Hixson forward Tiara Willingham works religiously on her basketball game.
“I play basketball every day,” she said. “If you want to win, there’s no second that you can’t work. I’m either at the Glenwood Center or outside, but I’m always doing something. There’s not an hour I don’t play — unless I’m at church.”
The work has been put in; now only if wins can follow. The Lady Wildcats are muddled in a losing streak like none other in the area — 74 games now. Their last victory was Jan. 18, 2007, when Hixson defeated Marion County 43-31.
Second-year coach Laura Wood said winning is harder when a team “doesn’t know how to do it.”
“It’s easier when you’ve seen someone do it before you,” she said. “A win would show that all the hard work has paid off. The girls aren’t working for a single win, but it does seem like a significant milestone. It would be a tremendous accomplishment, because before Tiara they didn’t have the experience of being committed and having the commitment pay off.
“There are more ways of their commitment paying off other than winning in the longer run, but I would be extremely happy for them.”
Willingham’s dedication has led teammates to be more committed.
“Consistency is something we’re striving to improve on,” Wood said. “We’re starting to make improvements on it, but without somebody who has accomplished those goals and seen something more lucrative, it’s hard. These girls haven’t seen a Hixson team go out and win, so for them to do so, it’s like going out and doing something they’ve never done on their own.
“We have a lot of athleticism on this team, but they just haven’t experienced a win, and that makes it harder, especially in close games because they don’t know how to play in those situations. They don’t know how important a key defensive stop or converting a three-point play is, and that’s not their fault.
“As coaches, we just try to make a conscious effort to concentrate on rebounds and hustle plays. If we rebound, make a good percentage of our layups and hustle, we’ll be OK.”
Wood said getting girls to come out for basketball isn’t so hard, but keeping them on the team has been a problem. With a volleyball team that reached a state sectional as recently as 2008, talent within the school isn’t the problem — but basketball fundamentals are a glaring weakness.
Said Willingham: “We don’t have anybody that’s fundamentally strong. We’re playing teams that have girls that have played together for four years.”
Earlier this season, Hixson lost only 46-44 to Rhea County. Willingham, leading the team with 14 points and 10.1 rebounds a game, almost made a winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
“Man!” she said, recalling the moment. “All I could think of was to get downcourt and get a shot up. I did — and thought it was going in — but it bounced off. It was kind of devastating, but it’s only going to push me harder. The second time around, that shot’s going in or I’m getting fouled.
“Getting a win for me would be life-changing, because I’ve witnessed us go through trying times and we came together and broke it. We have a young team, and even if we don’t do it another team will. I live life thinking that anything is possible, and because of God, Coach and the players we have, we’re destined for success.”