By Whitney Keith/For OzarksSportsZone.com
There were plenty of smiles from both sides of the gymnasium as the Norwood Lady Pirates took the floor to the tune of “The VeggieTales Theme Song,” but those smiles on Hartville’s side of the court had faded by the end of the contest, as the state-ranked Lady Pirates took home a 59-46 victory despite a halftime deficit.
Norwood Head Coach Shannon Crain said his group entered the game ready for a showdown, after the Pirates scraped by with a victory over the Eagles in the championship game of Norwood’s home tournament, the Scallywag Showdown, last month.
“It’s kind of an odd matchup for both of us,” he said. “Hartville has pretty much all guards, while we’re heavy in post players. I know my post players were apprehensive of their guards, but he (Hartville head coach Mike Percival) did a good job getting his girls in the middle.”
Hartville jumped in front of the Pirates early on, leading 15-10 after the first quarter and 34-30 at the half.
Crain said he felt that his team may have missed their golden opportunity in the first half, as Hartville standout Emily Chisum got into foul trouble early and sat out for much of the first half, while Percival credited his players’ shooting percentage for the strong first-half lead.
“The shots fell in the first half,” he said. “When it comes down to it, we just didn’t make the shots (in the second half). We made shots in the first half, but didn’t make them in the second.”
The turning point for the contest came in the third frame, when a series of shots from behind the arc came at the capable hands of Pirates senior guard Emily Chadwell and junior guard Chloe Crain. Those shots gave Norwood its first lead of the contest.
Norwood limited Hartville to only 12 points in the second half.
“Coach always tells us that the first three minutes are what sets the tone, so we came out in the first three minutes of the second half and got on them and turned the game to our speed, where we had been playing their speed,” said Chadwell.
She also said that a strong mental game helped turn the tide in Norwood’s favor.
““I just kept trying to talk to them (her teammates), because I keep hearing that the best leadership is when you keep talking to your team and encouraging them,” Chadwell said.
Crain also mentioned the mental aspect of the contest.
“I felt like, as a team, we were able to keep our composure, even when Hartville was up on us by 7 or 8 (points), and battle it out,” he said.
The win brought the Pirates’ record to 18-2. They remain undefeated in the Summit Conference, as is Gainesville, who the Lady Pirates will face Feb. 13. Gainesville already owns a win over Norwood, in the Sparta Tournament championship game.
The rest of the week brings more Summit Conference matchups, as the Lady Pirates will visit Conway on Thursday, while the Lady Eagles travel to Fordland.
Norwood: 10-20-16-13—59
Hartville: 15-19-7-5—46
Norwood: E. Chadwell 16, Ogletree 14, S. McIntosh 11, E. McIntosh 10, Crain 6, M. Chadwell 2.
Hartville: E. Chisum 18, S. Divine 11, C. Mullenix 8, A. Coltrane 5, S. Chisum 4
