There's got to be some advantages. It's our floor, we know it, we don't have the travel. But playing West Side is a war. They're well-coached and they're talented. What little adversity we have is probably negated by the fact that it's a sectional.

They've just got too many weapons. Every time we made a run to try and make it close, they came right back at us with another big run.

I don't think you can be the head girls or boys coach and not feel some pressure. That is not a negative. There are high expectations and you get kids who are going to work at it.

Our goal all year long was to get balanced scoring, and after the sectional we reached that with five kids averaging double figures. Obviously you want to stop our guards, but our big kid can step up. The more balanced we are, the more difficult we are to defend.

We felt like if we could keep it close, we had a chance. And early, we did. But they've got so many weapons and just hit big shot after big shot.

I know from Day 1, the first time we met over summer, we talked about the possibility of competing for a sectional. That's what Benton Central basketball's all about. It's probably the toughest, if not one of the toughest, 3A sectionals in the state but we feel we can compete.