By Kev Moyé
News-Times Staff
Despite the regular season nearing its completion, the Smackover Lady Buckaroos continue to struggle in their quest to gain a rhythm.
And the reason is, coach Mike Poff’s squad has had several games canceled or rescheduled due to inclement weather. This week Smackover had two of its games postponed because of the rain. On the surface it seems like a major inconvenience, but the players have handled the irregular game pattern in a commendable manner.
“We hit a little in the cage Thursday (because our game was postponed). It’s hard to do much more than that, as we can hit those cushioned balls when we’re inside the gym but we get a straight hop every time so it’s not like a real play,” the coach said. “We’re doing the little things just trying to keep ourselves ready to go. It seems like every time we get into a rhythm, the rains come. We’re just trying to keep a good attitude about everything as we get close to the region tournament.”
Poff acknowledged that the limited number of games the Lady Buckaroos have played has hindered their development.
“It’s bothered us because we’ve been unable to fully get in a rhythm. By this time of the season we’re used to having already played 18 to 20 games,” he said. “This year we’ve played twelve. It’s a big difference. But, the girls are handling it well and doing a good job with the situation.”
The Lady Bucks are currently 4-8 overall. But, Smackover is 3-2 in the 8-3A and needs only two more league victories to secure at least a two seed for the upcoming Region 4 Tournament – which the school is hosting. According to Poff, the Lady Bucks are cognizant of the pressure-packed situation they’ll soon encounter.
“We’ve talked about it throughout the year, so they know what it is that they face,” Poff stated. “They have a good understanding of what’s coming. They are prepared for it.”
With the regional tournament in consideration, Smackover faces an important series of games next week, the coach added.
“We have to finish what we’ve started. If we win two (conference games) next week, we clinch second in the conference - no matter what. We want to make sure that we finish what we started. Then we’ll prepare ourselves for the regional tournament and then try to prepare for the state tournament.”