Springdale High will look for one last tuneup today when it opens play at the Lendel Thomas Classic Tournament in Harrison.
The Bulldogs, coming off a 58-54 loss against Alma on Dec. 18, are hoping to use this week’s three-day tournament as the stepping stone they need to prepare them for 7A-West Conference play, which begins Jan. 8 at Rogers Heritage.
Springdale (5-4) will play Bergman at 11 a.m. today in the tournament’s first game before Huntsville’s girls and boys teams play Paragould at 5 and 6:15 p.m., respectively.
Springdale coach Brad Stamps said his team, which has lost two of its last three games, needs to play well this week to regain some lost confidence.
“I think it was good for everybody to get away and just spend the holiday with their families and just get away from the court,” Stamps said. “The break is probably something we needed. But we know that we’ve got three days this week to play well and gain a little momentum, so that’s what we’re aiming to do.”
Stamps said the Bulldogs didn’t play bad in the loss to Alma, it was just a matter of two or three possessions that didn’t go their way. Regardless, Stamps said he’s expecting his players to step up on defense this week and show what they’re capable of.
“We gave good effort, that’s the most important thing,” Stamps said. “It’s tough to go into a long break after losing a game, but this week, we’ve got a chance to forget about all that.”
This season, senior T.J. Andrews and junior guard Shelton Baird have led in scoring for the Bulldogs, each averaging about 14 points per game.
Stamps said his team needs to play together this week if it wants to have any success.
“I know it’s an old expression, but we’ve got to have one heartbeat,” Stamps said. “That’s really the key for us. We’ve got to play together and show what we’re capable of.”