I'll Call It Like I See It

by sheila morris

Tag: allisha gray

  • Auburn Breaks Pretty and Slow’s Road Trip Chicken Curse!


    The Lady Gamecocks rolled into Auburn, Alabama with their game faces on and had an amazing first quarter that led to their victory in a gorgeous Auburn Arena which held two bus loads of loyal Gamecock fans and a few of us who made the trip on our own.

    auburn-trip-22

    Next one to miss a free throw…

    auburn-trip-21

    Lord, I can’t watch – makes me too nervous

    auburn-trip-13

    Davis in deep, deep concentration before the game – 

    (she scored a USC record 19 points in first quarter) 

    auburn-trip-12

    Pretty before the game – feeling optimistic

    auburn-trip-16

    Elaina Coates ready to play

    auburn-trip-14

    Captains Confab with refs before game

    (better known as Let’s All Play Nice)

    auburn-trip-10

    Star-Spangled Banner

    auburn-trip-9

    Gamecocks didn’t quite maintain the first quarter intensity and points but played well and managed to score 73 points before all was said and done. Auburn struggled in the first quarter but came back to score 47 points as their defense held our Bigs to the fewest points they’ve had this year so very good effort from the Tigers. Unfortunately, our guards were On Fire and hit 14 of 28 from the three-point line which was another record night.

    auburn-trip-5

    Everybody happy as they left the battlefield

     auburn-trip-26

    Pretty happiest of all – Road Trip Curse broken!!

    auburn-trip-2

    Coach Staley hugs Lady G Road Warriors

    Pretty and I discovered why War Eagle Nan loves her Auburn University – it’s a special place. We even got to see the War Eagles themselves when they posed for celebrity photos prior to the game behind our seats. They look ferocious but were tolerant of the paparazzi.

    All in all, the Auburn experience was a Memory Maker, as Granny Selma used to say when she was in her right mind.

    But…we were all dragging by the time we got back to the motel…Spike and Charly stayed in the car while we went to the game, and Charly destroyed her leash to punish us. Oh, well.

    auburn-trip-1

    Road Trip continues as we make our way to Gainesville for the Florida game Sunday afternoon.

    Stay tuned.

  • It’s Raining 3’s, Hallelujah!


    The basketball leaves Kaela Davis’s hands as she stands behind the line that separates the mundane from the magical; it seems to be suspended at the top of a long slow arc toward the rafters and then swish! comes down cleanly through the rim with the sweetest sound in basketball, the ball passing through the hoop with nothing but the grace of the shooter surrounding it.

    Wow – Davis was on fire yesterday for Coach Staley’s USC Lady Gamecocks as she was responsible for six 3-pointers to lead the 3-point parade of a Dawn Staley – era record of 16 during the Gamecocks win over Minnesota at home in the Colonial Life Arena. Allisha Gray had four more, and Ty Harris added three to help erase our memory of last week’s performance against Duke at their storied Cameron Indoor Stadium. We were six of twenty-three from the 3-point range in that less-than-stellar loss.

    Ugh. Pretty and I traveled to the Duke game last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves on our first visit to Duke University – loved the campus.

    duke-diversity

    We Believe in Diversity

    What’s not to like about a school that embraces diversity?

    morris-williams-sign-at-duke-2

    Morris Williams Stadium

    Or what’s not to like about a university that names a stadium after me and Pretty? Have mercy – our first stadium namesake.

    duke-game

    Cameron Indoor Stadium

    Or a major university that refuses to cave to commercialism and leaves its basketball court just like it was when the pilgrims played on it?

    spike-and-charly-on-the-sofa-very-bored-4-001

    The smiles of our selfie were before that game when we were still having fun “oohing and aahing” over the bleachers inside Cameron blissfully unaware of the dangers of another “away” game for us. Our record is not good with our favorite Lady G’s when we take to the road with them.

    Our first road trip was to the Final Four in Tampa Bay, Florida in 2015 where we played Notre Dame…and lost.

    Our second road trip was earlier this year to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for the Round of 16 game against Syracuse…and lost. That was a LONG ride home.

    Which brings us to last weekend’s shorter trip to Durham, North Carolina for the Duke game that, as I said earlier, we lost.

    Three road trips…three losses…we were talking yesterday about going to Savannah, Georgia next week for the game against Savannah State, and our Basketball Buddy Garner threatened to take away our car keys. Please don’t go, he said. I just can’t take it any more.

    Hm. Something to mull over.

    In the meantime, It’s Raining 3’s, Hallelujah!