HOT SPRINGS -- Kim Crown doesn't like to look at the scoreboard when she's on the basketball court.
The Greenland junior might sneak a peak at halftime to make sure the Lady Pirates are winning, take a glance when she's subbed out late in a blowout win or check it after the final buzzer. That's about it.
Thursday, she checked it as soon as the final buzzer sounded and the clock hit zero so she could remember the score in Greenland's victory over Valley Springs in the Class 3A state title game.
"But I already forgot it," Crown said minutes after the game.
Hard to blame her. The 72-53 victory was clearly Greenland's most important of the year, securing the Lady Pirates' third state title in four years and sixth overall. It was also Greenland's 21st straight double-digit win to end the season.
The dominance was astounding at times.
The Lady Pirates' only losses were a two-point loss to 5A semifinalist Farmington and a four-point defeat to 7A quarterfinalist Springdale Har-Ber, a game they led by 13 in the fourth quarter.
Only two of their 33 wins were by single digits.
They won 20 games by 20 or more points.
They won 13 games by 30 or more.
They won four by 40-plus and one by 53.
The average margin of victory in their wins was 25.6. It was 33.3 in an undefeated run through the 3A-1 West for their seventh conference title in eight years.
It was 24.3 in the postseason as the Lady Pirates earned redemption a year after a surprising loss in the regional tournament.
"It's all about trying to build habits," Greenland coach Alan Barton said. "And we talk about that from the time they're in kindergarten, because I'm the elementary principal. And if you build habits right, they'll become natural."
Winning big has become natural in Greenland.
Valley Springs (36-6) was a strong title-game opponent and led 18-17 early in the second quarter Thursday, marking a rare occasion the Lady Pirates trailed after the first quarter this season.
"We didn't worry about it," Barton said. "No panic."
The deficit didn't last long. Greenland answered with a 13-1 run and built a 38-25 lead by halftime. It was a 20-point margin less than two minutes into the third quarter. The rout was on again.
"They're just more athletic than us," Valley Springs coach Kimberly Jenkins said. "We're just a bunch of slow, white girls from Valley Springs."
Greenland never let up, keeping control of the game even while substituting freely down the stretch. Letting up isn't much of an option with Barton's fiery, emotional demeanor on the sideline, holding everyone accountable, from senior star Kiana Thompson to Crown to the 10th player in the rotation, regardless of the score.
"I've seen teams up 20 that end up losing because they slack off, so it's good to have a coach that never lets you underestimate the other team," senior Kelsey Vaughn said.
Barton has been a part of all six of the program's state titles. He was an assistant in 1999, 2000 and 2002 and head coach in 2012 and 2013. Now, in 2015, it's time to update the roadside sign in Greenland listing the championships.
"Same thing (as before)," Barton said. "And I drive by that sign and every time I've thought, 'You know what would be nice, back-to-back, skip, get another one.' And it happened. I'm so proud of those girls."
That last glance at the scoreboard was special to Crown, too, even if she couldn't remember what it read.
"It was a great feeling. That's for sure," Crown said.
Reach Jimmy Carter at [email protected] or on Twitter @NWAJimmy.
Sports on 03/13/2015