Adrian Moore went up for a two-handed slam dunk Jan. 29 and came down with a sickening thud.
Moore suffered a cut above his left eye and some bruised ribs after taking a scary fall at Little Rock Central last week, but the 6-3 senior from North Little Rock appeared to be back to normal at the Charging Wildcats’ practice Tuesday.
“It’s kind of like a miracle,” Moore said before Tuesday’s practice. “I think a lot of people thought I was going to be out for weeks. I’m a trooper right now. I’ve been telling everybody I’ll be back for [today].”
Moore, the Charging Wildcats’ leading scorer, missed Saturday’s make-up game at Marion, but he is expected to start in tonight’s 7A/6A-East Conference game at Cabot.
Moore’s memory of his injury was a little sketchy.
“I drove the middle and tried to dunk with two hands,” Moore said. “And I guess when I was swinging on the rim, I let go. The doctor said I fell about 5 feet and hit my head on the court. And then my body hit the court, and that’s how I bruised my ribs.”
Moore fell face first.
“I was lying in a puddle of blood, and they had to roll me out of that,” Moore said. “I was unconscious for about 30 seconds, and when I woke up, my head was throbbing. It was painful everywhere.”
Every test on Moore came back negative, and he was allowed to go home that evening.
“I knew right then I had received a blessing,” Moore said. “You don’t fall 5 feet on your head and not get a concussion.”
JACKSONVILLE/
NORTH PULASKI
One last meeting
North Pulaski’s game at Jacksonville tonight will be the final meeting between the schools. They are combining into one school next year.
Jacksonville boys assistant coach Jerry Wilson said all former coaches, players, cheerleaders and drill team members at the two schools will be honored during halftime of the boys game.
“At one time, Jacksonville and North Pulaski was a true rivalry,” said Wilson, who has been at Jacksonville High since 1985. “We’ve had some great games over the years, and I’m sure they’ll be a few emotions come out. Our games with each other have produced a lot of memories.”
Tonight’s girls game is scheduled for a 6 p.m. tip, with the boys game to follow.
BATESVILLE
Strength in numbers
When Stan Fowler moved from Buffalo Island Central to Batesville two years ago, one of the biggest differences he noticed was he had “more athletes to work with.”
With the Lady Pioneers sporting an 18-1 record, it appears those athletes are working well together.
“We’re a much more experienced team this year,” Fowler said. “We are using the fastbreak, and our girls love to run the floor. We have been doing a good job of attacking the rim.”
Batesville is riding a ninegame winning streak, and after Tuesday’s 65-52 victory over Nettleton, the Lady Pioneers are 7-0 in 5A-East play. They have won their past six conference games by 12 or more points.
Fowler said he regularly plays 11 girls every game. The Lady Pioneers are averaging 62 points a game with 5-9 junior guard Hannah Qualls averaging 15 points. She scored 32 points in Tuesday’s victory.
“Her skills are getting better every day,” Fowler said of Qualls. “She’s just a tenacious player. Her hunger to play is tremendous.”
Batesville is also getting 10.8 points a game from 5-9 senior Gracen Ratliff and 9.0 points a game from 5-10 junior Ashton Ford. Fowler said 5-10 junior post player Haley Cormican (5 points, 5 rebounds a game) has “made a huge contribution” to the Lady Pioneers’ efforts.
“Our team chemistry has been great,” Fowler said. “They don’t care who gets the points or the credit as long as someone scores.”
Batesville’s next three games may prove to be its toughest. Paragould, Valley View and Nettleton are all jockeying for playoff spots.
“Our conference is tough,” Fowler said. “We’ve beaten all of them, but we know they could just as easily turn it around and beat us too.”