FAYETTEVILLE — In her 20 years as Siloam Springs girls’ basketball coach, Debbie Sharp has seen more than her fair share of great players.
But it wasn’t great play that caused Sharp to make a beeline for Vilonia’s locker room after the Lady Panthers had defeated Vilonia 40-38 in February. Sharp just had to say something to Vilonia point guard Bailey Sisson, who leads the West team into tonight’s AHSCA All-Star basketball game at Walton Arena.
In that February 5A-West Conference game, the Lady Panthers had hounded Sisson, a 5-2 senior, relentlessly by trapping her with players a half-foot taller than her. Through it all, Sisson persevered and nearly led her team to the victory.
“I saw her parents outside the locker room and I just wanted to tell them that this was a game that a player could show bad character and she didn’t,” Sharp said. “She’s one of those kids who competes the right way. More than her athleticism, in that game you saw her character and, to me, that means more then being a good athlete.”
Sisson, who averaged 12 points, 6 assists and 3 steals as a senior, said Sharp’s kind words meant a lot to her.
“The fact that she noticed it and spoke to me really encouraged me to keep on,” Sisson said. “In the end, that’s all that really matters: your character and who you are. Whether you win or lose, you stick to who you are and that’s what really matters.”
Vilonia Coach Alvin Riley said Sisson showed great leadership in her two years as a starter. He said Sisson’s composure helped the team when Vilonia needed to keep things from going from bad to worse in games.
“She’s as good a kid as you’d ever want to be around,” Riley said. “She does whatever she can do to help the team. I never seen her get mad. She was the key to our team chemistry.”
Sisson has plenty of athleticism to go along with her character. She is a multisport star for Vilonia, having earned state titles in softball and basketball as well as playing volleyball, golf, track and field and cross country.
Sisson, who will run cross country and track at Arkansas State next year, was also the school’s homecoming queen, the president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and made straight A’s.
Sisson scored 16 points to help Vilonia win the 5A title in 2009. She was the only returning starter in 2010 and, while Riley thought his team would be good, he didn’t expect Vilonia to go 26-3 and reach the quarterfinals.
“It was pressure for us seniors,” said Sisson, whose team went 55-4 in her two years as a starter. “We didn’t know what to expect. We all just tried to lead because a lot of people didn’t expect much.”
Sisson enters tonight’s game knowing it is her last basketball game before being a track athlete for Arkansas State. She won’t change her mind-set, though.
“It’s kind of sad because it’s one of my favorite sports, for sure,” Sisson said. “I’ve just really enjoyed the time I’ve had to play. I just want to work hard and try my best.
“It’s my last game, and that means a lot to me. I want to have fun mostly in my last goaround.”
Sports, Pages 17 on 06/24/2010