West in charge of 5-3A race

By By Ryan Satcher / staff writer
September 27, 2004
The prep slow-pitch softball regular season is winding down which means playoff action will soon be heating up.
Several area teams have worked their way into the postseason this year.
West Lauderdale has swept through Division 5-3A play at this point in the season and needs to win just one of its next three division games to wrap up first in the division.
The Lady Knights are trying to correct some mistakes they have been struggling with recently but should be ready for postseason action.
"Right now we are kind of in a funk but I'm hoping we can use this (MCC) tournament," said West coach Jerry Boatner. "We are trying to get going on all cylinders."
The Lady Knights are 19-3 after going 3-1 in the tournament at the Sammie Davidson and are currently 9-0 in division play.
The Lady Tigers of Southeast Lauderdale are currently in second place in the district.
Southeast is trying to avoid a let down and is using the final games of the regular season to stay ready for the postseason.
"Our focus has got to be on getting fine-tuned going into the playoffs," said Southeast coach Ryan Miller. "We've got to get more consistent offensively and defensively. That's what we are trying to do. It's nice knowing you are a lock for the playoffs but it's easy to relax instead of trying to play hard and continue improving."
This season the Lady Tigers are 17-10 and are 9-2 in district play and were able to beat Newton County out for the second position.
"We've been finishing in that third spot for several, several years," said Miller. "It's nice to go two and get that first playoff game at home."
The Lady Cougars will be settling for a third place finish in the division but should make a lot of noise in the postseason.
Newton County was on an eight-game winning streak going into the tournament at Sammie Davidson this weekend. The Lady Cougars gained confidence in the stretch and have knocked off several top ranked teams.
"Winning brings on confidence," said Newton County coach Justin Chaney. "I just like our demeanor. I don't want them to be overconfident but they need to have confidence about what they are going to be able to do. I think it's a tremendous factor for us to have confidence rolling into the playoffs."
After starting the season slowly, the Lady Cougars have turned things around and are 14-9 overall and 7-3 in the division.
"I like the way we are handling things," said Chaney. "We had a bunch of girls at the beginning of the year that didn't have a lot of playing time. The things we've been preaching since day one like hard work and coming to practice is starting to pay off. It's going from the practice field to the game field and I'm excited about where we're at."
Clarkdale is another team that will try to move through the postseason. The Lady Bulldogs need just one more win to clinch their 12th consecutive district championship.
"We are playing well," said Clarkdale coach Rick Roberson. "We started out good then we hit a midseason slump even though we were still winning. The last few games we have been hitting well and are playing good defense."
Last year the Lady Bulldogs finished runner-up in the state and won the state championship the season before last.
Clarkdale is 19-3 this season and 6-0 in division play and should be ready for the postseason this year.
"We have a lot of confidence," said Roberson. "We look forward to the playoffs each year. It's exciting. They've got a lot of experience and know what it's like. We just have to take it one step at a time because we don't want to overlook anybody. We want to try to make it to Jackson."
Enterprise and Philadelphia will also reach the postseason in the district and are battling for second place. Newton or Lake will be the fourth team to come out of the district.
In 4A softball, Northeast Lauderdale will go into the playoffs as the third place team in its division. The Lady Trojans will try to improve on some mistakes going into the postseason.
"We're not used to playing quite as sloppy as we have been playing," said Northeast coach Chris Harper. "But if the girls will keep their heads up and if we will keep working I think we will get there. We've got a lot of youth. We can't use that as a crutch and I expect these young girls to produce and perform and our older ones need to step up and lead like they are supposed to."
The Lady Trojans, which are 3-3 in district play, will finish behind New Hope and Neshoba Central in the district but will try to battle their way through the postseason.
"We just need to get after it," said Harper. "No matter what happens we have to get after it. We are in third behind New Hope and Neshoba Central just like we were last year but third place is probably where we would rather be at this point. The way the bracket is, being in third place is going to be better for us than being in first or second."