Owning a 4-2 record, with back-to-back wins over Landrum and East Henderson, all seemed right in the world of Polk County boys basketball as the Wolverines trekked Dec. 13 to Madison for their Western Highlands Conference opener.
For three quarters at Madison, all still seemed well. The Wolverines built a 17-point lead at the end of the third quarter and looked set to wrap up a three-win week and be off to a great start in league play.
But perhaps fitting for a Friday the 13th game, a nightmare ensued in the fourth period. As Polk struggled at the foul line, Madison rallied, hitting a tying 3-pointer at the regulation buzzer to force overtime. Polk County built a seven-point lead in overtime, only to see the Patriots again oar back and get another buzzer-beating 3-pointer to steal a 77-76 win.
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That loss triggered an eight-game winless streak and a season in which breaks never seemed to fall the Wolverines’ way, a campaign that ended last week with an 8-16 record and a loss to Mountain Heritage in the WHC tournament semifinals.
And while not one to make excuses, head coach Josh McEntire had ample reason to do so after a most unusual season.
“I’ve had 11 seasons of coaching three sports and the other two seasons I coached two,” McEntire said. “In 37 sports seasons of coaching, I have never seen anything like this season.
“At the beginning of the year football running over put us behind. Then we started jelling as a team. We go up to Madison, and for three quarters it felt like the team I had expected had come to play. Then we had the bad quarter, and it never felt like we got that back.”
The Madison loss also marked a turning point for the Wolverines in terms of team health. A bug that raced through the Polk County student body took its toll on the team in the week before Christmas, the effects lingering into the new year. Then came injuries to the team’s top two scorers, sophomore Jamal Tanner and senior Jaron Bontrager.
Were that not enough, a wintry January and February played havoc with practice and game schedules.
“I have never had a season where my two leading scores missed so many games,” McEntire said. “We had illnesses, with so many people being sick at the same time.
“Then we get back at Christmas and the weather is bad. We played six games in six weeks, and you can’t get into any rhythm like that. It was just a weird season with all of that. If one of those things doesn’t happen, the injuries, the weather, it would probably have been a better season.”
The team’s late-season play seemed to back that statement. Polk County won its rematch with Madison in late January, knocked off Mitchell in early February and then led conference runner-up Owen from start to finish in beating the Warhorses 76-69 in the opening round of the WHC tournament.
Polk then matched Mountain Heritage basket for basket in the WHC semis until going cold from the field in the fourth period, the Cougars closing the game with a 21-1 run for a 59-37 win.
“At the end of the season everyone finally bought into playing defense,” McEntire said. “I really feel like we just had a terrible shooting night at the worst possible time (in the Heritage loss).”
The future, though, is a bright one for the program. The team does lose Bontrager along with seniors Anthony Carson, Saquan Miller, Wes Brady, Will Ballard and Jaylin Hines. But Tanner will return, as will Jordan Smith and Wes Mullis, each who saw significant playing time during the season. Sophomore Daniel Painter moved up from the junior varsity during the midseason run of illness and injury and showed scoring potential. Tanner Garrett and Jason Chupp should also be back.
And there’s also growing excitement over the pending arrival of players from the undefeated Polk County Middle School squad.
“I certainly feel good about next season,” McEntire said. “We’ve got some good young players coming back and some good young players coming from the middle school.
“I am really excited about next year and really looking forward to it. With young kids you get to teach more, which I like, and watch them work their way up and see them develop.”
