Neither team deserved to lose women's final

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- There is a cliché in sports after a particularly close and exciting game in a big setting that goes roughly like this: "Neither team deserved to lose."

But in the case of Saturday afternoon's matchup between Southeast Missouri State and Eastern Kentucky for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament title, that saying has never been more true.

What a battle. It was like a heavyweight championship bout, with the squads exchanging vicious blows for virtually the entire 50 minutes.

That's right, 50 minutes. In what veteran observers called one of the best OVC women's tourney finals ever, EKU was the last fighter left standing as the Colonels posted an unbelievable 84-73 win in double overtime.

Both teams made one clutch play after another, including a shot by Natalie Purcell with 8 seconds left in regulation that looked like it would give Southeast the victory, and a driving scoop shot by EKU guard Laura Shelton with 1 second remaining that forced overtime.

In the end, the outcome brought tears of sadness to the eyes of all the Redhawks, who came ever so close to the program's first NCAA Division I tournament berth.

But when the heartache disappears over time, they'll probably recall with fondness that they had the opportunity to participate in such a classic contest.

And the Redhawks certainly have nothing to hang their heads about after putting together the program's best record (22-8) on the Division I level -- and there is still a chance that their season will continue as they could come up for consideration to be selected to the Women's NIT.

I feel privileged to have witnessed the game -- and it really was a shame either team had to lose.

* Even though Southeast's women lose key seniors Chandra Brown and Brandi Russia, along with role player Miah Shelford, every other squad member is an underclassman -- led by OVC player of the year Tatiana Conceicao -- and coach B.J. Smith is sure to continue his stellar recruiting.

It all means that the outlook for next season is certainly bright -- and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the Redhawks make it back to the OVC tourney finals in 2005-06.

* Southeast's men did quite a few good things this year in rebounding from a rough start to make the OVC tournament semifinals for the first time since that magical season of 1999-2000, when they reached the NCAA Division I tournament for the first and only time.

But what a bad way to end things, as the Redhawks had probably their worst offensive performances of the season during Friday's 69-52 loss to eventual champion Eastern Kentucky.

Anybody who watched the Redhawks play this year knows they were not an overly talented team, which also resulted in being a mediocre -- at best -- defensive squad.

About the only chance Southeast had to beat most teams was to be efficient offensively and shoot well. That didn't happen Friday, and the result was a blowout defeat.

All in all, it was definitely a respectable season for the Redhawks, particularly considering the way it started, all the injuries they had to battle through and the improvement over the previous three dismal campaigns that featured a combined 28-57 record.

There's no question coach Gary Garner was on the hot seat entering the season as more than a few fans were calling for his ouster. For a variety of reasons -- namely because of an embarrassingly low budget -- I didn't agree with it.

In any event, the Indians' 15-14 record -- their first winning mark since 2000-01 -- definitely removed all doubt about whether Garner will return for the final year of his contract in 2005-06. And that's the way it should be.

But next season will definitely be a crucial one for the Redhawks. They lose five seniors, including the players who accounted for the bulk of their scoring and rebounding this year.

Southeast does appear to have a nice -- although small -- nucleus of talent returning, led by emerging sophomore guard Terrick Willoughby, freshman point guard Paul Paradoski and explosive guard Roy Booker, who sat out this season under NCAA regulations but practiced with the squad after the Portageville native transferred from the University of Montana.

But the Redhawks definitely need a major recruiting year -- signing several talented inside players will be crucial -- and Garner thinks that will happen thanks to a significant bump in the recruiting budget that has not yet been officially announced but could prove vital.

The most important person in Southeast's program as far as next season is concerned just might be first-year assistant coach Ronnie Dean, who was brought in solely for his recruiting skills and has been scouring the country searching for talent.

Southeast figures to sign as many as seven or eight players for next season, and at least several of them need to be impact performers if the program is to make another jump from this improved campaign.

* I hated the recent news that former Southeast player and assistant coach Jill Pizzotti was fired as the head women's basketball coach at St. Louis University.

I got to know Jill well during her playing days at Southeast in the late 1980s, and also when she worked as a graduate assistant for the Redhawks' last Division II team in 1990-91 that finished second in the national tournament.

I consider Jill a good friend and here's hoping she lands another coaching position in the near future.

Marty Mishow is a sports writer for the Southeast Missourian.