Brutal Path, Longshot Team and Unearthed Diamonds

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The day is here. Regional Semifinal Games. The participants are mostly expected. A few are stunning. Springfield High? It took their eighth win of the entire season to arrive "alive" on this thrilling Tuesday. Read about their players. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Longshots</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springfield (8-22) upset West Creek Saturday. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2361785' first='Jalen' last='Chapman']</strong> earned placement on the All-District Team, despite playing as a freshman. Chapman's up-and-under layup demonstrated remarkable agility in the lane. Senior <strong>Seon Dowlen</strong> was a strong rebounder on both ends. The team was able to count on him to break the press or hit a timely three-pointer too. Dowlen played a like a senior with the perfect mix of urgency and patience. <strong>Eshon Thompkins</strong>, a smaller guard, helped the seniors score in the halfcourt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"He is doing really, really well," said Coach Griggs Tuesday afternoon on <strong>Eshon Thompkins</strong>. "He is our second-leading scorer. He is a great kid. He plays great in the district tournament. He is averaging about 17 ppg and 3-4 spg." </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline">Springfield Roster</span><br>#1 Tony Petties<br>#2 Alarric Hudson<br>#4 Seon Dowlen<br>#5 Eshon Thompkins (2025)<br>#14 [player_tooltip player_id='2361785' first='Jalen' last='Chapman'] (2027)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Midway through the third quarter, <strong>Alarric Hudson</strong> was visibly frustrated, in his feelings, after he was called with a charge and also suffered a steal. Though he stole the basketball back a second later, the senior did miss two challenged layups at the rim. Springfield Head Coach Anthony Griggs noticed a demeanor shift and called a timeout. Instead of addressing Hudson in front of the whole team, he walked him to the end of the bench and privately discussed what needed to change. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"None of my boys have been in the situation where they are now," said Head Coach Anthony Griggs. "I just let him know that 'I believe in you. Our whole team believes in you.' Just letting him know, mistakes happen. Remain calm. Being a senior, being a leader, you are always the one who people look to. I told him, 'I have your back and we are going to get through this together.'"</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springfield needed to manage a lot more in-game situations in the coming minutes, but Coach Griggs and Hudson were able to steady Hudson's emotions together.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It gave him a chance to take a deep breath. One thing I always tell him, and I tell all of the boys [if they go to the free throw line late, for example]...' I tell I love them.' </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The moment revealed a coaching maturity, a desperation to get through to a key player and a non-confrontational conversation served as his means of message delivery.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Springfield will play Dickson County tonight at Northwest They are not facing the toughest in the region, as those Cougars surprised Kirkwood Saturday. Rossview is the clear favorite to capture the Regional Championship now. Still, the regular season is ancient history now. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Unearthed Diamond</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2202162' first='Ethan' last='Caswell']</strong> (Bolton) played very well until the season ended. The sophomore will be wonderful during the AAU season to come.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Brutal Path</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Franklin High is probably not an underdog. Maybe they are. It is tricky. Last season Independence played in the state tournament, and yet Franklin was leading the entire District as late as mid-January. Who is the favorite to win Tuesday at Centennial High School?<br><br>"I think we are a confident team right now," said Head Coach Jason Tigert Saturday night after knocking off Lincoln County. "Tomorrow we will do a lot of film.&nbsp; Ice baths. Stretching.&nbsp; &nbsp;Get after the 'preparation.'"&nbsp;<br><br>Coach Tigert respects [player_tooltip player_id='1318557' first='Tylan' last='Lewis']' game a lot. He knows the team can shoot. He also mentioned <strong>Korben Walling </strong>as a "physical" player. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Is anybody more physical than <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1318564' first='Christian' last='Brown']</strong> though? The dude probably carries his family car around town when they go to a nice meal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Should Franklin upend Independence, they would meet the winner of Brentwood/Columbia Central, which on paper is an easier opponent. Still, Brentwood's star forward <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1214939' first='Daniel' last='Cochran']</strong> put up a 30-piece Saturday. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->