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Quite a journey
Published March 6, 2010
The North Sand Mountain girls basketball team knew expectations were lofty heading into the 2009-10 season.
After losing just one senior from last year's group, this year's squad was hearing that there should be a run at a state championship in their future.
"Sometimes when you are expected accomplish things it makes it so much tougher because you feel that anytime you waver from that course then it seems you are failing," said NSM coach Michael Wilborn. "I wish I could tell you that the season was exactly how we expected it to be. But there were bumps in the road."
NSM dominated teams during summer competition and started the season with a 7-1 record, the only setback coming to eventual Class 3A state runner-up Madison County. The Bison had a lofty-ranking and were seemingly invincible.
That was until suffering a 56-50 Class 2A Area 15 loss at rival Section on Dec. 4. The Bison went on to suffer heart-breaking losses to Ider and Section in the Sand Mountain and Jackson County Tournament championship games, and a loss at Ider on Jan. 16 cost the Bison the regular season area title.
NSM lost a coin toss with Section to host the area tourney, meaning the seventh-ranked Bison had to face fourth-ranked Ider — a team that had beaten NSM nine of the last 10 meetings — in a "winner survives, loser is finished" area semifinal game.
"After our last practice before the Ider game I turned all the lights off in the gym and had all the girls to lay down on the gym floor with their eyes closed," Wilborn said. "I told them that they weren’t allowed to leave the gym until they could see themselves celebrating in the locker room after defeating Ider. It didn't take 10 seconds and the girls began getting up and going into the locker room. They finally believed in themselves. That’s what we had been searching for all season long.
"After our practice on that Wednesday afternoon, my nerves were settled. I had no doubt that we would (win)."
NSM took an early lead and was never really threatened in the second half, playing perhaps its best game of the season in a 66-50 victory.
The win finally got NSM over the area semifinal hurdle, the round in which the two previous Bison teams' seasons had ended.
"By winning the first game against Ider," Wilborn said, "it gave the girls confidence in what they could really do and they began to believe that no one could beat them."
Two days later, Chelsea Ellison and Chelsea Siniard unleashed a 3-point shooting barrage in the second half of the Class 2A Area 15 title game against Section, allowing the Bison to rally for a 65-56 championship win.
NSM then routed Sand Rock in the sub-regional round to advance to the Northeast Regional at Jacksonville State University for the first time in 11 years. NSM quickly dispatched of Ohatchee in the regional semifinals, setting up a fifth and final rematch with Section for a trip to the state tournament.
After trailing 26-25 at halftime, NSM rallied to win 63-48 and advance to the 2A Final Four in Birmingham for the first time since 1999. There NSM beat unranked R.C. Hatch 68-66 in the state semifinals, getting quite a battle from the Bobcats, who missed a tying shot attempt in the closing seconds.
And so, NSM had arrived at the destination it had been predicted to be before the season started.
The Bison faced No. 2 Clements in the Class 2A championship game. NSM tied the game at 42-all with just over six minutes to play, but Clements managed to pull out a 57-50 win.
NSM finished with a 28-7 record after making just the second state championship game appearance in school history.
Wilborn and crew were disappointed with the championship game loss, but the Bison's third-year coach won't let it diminish what his squad accomplished.
"I've thought about the final game on several occasions (since)," he said. "Things that have crossed my mind are why did we not make those easy lay-ups or how did we miss that many foul shots when normally we make them. Then I began to think about all the teams that were not blessed to be there the way we were, and how thankful I am to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for the opportunity to make it as far as we made it."
"The thing that will remember most about the 2009-2010 Lady Bison really has nothing to do with basketball. I will always remember what a great group of Christian ladies I was blessed with the opportunity to coach."
NSM loses five seniors (Haley Cloud, Lauren Cummins, Courtney Dobbins, Ellison and Sheena Huckabee) to graduation but returns seven varsity players.
Wilborn said the future remains bright for NSM.
"I am extremely excited about our chances of making a return trip to Birmingham," Wilborn said.
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