After reaching the semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament a year ago, Hot Springs girls basketball coach Mark Upshaw’s goal for the 2014-2015 season had a simple, yet familiar, tone to it.
“Like every team, we wanted to win a state championship, and we expected to have a good year,” Upshaw said. “We lost two seniors from last year, but we had our three leading scorers back. So we really felt like we’d do well.
“But injuries can change the dynamics of a team in a hurry. When that happens, the best thing you can do is try not to panic.”
Senior forward Ashley Clayborn, who posted 11 double-doubles and four triple-doubles during her junior year, tore an anterior cruciate ligament over the summer, and that, in turn, threw a monkey wrench into Hot Springs’ title plans. But teams often embody the mentality of their coach, and that’s precisely what the Lady Trojans did.
Upshaw never wavered in the belief that his team had what it took to capture its first state title in 17 years, and for that, he is named the Tri-Lakes Edition Basketball Coach of the Year.
“The girls were just determined not to lose,” Upshaw said. “When Ashley went down, it was a big blow. But they stayed the course. At times, we did struggle without her in the lineup, but when she returned, you could tell they were ready to go.”
Hot Springs, which finished 26-4, beat Greenbrier, Valley View and Farmington before topping Pulaski Academy 62-61 in overtime to capture the Class 5A title. The victory was Upshaw’s first state championship and Hot Springs’ fourth overall.
But the Lady Trojans had the look of a true championship contender well before their March title run.
Clayborn returned in January to help the Lady Trojans win their second consecutive 5A-South Conference championship. Hot Springs, which hasn’t lost a league game since 2013, was rarely challenged, but that could be contributed to the fact that the Lady Trojans faced a number of stiff tests during the nonconference portion of their schedule.
“They embraced that challenge this year,” said Upshaw, who’s in his eighth year as head coach. “In the past, we’d have a tough schedule where we’d play some of the better teams, and they wouldn’t be overly excited. But this year was different.
“We played teams like Conway, and the girls were excited at the chance. I think that helped [us] get better.”
Upshaw relied on senior guards Berniezha Tidwell and Tiaunna Watkins to provide much of the scoring while Clayborn worked her way back from her injury. The Lady Trojans also had depth, which Upshaw said helped tremendously late in games. Still, Hot Springs didn’t hit its stride until after Clayborn returned.
“Seeing her back out there really inspired the kids,” Upshaw said. “Tidwell led us in scoring, and Watkins averaged about 14 points and eight steals per game. But with Ashley back, it really seemed to relax them and make them even more determined to win.”
That determination was on full display against Pulaski Academy, which had been ranked No. 1 in Class 5A for the majority of the season. The Lady Trojans trailed for most of regulation but never panicked and managed to send the game into overtime, when Tidwell hit a free throw with 3.1 seconds left to give them their first state championship since 1998.
“I remember at one point late in the game where I called a timeout and asked, ‘Isn’t this fun?’” Upshaw said. “Before that, I saw where they were getting a little antsy. But they settled down after that and got the job done.”
Upshaw, too, got the job done, and he’s already looking forward to his team defending its title next season.