Back on the prep beat, writing about a one-point game; talking sportswriting, too
Back on the prep beat, writing about a one-point game; talking sportswriting, too
Norman High missed its first chance to reach the Class 6A state tourney. Here's the story and some thoughts about the craft along the way.
Writer’s Note: One thing that separates covering high schools from the colleges/pros is you must keep your own stats with the high schools. Norman High boys basketball, however, keeps its own stats on the bench and shares a final boxscore with me every bit as detailed as one OU or the Thunder might provide. For that reason, though I still keep my own, I can use the numbers of the game with a little more confidence, while also having access to some numbers I don’t attempt keeping; like turnovers by player, rather than just by team. Anyway, here’s what I wrote for Saturday morning’s Norman Transcript, annotated with thoughts about the craft. Enjoy.
NOBLE — Norman High has been doing it all season. Friday night, one win from the Class 6A state tournament, it did it again.
I never, EVER, lead with the score. There’s always a bigger context than the score, a narrative of which the score is only a part. I decide what THE STORY is and then go about telling that story. Of course, in this case, I’m also writing for an audience connected to Norman High, not the opponent.
Several times.
At the end of the first half, point guard Beau Billingsley finished a one-minute possession with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer that put NHS on top of Deer Creek by 10 points.
At the end of the third quarter, it was 35-second possession, finished by a 2-point bank shot from B.J. Randle that put the Tigers up eight on the Antlers.
In the previous two paragraphs, I could have included the game score at the half as well as the game score after three quarters. Instead, I just explained NHS’ lead at the different times because I’m a big believer in the first score mentioned in the story always being the final score.
At the end of the fourth …
No dice.
The final frame not quite half complete, NHS again pulled the ball out, looking to score, yet in no hurry and a torrent of turnovers followed.
What had been a seven-point edge when the Tigers started thinking about the clock and their ability to run it instead became a 39-38 Deer Creek victory.
Some think of the lead as the first sentence. For me, it’s frequently the first section of the story, and here we’ve finally finished it. At this point, I’ve explained the game’s stakes, the flow of the game, how NHS lost it at the end, also implying its strategy may have backfired. All those are choices, yes, but for me, that was the game and now it’s all set up.
Claiming the area championship, the Antlers go directly to next week’s Class 6A state tournament.
The Tigers, who had their 15-game win streak snapped, losing for the first time since opening day of the McGuinness Classic on Jan. 4, still have one more chance to reach the state tourney.
At 7:30 tonight, NHS is at Shawnee High School to face Putnam City West, a 66-64 winner over Putnam City North in Friday’s late area loser’s bracket contest, also at Noble.
“We’re always trying to manage it,” NHS coach Cory Cole said of the Tigers’ late-game strategy against the Antlers. “We’re looking for mismatches … We’re trying to get a certain switch, a certain guy on the ball, a certain guy on help. We’re still running clock trying to find mismatches.”
The previous three paragraphs to the above quote are necessary in explaining the immediate implications of the loss, and the quote is the coach’s response to the whole flawed strategy thesis of the lead. For me, that strategy had to be front and center because I thought it was the story of the game. Yet, fairness requires Cole get his say on the matter immediately thereafter. I’m not here to take down a team. I think I know why it lost and I’m going to put it out there, but if I’m going to do that, I have to give Cole — who, incidentally, I really like — his full say.
Cole pointed out NHS had counted on the same strategy to close out Lawton on Feb. 9, and to finish against Westmoore at last weekend’s regional tournament.
It didn’t work Friday.
The Tigers, who actually shot the ball very well — 53.1%; 17 of 32 — finished with 22 turnovers, six in the fourth quarter and in five of their last six possessions; unless you count their absolute last possession, when Trashaun Combs-Pierce rebounded the second of Deer Creek’s Mason Smith’s two charity misses with less than 2 seconds remaining and no time left for heroics.
A few details, followed by a description of how the game ended. Next, we’ll tell the story of the last few minutes. Play-by-play’s not a crutch to get your story to a particular word count, but a tool to use when it’s required to understand what actually happened. Following is where I thought it was required for this story.
At one point, still up 36-35 following a deuce from Deer Creek’s Hudson Linsenmeyer with 2:25 remaining, Cole burned two timeouts during the same offensive possession, the last one called with 1:01 remaining.
A turnover followed.
At the other end, Smith hit two free throws to put Deer Creek on top 37-36.
Billingsley answered with 33.9 seconds left to hand the Tigers back the lead.
Smith answered with his own field goal, forging the final score.
NHS turned it over one last time, immediately fouling Smith, who missed his freebies too late to matter.
“It’s a one-possession game. We just didn’t execute,” Cole said. “They made the plays the last minute … [It’s] always a close game when we play Deer Creek.”
Of course I’ve always used quotes in my game stories, but I try not to rely on them to get me through the story. I try to use them to serve what I believe the story must be, not to hand the story over to players/coaches. I watched it closely, I’ve been doing this for a long time, I’ll decide what the nature of the story needs to be.
Combs-Pierce led NHS in point and turnovers, 13 and 6. Typically sure-handed, Billingsley was next with both numbers, 11 and 5.
Randle finished with eight points.
Isaiah Amous led both teams with seven rebounds.
Clyde Davis led Deer Creek with 10 points. Linsenmeyer finished with nine.
Numbers like these (except maybe the turnovers) appear in every prep game story. People want to know them. Adding the turnovers to go next to the points of the leading scorers reinforces what really happened in the game. Also, having the points right next to the turnovers balances out using the turnovers at all. It’s a story about how NHS lost, yes, but we’re not trying to piss off the fans, just explain the game fairly.
A tough and hard game, points and finding a way to get them came at a premium, the two teams combing on 32 field goals, only 11 of them assisted.
Only four of those assists belonged to NHS, the Tigers doing a fine job of creating their own shots instead. Yet, thanks to the giveaways, not enough of them.
“We had the plays to make,” Cole said. “We didn’t make them.”
A final reinforcement of the story of the game, followed by a final summarizing quote from the coach. Hope you enjoyed this.