Sports Editor

All good things must come to an end and sometimes that ending can be a little abrupt.

That was true for two of the county’s basketball teams last Friday. The Pike County and Goshen girls’ teams fell victim to first-round Area Tournament losses effectively ending their seasons. They now join the Pike Liberal Arts boys’ and girls’ teams who were left out of the AISA state tournament with their losses at Glenwood a week ago.

A win by either one of the teams would have extended their season into the Area Championship game and eventually the playoffs. That’s something both their male counterparts were able to do as well as the Charles Henderson boys’ and girls who will now host in the Sub-Regionals after their 52-43 win over Stanhope last night.

I would have given anything to have been taking celebration pictures at the end of the Lady Bulldogs battle with Daleville Friday night. That had to be one of the more tragic endings to a season in my memory.

A team fights as hard as the Pike County girls all year long, inching into the Class 4A Top-10 polls and running off a very unexpected 11 straight wins to start the season. Something in me saw it coming though.

Just like the Daleville boys will have to contend with tonight when they face Pike County, whenever a team wins two in a row against another you’d better bet you’ll see the losing team’s best effort that third time.

Not that the Lady Bulldogs didn’t want it just as bad as the Daleville girls, but there was just a fire in the eyes of the Lady Warhawks that wouldn’t be denied.

For a moment I thought they would overcome that emotion as PCHS tore into the lead in the fourth quarter and trimmed it to only a deuce, but after all was said and done, raw emotion had it’s day for the Lady Warhawks.

It was just sad to see the Pike County girls on the receiving end of the harsh way high school sports and the playoffs can be sometimes.

Cheers to the seniors on that squad they truly are special in my book. And to the juniors and sophomores, remember how this felt, it will only help you in the months to come as you wait to lace up the sneakers for next season.

As for all the rest of you guys left in the hunt, this thing is far from over.

Each and every one of the teams that have made it to the Area Championship from Pike County have more than a legitimate chance of bringing home the No. 1 trophy and a Sub-Regional game.

The Bulldogs need to unleash some of that revenge emotion on Daleville. Charles Henderson just has to step up and represent like each and every one of them know they can. And Goshen, while their’s is definitely the tallest order of all, they have the talent and the ability, now they just have to finish what they started three months ago.

Personally I like to write about big victories, it’s good for readership ya know. So, all three of them have my support. Not only that, but three Sub-Regionals in Pike County will mean home-field advantage and short driving distances from my office. That sounds like an outstanding proposal to me. And just think, a couple wins (only one now for the CHHS girls!) and any of the four teams left could be hometown favorites at the Southeast Regional at Troy State.

Boy, it’s coming down to the wire folks. Pick a team and lets help cheer them on to Birmingham shall we?