PRAIRIE GROVE -- Getting a win in front of fans eager to celebrate Prairie Grove athletics plus all-time Lady Tiger great and former Razorback Tracey "Tree" Hutchinson-Holyfield was important.
Hutchinson-Holyfield, along with football standout Colt Bartholomew and the late Billy Maxey, were inducted into Prairie Grove's Hall of Pride Friday prior to tipping off the nonconference varsity girls basketball game against Elkins, which the Lady Tigers won 38-32.
"Oh yeah, you know, we got people here watching and people from the past watching and it was good to get a win," said Prairie Grove coach Kevin Froud. "The girls came out, played hard, played real hard on defense, did a better job rebounding."
The Lady Tigers were beaten around on the boards during a 55-32 road loss at Pottsville three days earlier, but that wasn't the case Friday. The whole team led by sophomore Trinity Dobbs played like they were well aware of the significance, jumping out to a 16-4 first quarter lead at Tiger Arena.
Both coaches agreed the first quarter was decisive.
"We came out in the game real good with a 10-0 run. We were able to kind of keep that the whole time. They cut it to five or four but we were able to make some free throws and keep the lead," Froud said. "I was just proud of our young players. I mean, the only one we've got with any experience, she hurt her knee so we were out there with five sophomores. (There's) a learning curve as we go, but they played a lot harder tonight. They played, competed and got after it."
Elkins coach Monica Wells lamented the poor start by the Lady Elks,
"It's a four-quarter game. We lost it in the first quarter when we got behind 16-4. That made the difference in the game," Wells said. "It's a good game for us, an identifier of things for us to improve on."
Froud has entrenched himself into the fabled annals of Prairie Grove girls basketball having won a state championship in 2010 along with guiding two other teams to State Runner-up finishes plus numerous conference championships, district and regional titles. So, when Froud sees a player with potential to become a superstar opponents better know he's going to groom that talent.
Froud's latest project is Dobbs, who learned early in the season what is expected and what won't be tolerated. The soft-spoken Dobbs bounced the ball in frustration drawing a technical foul at an inopportune moment late in a game. The technical tacked on a needless team foul hurting the Lady Tigers, who were playing catch-up. She was disciplined and had to sit out a game.
Froud isn't trying to break her spirit -- he's endeavoring to forge Dobbs into the kind of superstar Hutchinson-Holyfield personified when she dominated the low-post for Prairie Grove in the early 1980s. Hutchinson-Holyfield never lost a jump-ball and there were tons of those. During her era the alternate-possession rule hadn't been dreamed up yet.
Hutchinson-Holyfield blocked her share of shots which caused frequent jump-balls in addition to the constant struggle for control of rebounds, tipped passes and loose balls which combined to create as many as 30 or more jump balls during a typical high school girls basketball game during the 1980s.
Hutchinson-Holyfield knew what life was like playing for legendary coach Mike Green, who had his own standards of excellence. She came to appreciate the demands placed upon her as a team leader.
"He was incredible and the girls and I have always said we wish we would have had him for three years, you know, sophomore, junior, senior year because he really pushed us, pushed us to be better players, was very tough, but very fair and so we felt like, as a group and as a team, we became much better in just that one year that we had him," Hutchinson-Holyfield said. "He was very different. He got thrown out of a lot of games, cussed a lot, but he was a great man, just a great man and great to play for."
Likewise Dobbs played post until Prairie Grove head junior high coach Shelley Dougan switched her to point-guard during eighth grade. Dobbs continues to rebound well, part of the game that was a primary responsibility when she played center. She also defends well in the paint, but its her ball-handling and passing ability that makes the 5-7 sophomore dangerous. The time will come when she will be capable of taking over a game and when that day arrives Froud wants to maximize every opportunity.
Dobbs picked herself up off the floor after having to be stretched to work out cramps three times during the fourth quarter. She scored 22 points and made 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch to lead the Lady Tigers to victory.
"She can be a very special player when she matures and gets older and learns and realizes how good she could be," Froud said.
Dobbs herself makes no bones about her future plans, saying after the game she wants to get a scholarship and play NCAA Division 1 women's college basketball.
Despite becoming a starter as a sophomore, she hasn't forgotten her supporting cast, those who cheer and encourage her during the journey.
"I work at it really hard and I try being good. It's really fun," Dobbs said. "Merry Christmas to all my supporters and friends and family."
Sports on 12/11/2019