They started off with an ugly 3-5 beginning to the season, but the Sugar Bears have since turned things around in a big way, winning 18 in a row and 24 of 25. I decided to go ahead and follow suit and turn things around myself, so instead of me writing about what happened, I passed the pen over to one of the girls responsible for the Sugar Bears’ streak.

After the conference tourney, there was no doubt who to turn to in the clutch. And like always, when she was called upon Caronica Randle stepped up to the challenge. She was a logical choice — the girl’s no dummy and Coach Seals is always telling stories about Caronica’s antics. You can tell on the court she’s animated and I figured maybe some of that personality could shine through here.

And after her performance in Tupelo, it was easy to see she was ready to step her game up another level. She did just that, leading the team in scoring and rebounding in two of the three games. Against Fort Valley, she went nuts and threw up a career-high 34 points. Through it all, she averaged 25.3 points and 9.7 rebounds and actually beat out Carone Harris for Most Outstanding Player honors. So you know she’s got stories (and jokes). That’s enough from me, let me turn it over to the MOP.

— Josh Goff

Friday, March 11: Pre-Game

It all came down to 2.3 seconds.

It was our first time winning the GSC Tournament. The clock was slowly ticking and somebody had to win the game. After coming out of the timeout, in my mind, I knew that God would work things out. Our team’s chemistry is similar to a well-bonded family. So before the game, we knew we had to win by one point. It’s weird but we actually said that we would win by one during halftime. And at the end, within 2.3 seconds, we did just that and won the GSC championship.

Now those days are behind us and it’s time to play Rollins College in the first round. The word is that these are some tall players. Knowing this, we have to use our quickness to beat Rollins. I know that our team will play hard in order to win this game. I have two hours to get my mind right.

Friday, March 11: After defeating Rollins

The game is over, and the Sugar Bears came out on top. We actually took the game before the half when we had a 20-point lead. They had some good players, but like always, we prevailed.

Saturday, March 12: Looking ahead to Fort Valley

Next up we face Fort Valley State University. When I watched these girls play against Tuskeege, I know that tonight will be a very physical game. One thing I noticed about this team was that everybody looked like they bench pressed at least 200 pounds.

Saturday, March 12: After the FVSU win

When we played FVSU, I fell on the floor at least 10 times. The game was very rough and I don’t think Fort Valley ever thought they fouled us. All they had to do was lay a pinky finger on me and I was laid out. So yeah, that means I have to hit the weights hard this summer.

The scariest thing in that game was having to watch Carone fall on her knee. I thought I was going to have a stroke. You see injuries in movies all the time, but to see it up close and personal — it’s different. All I could do was drop my head in prayer and hope nothing went wrong. And like always, Carone sucked it up and walked it off. I don’t know how she did it, but if it was me, they’d have to call the best doctor in town because that was a hard fall. Renita also sprained an ankle, but that’s fine, just as long as it wasn’t her knee again. But after the WWF-like basketball game, the Sugar Bears prevailed once again.

Monday, March 14: Getting ready for the title game

Finally, the big talk of all of the GSC is Henderson vs. UCA. We are 1-1 and tonight is the tiebreaker. We had practice this morning and everybody’s ready to play. We have the best players in the state and we are unstoppable. If we play our hardest, then we are unbeatable. It’s hard to find guards who can play as posts and posts that can shoot like guards.

And the only place you can find that is at the University of Central Arkansas.

There is no doubt in my mind that we will win this game. I want our seniors to have the best year ever. And after 7 p.m., we’ll see.

Monday, March 14: CHAMPS!!!

We are the champs once again. The first half wasn’t so good, but at the half, we talked about how we needed to knock the big shots down. And that is exactly what we did. It has been great playing with three wonderful seniors (Carone, Traci and Micaela). Just being able to give the seniors a win in their last home game is even better. I love my teammates so much, and I know that we will handle our business in Hot Springs. This has been a wonderful year, and we will go all the way!





		Randle shares her thoughts

		They started off with an ugly 3-5 beginning to the season, but the Sugar Bears have since turned things around in a big way, winning 18 in a row and 24 of 25. I decided to go ahead and follow suit and turn things around myself, so instead of me writing about what happened, I passed the pen over to one of the girls responsible for the Sugar Bears’ streak. After the conference tourney, there was no doubt who to turn to in the clutch. And like always, when she was called upon Caronica Randle stepped up to the challenge. She was a logical choice — the girl’s no dummy and Coach Seals is always telling stories about Caronica’s antics. You can tell on the court she’s animated and I figured maybe some of that personality could shine through here. And after her performance in Tupelo, it was easy to see she was ready to step her game up another level. She did just that, leading the team in scoring and rebounding in two of the three games. Against Fort Valley, she went nuts and threw up a career-high 34 points. Through it all, she averaged 25.3 points and 9.7 rebounds and actually beat out Carone Harris for Most Outstanding Player honors. So you know she’s got stories (and jokes). That’s enough from me, let me turn it over to the MOP. — Josh Goff Friday, March 11: Pre-Game It all came down to 2.3 seconds. It was our first time winning the GSC Tournament. The clock was slowly ticking and somebody had to win the game. After coming out of the timeout, in my mind, I knew that God would work things out. Our team’s chemistry is similar to a well-bonded family. So before the game, we knew we had to win by one point. It’s weird but we actually said that we would win by one during halftime. And at the end, within 2.3 seconds, we did just that and won the GSC championship. Now those days are behind us and it’s time to play Rollins College in the first round. The word is that these are some tall players. Knowing this, we have to use our quickness to beat Rollins. I know that our team will play hard in order to win this game. I have two hours to get my mind right. Friday, March 11: After defeating Rollins The game is over, and the Sugar Bears came out on top. We actually took the game before the half when we had a 20-point lead. They had some good players, but like always, we prevailed. Saturday, March 12: Looking ahead to Fort Valley Next up we face Fort Valley State University. When I watched these girls play against Tuskeege, I know that tonight will be a very physical game. One thing I noticed about this team was that everybody looked like they bench pressed at least 200 pounds. Saturday, March 12: After the FVSU win When we played FVSU, I fell on the floor at least 10 times. The game was very rough and I don’t think Fort Valley ever thought they fouled us. All they had to do was lay a pinky finger on me and I was laid out. So yeah, that means I have to hit the weights hard this summer. The scariest thing in that game was having to watch Carone fall on her knee. I thought I was going to have a stroke. You see injuries in movies all the time, but to see it up close and personal — it’s different. All I could do was drop my head in prayer and hope nothing went wrong. And like always, Carone sucked it up and walked it off. I don’t know how she did it, but if it was me, they’d have to call the best doctor in town because that was a hard fall. Renita also sprained an ankle, but that’s fine, just as long as it wasn’t her knee again. But after the WWF-like basketball game, the Sugar Bears prevailed once again. Monday, March 14: Getting ready for the title game Finally, the big talk of all of the GSC is Henderson vs. UCA. We are 1-1 and tonight is the tiebreaker. We had practice this morning and everybody’s ready to play. We have the best players in the state and we are unstoppable. If we play our hardest, then we are unbeatable. It’s hard to find guards who can play as posts and posts that can shoot like guards. And the only place you can find that is at the University of Central Arkansas. There is no doubt in my mind that we will win this game. I want our seniors to have the best year ever. And after 7 p.m., we’ll see. Monday, March 14: CHAMPS!!! We are the champs once again. The first half wasn’t so good, but at the half, we talked about how we needed to knock the big shots down. And that is exactly what we did. It has been great playing with three wonderful seniors (Carone, Traci and Micaela). Just being able to give the seniors a win in their last home game is even better. I love my teammates so much, and I know that we will handle our business in Hot Springs. This has been a wonderful year, and we will go all the way!