it for them?

Authors B.J. Gallagher and Steve Ventura wrote a great little book about achieving success through personal accountability titled: Who Are "They" Anyway? I like their list showing how each individual in the company can benefit by adopting a "personal accountability attitude":

• You have more control over your destiny
• You become an active contributor rather than a passive observer
• Others look to you for leadership
• You gain the reputation as a problem solver
• You enhance your career opportunities
• You enjoy the satisfaction that comes from getting things done...the power of positive doing
• You experience less anger, frustration and helplessness - all leading to better physical health
• You realize a positive spillover effect into your personal life at home

According to Gallagher and Ventura, the most important words of personal responsibility are as follows:

The 10 most important words:
I won't wait for others to take the first step.
The 9 most important words:
If it is to be, it's up to me.
The 8 most important words:
If not me, who? If not now, when?
The 7 most important words:
Let me take a shot at it.
The 6 most important words:
I will not pass the buck.
The 5 most important words:
You can count on me.
The 4 most important words:
It IS my job!
The 3 most important words:
Just do it!
The 2 most important words:
I will.
The most important word:
Me

Frank Tyger said it best..."Your future depends on many things, but mostly yourself."

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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03.04.10

Olympics Anyone?  Maybe in 2024

Poster During World War II Era

South Webster 62 Eastern Meigs 58
South Webster’s Kayla Cook and Eastern Meigs’ Kasey Turley led their teams to the Division IV District Championship game where both seniors showed their big game ability.
In the end it was Kayla Cook, WV Thunder who scored 33 points with 17 rebounds, and the Lady Jeeps that got the edge as South Webster defeated Eastern Meigs 62-58 on Wednesday. The win gave South Webster its fourth-consecutive district title. Kasey Turley scored 28 points with seven rebounds and two blocks, keeping pace with Cook for most of the contest. Kaci Messer finished with 12 points    http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/6562904/article-Jeeps-roll-to-regionals?instance=lead_story_left_column

Kayla Cook, Senior South Webster/WV Thunder just after she cut down the net at the Convo Center, OH Univerisity

Waterford 71 Clay 35
Waterford was led by Sina King’s 26 points and seven rebounds. Waterford’s Emily Brown scored 19 in the win.  Clay was led in scoring by Holly Hempill’s 10 points and Katherine Bauer’s nine points.  http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/6562904/article-Jeeps-roll-to-regionals?instance=lead_story_left_column

Huntington St. Joe 87 Man 34
According to the H-D (no coverage on line yet) St. Joe threw a full court press at Man from the get go and they were unable to get the ball across half court for three minutes before they got off a shot and had 12 turnovers in the first quarter as the Irish took down Man by 53 points.  Kiki, Smith, D-1 Greyhounds  led the team with  21 points,  Dusti Chapman, WV Thunder  had 19, and Brooke Keeton, WV Thunder  13. SJ - Chapman 19, Smith 21, N.Lobo 5, Ferguson 2, D.Lobo 3, Anderson 4, Sang 7, Chadwick 6, Dorsey 6, Adkins 1, Keeton 13

East Carter 52 Boyd County 36
Wednesday was a bit of a family affair, too. Easterling’s daughter, Kristin Easterling, led the Lady Raiders with 18 points, and she served up four assists. Lakota Burge finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. She was afraid she would not be able to play when she sprained the ankle, but Wednesday she pronounced herself ’99.9 percent’ of full strength.  Sophomore Courtney Moore led Boyd County (18-9) with 13 points  http://www.dailyindependent.com/localsports/local_story_062234120.html

Rowan County 53 Ashland 43
Senior forward Natasha Kissinger turned in a whirlwind performance with 26 points.  Tierra Hamilton scored 12, including two 3-pointers.  Meanwhile, senior Adri Neely was a force inside with her career-high 15 rebounds ’ nine offensive ’ and defensive presence For Ashland, Paige Leaver scored 11 points and Kaylin Gambill 10. http://www.dailyindependent.com/localsports/local_story_062231200.html

St. Mary’s 74 Bishop Donahue 44
Kelsea Fickiesen knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers in the second quarter to pad the advantage to as many as 18 points in the second period. The junior finished with a game-high 20 points to go with six rebounds.  http://mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/520003.html?nav=5025

Wheeling Central 51 Williamstown 43
Cassie Sorge led the Maroon Knights with 14 points. Liz Flowers paced the Yellowjackets with 16 points, followed by Maddie Postewaite with 14 and Courtney Taylor with 10.

Cabell Midland 65 Spring  Valley 45
Cabell Midland’s seasons of frustration against Spring Valley ended Wednesday night. And it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Knights, who lost to the Timberwolves, 55-40, on Dec. 18, turned the tables on Spring Valley this time. Cabell Midland’s defense shut down Spring Valley’s perimeter game and Michael Brumfield and Matt Walker had the touch inside and out, triggering the Knights to a 63-43 boys basketball win in the first of two West Virginia Class AAA Region 4, Section 2 tournament games at Veterans Memorial Field House.  “We didn’t let them get under our skin,” said Brumfield, who led the Knights with 21 points. “We stayed focused and kept to our game plan. This feels great.” Walker added 18 points.  George Brody led the Timberwolves with 12 points and Zak Robateau had 10. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x681183607/Midland-whips-Wolves

2009-2010 ALL-SEOAL GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM
Congratulations to LeAnne Ross, Marietta /WV Thunder as she was selected Player of the Year in the SEOAL Conference.  Nikki Elswick, Ironton/WV Thunder  was named to the team.

Three Offensive Mistakes   Pat Anderson Newsletter

MISTAKE #1: FEEDING THE POST FROM THE TOP OF THE KEY

When entering the ball to one of your big players down low it's absolutely essential to get a proper passing angle. Train your kids to use the dribble to pick one side of the court, then move to an area below the free throw line extended. This forces the post defender to either front the post, or play directly behind him. He's unable to cheat by covering the passing angle and defending the basket at the same time. The passer should use an up-fake to get the defender's hands in the air, then step into the pass with his pivot foot. The post player should get low, maintain his position, using his backside, and provide a target for the passer.

MISTAKE #2: POOR BALANCE ON SHOTS

Many young players make the mistake of fading away or drifting on their jump shot. This is usually a result of poor balance. Make sure your players learn to square up, collect themselves and set their feet before attempting a shot. Reinforce this in all your shooting drills.  They should jump straight up and land on the same spot on the floor where they took off from. Avoid leaning toward or away from the basket.

An easy mantra to remember is "no balance, no shot"

MISTAKE #3: CUTTING AT HALF SPEED

A lot of times, the biggest factor that separates poor from excellent offensive teams is their movement without the ball. Whenever you run your offense in practice, encourage your kids to cut at FULL EFFORT. That means setting solid screens, cutting at full speed to get open, posting up hard, etc. Do it in practice consistently and it will translate over to your games much more easily.

1981 Songs

Betty Davis Eyes Kim Carnes http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifDycyRNpcI

Celebration  Kool and The Gang  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GwjfUFyY6M 

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

return to top
03.03.10

AT 120 DEGREES IN AUSTRALIA , IT WAS SO HOT FOR A WEEK THAT KOALAS
WERE ASKING PEOPLE FOR WATER. IT'S NEVER BEEN SEEN BEFORE.

  

Thunder 13u Practice
The WV Thunder will hold practice from 1-3 at Huntington St. Joe Sunday March 7^th.  The team will also hold practices every Tuesday from 6-8 pm.

Huntington High 62 Winfield 50  HHS Advances to the State Tournament Next Week
Erin Bailes had an outstanding game last night when the team needed her to step up. With its major inside threat/leading scorer neutralized by early foul trouble, Huntington High needed to generate offense from another source.  Senior Erin Bailes, WV Thunder  provided that firepower, scoring 31 points, going 15-15 from the free throw line to lead the Highlanders past Winfield, 62-50, in the West Virginia girls Class AAA Region 4 basketball co-final Tuesday night at Huntington High.  Leah Ching, WV Thunder finished with 12 pts. Jade Smith led the Generals with 17 points, including four three-pointers. Jordan Brock added 11 and Rachel Ashley 10.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x84983414/Bailes-provides-spark-for-HHS

South Charleston 86 Cabell Midland 45  SC Heading to the State Tournament Next Week
KeKe Allen scored a career-high 29 points, grabbed five rebounds and came up with four steals as the Black Eagles advanced to next week's state tournament.  Brittany Gordon chipped in 16 points, 10 rebounds and five steals for SC (23-1), which finished No. 2 in the final Associated Press poll.  Grace Jarrell led Cabell Midland with 11 points and Taylor Carter contributed nine.  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201003020968

1981 Movie

On Golden Pond  Henry  Fonda  Katharine Hepburn   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvHTLc02XUY

Country Songs  I’m just an old Chunk of Coal  John Anderson   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmI_OWR3Nj8

Seven Year Ache  Rosanna Cash  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrUs_FWqj9s

Five Tips for Managing Your Time  I-hoops

As a high school basketball player, you probably feel overwhelmed at times. Like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done. It can be tough balancing classes, homework, practice, weight training, and time to relax with family and friends. And as challenging as it can be, you have to remember, "to whom much is given, much is expected."

Being a basketball player means you have more responsibilities and obligations than a "regular" student. Wear that like a badge of honor. And keep in mind you have the same number hours in your day (24) that Kobe Bryant and LeBron James have in their day!

Here are five quotes to help you prioritize and better manage your time:

"It is better to look ahead and prepare than to look back and regret." Plan your day the night before. Don't go to sleep until you know exactly what needs to get done the following day. Have a prioritized "to-do" list and stick to it. Being organized is the first step in managing your time effectively.

"Don't waste time worrying about things you can't control." You can't control the fact your teacher said you have a paper due Friday. But you can control how you approach it. Complaining about the due date will get you nowhere. Put all of your energy and effort into the things you can actually have effect on!

"If you don't have the time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?" Don't cut corners. Don't rush through things just get them done. Everything you do is a reflection of yourself. Put your best foot forward in your first attempt, it will save you time later!

"Don't confuse being busy with being productive." Do you know that 80 percent of your results come from 20 percent of your time? That's why a prioritized "to-do" list is so important. Don't get bogged down by trivial things, cut right to the important stuff. Focus on the stuff that gives you the most return.

"Do what has to be done. Do it when it has to be done. Do it as well as you can. Do it this way all of the time." That is the definition of discipline. If you are disciplined with yourself, you will be disciplined with your time.

Fossils of Snake Eating Dino Eggs Found in India
The fossilized remains of a 67 million-year-old snake found coiled around a dinosaur egg offer rare insight into the ancient reptile's dining habits and evolution, scientists said Tuesday.  The findings, which appeared in Tuesday's issue of the PLoS Biology journal, provide the first evidence that the 11.5-foot- (3.5-meter-) long snake fed on eggs and hatchlings of saurapod dinosaurs, meaning it was one of the few predators to prey on the long-necked herbivores.   http://armstrongmywire.com/news/read.php?ps=1018&rip_id=%3CD9E6G1480%40news.ap.org%3E&_LT=HOME_LARSDCCLM_UNEWS

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

return to top
03.02.10

Love is everywhere

Simple Truth 3 Minute Video on Imagination

http://www.paperairplanemovie.com/?cm_mmc=Responsys-_-NL-_-3.1.10-_-PPAPmovie

South Webster will play Eastern Meigs at the Convo Center on Wednesday. It should be a terrific game      

 Game Time     South Webster Vs Eastern 6:15 pm  Waterford Vs Clay 8:15 pm

Shooting Off the Dribble Video http://www.ihoops.com/practice-time/shooting/shooting-off-the-dribble.htm?act=EMC-Eteamz&Vehicle=Basketball&Date=03_01_10&Edition=1&Sections=Articles&Creative=How_to_Shoot_Off_the_Dribble&TextName=More&ArtText=Txt&Placement=1&Dy=Mon

Ashland 49 West Carter 41
Katelyn Connor scored 20 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Ashland past West Carter 49-41 in the first round of Kentucky's 16th Region girls basketball tournament Monday night. Kristen Perry scored 20 points for WC.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331862160/Ashland-Boyd-County-advance-in-16th-Region-in-16th-Region-tournament

Boyd County 49  Fleming County 46
Courtney Moore scored 19 points and Boyd County held of a late rally by Fleming County to earn a road win in the first round of Kentucky's 16th Region Tournament. Holly Jude added 11 points for the Lions (18-8),

Monday Evening at the Café
Some of the updaters have been asking how I am doing in Cornhole. Well last night not so good. I played five game which were four doubles and one single and won just one match.  Looked good in warm-ups which means  nothing just like in Basketball.  My philosophy in cornhole is similar to that of  basketball that if you play the best competition over time you will be one of those top teams or for cornhole, individual player.  That hasn’t happened yet in cornhole but it has been a way of life in Thunder Ball since way back when & before I turn the page on another decade in a little over a year, the results will be there.

Coaching Toolbox Blog
Poise is an emotional peace which is seemingly inconsistent with the challenge at hand. Poise is developed rather than learned. Poise permits practice to render expected results.  Poise is nearly invisible at its strongest, but obvious to all when absent.

Poise does not improve our physical skill, but rather is the state of mind with which a performance is offered. Poise is understood by few. Poise is leased by many but owned by none. Poise is relative. Everybody has a little, but few have enough. Poise is not always passive. Poise is ready to fight, but always within the rules. Poise provides us with the ability to remain focused on our objective rather than aimlessly gazing at distractions. As our temptation to become distracted intensifies, our needed amount of poise increases. It is impossible to have too much poise.

Poise is readiness. Poise is not a fancy word for composure. Poise may choose to avoid conflict, but does not equate with passive play. Poise is more concerned with winning a game than with merely avoiding a fight. Poise is capable of an aggressive box out. Poise does not conflict with a foul that prevents a basket. Poise is capable of a crushing screen. Poise does not preclude crashing the offensive boards. Poise allows us to execute the demands of the game while maintaining an awareness of the rules and a genuine respect for the competition.

Poise lessens the impact of pressure. Poise is the buffer which prevents pressure from damaging our performance.  Poise removes all competition except the other team. Our preparation and strategy will prepare us for a particular opponent. Poise can either be a key component to winning or a major cause of defeat.

Poise is always needed. There is not a good time to be without poise. Everybody is aware that poise is needed on occasion, but few realize that it is called upon constantly.  Poise must be a great strength in order for teams to achieve greatness.

There is little, if any, correlation between talent and poise. We all can develop poise if it is perceived as important and worthwhile to do so.

Poise provides us with the opportunity to do our best.  Without poise, distractions will serve to detract from our performance. You and your teammates must develop poise in order to make any sincere effort toward achieving meaningful objectives. Anything other than our best is not acceptable. Poise is a necessary component to any pursuit within a competitive environment.

1980  Songs
Coward of the County  Kenny Rogers  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKn2xTo2HA8    
The Rose Beth Midler http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oR6okRuOLc8 
Call Me   Blonde     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH3Q_CZy968&feature=related

Could I Have This Dance for The Rest of My Life  Anne Murray  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF8QykqGRq4&feature=related  Every time I hear this song, my mother-in-law (Mabel Plybon) comes to mind. This was one of her favorite songs.  Isn’t it funny how a song can bring back such wonderful memories of a person? By the way she raised one terrific daughter.

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

return to top
03.01.10

Wrestling -----------------Point Pleasant Stops Oak Glen Run --- One of the most remarkable state title winning streaks came to an end Yesterday as Point Pleasant captured the Class AA Championship.  Point Pleasant goes down as the school that ended Oak Glen's 13-year run as Class AA/A wrestling champion. It became official when the Black Knights crowned three champions, had six placers overall and totaled 170.5 points to finish on top for the first time in school history and touch off a wild celebration on the final day of competition in the 63rd state tournament at Big Sandy Superstore Arena.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331861268/No-Headline

Erin Bailes and Leah Ching, HHS/WV Thunder on Senior Night. They are taller and I am shorter it seems.  Thanks for the memories you two.

Huntington St. Joe 57 Charleston Catholic 44
St. Joe, which was led by Sara Sang's 18 points and 11 rebounds, will play for the Class A, Region IV title on Wednesday. Charleston Catholic (11-11) was led by Victoria Thomas' 12.   HUNTINGTON ST. JOE 18 16 11 15 -- 60: Chapman 5, Kiki Smith 10, Sara Sang 18, Chadwick 9, Stephanie Dorsey 10, Keeton 8.   CHARLESTON CATHOLIC 6 18 14 7 -- 45: Whelan 7, Victoria Thomas 12, Ally Hoyer 10, Blake 7, Wood 4, Evans 3, Casey 2.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331860712/No-Headline

Huntington High School 55 Cabell Midland 45
Talequia Hamilton ended the night just one block shy of a triple-double, finishing with 10 points, 19 rebounds and nine blocks.   Erin Bailes finished with 17 points,  Grace Jarrell finished with 10 points.  Emily Harbour finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds.  Leah Ching had 12 points. CABELL MIDLAND 17 3 10 15 -- 45: Bellomy 4, Harbour 25, Jarrell 10, Adams 1, Carter 3, Hardiman 2  HUNTINGTON HIGH 20 15 11 9 -- 55: Bailes 17, Hamilton 10, Ching 12, Steele 6, Hawarny 8, Gibson 2  http://www.herald- dispatch.com/sports/highschool/x331860688/HHS-avenges-loss-wins-section

Cornhole Monday  Marshall Café  6:00 pm Blind Draw A/B
Come out and join in on the fun.  We are averaging 20+ each Monday and we have more women pitching at the Café than any of the other weekly cornhole nights at other places.  So everyone come out and join the fun. No experience needed we have a ton of pitchers who have just started playing cornhole.  

Simple Truths  Zig Zigler You've probably heard the 3 keys to making money in real estate...location, location, location. I'll now share the 3 keys to managing your attitude...reinforce, reinforce, reinforce!   What are some of the secrets to staying positive? Just click here to watch this inspiring 3 minute movie. And if you like it...share it with friends, family and co-workers. It'll put a smile in their heart!   http://www.inspiration365movie.com/?cm_mmc=Responsys-_-WK-_-2.26.10-_-INSPmovie

From 100 Coaching Tips, The Coaching Toolbox
NEVER-EVER forget who has been a positive influence on you, and helped you get to where you are today…continue to thank them, and then DO THE SAME FOR SOMEONE ELSE!   This is really a tip that a person should follow in all walks of life.

 
Melonna Carmichael/Hannah Murray/ Ravenswood/WV Thunder I believe they are Saying Ravenswood is #1 after they defeated Ritchie County 35-21 to win the sectional

South Charleston 65 Winfield 47
SC sophomore forward Angelica Villanueva scored 14 points on 7-of-10 shooting and added four rebounds and three steals and senior point guard Sissy Wagner contributed 13 points, five boards, five assists and three steals. Karley Walker finished with 12 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block and sophomore guard Brittany Gordon chipped in 12 points for the Black Eagles, who shot 55.8 percent (29-of-52) from the field.   Jordan Brock finished with 16 points on 8-of-16 shooting and pitched in six rebounds for the Generals while younger sister Skylar Brock added 12 points, hitting all eight free throws, and landing five boards. Winfield senior Rachel Ashley chipped in 10 points. http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002270590

Tolsia 43 Scott 39
Mckenzie White 16 points, Amber Finley 12 pts and Kara Pollinger pulled down 12 boards

Sporting news On-Line    http://today.sportingnews.com/sportingnewstoday/20100301?sub_id=Ipb6vDYGBgdc&folio=CGI#pg1

Top Movie  1980
Raging Bull Robert De Niro  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YiVOwxsa4OM

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

return to top
02.26.10

I Got A Secret But I’m Not telling

PAT SUMMITT  Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach - Six National Championships

On Consistency
Our philosophy is to be firm, be fair, but be consistent. Players really watch for coaches who favor their best players. I’ve never really had a problem with that. I like people. I’m not about titles; whereas a lot of people are about titles. I’m friends with the custodian and the president of the university. It’s just people and there’s a right way and a wrong way to treat people and that’s true with discipline

Cornhole
Friday-Saturday-Sunday  Turfway Park Race Track in Florence, KY.  Individual and Doubles competition on Fri-Sat.  Sunday is the 7 player team event

1979  Country Music                                                                                                                                                              Family Tradition Hank Williams Jr  http://www.youtube.com/watch#v=wyDie_4dOdU&feature=related   
Tulsa Time Don Williams  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJBeujAQf_0

South Webster 55 New Boston 35
Kayla Cook, WV Thunder  continued her hot streak in the second quarter, ending the half with 17 points en route to a game-high 25. Cook also grabbed 11 rebounds in the contest. Taylor Queen scored 11 points.  New Boston was led by Alyssa Raines’ 13 points and 11 rebounds. Fellow senior Missy Buckley scored 10 points for New Boston.   http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/6470737/article-Lady-Jeeps-advance-again?instance=secondary_stories_left_column

Oak Hill 51 Eastern Brown 40
Mikie Strite led the way with 12 points on four 3's while Taylor Hale had 11 points, six steals and five rebounds.
Lakin Caudill cleaned up the glass for 10 rebounds to go with six points, Breanna Butler had five points, four rebounds and four steals and Rebecca Puckett, WV Thunder  added eight points, five rebounds and three assists.  Eastern was led by Rachel Mullins' double-double of 10 points and 14 rebounds. Shayla Black finished with 11 points and three steals in the loss.   http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/6470716/article-Lady-Oaks-eliminate-Eastern-Brown-51-40?instance=secondary_stories_left_column

Eastern Reedsville 58 Fairfield 49
Emirl Connery — who scored 12 fourth quarter points — led the Lady Eagles with 17 points, followed by Audrionna Pullins with 13 and Beverly Maxson with 12 markers. Pullins also had a double-double effort with a game-high 11 rebounds..  Chelsey Riddle paced the Lady Lions with a game-high 25 points and 10 rebounds, while Laurie Bowman added 12 markers. Gabrielle Boone also chipped in nine points. FHS was 11-of-21 at the charity stripe for 52 percent.  http://www.mydailysentinel.com/view/full_story/6471207/article-Lady-Eagles-outlast-Fairfield--58-49?instance=lead_story_left_column

Miami Trace 52 Marietta 43 OT
Jenna Cobb 29 points.  LeAnne Ross, WV Thunder 17 points.  http://mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/519854.html?nav=5025

Ashland 46 Boyd County 41
Ashland's Katelyn Connor scored eight of her team-high 12 points in the third quarter, including six during a 14-4 run that gave the Kittens their biggest lead at 40-29 at the end of three quarters.  In addition to Connor's 12 points, Amy Hanners added 11 points for Ashland, including three 3-pointers. Chelsea Dietrich and Mykal Farris each added 10 in the win.  Holly Jude  finished with 14 points.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331860250/Kittens-claw-Boyd-County-46-41

Memphis 65 Marshall Lady Herd 53
The Herd was led by Kendra King's 11 points, all coming in the first half. Tynikki Crook, who averaged a double-double against Memphis last season, just missed it Thursday. She finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331860220/Marshall-women-go-cold-lose-at-Memphis 

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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02.25.10

Simple Truths  Walk the Walk Short Video  Abraham Lincoln had this to say about commitment:   "COMMITMENT is what transforms a promise into reality. It is the words that speak boldly of your intentions. And the actions which speak louder than the words. It is making the time when there is none. Coming through time after time after time, year after year after year. Commitment is the stuff character is made of; the power to change the face of things. It is the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism."  http://www.simpletruths.tv/store/movies.php?movie=wktk

Franklin Central Middle 50 Lincoln 45 OT
Brittani Rizzi, WV Thunder put up 30 points in the win.

Brooke Bellomy,/Cabell Midland/Cadara Cole/Spring Valley

Cabell Midland 45 Spring Valley 44
Emily Harbour put up 13 points, Brooke Bellomy 11 and Jessie Adams 8 as the CM/SV game went down to the last shot by SV that was halfway down and and bounced out of the basket.  Hannah Bailey led Spring Valley with 12 points and Kylie Purdue added 11. SPRING VALLEY 7 10 12 15 - 44: Perry 7, Perdue 11, Bailey 12, Morris 4, Cole 9, Lee 1   CABELL MIDLAND 9 7 11 18 - 45: Bellomy 11, Harbour 13, Jarrell 5, Sarver 2, Smith 2, Hardin 4, Adams 8

Huntington High  77 Lincoln County 60
After watching Cabell Midland earn a win in the first contest of the Class AAA, Region IV, Section 2 tournament, Erin Bailes, WV Thunder  was on a mission to get a rematch with Cabell Midland.  Bailes, who was injured during the Highlanders' 52-46 loss to Cabell Midland earlier this season, scored 21 of her career-high 29 points in the first half to lead Huntington High to an easy win and rematch with the rival Knights.  Taliquia Hamilton scored 12 of her 17 points in the second half for Huntington High while Leah Ching, WV Thunder  added 13 in the win.  Anitra Hawarny finished with eight points and a game-high 12 rebounds  Morgan Scarpellini scored a team-high 21 points for Lincoln County while Chelsea Caldwell, WV Thunder  finished with 16. Francis Vance and Devin Pritchard added 10 each in the loss. LINCOLN COUNTY 9 13 22 16 - 60: Scarpellini 21, Caldwell 16, Vance 10, Pritchard 10, Lawson 2, Brumfield 1.  HUNTINGTON HIGH 20 28 17 12 - 77: Bailes 29, Hamilton 17, Ching 13, Hawarny 8, Steele 7, Gibson 3

Huntington St. Joe 90 Buffalo 29
Steals were at a premium as the Irish defense hit the Buffalo passing lanes almost as often as the it scored. McDonald's All-American nominee Dusti Chapman, WV Thudner  led the way with seven steals and Brooke Keeton, WV Thunder  made five swipes. Overall, Huntington St. Joe forced the Lady Bison into 29 turnovers  She filled the stat sheet with 12 points and six assists to go along with those seven steals.  Kiki Smith had 11 points and nine assists. Keeton finished with 20 and five rebounds. Sara Sang also chipped in with 16 points and eight boards.  Amber Chadwick, WV Thunder finished with 13 points. HUNTINGTON ST. JOE 34 20 26 10 -- 90: Dusti Chapman 12, Kiki Smith 11, Lobo 6, Ferguson 2, Anderson 2, Sara Sang 16, Amber Chadwick 13, Dorsey 4, Adkins 4, Brooke Keeton 20  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331859673/Huntington-St-Joseph-girls-cruise-past-Buffalo

Ripley 57 George Washington 56  Double OT
In a game that had it all, George Washington's Dri Nazario started it but Ripley's Alannah Sheets finished it.  Sheets missed the first of two foul shots with no time left in the second overtime but was true on the second, breaking a tie and giving Ripley a 57-56 victory at George Washington in a Class AAA Region 3 Section 1 tournament game Wednesday night at GW. Sheets was pumping her fist even before the second foul shot fell through the rim, and she admitted she knew the shot was good from the beginning.  Dri Nazario and Alannah Sheets each ended up with 24 points to lead their teams. Taylor Wilson added 11 for Ripley, while Alexxis Tunstalle and Alexa Peoples scored 12 apiece for George Washington. http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002240781

Charleston Catholic 61 Wahama 37
Meg Whelan had 15 points as Charleston Catholic defeated Wahama 61-37 Wednesday night in the Class A Region 4 Section 1 girls basketball tournament at Cabell Midland. Victoria Thomas, Catherine Evans and Ally Hoyer added 12 points each for Catholic (11-10). Taylor Hysell led Wahama (12-10) with 12 points. Catholic will play Huntington St. Joe in the section final Friday.  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002240795?page=2&build=cache

Parkersburg South 54  Parkersburg 27
Parkersburg South hit seven of its eight 3-point tries in the first half, taking a 28-14 lead and cruising past Parkersburg in the Class AAA Region 3 Section 1 tournament at South. Asia Greenleaf scored 12 points and pulled down 12 rebounds, while Kelsi Halbert had 12 points and six assists. The Big Reds finished 9-15.The Patriots (17-3) stay home to play Ripley at 7 p.m. for the section title.  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002240795?page=2&build=cache

John Burdette Eastern High School, Girls Basketball Coach
Congrats to Coach John Burdette on his COY for the TVC Hocking Division voted by the coaching Association It is on the message board today after the improvement Eastern made from one year to the next how could he not win this award.  In just two years Coach Burdette has the Eastern Girls on track and Waterford handed them their only two defeats this season.  With the strong 8^th grade class arriving next season they should be one of the top teams from their area for the next four seasons.

Gannon Baker Video   Feet Placement On Catching the Ball or Movement Without the Ball To Be Ready  http://www.insidewomensbasketball.com/winter2010/videos/gannon_baker_seg8.html

Coach, Ozzie Guillen To Tweet; White Sox Unhappy
Ozzie Guillen's already going to star in a reality series starting in July. Now the colorful manager of the Chicago White Sox has a Twitter account and his general manager Ken Williams is not happy about it. Guillen, Williams and Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf will shoot segments for the MLB Network reality show "The Club" this spring. That had already prompted concern about the talkative Guillen and his often salty language. Now Guillen's added another forum to express his many opinions on many topics. Guillen said his tweets will be personal and not a way to tell fans what's going on with the White Sox or a way to break news. Still, it appears to be a dangerous device for a manager who's gotten in plenty of trouble over the years with his comments.  http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/mlb/news/story?id=4943110

1979 Movie  Kramer Vs Kramer Trailer  Dustin Hoffman/ Meryl Streep   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNLcfJ06y34
Songs   YMCA The Village People    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS9OO0S5w2k
I will Survive  Gloria Gaynor                 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZBR2G-iI3-I

It May Be difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

return to top
02.24.10

Dream and dreams might come true

Simpletruth.com   http://www.simpletruthsoflifemovie.com/  You won’t want to miss this short video on the simply truths of life,

Gannon Baker Video on How to Split The  Defense and Score http://www.insidewomensbasketball.com/winter2010/videos/gannon_baker_seg7.html

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI  Duke Men’s Basketball Coach - Three National Championships

Reminder
First WV Thunder 8^th Grade Practice  We will hold our first practice on Sunday, March 7^th from 1-3 at Huntington St. Joe High School. 

On Communication
A good leader listens-and more so than that, gives time to listen. The bigger the leader, the busier the leader, the harder it is to take the time to listen. You have to get it in your mind that you have to listen-that there couldn’t be any time better spent than listening.

Boyd County 65 Fairview 35
Courtney Moore scored 17 points and Holly Jude added 16 to lead Boyd County to a 65-35 win over Fairview in the 64th District girls basketball tournament Tuesday at Rose Hill Christian School. Boyd County will meet Ashland in the 64th District championship game at 7 p.m., Thursday.  Kaitlin Brown added 11 points for Boyd County (17-7). Fairview (13-10) got 18 points from Kayla Day.   http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331859043/Highlanders-Wells-defeat-Tug-Valley                          http://www.dailyindependent.com/localsports/local_story_055000141.html

Ashland 58 Rose Hill 36
Ashland advanced to the championship game with a 58-36 win over Rose Hill on Monday. The Kittens jumped out to a 22-1 lead in cruising to the win. Ashland (18-6) got a balanced effort in the win. Chelsea Dietrich finished with 11 points while Mykal Farris and Katelyn Connor each added eight points and eight rebounds.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331859043/Highlanders-Wells-defeat-Tug-Valley                    http://www.dailyindependent.com/localsports/local_story_054000004.html  

East Carter 43 Morgan County 39
East Carter senior Kristin Easterling scored not a single point for 29 minutes, 35 seconds of Monday’s 62nd District game against Morgan County.  What she did for the remaining 2:25 is the reason the Lady Raiders are playing either Elliott County or West Carter for the district title at 7 p.m. Thursday. Her seven points helped clinch her team’s 43-39 win at Veterans Memorial Gymnasium.  http://www.dailyindependent.com/localsports/local_story_054001343.html

Lincoln County 75 Logan 40
Lincoln County advanced with a Monday win in Class AAA, Region IV, Section 2. The Panthers play a 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, game at Huntington High. Cabell Midland and Spring Valley meet at 5:30 p.m. Chelsea Caldwell (18), Alex Lawson (12), Devin Pritchard (11) and Patty Vance (11) led the Lincoln County scoring. Hannah Tothe scored 14 for Logan, which finished the season 4-17. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331859043/Highlanders-Wells-defeat-Tug-Valley

Spring Valley's Zak Robateau (20 ) makes his way to the basket during Tuesday night's boys basketball game with Capital at Spring Valley.  Zak scored 15 points in SV’s  64-52 Loss to Capital last night

South Charleston 63 St. Albans 34
Karley Walker finished with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field, including a 4-of-7 performance from 3-point distance. Sissy Wagner chipped in 13 points and sophomore Angelica Villanueva donated 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals. Brittany Gordon, who averages 14.6 points, had just nine points on 4-of-17 shooting but added three boards, seven assists, five steals and a block.  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002230837

Winfield 46 Hurricane 37

Winfield senior Jade Smith scored 14 points, sinking four from long distance. Senior Skye Smith turned in 22 points, including 14 in the second half, for Hurricane (11-11),  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002230837

 Summers County 74 Pikeview 30
Summers County opened up a 24-point halftime lead and rolled past visiting PikeView in a Class AA Region 3 Section 2 game. Summers, 23-0 and ranked No. 1, will face the Bluefield-James Monroe winner at 7 p.m. Thursday at Concord. Leslie Mack and Hallie Gunnoe led  the team with 16 points each. ),  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002230837

Ravenswood 69  Point Pleasant 27
Red Devil Emily Rector nearly outscored Point Pleasant by herself, putting up 25 points. Rebekah Samples had 21 tallies and drained seven 3-pointers as RHS broke the school record for the second time this season by draining 14 treys. Hannah Murray also had nine points and 10 rebounds in the triumph. ),  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002230837

Williamstown 44 Parkersburg Catholic 40
Liz Flowers was the Yellowjackets' only double-digit performer, finishing with a game-high 21 points, but it was the defense of senior Madison Postlewaite, who chipped in eight points, which kept Williamstown in the game as she limited Parkersburg Catholic all-state guard Maggie Boelter to only 13 points.  http://newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/526933.html?nav=5063

St. Mary’s 75 Gilmer County 53
All-state guard Kelsea Fickiesen tallied a game-high 24 points and the top-ranked Blue Devils overcame a barrage of 3-pointers from the Titans to advance to Friday night's showdown with Williamstown. Joining Fickiesen in double figures were Dani Renner (16), Sara O'Neal (12) and Audra Clark (12). Gilmer County (11-10) was led by Jordan Morris' 15 points. The Titans knocked down 10 triples on the night-five from Morris. http://newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/526933.html?nav=5063

1978  Movie and Songs

The Deer Hunter Trailer  Meryl Streep/Robert Di Nero  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw-Tyr6Rb6I

Saturday Night Fever   Trailer John Travolta   http://www.videodetective.com/titledetails.aspx?PublishedID=1537

Stayin Alive      Bee Gees  http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4ADBS_enUS290US291&q=stayin+alive+bee+Gees+you+tube

Wonderful Tonight  Eric Clapton  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaMuBX4aMmw  On a lot of peoples all time love songs list.  Take a listen and it might become one of yours.

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
CoachL

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02.23.10

Let’s Twist Again Like We Did Last Summer

1977 Songs and Movie

Movie  Star Wars  Trailer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6hOlI9cg

Songs Tonight’s The Night Rod Stewart  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYMyCcR63Go

Margaritaville Jimmy Buffett  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUTf5qvS0Lo

 Hotel California Eagles      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uzh_FlpTFg

Middle School Basketball
Two undefeated teams met in Vinton County Monday Evening. Neither group of girls had lost a game in the 7^th or 8^th grade, so something had to give.

Huntington St. Joe Middle 56 Eastern Meigs Middle 49
For the Lady Irish Mychal Johnson had 23pts and 6 boards. Griffin Dempsey scored 12 pts , had 5 assists and 6 steals.  Terra Stapleton scored 12 pts and pulled down 6 rebounds.  Asia Pattite had 7 pts. For Eastern Jenna Burdette scored a team high 29 pts.  Maddie Rigsby scored 9 pts and Jordan Parker added 7 pts. All the girls mentioned played on a WV Thunder team this past summer.

WV Thunder 8^th Grade Practice
We will be holding practice for the 13u team on Tuesday’s from 6-8 at St. Joe Elementary.  Sunday practices will be from 1-3 at Huntington St. Joe High School.  Please notify the coaches when you are unable to attend so we can have a girl come and fill in during the practice.  Enjoy your week off ladies.  The fun truly begins the first week in March as practice kicks in.

Girls Sectionals Begin Wednesday
West Virginia high school girls basketball teams are into sectional tournament play this week. The Huntington High girls' team has a home game Wednesday in the Class AAA, Region IV, Section 2 playoffs and is tied for No. 4 this week in The Associated Press poll.

Unranked Cabell Midland and Spring Valley meet in a 5:30 p.m., Wednesday, sectional matchup at Huntington High, followed at 7:30 p.m. by the host Highlanders against the winner of Monday's game between Lincoln County and Logan.

Tolsia is No. 5 in the Class AA girls rankings. The Rebels are in Class AA, Region IV, Section 2 playing at the Williamson Field House. Wayne played Tug Valley on Monday and the winner advances to face Scott at 6:30 p.m., Wednesday. Tolsia and Chapmanville play at 8 p.m., Wednesday.

Class A girls No. 2 Huntington St. Joe is in the Region IV, Section 1 tournament at Cabell Midland. No. 8 Charleston Catholic plays Wahama at 6 p.m., Wednesday. Hannan and Buffalo played Monday at Buffalo and the winner takes on St. Joe at 8 p.m., Wednesday.   http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331858495/HHS-girls-begin-sectionals-ranked-No-4-in-Class-AAA

Parkersburg 61 Capital 42 The host Big Reds used a 24-10 third quarter to pull away from the Cougars in the play-in game for the Class AAA Region 3 Section 1 tournament.  Tiffany Mahoney scored 15 points, Tori Wilson 11 and Meghan Ruddlesden 10 for Parkersburg (9-14), which will play at top-seeded Parkersburg South at 7 p.m. Wednesday in the semifinals. Parkersburg only led 22-19 at the break. Keriona Jemison netted a season-high 22 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and came up with five steals for Capital (2-17), which turned the ball over 33 times.

Simple Truths  Good To the Core

Excerpt from
Good to the Core,
by John Blumberg

I was in Honolulu to speak at a large national conference. I scheduled an extra day onto the trip since I had never been to Honolulu and because a few great friends were also at the conference. The day after the conference, we awoke at the crack of dawn to visit Pearl Harbor. As we stood above and looked down upon the sunken USS Arizona, the depth of our experience came to life. It was moving and humbling.

Upon our return to the hotel, I had some time to spare before departing to the airport. A couple of my friends and I decided to rent a raft large enough to hold three adults. We targeted the white-capped waves, out in the distance, as our destination. With the incoming waves, we had a hard time getting away from the shore. At first, there seemed to be enormous momentum keeping us "grounded." Slowly, but surely, we began to make progress. It seemed to get easier. We eventually got within a few feet of the whitecaps and decided to board our raft and relax as a celebration of our efforts. It was in our moment of pause that we felt the reality of our situation. Drifting two feet out and one foot in. Again, two feet out and one foot in. We all felt the unsettling formula of our ever-so-gentle drift out to sea. We immediately abandoned the raft and grasped for safety, with one arm holding the raft and the other arm aggressively swimming. I have never scissor-kicked so hard in my life.

Twenty minutes later we had made minimal progress. Out of nowhere, a lifeguard on a kayak appeared on the scene asking why we were so far out. Feeling the comfort of his presence, we laughed for a moment, lightly commenting about our distance from the shore. He wasn't laughing.

The orange balls had warned us, and we unknowingly ignored them. Infrequently placed across the ocean's surface, they created an invisible line on the ocean's floor. They silently warned us not to drift beyond them regardless of our vision or mission. "You see those big orange balls on top of the water?" the lifeguard inquired. We could see them, but they didn't look very big from where we were still struggling in the water. They did, however, give us the insight that we were basically five times farther out than we should be. I think the lifeguard was trying to teach us a lesson. He didn't leave us, but he didn't assist us either. Forty-five minutes later we walked up on the shore. I was shaking from exhaustion. I began, for the first time, to feel the numerous cuts on my legs and feet from the sharp coral rocks lining the ocean floor.

We had briefly noticed the orange balls on our way out. We had paid little attention to them and certainly had not given any thought to their significance. We had been too focused on our mission to get to the white-capped waves in the distance!

We don't go running away from our values. We go drifting away, and one day wake-up in a place we never meant to be, drifting in a direction we would have never chosen.

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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02.22.10

Quote of the Day   "Good enough is neither."    Unknown

1976 Movie and Songs

Movie  Rocky  Sylvester Stallone   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8DlBN_LLiA

Song  Play That Funky Music  Wild Cherry   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qe1ScoePqVA

Play That Funky Music White Boy  James Brown  http://www.youtube.com/watch#v=AoATQO82k-k&feature=related

Country  Thinkin' Of A Rendezvous Johnny Duncan    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4WbTzuwbwc

She Can Put Her Shoes Under My Bed  Another Johnny Duncan Song  http://www.youtube.com/watch#v=Vnf-Ydo6PdM&feature=related

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI    Duke Men’s Basketball Coach - Three National Championships

On Confidence-Building
If an athlete knows you believe in him or her, then when that kid goes through dark moments, he or she will know they are not alone. We all have those moments and it is important to know that others are with you. Our guys know that they are never alone because we develop relationships and let them know we believe in them. Do you get on them for mistakes of omission or commission? We get on guys for mistakes of omission. I will really get on people who don’t concentrate or those people who don’t play hard. You have to create an environment where people can make mistakes without worrying about it so much. If they are concentrating and playing hard and make a mistake that is different than if their heads are in the clouds.

Cornhole Monday  Marshall Café
Cornholers we will be letting the bags fly  at 6:00 pm Monday at the Marshall Cafe.  The crowd is increasing with each passing week  and we have several  young ladies who also compete so bring your wife or girl friend on down and join the fun.  Blind draw so you have a different partner each draw and it is also an A/B draw so that the teams are as equal as possible.

SMU 74 Marshall Lady Herd 64
Jillian Samules scored a game-high 21 points as SMU topped the Marshall University women's basketball team, 74-64, Sunday afternoon in front of 1,831 fans at MU's PinkZone game at the Cam Henderson Center. Samuels hit 5-of-9 three-point attempts in the win. Brittany Gilliam scored 17 for SMU (17-9, 7-6 C-USA) while Christine Elliott had a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 10 boards. Tynikki Crook, in her second game back from injury, led the Herd (14-12, 6-7 C-USA) with 16 points and nine rebounds. Three other Marshall players hit double figures as Chantelle Handy scored 12 and Kendra King and Veronica Ruiz scored 11 apiece.  http://herdzone.cstv.com/sports/w-baskbl/recaps/022110aaa.html

Rachel Hawkins Filer  HHS/WV Thunder Former point guard for the WV Thunder was married Saturday, February 20^th.

Jeff and Rachel Filer

Update on Thunder Girl Laura Meadows
Laura Meadows, one of the all time greats from the Thunder past has been accepted in the Department of Journalism’s  doctorate program at North Carolina University.  Congrats Laura!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I bet Patty and Dave are extremely proud of you.

Boxer Vacates Title to Help Wife Fight Cancer
Robert Guerrero of the United States has vacated his IBF junior lightweight title to be with his wife, Casey, during the latest steps in her lengthy struggle with leukemia. Guerrero announced his decision Tuesday, a week after he was forced to drop out of a prospective fight with Australia's Michael Katsidis. Casey Guerrero is hospitalized while recovering from a bone marrow transplant and chemotherapy.  http://msn.foxsports.com/boxing/story/AP-boxer-vacates-title-to-help-wife-fight-cancer-22110

Marietta 63 New Lexington 46
Marietta High benefitted from a monster run at crunch time. After New Lexington rallied to tie the score early in the fourth quarter, the Lady Tigers scored 19 unanswered points en route to a 63-46 triumph  in a girls' sectional basketball final at Alexander High Saturday.  "Before the game got started - I mean, they're a good team - coach (Scott Cozzens) told us we were going to have runs and they were going to have runs," said MHS senior sharpshooter LeAnne Ross, who scored a game-high 24 points. "It was going back and forth until the end when we pulled it out. We really wanted this."   Paige Lamb added 13 points and Maegan Grosel netted nine for the Southeastern Ohio Athletic League champion Lady Tigers (19-3), who will now advance and face Miami Trace in a district semifinal at Ross Southeastern at 8 p.m. Thursday. New Lexington, the defending two-time sectional champion, was led by Martha Kunkler and Alyssa Wolfe, who scored 14 points apiece. Katlyn Abram chipped in with 10 markers.  http://mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/519725.html?nav=5025

Waterford 75 Belpre 36
Senior standout Sina King recorded a triple double and equaled Belpre's point production by herself as Waterford cruised to what head coach Jerry Close calls at least Waterford's seventh straight sectional title 75-36.  http://mariettatimes.com/page/content.detail/id/519724.html?nav=5025

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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02.21.10

Some things just seem to be upsetting!!!!!!!!!!! 

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI  Duke Men’s Basketball Coach - Three National Championships

On Caring
I think you show someone you care about them by being willing to listen to them. There is no better way to show you care than to give them time. Certainly if you develop programs that will help them academically, you talk to them about their personal lives, you handle their training properly, you handle their nutrition properly, you remember their birthdays, you know their parent’s names, you know their girlfriend’s name, you will show that you care.

The key word for all of this is empathy, not sympathy. On a day-to-day basis we all have pressures we have to deal with. You have to try to understand their world. Basically having empathy shows that you care.

PAT SUMMITT  Tennessee Women’s Basketball Coach - Six National Championships

On Caring
I really think first and foremost you generally have to care about the people you work with. I don’t think you can fake that. I think it’s got to be real and the reason I love so much what I do is that I get the opportunity to work with people. You develop those relationships and if I didn’t care then I wouldn’t be doing this.

Eastern Middle 52 Jackson Middle  41
Two undefeated middle school teams squared off in the Vinton County Middle School Tournament.  Eastern kept their record clean as  Jenna Burdette, WV Thunder  shot 42% from the 3-point range, 50% from the 2 and 80% from the foul line -- scoring 31 points with 3 blocks, 3 steals and 4 rebounds. Erin Swatzel, WV Thunder  Added 10 points & 7 boards and Jordan Parker, WV Thunder scored 9 points, and dished off 5 assists.  Post girl Ridout scored 17 points for Jackson.  Eastern will come up against Huntington St. Joe in the championship game which is scheduled for 7:30 pm on Monday night.  Both teams enter the game undefeated for the season.

McDonald’s Game Picks Norm Persin, Oak Hill/Chesapeake  as Coach
Norm Persin just had his coaching career Super Sized. After being named the National Coach of the Year earlier, the Oak Hill Oaks and former Chesapeake coach added yet another honor to his resume by being named co-coach for the McDonald’s High School All-Star Game. The game will be played Wednesday, March 31, at Ohio State’s Schottenstein Center. Persin and Dru Joyce of Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary’s will coach the East All-Stars.  http://www.irontontribune.com/news/2010/feb/19/mcdonalds-game-picks-persin-coach/

1975 Movie  One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest  Jack Nicholson http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jReNeEHH2lQ  trailer

Songs  Rhinestone Cowboy   Glen Campbell   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk9ru8ase0Y

The Last Farewell   Roger Whittaker http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLeZsdoKVkc

Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain  Willie Nelson  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7vaYOIKWYY

South Point
The Pointers lost a heartbreaker tonight. 52-50  They played Sheridan at Alexander and blogs say a husband/Wife combo who lived about 5 miles from Sheridan was assigned the game for some wild reason.  Imagine having them drive 80 miles to officiate a game that involves a school where they live close by.  This sounds a lot like sour grapes and in some ways it is but just imagine how hard the SP girls had worked and what a fine team they had and to wind up according to most message board posts getting a ton of bad calls and losing on foul shots as the game ends.  I bring this up, since the male official involved is one that our WV Thunder team has had problems with over the years and in particular Kayla Cook has been singled out by him on more than one occasion.
Several years back when the WV Thunder was 12u and we had a good shot at winning the AAU Nationals the official everyone has been talking about approached Kayla Cook prior to the game and told her he would be watching her during the game and she had better stay under control.  Late in the game she drove the lane  for a layup and one but instead he waved the shot off and called a charging foul on Kayla.  That in itself was bad enough but those calls happen, but then he hits her with a technical foul for making a face when the call is made. She said nothing just made a face of disappointment since the basket was waved off. The other team goes down and hits the T's and wins by one. That threw us into the losers bracket and we were unable to come all the way back playing two and then three a day after that game.  That was just one of many calls he made in that game that were questionable.  I always told our parents those calls were made because they were on that  official so hard the whole game. Maybe he deserved it. 

Until that day I had always said officials can’t beat you but after that game it was clear they can certainly put you in a position to lose, by making close calls always go to just one team.

The odd part of this whole situation is the e-mail I received from Kayla’s Mom, Tonaya Cook,  just yesterday, prior to tonight’s game.   I’m sure she won’t mind me posting it here.

 Hey Larry,  How are you? Hope you and Ruth are doing fine. This doesn't amount to much, just brings back memories of AAU. Do you remember couple years ago playing the Diamonds in Cincinnati and Kayla got a technical foul and a few weeks later she got another technical at the Nationals by the same ref? How weird is this, last night at our tournament game we had this same ref. After the meeting with the captains he came up to Kayla and told her he would have his eye on her. The game started, Our first 6 possessions of Kayla bringing the ball down the court he called some type of turnover, walking, carrying, double dribble the crowd went wild. The last turnover he called was a true turnover, but Kayla was a mess. Kayla I think was afraid to breathe. At the end of the first quarter Kayla had 6 turnovers and 2 fouls.  Second quarter started the same way, by now it’s a wonder the whole crowd didn't get thrown out. Then on the sidelines you see the other refs speaking to him, he never called another made up call on Kayla after that, but he was in her face the whole game, by that I mean when he made a call on someone he always seemed to eye Kayla down before he called it. I'ts like he wanted her to think he's calling it on her. It was sad. But we won that’s all that matters. Sorry for rambling on, I guess this proves he had nothing against the thunder but just against Kayla. take care talk to you later.    Tonaya

Tolsia 59 Lawrence County 50
The Class AA No. 5 Rebels opened the game on a 12-4 run and pulled out a win. Kara Pollinger, WV Thunder  scored 22 points for home standing Tolsia (15-6). Lena Ison had 14 points for Lawrence County, Ky (13-10).

Summers County 91 Poncahontas 62
Leslie Mack netted 25 points as 10 players scored at least two points.  Hallie Gunnoe added 16 points, Candace Brown 14 and Ashley Brown 13 for the AA No. 1 and unbeaten Bobcats (22-0). Chloe Bland tallied 18 points for A No. 7 Pocahontas (12-6)

 Ravenswood 59 Point Pleaasant 23
Rebekah Samples and Hannah Murray, WV Thunder  scored 14 points each for host Ravenswood. The No. 4 Red Devils (14-5) held Point Pleasant to just three first-quarter points. Ashley Templeton led Point (7-15) with five points.Miranda McNabb donated 11 and Lindsey Barlow and Shelby Snead 10 apiece

St. Albans 49 Nitro 38
Olivia Beheler stepped front and center, netting 12 of her 18 points in the second half to help SA pull away  http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/PrepSports/201002200539

Portsmouth West 40 Chesapeake 21
Taylor Newman put up seven points and pulled down eight rebounds in the first two quarters alone and finished with nine points, 12 boards and two blocks. Point guard Christin Graf had a team-high 12 points (including 8-for-8 from the foul line) to go with seven rebounds.
Becca Mosley racked up 10 points and six rebounds.   Chesapeake's Amanda Ruffner had a game-high 13 points but the Lady Panthers struggled from the field, going 10-for-39 while committing 18 turnovers.  http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/6420869/article-West--Burg--Oak-Hill-win-sectionals?instance=secondary_stories_left_column

Wheelersburg 38 Coal Grove 34
Molly Knapp finished with a game-high 21 points to go with nine steals and six rebounds. Kalyn Bailey had 11 points, all of them coming in the first half, and four steals in the win.

Oak Hill 86 Portsmouth 36
Mikie Strite's 15 points leading the way. Taylor Hale had 14, Lakin Caudill had 13, Karissa Adkins, WV Thunder  added 11 and Rebecca Puckett, WV Thunder  had 10 points while Kelsey Burton led all rebounders with 10 boards. Portsmouth's Hannah Foster drained six 3-pointers on her way to a game-high 20 points. Cailyn Rodriguez had 11 points   http://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/view/full_story/6420869/article-West--Burg--Oak-Hill-win-sectionals?instance=secondary_stories_left_column

Ironton 59 Fairland 24
The Lady Fighting Tigers (no. 2 seed) claimed their sectional crown by defeating Fairland (no. 7 seed) in the 2:45 p.m. contest. Ironton's Brea Tackett led all scorers with 20 points while teammate Nikki Elswick added 15 points in the win. 

It May Be Difficult But It Can Be Done
Coach L

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02.20.10

 
We are getting ready for the Party

 Naked Mole Rat  (Bet You Have Never Seen One of These

Its wrinkled pink skin, piggish nose and protruding teeth don’t exactly make the naked mole rat the cutest animal around. Colonies of these hairless rodents live in underground “palaces” led by one dominant rat – the queen, which is the only female to breed and bear young. As with bees, naked mole rats have roles in the colony, including workers that dig the tunnels and gather food. Most naked mole rats are found in the sandy deserts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Lincoln County 82 Cabell Midland 57
Morgan Scarpellini scored 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds and teammate Chelsea Caldwell, WV Thunder  added a double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds to lead Lincoln County to an 82-57 high school girls basketball victory over Cabell Midland Friday night.  Devin Prichard added 18 points for Lincoln County, which opens sectional play Monday night against Logan at Huntington High. Caitlyn Smith and Grace Jarrell   http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331857309/Fairland-beats-Rock-Hill-64-59

Congratulations Kara Pollinger, Tolsia High School/ WV Thunder  
Kara Scored her 1000^th point last night. She made the 8^th girl off the WV Thunder 16u team who achieved that milestone this for their high school team.

Tolsia 71 Clay County 54
Kara Pollinger, WV Thunder  topped 1,000 career points, pouring in 21, to lead Tolsia. Pollinger also totaled 13 rebounds, nine assists and five assists. Rachel Webb scored 12 points and Karli Purvis added 11 points and 12 rebounds for Tolsia (15-6), ranked No. 5 in Class AA.  http://www.herald-dispatch.com/sports/x331857309/Fairland-beats-Rock-Hill-64-59

Summers County 84 Woodrow Wilson 68
After trailing by a point at halftime, Summers County took control and won at Woodrow Wilson. Junior Hallie Gunnoe scored 38 points to surpass 1,000 in her career and lead the Bobcats (21-0), No. 1 in Class AA. Hanna Gunnoe added 17.  Ashley Chipps scored 18 points, Alexis Allen 16 and Shaitece Trigg 12 to lead Woodrow.   http://www.wvgazette.com/Sports/201002190777?page=2&build=cache

Scott 87 Roane County 46
Scott led by 42 points at halftime and beat Roane County. Makenzie White scored 24 to lead the Skyhawks (18-3), ranked No. 2 in Class AA. Siera Bias added 16. Kate Williams had 15 and Brooklyn Pavalock 13 for Roane (9-9).

St Marys 81 Wahama 23
Kelsea Fickiesen scored 24 points to lead visiting St. Marys, Audra Clark added 12 and Sara O'Neal 10. A total of 13 players contributed points for the Blue Devils (19-1). Taylor Hysell had 10 for Wahama (12-9).

Parkersburg 45 Nitro 29
Tiffany Mahoney scored 15 points and Imani Ward 10 for the visiting Big Reds. Olivia McCuskey had 11 points for the Wildcats.

 Region 4 Section 2   At Huntington High
Monday: Logan vs. Lincoln County, 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday: Cabell Midland vs. Spring Valley, 5:30 p.m.;
Huntington vs. Logan-Lincoln County winner, 30 minutes after first game
Region 4 Section1
Monday: Hannan at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
At Cabell Midland
Wednesday: Charleston Catholic vs. Wahama, 6 p.m.;
Huntington St. Joseph vs. Hannan-Buffalo winner, 8 p.m.
Friday: Winners, 7:30 p.m. Friday: Winners, 7:30 p.m.

1971 
As the Lambee entered the don’t trust anyone turning 30 there were tons of good music out that year.

The Last Picture Show  Trailer Jeff Bridges/Cloris Leachman  http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/index.jsp?cid=137180

Songs  Me and Bobby McGee Janice Joplin  http://s0.ilike.com/play#Janis+Joplin:Me+And+Bobby+McGee:24689:s1646596.10996528.12696736.0.2.68%2Cstd_277c1ee75abd4bf5b213e4cc189876e4

Maggie May  Rod Stewart/Ron Woods http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlWpnLdPwvk

It’s Too Late Baby  Carole King  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPeVbEg1DHE

How Do You Mend A Broken Heart  Bee Gees  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COqUjfrB8dI

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Web Design Ruth Lambert
ral220@zoominternet.net