C3D1: Portageville thwarts New Madrid's hope for a 'miracle' upset

PORTAGEVILLE – The 43rd anniversary of the “Miracle on ice” was Wednesday, but the New Madrid County Central girl’s basketball squad entered Thursday’s semifinal match-up against No. 1-seed Portageville in the MSHSAA Class 3 District 1 Tournament with visions of pulling off a “Miracle near rice (fields).”

“I just steadily motivated them,” first-year Eagle coach Danna Woods said of building her player’s confidence before the game. “I just spoke positive energy and tried to encourage them daily.”

Portageville won the game 58-44 to advance to Saturday’s championship game against two-time defending champion Twin Rivers at 2 p.m., but that wasn’t the story of this night.

Let’s set the stage for what happened on the Jim Bidewell Court in Portageville.

The host Bulldogs came into the game having enjoyed its most successful season in 14 years.

Portageville had won 20 of its 26 games this season, while New Madrid had lost 20 of its 23 games, including a 25-point loss to Portageville in mid-January.

Oh, and just so you know, New Madrid only has five players on its roster, so earlier this season, Woods went full Norman Dale (of Hoosier’s fame) and had to tell officials in several games “My team (of four players) is on the floor.”

“We’re a group of five,” Woods said of her team. “We’re a family. We work together every day and pull each other up and motivate each other.

“We try to keep each other on track and focused every day.”

The Eagles (3-21) were “on track and focused” for much of Thursday’s game. Despite being undermanned and on the road, with under eight minutes remaining, they trailed Portageville by just four points (35-31).

“They are super athletic,” veteran Bulldog coach Kellye Fowler said of New Madrid. “They were hurting us in transition early and finishing their lay-ups.”

The Bulldogs are fielding their most productive offense in seven years this season, but the Eagle defense limited Portageville to a shocking five points in the opening quarter, as New Madrid led 15-5.

“They were playing super long and physical on defense,” Fowler continued, “and forcing some turnovers, and our shots weren’t falling.”

Knowing the Eagles had no bench, Fowler gave New Madrid a taste of its own medicine and began having her team zone press New Madrid in a relentless and physical style, which got the Bulldogs back into the game, as Portageville led 24-22 at halftime.

“I tell the girls to trust their teammates,” Fowler said. “You can take risks because you have girls behind you both on the floor and on the bench.”

Fowler utilized nine players, which eventually led to the Eagles’ tiring.

“I would call timeouts halfway through (a quarter),” Woods said of managing her team’s exhaustion, “and give them a break and a drink. I’d tell them to stay focused. We knew (Portageville) was going to press.

“Anybody is going to press when you only have five people.”

New Madrid produced just seven points in the second quarter and nine in the third, as they tired, but still had a touch of hope early in the fourth quarter, before the Bulldogs just overwhelmed New Madrid.

“They are an aggressive team,” Fowler said. “They are way better than they look on paper. They play in the SEMO Conference, so they are used to playing tough competition all of the time.”

The Bulldogs got 12 points from junior Laney Stone in the win, while sophomore Ja’niya Smith (10) and senior Amiyah Saxton (a team-best 16 points) were also productive.

New Madrid was paced by sophomore Emani Summers with 23 points, while Jordan Maltbia had nine points and Nene Jackson added five.

Portageville will be going for its first MSHSAA District title since winning consecutive titles in 2008 and 2009.