March 16, 2004
It has been a while since my last entry, where do I begin? A lot has transpired over the past week and I am not so sure how to capture it all in words. But, I will give it a try!
I decided that our team has an obsession with candy, sugar, brownies and anything that has the word cake attached to it. Every road trip we are treated to fantastic "treat bags" complete with cookies, candy, and throw in an apple to make it semi-healthy. Usually there are more goodie bags than players, so we scrounge around trying to find our favorites to add to our own stash. However, you have to be on your toes because the first thing that goes is the candy. I watched as Chelsea (Whitaker) wandered up and down the bus isle casually stealing Starburst and any other sweet. If there is a brownie in the bag, Chameka (Scott) is right on it. That girl has a serious soft spot for brownies and ice cream. For most of us, the goodie bag is a nice retreat from chicken, salad, bread, and baked potatoes, the components of our pregame meal. We love the sweet stuff!
And the story gets sweeter! Monday evening we sat in the Dr Pepper suite at the Mavericks game. The game was fantastic but most of us would have to say that when the dessert cart came, it was the best part of the game! Cheesecake to gummy bears, it was heaven on wheels.
But you can't enjoy dessert until you finish your meal first. The Big 12 Tournament was the heart of the matter. We knew that we had to get through Kansas before we could taste the sweetness of beating Texas Tech and striving to win a Big 12 championship.
All the ingredients for success were in place as we faced the 12th-seeded Jayhawks. They matched up in similar size and athleticism so we knew we were going to be in for a fight. However, a hot-shooting Emily (Niemann) and the inside duo of Sophia (Young) and Steffanie (Blackmon) was no match for Kansas. We had one more chance at the Lady Raiders...Revenge is so sweet.
I have to admit, as I watched Texas Tech walk back onto their bus after our victory, I did not have any remorse sending them home early. How sweet it is to beat Texas Tech for the final time in my career.
Dionne (Brown) woke me up early Wednesday morning, the day of the Texas Tech game, a whooping and a hollering. She was so excited she couldn't go back to sleep, and since I was awake neither could I. As I watched her jump up and down in the room, she looked at me and said, "Jess, we are going to win today...by 15 points." Maybe we didn't win by fifteen points, but we won. Exhausted, we both fell asleep early that night, our tummies full because Coach let us have dessert.
You know, I really like those neon sour gummi worms. They are the perfect blend of sweet and sour, but sometimes you get one that just makes you pucker. Losing to Texas in the closing seconds was like one of those sour moments. You just think about it and it makes your face cringe. But, then again we overcame adversity, playing without Steffanie and through fatigue to give ourselves a chance to win the game. One time, just one time the ending will be sweet. It just wasn't Thursday night.
The selection show is over, the brackets are set and our tickets to Albuquerque are booked, the NCAA tournament is the icing on the cake. March Madness is finally here, the sweet stuff. We have had a fantastic season; one we hope is far from finished. We are not satisfied with just getting a bid anymore. It is time to win some games and continue to mark Baylor on the path of sweet success.
Well, I better go work on my moves, cause it is time to dance!
See you in Albuquerque!
-Jessika
