By Mark Humphrey
ENTERPRISE-LEADER
PRAIRIE GROVE -- For all of his individual accomplishments Ty Tice's biggest play as a Prairie Grove senior was about teamwork.
Trailing U.S. 62 rival Farmington, 64-55, with six seconds left, special needs player McKay Gregson checked in at the scorer's table with a dream -- score a 3-point field goal.
McKay's wish was fulfilled on Valentine's Day a year ago with contributions from various people involved including Prairie Grove coach Steve Edmiston, who subbed him in and Farmington guard Jeremy Mueller, who rebounded his initial miss and threw the ball back to him for a second successful trifecta at the buzzer.
Other factors were Farmington coach Beau Thompson's instructions to his team defense not to contest a final shot by McKay along with the thrill of every basketball fan in the house including the referee crew experiencing McKay's joy of living out his dream.
Not to be overlooked were the impact of Tice and McKay's Prairie Grove teammates. After receiving congratulations from Derek Arguello, whom he replaced in the lineup, and Tice; McKay started towards the time-line on the left side but was quickly redirected by Tice, Prairie Grove's point-guard and floor general into the front court; where, with help from Edmiston, who was standing just a few feet away on the Prairie Grove bench, went to his spot near the top-of-the-key on the right wing.
Parker Galligan rolled the in-bounds pass across the time line and into the front court preserving precious seconds, then literally overtook the slow-moving ball by sprinting up-court in his eagerness to get in on the play as Tice patiently awaited arrival of the pass.
In a single motion Tice scooped up the ball, instantly passing to McKay where he was set up. After releasing his first 3-point attempt, McKay went two steps backward into NBA 3-point range when Mueller's pass came back to him. With the game clock about to run out, McKay swished a perfect rainbow on his second chance. This was the type of play Tice exemplified during his Prairie Grove career.
Tice's senior season at Prairie Grove saw the Tigers secure state tournament berths in baseball and basketball. Tice played shortstop and pitcher in baseball, hitting .466 at the plate and pitching his way to a 3-0 record with a 1.39 ERA.
During basketball Tice started at guard helping the Prairie Grove boys overcome a slow start by winning the district championship and advancing to the Regional semifinal with a trip to state. Prairie Grove experienced a late-season surge climbing from the cellar all the way to fourth seed in the District tournament, which they won by defeating Pea Ridge, 44-41; Lincoln, 47-46, in the semifinal; and Farmington, 52-46, in the 4A-1 championship.
Tice torched the nets for 16 points in leading Prairie Grove past Farmington for the 4A-1 crown in the last post-season tournament held at Farmington's long-time facility Myrl Massie Gymnasium. The Tigers beat Dardanelle, 65-47, in the opening game of the 4A North Regional and qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2008. Prairie Grove went 17-14 during the hoops season which ended with a loss to Pine Bluff Dollarway at state. Tice garnered both All-Conference and All-State honors.
For his achievements, Tice is Male Athlete of the Year for 2014 at Prairie Grove. He's now attending Central Arkansas at Conway on a baseball scholarship.
Tice helped the Tigers win the 4A-North Regional Tournament at Lincoln in the spring as Prairie Grove beat Farmington 11-9 in the championship game after Tice blasted a pair of home runs and pitched the final out in relief describing the final post-season competition between the U.S. 62 rivals as a personal highlight.
Tice did in the Cardinals with a 3-run homer and another two-run shot. Prairie Grove advanced to the Class 4A State Tournament at Nashville with the Tigers losing in the second round to finish 20-7.
In June Tice was named Outstanding Player for the West in leading the West All-Stars to a 7-6 win while pitching around an error in the seventh en route to recording a save in the second game of the doubleheader played on UCA's Bear Stadium, now his home field in college. Tice also belted out one hit and scored a run in game one, a 5-4 loss to the East.
One thing is consistent about Tice, he habitually makes plays.
Sports on 01/21/2015