Chase Halbrook realized early in his first season last year as Walnut Ridge head coach that Bailey Augustine was one of those rare "special" players, but he wasn't sure whether she knew it.
"She's such a selfless player that likes to get everyone involved," he said. "She just didn't want anyone to be mad at her or thinking she was a ball hog. That just wasn't the case with our team, though, because the other girls wanted her to score as much as she could.
Augustine at a glance
SCHOOL Walnut Ridge
CLASS Junior
POSITION Forward
HEIGHT 5-10
NOTEWORTHY Averages 31.6 points and 11 rebounds per game. … Has been offered a scholarship by Williams Baptist but is starting to receive more inquiries by other schools. … Averaged 8.3 points per game as a freshman. … Has scored at least 40 points on several occasions this year, including a career-high 49 in a 72-68 overtime victory over Osceola on Jan. 13.
"It took me and the rest of the team to say, 'Look Bailey, it's OK to be selfish because without you, we're not going to win very many ballgames.' There were many times where I told her that if she didn't score 35-40 points for us, we're not going to win."
Halbrook's plea to Augustine wasn't about putting the onus on a sophomore to help turn around a struggling program that had won seven games combined in the two seasons prior to his arrival. His desire was to instill in her a frame of mind where opposing players knew she'd be tough to deal with for four quarters.
She's been hard to guard ever since.
After averaging nearly 28 points per game last season, the 5-10 junior has increased her production to 31.6 ppg this year. The Lady Bobcats are 16-3 and in second place in the 3A-3 standings behind perennial Class 3A power Hoxie.
"We didn't have anyone else to really make shots consistently other than her," said Halbrook, who's in his second season at Walnut Ridge. "She then literally went out there and did it on a nightly basis. The thing with her is that she's always had it.
"She's definitely gotten a little bit more skilled as far as ball-handling and learning how to create her shots in different ways. But the main thing is that she's confident. She shoots it at like a 68-70% clip while shooting anywhere from 19 to 27 field goals a game. She's also a 90% free-throw shooter."
Augustine admits she was reluctant to accept her role as the team's go-to-player.
"I just feel that I'm the same as everyone else," she said. "I don't hold myself to a higher level than anyone else. I see myself as just another player that's on the same level as all my other teammates."
She eventually understood that as Walnut Ridge's top threat, it would help in more ways than one. With teams placing the bulk of their attention on her, it would open things up for others on the perimeter.
"I'm scoring a lot more, but I've got more players stepping up and hitting shots," Augustine said about her teammates. "It's not just me scoring all of our points, it's others scoring more, too. They're getting open shots and knocking them down.
"That makes us tougher to guard and makes us a better team."
Walnut Ridge went 7-34 from 2016-2018, but Augustine's emergence allowed the Lady Bobcats to finish 15-10 a year ago. Halbrook noted things weren't always great.
"When I took over, we had only one player that played significant minutes from the team that went 4-19 the year before," he said. "We started three sophomores and two juniors, and in our first game, Osceola beat us by 30. We took quite a few licks actually, so we all knew we had to get better as a whole.
"Honestly, we weren't a very good team, but Bailey did a very good job of carrying us to those 15 wins."
Six of the Lady Bobcats' 10 losses were by 20 points or more, with Hoxie winning a pair of games by 53 points apiece. In order to close the gap, Halbrook increased the team's workouts.
"We went to work," he said. "During the offseason and summer, we probably practiced 4-5 days a week. We just put in as much time as we possibly could. With Bailey, she's a gym rat. She lives in Black Rock, and she's at the gym every day working."
That work has paid dividends through 19 games. Sophomore guard Chloe Davis, the team's second-leading scorer, has had four games with at least six three-pointers. Senior guard Jacey Jones, the No. 3 scorer, also has hit shots that have sent games into overtime on three occasions.
The Lady Bobcats have beaten Osceola twice already and notched 10 victories by 20 points or more. Their two losses to Hoxie, ranked No. 4 in Class 3A, have been by a combined 16 points.
"We're playing really well," Augustine said. "I've been a lot more passive actually, although it may not seem that way in my stats. I try to get my teammates shots as much as possible, have them score as much as they can because this is a team sport. We're going to have success by playing together as a team."
Halbrook said he likes where his team is and believes it can make a push in the postseason. That run ultimately starts with Augustine.
"Just an old-school bucket-getter," he said of Augustine. "I've had coaches tell me that the advantage we have is that people know about Bailey but don't understand what they're getting into when they play against her. You can watch all the film you want, but when you get on the floor with her, it's a whole different ballgame."
Sports on 01/26/2020